Alaska Railroad: ALERT!!!! STAY OFF THE TRACKS!!!!!!!

In Adventure, Cruises, Parks, Railroad, Transportation by scott

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See this train (above)? If you are on the tracks when it comes by, YOU WILL DIE.

Sorry. I’m not usually so blunt. But our friends at the Alaska Railroad want you as a repeat customer, not as a casualty.

Funny, but July 4 weekend has more accidents in and around the railroad tracks. Here is the key message:

“See tracks. Think train.”

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Check out the new packages from the Alaska Railroad!

1. Rail-n-wildlife day tour to Portage! Ride the Glacier Discovery Train along scenic Turnagain Arm to Portage. Disembark to meet your guide and take a brief shuttle to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center,AWCC Alaska’s premier rehabilitation center for injured and orphaned animals. Resident wildlife includes black and brown bears, moose, caribou, wood bison, lynx and more. The tour of the center runs about 90 minutes. Guides are knowledgeable about the wildlife and deliver an interesting and fun tour for all ages.

After touring the wildlife center, return to Portage to re-board the Glacier Discovery Train and continue the rail journey to Alaska’s backcountry and the scenic Grandview region: highlights include glacier views, a series of mountain tunnels and spectacular vistas of the Placer River Valley. Return via rail to Portage, where a transfer to a waiting motorcoach provides a timely return to Girdwood or Anchorage. Cost: $175 per person.

Call now: (800)544-0552.

2. New Spencer Bench Cabin available for public use. Take the Glacier Discovery train to the Spencer Glacier stop to access this new cabin (the first in a decade!) in the Chugach National Forest.  The cabin sits at 1,900’, climbing away from the lake revealing breathtaking views of the Placer River valley and Spencer Glacier below.

Spencer View

The cabin is a 15×17-foot, trapper style cabin made entirely out of Alaskan yellow cedar.  It can accommodate 6 people and offers wooden bunks, a table with benches, fire extinguisher, snow shovel, a broom and an outhouse. Electricity, water and fuel for the heater are not provided. Guests are responsible for supplying their own drinking water, kerosene for heater (1 liter will last about 4 hours), a cook stove, flashlights or lanterns, bedding, mattresses, toilet paper, garbage bags, cookware, dishes and utensils.  A creek is located near the cabin site but water must be treated before consumption.

Cost is $85/night. Learn more about the cabin HERE. Make reservations by calling the railroad: (800)544-0552.

3. Hurricane Turn. This train departs from Talkeetna and goes north up to Hurrican Gulch. This train offers essential transportation to residents with cabins along the route—and it’s been taking people back and forth since the railroad was completed in 1923. I always stop in to the Talkeetna Roadhouse before the train leaves to grab a box lunch. You can opt to ride in the passenger cars, or join legendary engineer Warren Redfearn in the baggage car. That’s where the action is! New this year: Flagstop Rail + Susitna River Float! Take the train north from Talkeetna, then float back to town with Mahay’s Jetboat Adventures!

It’s time to get out and see Alaska on the Alaska Railroad! CLICK HERE for more information, or call (800)544-0552.

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