While 40-below temperatures may put many tour packages on ice, Alaska Railroad’s Aurora Winter Train is one hot ticket travel advisors should consider for adventure-loving clients.
A top itinerary option for visitors is the railroad’s “flag-stop run,” where the train services a mostly off-the-grid, 50-mile route north of Talkeetna — part of the 12-hour trip to Fairbanks. Along this stretch, anyone can flag down the train and board or disembark. Passengers might see homesteaders embarking on food runs into town, locals taking sled dogs to a vet, or a grizzled woodsman strapping on a new wood-burning stove for his hand-built cabin. Inquisitive clients my overhear stories from trappers, cross-country skiers, adventurers, hunters, survivalists and more — in other words, the whole range of authentic backcountry Alaskans.
Meghan Clemens, marketing communications manager for Alaska Railroad, says another popular feature of the winter train is the opportunity to view wildlife.
“Passengers tend to see more wildlife during the winter months,” she said. “There are often plenty of moose walking along the railroad right-of-way. Snowfall depths near the tracks are a fraction of the 100-plus inches found beyond the tracks. On one trip, a conductor idled the train behind 14 moose walking along the tracks, much to the delight of passengers.”
On one trip, a conductor idled the train behind 14 moose walking along the tracks, much to the delight of passengers.
Alaska Railroad’s in-house experts can help advisors plan comprehensive tour packages that use the Aurora train as a jumping-off point for adventuring and winter-fun opportunities at depots based out of Anchorage, Wasilla, Talkeetna and Fairbanks. In addition, the railroad offers agent-training courses and online, on-demand courses twice per month.
“Agents don’t have to call multiple vendors, which saves them time and money,” Clemens said. “All of our reservations agents are based in Anchorage, so it’s easy to benefit from local expertise, which is important, as a custom package that looks perfect on the shelf may not be when adding the complexities of winter travel and logistics.”
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