Peaks & Parks

Travel Dates: July 13th-25th, 2025

Day 8

(McKinley Explorer Scenic Train: Anchorage to Talkeetna to Denali)

Our second day on land was nearly a full day of sitting. However, despite how uneventful that may sound, we were actually quite excited. Despite only having travel on the agenda, our seats just so happened to be on the McKinley Explorer, a luxury two-level, glass-domed rail car service that travels through Alaska’s rugged interior between Anchorage, Talkeetna, and Denali National Park. Talk about traveling in style!

Now, there was tons for us to see, but because it was mostly taking in views, enjoying each other’s company and conversation, and hearing what our tour guide had to say, there’s not a ton to write about. But I will try my best!

Our day started fairly early with an 8:00 am transfer to the rail depot, where we would be boarding our first of two trains. Our first trip on the McKinkey Explorer would be taking us to Talkeetna. It was a three hour trek, departing the depot at 9:15. We boarded the Eklutna car.

Not only were we offered great views on this first stretch, but we were offered the opportunity to purchase some breakfast as well! A crew member came through at the start and asked if we planned on eating breakfast. We decided we would eat breakfast and then not do lunch on the next train and wait to eat until we got to Denali. Then, they came through and dismissed groups at a time as tables were available. We got our turn at around 10:00.

We got to make our way down to the first floor where the food service was. They could only fit 4 in a table, so with 5 of us, we had to split up. Luke and I sat with the travel agent and her husband (the same people we had shared our cruise ship table with) across the aisle from the rest of the family. I got a monte cristo sandwich and a cinnamon roll, while Luke opted for a breakfast burrito. While they were no king crab legs, it was still a very solid breakfast.

The rest of the first three hours of our day was filled with great views, despite it being a cloudy day. Everything was so green and covered with wide varieties of vegetation. The time, along with the train, flew by, and we were at our next train transfer before we knew it!

The next stretch of train day would take us from Talkeetna to Denali, where we would be posting up in Denali Lodge for the next couple of days, giving us an opportunity to explore Denali National Park! This next section of our train travel was a five hour ride, going from 12:15 to 5:15.

The first half of our ride brought us through more greenery and plant life. There was also a viewing platform where you could come down and watch the scenery from a partially open deck and take in some fresh air with your views. I went down a couple times. The first time was very full, so I wasn’t down there long. The second time was much emptier, so I got to spend more time there and get some nice pictures and videos.

We also got to cross over several rivers. There’s something inexplicably pleasing about crossing a bridge over a river in a scenic train. There’s no way to explain it. It’s just soothing.

The second half of our journey brought us into a little rain. With the glass domed roof, it was like a calming rainy day leveled up. The sounds of the pitter patter of rain accompanied with seeing it steak down the window in front of you made everything feel cozy and soft. At one point, we also passed the highest point on the Alaska railroad with an elevation of 2363 feet.

Keep in mind that during the entire trek, we had our very own tour guide for our car. Our tour guide was named Dillon, and he was fantastic! He was knowledgeable about the area and shared his own little anecdotes but was also funny and personable. At one point, while Luke was up somewhere else, he sat down next to me and just struck up a conversation. I had my book, so he started by asking what I was reading and then we eased into talking about our jobs and adventures and travels. It was very impactful having someone seem to genuinely listen to and be interested in conversing with a stranger.

Dillon also had his own little travel photo album making its way down the train car, so we enjoyed seeing all the cool places he’s been and things he’s down. It was some great inspiration for Luke and I! Despite being longer, the second section seemed to go by even faster than the first, and before we knew it, we were pulling into the Denali rail depot and hopping off. It was a bitter sweet goodbye.

We were transported to the Holland America Denali Lodge, where we were greeted by a cute little Balto statue. We made our way through the main building and out into the courtyard. There is a large common area with seating and lawn games. All along the outside, there are boardwalks that lead to different cabins of rooms. We walked a decent stretch down the boardwalks before finding the cabin that housed our rooms. We stepped in long enough to make sure we were dressed and ready to adventure out a little because we were all hungry!

We wandered around for a little while. Most gift shops or businesses were closed or closing up, which was fine because we would get more shopping and exploring time tomorrow. Our main agenda item was filling our bellies with some food. We settled on giving Prospectors Historic Pizzeria & Alehouse a try. However, we weren’t the only ones, and there ended up being quite a line.

After a while, we were able to snag a table outside. Despite the chilly weather, we were going to make it work because it meant we would get some food sooner than waiting for a table inside. Around 7:15, the food arrived at our table. Keep in mind, we hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so the fact that I remembered to snap some pictures of our food before diving straight in is a miracle. We got a few things to share or enjoy, including a pizza, three cheese bread, and baked goat cheese. It was nice and warm and hit the spot. Even so, at one point I had to walk through the gift shop next to us to warm up.

It was a somehow full and slow day, but we were ready for bed that night all the same. We had a big day ahead of us exploring Denali National Park!