gaila

We will be visiting Alaska in July (10-21). I had already planned to spend 2-3 days in Seward driving there in our rental car from Anchorage. My husband is interested in a train ride. Is taking the Coastal Classic train from Anchorage to Seward for the day and then driving from Anchorage to Seward that different? Second question... When the train drops you off at the station in Seward and you do NOT sign up for any of their suggested tours how far are you from a downtown area? Can we walk? We do want to do a cruise and Exit Glacier and sightsee but not in the scheduled hours they give you before returning to Anchorage. We really are just doing it for the train ride and sightseeing along the way. Is it a waste of money because the next day we will drive the same route or will we see a completely different landscape and is there enough to do once we get there without scheduling an organized trip and not having transportation in town? Thank you!

Gardyloo

You'll get different answers from different people. The train mainly follows the road as far as Portage, but then it diverges and goes through some fairly wilderness-y areas, with a "whistle stop" near Spencer Glacier. It re-joins the road around Moose Pass and then (more or less) parallels the road the rest of the way into town. The Seward train station is quite walkable from downtown Seward; it's not a very big town, y'know.

While the train goes through some pretty country after it leaves the road, the road itself is not too shabby. Here's a video of the driving route over Turnagain Pass, in essence the main part where the train and road diverge. Note the video is rear-viewing and in reverse (!) so don't get dizzy.


The big virtue of driving, of course, is that it lets you stop and get out of the car. There are fabulous vista points, animals not far from the road (moose, sheep) and interesting turnoffs, like Girdwood, Portage/Whittier, the old mining village of Hope... that the train rushes past (or doesn't get close to.) For me, I'd drive it without question.

If you're really wanting to do a day trip on the train, go to Whittier on the morning train, do a "26 Glacier" cruise (really worthwhile) then return to Anchorage on the evening train. I believe this is called the "Glacier Discovery" route.

gaila

gaila

sludick

As far as train rides, that's a great choice. We've done it twice, and would do it again anytime. The first time as regular fare, the second time as Goldstar (which was great). We've also driven the highway down from Anchorage, although not as far as Seward. If you can, do both. Very, very scenic.

Gardyloo

They're not in the business of stranding passengers. The cruise operators in Whittier are well aware of the train schedule, so they're not going to let you miss the train. With driving, of course, there's no schedule except the one you make (except allowing for the opening times of the one-way tunnel to and from Whittier.)

gaila