Alaska Railroad Talkeetna Day Trip

Just two to three hours north of Anchorage, the funky town of Talkeetna makes for a perfect day trip destination. You can easily reach Talkeetna by the Alaska Railroad and the Park Connection Motorcoach. The railroad's Denali Star train serves Talkeetna daily, departing Anchorage at 8:15 AM and arriving at 11:05 AM. The southbound train leaves at 5:00 PM and returns to Anchorage at 8:00 PM.

The best Park Connection coach for a Talkeetna day trip leaves Anchorage at 6:30 AM and arrives at about 9:00 AM. The return coach leaves at 5:30 PM and arrives back in Anchorage at 8:30 PM. You can also combine travel one way by coach and the other by rail to see different terrain while traveling, maximize your travel budget, and spend more time in Talkeetna.

Once you're in Talkeetna, several tours work well for your time in town:

• Denali Experience Flight
• Denali Glacier Landing Flight
• Talkeetna Wilderness Jet Boat Tour
• Denali Zipline Tour

Here's an idea for how you could spend a day trip to Talkeetna: Ride the Park Connection Motorcoach to Talkeetna in the morning. When you arrive into town, head to the Talkeetna airport for a 90-minute Denali Glacier Landing Flight. Grab lunch in town after you return, then head out on a jet boat tour up the Susitna River. You'll be back in time to board the southbound train for Anchorage. Treat yourself to upgraded GoldStar Dome tickets, which on this leg include dinner and two adult beverages per passenger. Alternately, you can spend the day in Talkeetna, then continue north to Denali National Park by motorcoach at 5:45 PM.

Curious about what else you can do in town? Check out our top Talkeetna things to do.