In 2017 the wife & I did the Spencer Glacier trip on the Alaska Railroad (
you can read about there here...) and loved it. But I wonder what it would be like to stay on for the train for the trip up to Grandview.
I think the Alaska Railroad has some of best looking rolling stock.
The blue & gold is representative of Alaska's color as seen on our flag & the Alaska Marine Highway ferries.
And the Chugach Explorer is the perfect name for a train that explores the Chugach National Forest, America's 2nd largest National Forest.
The train was a collection of various makes of rail cars. You are assigned a seat, but there was plenty of seating available if you wanted to move around some.
And for the portion of our trip past Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop, we went to the 2nd level of the dining car for even better views. I'm not sure if this seating is normally assigned, but there was plenty of open spots with a table in between.
Actually, let me divert you for a bit... On our way to the Portage Rail Depot, we took a detour into Girdwood to the Virgin Creek Falls. It's a short walk through a temperate rain forest of Sitka Spruce trees and the falls are like a spot of paradise. If you are making the trip, I highly recommend making the detour.
So as I've said, we've done the Spencer Glacier stop before. And that was our intent this time. But as we approached the Spencer Glacier stop, we decided we to stay on and go to Grandview.
As you pull away from the Spence Glacier stop you can see the lake and icebergs floating on it.
And in the distance, beyond the footbridge on the Spencer Glacier trails you can see the Spencer Glacier itself.
If you get off at Spencer Glacier, you can hike or take a kayak or raft trip or even camp overnight in the area.
The train follows a river that runs below the tracks for a while.
There's also some waterfalls along the way. And then you enter the Loop area. When the tracks where first laid through there in the early 1900's, there's was a large loop that allowed the train to gain elevation gently. Now the track does a series of switchbacks to make the trip.
In the distance we could spot different glaciers and waterfalls. There was so much to see you almost feel like you wear yourself out whipping your head back and forth to take it all in.
At the Grandview Whistle Stop, the train stops for about 30 minutes. This gives you time to walk up a 1/4 mile trail to a viewing platform where you can see back to the train.
After we loaded back up, we continued south to another set of waterfalls before heading north back towards the Spencer Glacier to pick up those who had gotten off to explore there.
It was a great way to enjoy the day in the beauty of Alaska, accessing an area that can not be accessed via the road.
