Q: Can you travel by bus to Whittier from Anchorage, board the Alaska Ferry, travel to Valdez then back, board a bus back to Anchorage all in one day?

A: Unfortunately there aren’t any buses that run daily between Anchorage and Whittier. Your best option would be renting a car in Anchorage and leaving it in Whittier for the day. Your other option would be to rent a car, board the ferry in Whittier with the car and then drive from Valdez back to Anchorage. It would be a long day trip but you would see some incredible scenery! Visit Alaska Ferry Adventures for ferry schedules. If you decide to drive be sure to invest in The Milepost, a mile-by-mile guide to the roads in Alaska.

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Q: We will arrive in Seward and need to get to Girdwood for a 2-day stay before flying out of Anchorage airport. If we don’t take the train or bus to Girdwood, can we rent a van in Seward large enough for 8 people with luggage for 4 days and leave it in Anchorage?

A: Seward has only one car rental company – Hertz of Seward. They may or may not have a vehicle that can support your large group. Another option would be to travel to Anchorage by bus or train and then pick up your rental vehicle in Anchorage. You would avoid the one way drop off fee as well.

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Q: Where does the train travel begin to Alaska and how much does it cost?

A: There is no train available for travel to Alaska. The Alaska Railroad only operates within Southcentral and Interior Alaska. Once in Alaska you can board the train in Anchorage, Whittier, Seward, Talkeetna, Denali and Fairbanks. The best way to travel to Alaska is via an Alaskan cruise.

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Q: What is the age limits on car or rv rentals?

A: You have to be at least 21 years of age to rent a car. There is generally an additional fee for drivers between the age of 21 to 24. Most RV rental companies require drivers to be 25 years of age at the time of rental.

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Q: I have non-refundable tickets for Alaska for next December. I am having trouble finding any information on winter activities. What do you recommend?

A: Unfortunately there is not a huge demand for winter travel in Alaska so we only do bookings for the summer months. However, there are tour companies that have itineraries for the winter months as well as the summer. You can try Northern Alaska Tour Company and Explore Tours for some winter tour options. The Alaska Railroad does operate the train on weekends. The train travels from Anchorage to Fairbanks on Saturdays and returns on Sundays throughout the winter months. There will be quite a few things that do not operate in the winter months, but December is a great time to come if you are looking to possibly see the Northern Lights. Also I would recommend visiting our Alaska Travel Guide and clicking on the winter activities to provide additional options.

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Q: We would like to travel from Anchorage to Fairbanks to Valdez on a five day visit. We would like to travel mostly by rail. How can we do this?

A: You can take the train from Anchorage to Fairbanks. There is no rail line from Fairbanks to Valdez so you would need to rent a car in Fairbanks to continue your journey to Valdez. You could drop the car off in Anchorage but would have to pay a one-way rental fee. Alaska Tour & Travel could assist you with your lodging, tours and rail transportation but we do not offer car rentals in Fairbanks. Please visit our MyAlaska trip planner and we can assist you with a quote for your specific trip.

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Q: We want to go from Seward to Denali. Does a train go there without us stopping and spending the night in Anchorage, then catching the 8:15 train to Denali?

A: There is no direct rail service option from Seward to Denali. The train departs Seward at 6:00pm and arrives in Anchorage at 10:15pm. The only departure to Denali leaves Anchorage at 8:15am. You can get to Denali from Seward in one day by taking the Park Connection motorcoach service. The cost is $145 per person. To get the rail experience you can return to Anchorage from Denali by train.

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Q: Is there a place for the men to fish and our wives to go shopping?

A: I would recommend stops in Anchorage, Seward or Talkeetna. They each offer different fishing opportunities as well as different choices for the wives activities. In Anchorage, the men can choose a fly in fishing trip or try their luck for salmon in Ship Creek in downtown Anchorage. If the fishing trip is on a Saturday, the wives can spend their day at the Saturday Market in downtown or if on another day they can roam the gift shops and mall all located in walking distance of our downtown Anchorage hotels. In Talkeetna, located two hours north of Anchorage, the men could take a half day guided fishing trip and the wives could take a flightseeing trip with a glacier landing. Another great option would be a halibut fishing charter in Seward Alaska for the men and a glacier and wildlife cruise for the wives. Alaska vacations offer something for everyone to enjoy!

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Q: I will be working in Denali beginning May 7th. Is there a train from either Anchorage or Fairbanks to Denali? How do I get to Denali?

A: Unfortunately, the rail service to Denali does not begin operating until May 18th. I would suggest contacting your employer and finding out how they prefer you to be shuttled to Denali. Some of the companies in Denali work with transportation companies for their employee transfers.

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Q: Is there a bus tour into Denali that offers a restroom on board?

A: The buses that tour into Denali National Park are all modified school buses. They do not have a restroom on board but do have motorcoach style seats. The buses will stop every 45 minutes to an hour for restroom breaks.

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