Roadtrippin’ 2024: Riding the Alaska Railroad’s Hurricane Turn flagstop train
TALKEETNA, Alaska (KTUU) - The Alaska Railroad’s flagstop train, also known as the Hurricane Turn Train, is one of the last of its kind in the country.
The train allows people to get on or off anywhere along the 56-mile route between Talkeetna and Hurricane Gulch before it turns around and heads back to Talkeetna.
“When the state of Alaska bought [the railroad] from the federal government, one of the requisites was that we still service our remote residents, and that’s what we do,” said Mary Sprague, the onboard supervisor for the flag stop train.
Sprague said many people living off the road system depend on the train as the only way to reach their property.
“It could be they live out here 24/7,” Sprague said. “They have recreational cabins. They’re coming out to go rafting. They are coming out to go camping, fishing, hunting, and they just jump on with us, or they stand out on the side of the tracks, wave us down and we pick them up and take them back in.”
The train is a lifeline for people who depend on it, but it’s also a unique experience for visitors. Sprague said many people buy a round-trip ticket to enjoy the scenery along the Susitna River as they travel to Hurricane Gulch and back.
Another popular tour — offered by Mahay’s Jet Boat Adventures in Talkeetna — includes a ride on the flagstop train to the historic former townsite of Curry before passengers head back to Talkeetna on a jet boat, a tour known as River, Rail & Trail.
Sprague said the train portion of the trip is unique.
“We go through some remote parts of Alaska you can’t access with cars, and they see things that they aren’t going to see in a car,” she said.
Because the train has fewer passengers than most Alaska Railroad trains, Sprague said the people who ride it get extra attention.
It also doesn’t hurt that the train doesn’t have to adhere to a strict schedule.
“If we see a moose or a bear, we are going to back up and let those passengers see it,” she said. “Because they’re out here to experience nature and Alaska, and we just want to give them the best time that they can have out here.”
The Alaska Railroad’s Hurricane Turn Train has a busy schedule: it runs five days a week — from mid-May through mid-September — and once a week from October through May.
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