The Denali Park Depot is located just directly inside Denali National Park at mile 1.5 on the park’s only road. Many Denali Star passengers in summer turnover with few tourists making the full journey between Fairbanks and Anchorage and instead stopping here to visit Denali National Park for a few days. The station is the northern terminus of the Holland America/Princess Cruises McKinley Explorer Cruise trains (which operate daily in summer on a departing Acherage later, arriving in Ancherage earlier schedule), which sell individual tickets and additional Princess Cruises exclusive Direct-to-the-Wilderness trains that provide direct rail service from Whittier to Denali for cruise ship passengers only.
The actual mountain isn’t visible from the train depot (it can be visible from the train south of the station on a rare clear, non-cloudy day) but farther up the park road. The reason taking the railroad to Denali is so popular is because cars aren’t allowed in the park (except via lottery for a few weekends in September) beyond mile 15 of the park’s 92-mile park road, with tourists having to rely on buses, (either narrated tour buses or hiker shuttles) to see more of the park or reach hiking trails. This makes it extremely easy to get off the train and immediately take a bus to a campground for example. The station is located on the edge of the Campus for the Denali Visitor Center and station amentias are incorporated into the national park, including interpretative panels directly along the platform.
The station contains a single track and low-level platform. Passengers are kept away from the actual platform by fencing (both fixed and via chains) until trains arrive. Banners list car numbers for both the Alaska Railroad and Wilderness Explorer charter cars (that ride on the back of all Denali Star trains). The platform area has plenty of seating and amenities for waiting passengers, all in the long cabin bare wood style.
In the middle of this platform area is the main station house, located in a log cabin. Here is a ticket office and check-in window that all boarding passengers must visit, except for those on tour packages. Inside this building is shelving that looks like there might have been a gift shop display at some point but this is no longer in use. Directly outside the depot is the luggage retrieval area in front of an American Flag (retrieve your checked luggage by the American flag is announced on board trains). Nemours plastic totes that are the same size as normal shipping pallets except with plastic sides are in this area, with forklifts the primary way to move luggage from station to baggage car to baggage claim on and off trains.
On each side of the depot are additional open-air wooden pavilions for waiting passengers. Next to the depot, one set of these buildings contain restrooms in separate little buildings for each gender. Beyond this are four more open air wooden pavilions (plus open air areas with interpretative NPS signs) that cover benches (with some covering and windscreens) for waiting passengers. There are two different styles of buildings wit the two at the farthest end of the platform looking slightly more modern than the two closer to the depot. The depot building is closed in winter with Aurora Winter Train passengers having to just wait outside one of the depot pavilions.
The station is located just down from the Morning Loop trail with the small Denali National Park Airport located just across the tracks from the railroad station. Buses line-up along this road about 50 feet from trains (no pulling directly alongside train cars here). Towards the northern end of the platform the roadway is at a higher elevation than the trian platform, and slopes downward before being level with the station platform.
Photos 1-50: May 25, 2024
