Am I in the Right Place? While mile zero of the Alaska Railroad main line is located at the historic depot location in downtown Seward, you will be boarding at the current depot location less than two miles away, near the small boat harbor. The harbor is alaskan roll departure point for must-see wildlife and glacier cruises to Kenai Fjords National Park, as well fishing charters for Alaska salmon and halibut.
After pulling out of the Seward train station you will pass the Seward airport on your right. The airport is well used by local air taxi and general aviation, however, there is no scheduled commercial airline service to Seward. Just past the airport you cross the Resurrection River. The river, along with Resurrection Bay, was named by an early Russian merchant and explorer who took shelter in the bay during an Easter storm. As you leave Seward behind, you will soon enter the Chugach National Forest.
Anchorage will be within the borders of either the Chugach National Forest or the Chugach State Park. The Chugach State Park is a half million acres in size, making it the third largest state park in the country. Next you will start to climb into the Kenai Mountains, making your first crossing at 694 foot Divide. After crossing the Snow River, you follow the eastern shore of the 22 mile long Kenai Lake for approximately 6 miles before reaching the small community of Moose Pass. As you cross over the 1,063 foot summit pass of the Kenai Mountains, you will understand why this area is called Grandview. For the next dozen or so miles, you will want to have your camera ready as you pass by Grandview, over the Placer River Bridge, by Bartlett Glacier and through a series of tunnels to Spencer Glacier.