Usibelli a few miles to the north. Once past Healy there is no access until Ferry. The road to Ferry is well marked and offers some nice views of the railroad, including a nice bridge across the Nenana River. This is a fair- ly rough dirt road so exercise caution when driving to Ferry.
ABOVE: The northbound Denali Star crosses Hurricane Bridge, the signature span on the Alaska Railroad. This shot while accessible is in prime bear country. LEFT: A northbound coal train exits the tight confines of Healy Canyon at the former site of Moody Tunnel and will cross under the Parks Highway. The Highway, railroad and the Nenana River are all in close proximity in this area.
shots in both directions here and the rest of the way to Cantwell.
From Cantwell north to Denali Park the tracks are on the other side of ei- ther the Jack or Nenana Rivers. There are several views in this section but ac- cess is again difficult until about five miles south of Denali Park where the tracks will be again be in view for a mile or so before disappearing into the wilderness. A couple of miles south of the en- trance to Denali National Park the tracks will cross the highway at grade, and there is an outstanding view of a train in both directions here. The rail- road will cross the highway on a short bridge as once again the two separate. Shortly thereafter will be the en- trance to Denali National Park. From this road one can access the Denali Park station and a very impressive view of Riley Creek Trestle. The station
is well marked and, for those so in- clined, continue on the entrance road keeping an eye on your rearview mir- ror. Before long a truly outstanding view will develop; I suggest pulling over and waiting for a train. After get- ting your shot of Riley Creek Trestle ex- it the Park and continue north on The Parks Highway and in about a mile you will find the summer town of Denali Park. Besides Cantwell, this is the only place to eat, fill up and shop between Trapper Creek and Nenana. As the tracks depart Denali Park
they can be seen on a shelf above the Nenana River. In the next few miles there are numerous pull-offs that offer ample opportunities to photograph the Alaska Railroad. The tracks will curve under the highway a few miles north of Denali Park and enter rugged Healy Canyon. Where the tracks cross under the highway is the former sight of Moody Tunnel, which was daylighted a few years ago. Nice shots can be had from the bridge although there aren’t any walkways — exercise caution. It is about ten miles further to Healy
where you can again access the railroad from the Healy Spur road with a bridge across the tracks. Good shots can be had here especially in the fall. There is a small yard here where the coal trains will be staged until time for loading at
Visit the Alaska Railroad web site at
www.alaskarailroad.com
Continuing north from Ferry the tracks are on one side of the Nenana River and the road on the other. The road will cross the tracks at Rex; shots can be had in both directions with noth- ing really special except in the fall when the colors here are exceptional. From here until Nenana the tracks and road parallel each other although not often in sight requiring on to use cross streets for access. A nice shot with De- nali in the back ground can be had the road crossing that leads to Clear Air Force Base. At Nenana the railroad makes an un- usual horseshoe curve to gain elevation to cross the Tanana River on a very large bridge. Numerous photo opportu- nities exist here including the former railroad station that is currently used as a museum. From Nenana to almost Fairbanks the railroad moves away from the road and access is very limited, although access can be had via long narrow logging roads that are often very muddy. Continuing north on the Parks Highway to Fair- banks it is possible to double back to the Ester Dome area via Ester Dome Road. I have found that a good tactic is to stay in the area between Healy and Broad Pass to catch most of the action and then follow a train to either Fair- banks or Anchorage. Of course you can also follow from either location but you can expect to log a lot of windshield time. During the summer months there are plenty of places to stay in Anchor- age and Fairbanks; however the fur- ther you move away from these loca- tions the harder it will be to find food, lodging and fuel as some places are strictly summer only. Good bets are Ne- nana, Healy, Denali Park, Cantwell and Trapper Creek.
Alaska can be a challenge not just from a limited access and a limited traf- fic point of view but also because the most common time to visit is also prime time for bears and mosquitos. It is ben- eficial to pay attention and take all of the necessary precautions when out and about taking photographs. If you are in the state for any length of time you will encounter a bear so it is best to be prepared.
You won’t be disappointed in your visit to the 49th state. I enjoyed my stay so much I moved here.
We conclude our visit to Alaska with Part 2 next month, where we explore the railroad from Anchorage to Whittier and Seward.
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