Hurricane Turn Train, Talkeetna, Alaska (July, 2015)

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While You Are There: (Caveat: Warren Redfearn is no longer the Hurricane Turn conductor, so I’m not sure how many of these activities are still an option because many of them seemed to be based on his connections with the people who live along the line. Also, the train was only about 20% full the day I went, which allowed a lot of time to stop and chat with people.) Take in the views of Denali, stop and chat with the fisherman catching salmon, take a tour of the property (including vast greenhouses and woodsheds) of a woman who lives on the route completely off the grid, meet an author who lives on the route, check out Conductor Warren’s excellent photography, hear the tale of the abandoned Curry Hotel, sit in the viewing car for a bit, and just about lose your lunch when you reach Hurricane Gulch and realize how very little there is preventing the train from plummeting straight down 296 feet.

Why It’s On My List: Everyone says to take a train ride while you are in Alaska, but this one isn’t like the rest. I’m sure the others are beautiful, but how often do you get to ride on a flag stop railroad? This train offers all the best views of Alaska and so much more!

For this year’s A-Z Blog Challenge, I’ve decided to showcase 26 of my favorite places in the world. I’ve only been to 22 of the 196 countries, so I’ve got some more travelling to do, but these places are well worth a visit.