Halloween Train Rides in Alaska (2026)
Alaska's kids' Halloween train is a full-size Alaska Railroad train: the Kid's Halloween Train leaves the downtown Anchorage depot and runs out along Turnagain Arm to Indian, with a live magician, crafts and balloon animals on board. It is the one family Halloween train in Alaska with a 2026 date still ahead, a gentle pumpkin and costume ride rather than a haunted one, and as of October 14 it is sold out. The rest of the country is in our Halloween train list for every state.
By late October, most tourist rail service in Alaska has ended for the season, and the rest of what the Alaska Railroad runs is regular scheduled travel, not a themed ride. If you missed the Anchorage train, the nearest other Halloween train is a flight away, in Snoqualmie, Washington.
The short version
- Anchorage: Kid's Halloween Train on the Alaska Railroad is the one Halloween train running in Alaska this year.
Look inside the book
A dark tunnel, a brave corgi. Bring Rally along.
In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi rides into a dark tunnel, gets a little scared, and comes out to a big bright light and happy cheers. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the drive to an Alaska pumpkin train.
Rally Takes the Train
Eight pages from the book
Turn the page
That's 8 of 25 pages
See who’s waiting at the station
Grandmommy and Papa are at the last stop. Get the full hand-painted book, $13.99 on Amazon.
See the full bookPage 1 of 8
Like it so far? See the full book
25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.
Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.
Compare every Alaska Halloween train side by side
Every ride on this page in one table: type, dates left, the lowest posted ticket price, ride length, who it suits and whether tickets are still on sale. Tap a ride for the full details.
| Ride | Type | Dates left | Tickets | Length | Best for | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kid's Halloween Train on the Alaska RailroadAnchorage | Pumpkin and costume | Sat Oct 24 | See railroad | Not posted | All ages, toddlers welcome | Sold out |
The rest of October at a glance
When each Alaska Halloween train still runs
Pumpkin and costume ride Haunted ride Halloween night
Alaska Halloween train calendar: what runs which day
Every remaining date for every ride on this page, from today through Halloween weekend. Green is a gentle pumpkin and costume ride, blue is a haunted ride. Tap a ride to jump to its details.
- Sat, Oct 24
Anchorage: Kid's Halloween Train on the Alaska Railroad
This is a full-size Alaska Railroad train, not a park ride, built around kids for one Saturday. It leaves the Historic Downtown Anchorage Depot for a round trip along Turnagain Arm to Indian, and the railroad fills the cars with a coloring contest, crafts, balloon animals, treats, a raffle for a free train ride and a live magician. Riders are invited to come in costume, and nothing about it is billed as spooky.
The catch is that it is sold out as of October 14. The railroad's page also still shows last year's date on its departure line, so 2026 times and fares are not clear; check the operator site before you plan around it.
Kid's Halloween Train on the Alaska Railroad at a glance
- Type
- Pumpkin and costume ride: Daytime kids' Halloween train with crafts and a magician, not scary
- Dates left
- Sat Oct 24
- Tickets
- Sold out as of Oct 14; check the operator site
- Times
- Not clearly posted for 2026 (the departure line on the railroad's page still carries a 2025 date); check the operator site
- Ride length
- A round trip from Anchorage to Indian along Turnagain Arm; check the operator site for the 2026 schedule
- What's included
- Coloring contest, crafts, balloon animals, treats, a raffle for a free train ride and a live magician
- Price
- Not clearly posted for 2026; check the operator site
- Ages and scare level
- No minimum age; the railroad designs it for kids and calls it family-friendly
- Costumes
- The railroad invites riders to come in costume No costume? The Rally tunnel tee counts.
- Strollers
- Not posted; check the operator site
- Parking
- Not posted; check the operator site
- Where
- Historic Downtown Anchorage Depot, 411 W 1st Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501
Tickets on the railroad’s site
Rally’s Spooky Train Ride: Halloween shirts
The tunnel page from the book, Rally on his red seat in the dark, is printed on black shirts in sizes for the whole family, from baby to 5XL. Skip the costume hassle: no masks to fog up, no capes caught in the train door, just a shirt that already says Halloween and layers under a coat on a cold platform. A matching set makes for easy pumpkin train photos. See everything in the Rally shop.
Adult tee
Sizes XS to 5XL, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Kids tee
Sizes S to XL, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Toddler tee
Sizes 2T to 5T, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Baby bodysuit
Sizes 3 to 18 months, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Nothing Spooky Aboard, but a Long Day for a Little Anchorage Rider
The Kid's Halloween Train is about as gentle as Halloween gets: crafts, a coloring contest, balloon animals, treats and a magician, with no haunted car or actors in the railroad's description. A nervous preschooler is more likely to struggle with the length of a round trip to Indian and back than with anything on board.
If your child is wary of costumes on other people, talk through it the night before: lots of kids will be dressed up, and the magician is there to make them laugh. Bring a snack and a quiet toy for the ride home.
In our book, Rally wakes up early, spots the suitcase and starts packing his turtle toy, his green bone and his yellow ball. A cold Saturday ride out of Anchorage starts with the same kind of packing, so let your kids fill a small bag of their own: a favorite toy, mittens and a snack for the trip down Turnagain Arm.
My mom thought up Rally's adventure before she passed, and how her story found its way into a book still means a lot to me. For the ride, slip some printed Rally pages to color into that bag.
Getting to the Anchorage Depot From Fairbanks, Juneau and the Valley
Rough estimates without traffic or winter road delays; Juneau has no road link to Anchorage at all.
Drive times, no traffic
- Anchorage
- in downtown Anchorage from Anchorage; about 45 min from Wasilla; about 6 hr by road from Fairbanks; no road connection; fly to Anchorage from Juneau
Before You Count on the Alaska Railroad Halloween Train
- The Kid's Halloween Train was sold out as of Oct 14. The railroad has not posted a waitlist that we could confirm, so check the operator site in case anything changes.
- The railroad's event page lists Oct 24, 2026 at the top but still shows a 2025 date on the departure line, so confirm times and fares there before relying on any figures you see.
- Costumes are welcome on board, and with near-freezing weather, a costume that fits over a warm layer works best.
- The Alaska Railroad's other October trains are regular scheduled service, not a themed ride, and its HooDoo Choo Choo is a brewery and Oktoberfest train, not a kids' Halloween ride.
- Fairbanks families have Halloween Trick or Treat Town at Pioneer Park, a Halloween event that does not involve a train.
- The Snoqualmie, Washington, Halloween Train runs only Oct 17 and 18 and Oct 24 and 25, so match any flight to those weekends.
Late October Already Feels Like Winter Along Turnagain Arm
Late October in Alaska is already winter: highs near freezing in Anchorage and well below in Fairbanks. That is part of why most tourist trains have stopped for the season.
Dress kids for the cold on the platform, with costumes that fit over snow pants or a puffy layer. If you head south instead, Snoqualmie in western Washington means the 50s and drizzle, and Southern California is usually warm to hot.
If the Anchorage Train Is Full: Snoqualmie and Southern California
Washington is the closest place to find another Halloween train. The Northwest Railway Museum's family costume train in Snoqualmie, a flight to Seattle and then about 35 minutes by car, runs Oct 17, 18, 24 and 25 and lasts about 2 hours; our Washington Halloween train page has the details, and the operator site has prices and times.
If your October travel takes you to Los Angeles instead, Irvine Park Railroad's pumpkin patch in Orange, about 50 minutes from Los Angeles by car, runs daily through Nov 1 with a train or wagon ride, and more rides are on our Southern California pumpkin train roundup.
A train book for the ride
Alaska has no Amtrak service, so if you are planning a long train trip on a visit to the lower 48, our Amtrak routes with kids guide is the place to start.
Free for train families
Print the Rally coloring pages before you go
Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. They fit in a folder with a few crayons for the line at the depot or the drive home.
Get the free coloring pages for Anchorage
A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents, including one dark tunnel he is brave enough to ride through. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.
Buy on AmazonMore for train families
- Halloween train rides in every state: pumpkin trains and haunted rides by state
- Every Amtrak route with kids: find a train by city or station
- Halloween books for toddlers for the drive home
Sources
- Alaska Railroad: Kid's Halloween Train
Checked against each railroad’s own pages and ticket calendars on October 14, 2026. Dates, prices and policies change, so confirm with the railroad before you go.
Alaska Parents Ask About the Railroad's Halloween Train
What Halloween events are there for kids in Anchorage, Alaska?
One family Halloween event in Anchorage is the Alaska Railroad's Kid's Halloween Train on Saturday Oct 24, a gentle costume ride from the downtown depot to Indian and back. On board are crafts, a coloring contest, balloon animals, treats and a live magician. As of October 14 it is sold out, and 2026 times and fares are not clearly posted, so check the operator site.
Is there a Halloween train in Alaska this year?
Yes, one: the Alaska Railroad's Kid's Halloween Train from Anchorage on Saturday Oct 24. It is a kid-focused daytime ride along Turnagain Arm with a magician and crafts, not a haunted train. It was sold out as of October 14, so check the operator site. Most other tourist rail service in Alaska has ended for the season by late October.
Where can Anchorage families find another Halloween train if the Alaska Railroad one is sold out?
The nearest other one is out of state. The Northwest Railway Museum's Halloween Train in Snoqualmie, Washington, is about 35 minutes from Seattle after a flight, on October 17, 18, 24 and 25. It is a family costume ride of about 2 hours through the Snoqualmie Valley. The museum has not posted prices, so check the operator site.
What Halloween things can kids do near Fairbanks, Alaska?
Fairbanks families have Halloween Trick or Treat Town at Pioneer Park, which is a Halloween event but not a train ride. The only Alaska Halloween train this year is the Alaska Railroad's Kid's Halloween Train out of Anchorage on October 24, about 6 hours away by road, and it was sold out as of October 14.
Is there a Halloween train ride near Juneau, Alaska?
No Halloween train was found near Juneau for 2026. The state's one Halloween train leaves Anchorage on October 24, and Juneau has no road link to Anchorage, so it means a flight. That ride was sold out as of October 14. The Northwest Railway Museum's Halloween Train near Seattle is the other option, running two October weekends.
Are there Halloween train rides for kids near Wasilla, AK?
The closest is the Alaska Railroad's Kid's Halloween Train from the Historic Downtown Anchorage Depot, about 45 minutes from Wasilla, on Saturday October 24. It is a gentle kids' ride with crafts, treats and a magician, but it was sold out as of October 14. Check the operator site in case anything opens up.
Does the Alaska Railroad run a special train in October?
Yes, one family event train: the Kid's Halloween Train from Anchorage on October 24, sold out as of October 14. The rest of its October service is regular scheduled travel, and its HooDoo Choo Choo is a brewery and Oktoberfest train rather than a family ride. A plain train trip is still possible on regular service, just without the Halloween extras.
Can kids wear costumes on the Alaska Railroad Kid's Halloween Train?
Yes, the Alaska Railroad invites riders to come in costume. With late October highs near freezing in Anchorage, choose a costume that fits over a warm layer, and bring hats and mittens for the depot platform. The railroad has not posted other costume rules, so check the operator site if your child's outfit includes a mask or a prop.
Is the Alaska Railroad Halloween train too scary for a toddler?
No, nothing about it is billed as scary. The railroad designs the Kid's Halloween Train for children, with crafts, a coloring contest, balloon animals, treats and a magician. The bigger toddler challenge is the length of the round trip to Indian, so bring snacks and a quiet toy. The railroad has not posted a stroller policy, so check the operator site.
Can we still get Alaska Halloween train tickets for this weekend, Oct 17 and 18?
No Alaska Halloween train runs that weekend. The state's only one, the Alaska Railroad's Kid's Halloween Train, runs the following Saturday, October 24, and it was sold out as of October 14. The Snoqualmie, Washington, Halloween Train does run October 17 and 18 if you are near Seattle; check the operator site for tickets.
Is the Northwest Railway Museum Halloween Train worth a trip from Anchorage?
It is worth planning around if you already have reason to visit Seattle. The ride is about 2 hours through the Snoqualmie Valley, costumes are encouraged, and families can enjoy Halloween activities among historic trains in the Train Shed Exhibit Hall. It runs only two weekends, so match your flight to October 17 and 18 or 24 and 25.
Is Irvine Park Railroad's Pumpkin Patch worth it for Alaska families visiting Los Angeles?
If you are already in Southern California, yes, because it runs every day through November 1 and is about 50 minutes from Los Angeles. Weekend tickets are $16 to $22 plus a $5 fee, with reservations required through October 25, and babies under 12 months get in free. It is a pumpkin patch outing with a train or wagon ride.
What should Alaska kids wear on a Halloween train in late October?
Dress for winter. Late October highs sit near freezing in Anchorage and well below in Fairbanks, so plan a costume that goes over snow pants or a puffy layer, plus hats and mittens for the platform. If your family flies south to the Snoqualmie ride instead, swap the snow gear for rain jackets, since western Washington runs in the 50s with drizzle.
Rally’s Spooky Train RideThe no-fuss Halloween costume
Skip the costume hassle. Wear Rally.
No itchy masks, no last-minute store run, no meltdown on the platform. Pull on the tunnel tee from the book and you are dressed for an Alaska pumpkin train, warm under a jacket, and matching in every photo.
Who is riding?
Shop the kids tee
Adult
Kids
Toddler
Baby