I was brutally exhausted from Anchorage but exhilarated for Talkeetna, as my new friend from bay area gave such euphoric reviews. For transit from Anchorage to Talkeetna the best way is by railroad as it’s affordable and really comfortable. To top that, one won’t be able to beat such picturesque views by any other mode of transportation.
The journey was for about 3 hours with decent options to eat from the pantry and staff was really accommodating. Time kind of flew as with ~30 clicks we arrived at our destination. Talkeetna is a really small town with 10 lodges, ~12 restaurants & bars and 2 cafes but it was one of the trippiest towns I have ever visited. Just sitting by the bank of the river, observing people with their animals, reading, listening to music will give you such a psychedelic high.
Even though it’s a small town, Talkeetna is considered to be one of the places for adventure sight-seeing in Alaska. One can choose from:
- Mount Mckinley tour
- Jet boat ride + Devil’s Zone
- Rafting
- Zip-lining
- Hiking
One of the most popular lodging places in Talkeetna is Talkeetna Roadhouse. Roadhouse is dirt cheap, clean, staff is friendly and they have best breakfast menu, but fair warning they do get awfully crowded as Talkeetna is a small town with limited options.
One of the things which I learned from Alaska trip is Alaskans are really into fish & drinks and that’s why most of the towns have their own breweries. Talkeetna has a lot to offer when it comes to beer; options range from blonde to IPA to goose to dark coffee etc.
Hidden gem of Talkeetna is the Tee Pee Oasis local bar as you won’t be able to find many tourists there. When I entered the bar around 6 PM, it was only the bar owner and me. As per few it could sound a drag, but Talkeetna receives a lot of tourists during summer. It was bliss for me when I stumbled on this secluded bar and was able to enjoy my drink without any tourist commotion, although I was one of the tourists.
I’ll definitely be back to Talkeetna for more, as I was not able to go for Mount Mckinley Air tour and devil’s zone.
Roadhouse history
Typical room @ Roadhouse
Talkeetna River
Day 5 .. Off to Denali.