It's one of the longest trips that you can take here in Alaska. It's also one of the most scenic.

It's almost impossible to find a child who doesn't get a thrill from a train trip. Fortunately, none of us seem to grow out of the excitement of a train ride. And when you combine the train ride experience with access to the backcountry of Alaska, it's even better. That's the idea behind Alaska Railroad's Whistle Stop Service.

"What we're trying to do is open up this area so that people can come back, come and enjoy the back country, whether it's just a day hike, or maybe a rafting or canoeing adventure, or maybe they even want to do an overnight," said Tim Thompson, Manager of External Affairs-Alaska Railroad.

The train leaves

from Portage and ends at Grand View with one stop at Spencer Lake. It's outfitted with shelters, restrooms and other features, including a spectacular lookout.

There are more stops planned. In fact, four other whistle stops are approved and ready to be completed in the next couple of years. Instead of spending tons of money on a plane or helicopter, a train ride saves you some cash on getting access to some of Alaska's remote areas.

"If you think about access to the backcountry in Alaska, it's generally really difficult and it's generally really expensive. This is an opportunity for folks to, pretty easily, utilize the train...to get out into the back country at a pretty reasonable cost," said Adam McClory of Chugach

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National Forest.

Of all the train destinations, the most well-known train ride is, of course, to Denali. However, there is another destination quickly becoming a popular whistle stop service: a day trip through the Chugach.

"We're starting with a pretty small season this year, with half a season of use. And we can expect next year, I think it's going to be quite a bit different. I think it's going to be pretty popular," said McClory.

Passengers, like one couple from England,

appreciate the train's slow pace, which allows them to experience more of Alaska for themselves.

"It's very interactive. The engineer stopped to pick raspberries and then he was sharing them out to everybody. And any time something was to be seen, he'd slow down so we could see it," said first-time railroad rider, Bettina Healey.

Yep, it's true. For young and old, there's nothing like watching the landscape slowly pass by on a whistle stop train. And there's no landscape in the world quite like Alaska.

"We get such a different perspective riding the rail," said train brakeman, Ryan Rodriguez.

For more information:

To contact Mitch, call 907-273-3186.