Alaska Railroad in mid-September
I would love any advice or experience regarding the Alaska Railroad system around September 15-18th this year, for two adults. I'm trying to set up a one-way trip from Anchorage --> Denali NP --> Fairbanks.
The hope:
-Sept 15: Fly into Anchorage
-Sept 16: Catch a train (Denali Star?) to Denali NP
-Sept 17: Denali Tundra Wilderness bus tour (last day of the season)
-Sept 17 or 18: Jump back on the train and continue north to Fairbanks, where we'll rent a car for the remainder of our trip
The catch (per the Alaska Railway website)
-"Anchorage → Wasilla → Talkeetna → Denali → Fairbanks
When the train runs: May 13 – September 17, 2026 (northbound only May 13; southbound only September 17)"
https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/fares
I see there's an "Aurora Winter Train" that starts running Saturday, Sept 19, but there's no mention of "Denali to Fairbanks" on the schedule (though there is Fairbanks to Denali).
Are there other public transport options I'm missing? A bus would be great, but it looks like most/all of them stop running on the 17th. Any advice would be super helpful. :)