Great American Railroad Journeys (2016)

Episode Overview

Equipped with his 1899 Appleton’s Guidebook to Alaska, Michael Portillo journeys north on the Alaska Railroad to the secluded former goldrush town of Talkeetna. In the woods near the town, he experiences the adventurous spirit of early 20th-century prospectors and settlers through a contemporary homesteader, lending a hand to cut down a tree for a log cabin site. From Talkeetna, he boards the Hurricane Turn, the last flag stop train in the U.S., waving goodbye to fellow passengers as they disembark in bear territory to fish, raft, and camp. Continuing his journey by train, he marvels at the stunning snow-capped peaks and glaciers, crossing the breathtaking Hurricane Gulch Bridge. In the vast Denali National Park, home to the tallest mountain in the U.S., Michael learns how photographers a century ago captured the stunning Alaskan scenery.