Visiting the city of Skagway was the first time I stepped foot on Alaskan soil, and it did not disappoint! While we slept, the cruise ship docked. This is the view we woke up to:
The rocky mountainside is covered in a dense layer of trees and rocks peeking out from beneath. On the granite in the picture above, you can see pieces of the Ship Signature Wall. Over the years, crews have “autographed” the wall. It is an impressive display and an interesting look at history. Some of the paintings are from decades ago.
Also, in this picture, you can see the bottom of the gangway only steps away from the train. We found that it was perfect to do the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway as the first excursion of the day since it was so easy to walk directly from the ship to the train.
White Pass & Yukon Route Excursion:
In late June, the weather was slightly drizzly in the morning and it was perfect to do a train ride to see all the sights. Inside the train, there was a small furnace that kept it warm and cozy. The train car was full but did not feel crowded. There are large windows on both sides, so you have a view of everything.
Pro tip: On the train, there will be a narrator whose voice will come over the speakers, but that narrator is on one of the railway cars. Before you board, ask the workers to direct you to the car with the narrator. It makes for a more personalized experience when you can ask the narrator direct questions and get some insider information.
The best place to catch a great view is outside on the small deck connecting the train cars. Its a small area and depending on how many people want to go outside in your train car, you may need to rotate, but it is the best place to get some gorgeous photos. If you stay inside and shoot through the glass, you will likely end up with blurry photos with smudge marks from the glass. I definitely recommend spending some time outside in the cool, fresh air.
The train will travel over wooden trestles and go through long tunnels. We enjoyed standing outside on the deck during these portions of the journey.
One of my favorite parts of the train ride was seeing where the Alaskan Gold Rush happened. We could still see parts of the trail that people would hike on their way to find gold. It’s incredible to think of people hiking that terrain with all their gear in search of gold! The small ledge in the photo below is part of the trail the prospectors hiked.
When you reach the end of the journey, you will be in Carcross YT, Canada. As you cross into Canada, you will see flags, an abandoned Royal Canadian Mounted Police Station, and a beautiful lake. The train will stop for a few minutes for people to take photos and for the whole train to catch up before turning around. This is the point where you will flip your seats around for the return trip.
The return trip is quite relaxing. On the way up, everyone in our car was glued to the windows taking photos and experiencing the magic of Alaska. On the way back down, the early morning wake-up call caught up to us and the rocking of the train put us all to sleep. At least for part of the trip, our entire car of about 20 people fell asleep! It was one of the most relaxing parts of the entire trip.
Here are some of my favorite photos from the journey:
Sights Around Town:
After debarking the train excursion, we caught a bus to town. If you would rather save a couple of dollars, the town is within walking distance, but it was just a little far for us after having just woken up from our naps on the train!
The city of Skagway has a few blocks of shopping, sightseeing, and the usual tourist sites. The vintage buildings add to the feeling of stepping back in history. Many of the stores are souvenir shops, fudge shops, or jewelry stores. It’s fun to go inside, and see what they have.
Pro-tip: If this is the first stop on your tour, do more window shopping than real shopping. Many of the other stops will have similar stores and you will get to see more options.
There are several restaurant options in Skagway. You may decide to wait until you get back to the buffet onboard the cruise ship, but you should at least consider a little snack. Skagway Brewing is a very popular stop in town. From the moment I made it into town, I could smell an incredible cinnamon and sugar Beaver Tail pastry that I soon found at the Alaskan Fry Bread. I highly recommend it.
A few other stops in town I recommend include the Trail Center, News Depot, and Driftwood Building. They are all interesting pieces of the town’s history.
Another interesting excursion option is the Skagway Alaska Street Car Tour. I’ve never done it, but I think it would be great to learn more about the town – the buildings, people, and history. If you have time, this might be a fun and affordable excursion.
The town bus makes a few stops around town. One stop is about a half mile from the Gold Rush Cemetery and Reid Falls. This short walk is worth a visit while in Skagway.
After our train ride, afternoon snack, and sightseeing around town, we made our way back to the ship and back to this beautiful view!
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