Skagway

[snowedin]

Some have referred to Skagway as being a tourist trap overrun by folks from the cruise ships and that may be true to some extent but there is so much more to Skagway for the RVers that it would be a shame to miss it. First there is a lot of history to the area. One can drive to the head of the historic Chilkoot Trail and hike at least part of it. The scenery on the drive into Skagway and in the Skagway area is spectacular. There is the option of taking the fast ferry to Juneau with the opportunity to see whales along the say, fantastic scenery too, and then see Juneau & the Mendenhall Glacier. There are flightseeing trips out of both Skagway & Haines to see the area. There is the option to load the RV on the short Alaska Ferry jaunt to Haines and while in Haines see the bears fishing for salmon along the road to Chilkoot Lake. The drive from Haines to Haines Junction is about as scenic as it gets, transitioning from sea level up through Alpine terrain. And you get to see all this while still getting to drive from Haines Junction to Whitehorse on your return trip. There are many more things to do by taking the Skagway/Haines route vs the Whitehorse/Haines Junction route that is seems a shame to miss them.

And when the cruise ships depart toward evening Skagway becomes a different place, uncrowded, and we found it peaceful to dine while listening to a local band. The hardware store in Skagway has everything you can imagine if you need supplies. Am not saying that some of the daytime tourist attractions are not worthwhile but there seems to be something for everyone.

[PA12DRVR]

"Some have referred to Skagway as being a tourist trap overrun by folks from the cruise ships and that may be true to some extent but there is so much more to Skagway for the RVers that it would be a shame to miss it."

Much of the same could be said for almost any town in AK (or I suspect Canada).

Having recently visited Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka (all for a day passing through) within the past 2 years, they're all more crowded than they were 40 years ago (when I first visited them)....but the scenery is still there, the attractions (historic or otherwise) are likely still there, and (almost exclusively) the crowds largely disappear with a short drive or long walk out of town.

[AKsilvereagle]

Some have referred to Skagway as being a tourist trap overrun by folks from the cruise ships and that may be true to some extent but there is so much more to Skagway for the RVers that it would be a shame to miss it.

Thank you OP for this opening line, as it couldn't be posted any better.

I figured the few Skagway bashers on this site would reply as they have done in the past about it being too touristy with the bunch of gift shops and not being impressed, etc.....

Now that I been there three times now -1994, 1998, -and 2015 even with the newer infrastructure and influx of four cruise ships docked at port at the same time, it sure did not seem that overcrowded to me.

The three visits I made in Skagway, interacting with the locals that live there are second to none in my opinion out of all the Southeast Alaska towns I been to and are so down to earth towards me which is one of two main reasons I love Skagway so much !

The other reason is it has so much rich history there.

On my third visit in 2015 I finally took the White Pass train ride to the summit and seen the Gold Rush Cemetery that I missed the previous times.

As noted, the drive between Carcross thru Skagway is pretty darn majestic on the South Klondike Highway and one of the most scenic drives of the far north bar none, (as long as prolong dense fog does not hamper visibility).


Many hiking areas with a wide range of spectacular views to choose from can be seen, not to mention a 10 mile drive out of town to Dyea and start of the world famous Chilkoot Trail which I have always visited all three times when I was present in Skagway.



For those who never rode the White Pass Railroad, I would like to give out a few pointers for those who would like to see the best views and best picture opportunities on clear visibility portions of the route :

After casing out the White Pass Railroad the day prior to going on the short summit trip, I seen that the most potential side to sit at on the train for better scenery is on the left side of the railcar (facing forward direction upon departure out of Skagway)....since the railway is going up a mountain range, the right side looked mostly potential mountain side non scenery to me I was thinking and was correct.

When the narrator on the intercom states that sitting on either side of the railcar does not matter for the best view available, do not buy into it.

Stepping out of the railcar in the open on the outer deck will be permitted once the narrator announces they are officially out of Skagway city limit (roughly at mile 5 or so if I remember right).....however there is only room for two people to safely maneuver on the outer deck at any given time.

Also, once an individual has been permitted to board the railcar (I was on Lake Spirit railcar # 214), you will not be permitted to leave and enter another railcar during any part of the trip.

I also brought my passport with me in case of an emergency upon any problem that may occur on the Canadian side after asking if that was a requirement to the counter agent as she stated it was not a requirement however the summit trip does end and cross into Canada for 300 feet or so however no one is permitted to step out of the railcars at any given time on the summit anyway... however it would be nice to have onhand in case such an emergency would occur where it would not be a problem clearing customs if a situation would to occur.

I found out once the train reaches White Pass Summit, the railroad locomotive engines will detach from the front railcar and re-hook up on the other end of the rear railcar for the return trip, thus the railcars stay facing the same direction upon departure and arrival back to Skagway.

There was this pushy passenger in his 60's from South Africa on board, first trying to get me to trade seats with him so he can get photo opportunities (since all the seating on the left side was taken) and at first told him I would give him the courtesy after I was done taking a few snapshots, then he tried to push his way around me when I done established the outer deck first and beat him to it once the announcer permitted the outer decks were open (I was ready on the fly)....he gets all mad and leaves the outer deck as I take turns with other passengers stepping on the outer deck so they can take their snapshots....

Five minutes later the conductor walks up to me and starts chewing me out about a complaint not giving courtesy to other passengers accessing the better viewing spots of the train as I and the other passengers I given the courtesy to had to put the conductor in check stating your complainant was the instigator of this whole scenario, as the conductor finally seen the person's true colors and demanded to the conductor that he was going to walk across to the next railcar after numerous times the conductor telling him he was prohibited in doing so, and by the time the situation was back to normal - I gotten all my good pictures in before the dense fog settled in, told the guy I was still willing to trade seats with him like I mentioned earlier, he declined.


My first visit to Skagway in June 1994 was clear and great weather as was Atlin the day before...

My second visit to Skagway in July 1998 which was my first RV trip in Canada as I finally owned an RV (old 1981 camper shell on the 1970 Ford Truck in 1996) by celebrating the Dawson - Skagway Centennial 100th Anniversary of the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush.

My third visit to Skagway in September 2015 ended up being a plan B trip as I was planning to go to the Canadian Rockies for the fourth time as I had mechanical trouble that cost me a couple days time as I was already 3 days behind, so I aborted that destination and decided to see Haines once again for the first time in the camper and the second visit in a 21 year timeframe and spent four days in Haines and four days in Skagway.....First time in a 17 year timeframe visiting Skagway and couldn't believe how inspirational my feelings gotten upon seeing the inlet and port at a distance on the ferry which made me realize how much I really love Skagway and the locals I interacted with were still real down to earth.

[Johnny_G1]

Stayed in the back car for the whole trip, met some interesting people that did the climb and had been in the bush for up to 7 day's including a young couple with a baby, the nice thing about the last car is the photo ops that you have on the back deck. will do it again if I can get another pass??? Long day but well worth it.

[4runnerguy]

Tripalot wrote:

Johnny G1 wrote:
You still stop at Bennett for about 45 mins. both way's.

Thanks for that info - it sure was a welcome sight after our 5 day backpacking trip. At that time, they fed lunch to the train people first because they thought if the hikers were done first, there might not be enough food left for the passengers. We then took the train south to Skagway to retrieve our car and continue on our camping trip - tents in those days.

When we took the train back after backpacking the Chilkoot, they put us all in a car on the back of the train. We joked that we were at the end of the train so that our aroma from our days on the trail wouldn't choke out the cruise ship passengers in the other cars! 😉

[Tripalot]

Johnny G1 wrote:
You still stop at Bennett for about 45 mins. both way's.

Thanks for that info - it sure was a welcome sight after our 5 day backpacking trip. At that time, they fed lunch to the train people first because they thought if the hikers were done first, there might not be enough food left for the passengers. We then took the train south to Skagway to retrieve our car and continue on our camping trip - tents in those days.

[Johnny_G1]

You still stop at Bennett for about 45 mins. both way's.

[DrewE]

They have a few different options for how far one wishes to go. Bennett has not disappeared entirely.

[Tripalot]

Johnny G1 wrote:
The train still runs from Skag to Carcross, did a round trip on it last August, very scenic but pricy unless you have a pass, we were lucky.

The train used to only run from Skagway north to Bennett Station and return. They used to serve a bountiful lunch at the train station before the return trip. Is there currently a stop at Bennett. Maybe that has closed now - just curious.

[JesLookin]

We took the train from Carcross to Skagway. Thought it was kind of strange that we had to go through customs on the way their & on the way back while on the train. But, I guess that happens when you cross the border a couple times. Of course Skagway is a tourist town, that is where all the tourists go. I didn't think it was over crowded, we had a nice time there.

[Johnny_G1]

The train still runs from Skag to Carcross, did a round trip on it last August, very scenic but pricy unless you have a pass, we were lucky.

[Tripalot]

Our first trip to Skagway was in the late 70's when our family did a 5 day backpacking trip on the Chilkoot Trail. We have been back in more recent years and it has changed dramatically now that the cruise ships come in. It is still a quaint place to visit.
Something else that is fun to do is the narrow gauge train trip from Skagway north to Bennett. They stopped running it for many years, but I think it is running again. Lunch was served in the old Bennett Train Station (a sight we were happy to see at the end of our backpacking trip).

[Johnny_G1]

Great little town when the ship's depart and yes there is a lot of history to see in the area, been there 4 times and likely be back this summer, mh from Skag to haines is not cheap for the time spent on it, $230.+.but is a scenic route.

[Dick_B]

It was one of our favorite places to visit when we took our small ships cruise of Alaska. All one has to do is gaze down the main street and imagine what it was like in the old golden days.

[Tom_Barb]

Skagway is a great place to visit. we were there twice both times there was no cruise boat in port.
We were amuse at how many times we heard the phrase " Oh, You are RVers"