Skagway, Alaska

Skagway is best known for being the gateway into the Yukon territory. At one time, gold fever ran rampant through the town and notorious characters lived here during the gold rush days.  The first time I visited Skagway was in 2003. This scrapbook photo shows how it looked then:

I took the next photo in August 2021. It is from a little farther back on the main street, but the town still looks much the same 18 years later. Even to the wooden sidewalks.

On our first trip to Skagway, we rode the White Pass Railroad Yukon Route. Since it passes into Canada, we needed to take our passports with us. Beautiful, and sometimes heart-stopping scenery could be seen from the train.

In June of 2022, our ship docked right where the rock slide happened later that year. You can see from the picture below how the port area had taken precautions to try to protect against rockslides with some kind of metal/mesh fencing, but the latest rockslide ignored the barriers and really caused a lot of damage. They had to close this pier for a while to remove rock and repair the damage, and some ships had to skip that port until the repairs were made. Also, you may notice a lot of graffiti on the rocks.That is not normal graffiti. When a ship stops in the Skagway port for the first time, someone in the crew will paint their logo/emblem, etc. It is a sign of pride for the ship and captain the first time they are in a port with a new ship. If you look closely, you can see the train tracks. Passengers who booked the railroad excursion could get off the ship and walk a few steps to get directly on the train.

There is so much to see in Skagway.

In 2016, six friends went in together for a private fishing/wildlife viewing charter. We booked with Never Monday Charters, and Captain Ken and his first mate took great care of us. We saw eagles, a whale, and waterfalls. One of our friends caught a 18.5 pound pink salmon, and my husband caught an Ivory King Salmon weighing in at 25.5 pounds!

Captain Ken took care of them for us, and we had them processed and shipped back home.  Probably the most expensive salmon ever – considering chartering a boat for six, processing, and shipping. But it is part of the experience, and what an amazing experience it was! Captain Ken has moved his charter operation to Haines.

After fishing, we walked into the town of Skagway.  The normal population of under 1000 in 2016 people swelled significantly when 3 ships were in port.  But even so, it really didn’t seem crowded to me.

We ate lunch at the Alaskan Brewing Company. Everyone in our party enjoyed the food.

I stamped my Passport to National Parks  in town and purchased a regional sticker to add to it.

 

 

 

Four of our friends rented a car and did their own self-drive tour.

Their pictures were spectacular – Here’s a couple. Yes, they saw a bear.

My most recent trip was in June of 2022. There was some damage to the tracks for the White Pass and Yukon Route, so we decided to take a motor coach tour instead. We enjoyed the views from the motor coach, and our first stop was a scenic photo stop.

Then we went to the Gold Rush Cemetery.

Our final destination was in downtown Skagway for the “Days of ’98” musical review.

If someone did not want to purchase an excursion, it would be easy to just spend time downtown and visit the shops and museums and purchase a show ticket onsite. Most cruises will offer a complimentary or very inexpensive shuttle to the downtown area. Tickets can be purchased for the show on a walk-up basis if it is not sold out from the cruise ship traffic.

Skagway is not on every cruise itinerary, but it is a great place so spend a day or two or three. Next stop: Juneau.