A Sunny Day in Skagway

Skagway is the northernmost stop on the Inside Passage and its history is tied to the Klondike gold rush of 1898. It is now part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park and is like a living history museum with costumed interpreters who detail life in Skagway during the gold rush era.

The highlight of my trip to Skagway was a ride on the White Pass & Yukon Railroad. Sitting comfortably in a vintage railroad car, I saw more in my 3 hour trip than many of the would be prospectors ever saw in their quest to find gold. In fact, many miners and thousands of pack horses died just trying to climb the mountain to get to the gold fields.

Skagway is surrounded by mountains which make a scenic backdrop for the wooden sidewalks and restored false front buildings that now house interesting restaurants and shops filled with native arts and crafts. Shopping can be thirsty work so we stopped for a drink at a sidewalk table outside the Golden North Hotel and enjoyed our sunny day in Skagway.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

The town is very small and easy to walk around but there are lots of tours available too.

This is a 3 hr. return trip in vintage parlor cars that takes you through the mountains to the 2,865 ft. summit. Along the way, yellow & green engines will take you over a trestle bridge, through tunnels and past places with names like Dead Horse Gulch, Black Cross Rock & Inspiration Point. The scenery is fabulous along the whole route & you can stand outside at the back of the car to take photos. It does get a bit crowded though since so many other people have the same idea. There are 2 boarding areas in Skagway - one at the pier that picks up passengers from the visiting cruise ships and the main one at the train station in the downtown area. There is an interesting shop at the station that sells lots of train memorabilia.

The cemetery is just a few miles outside of downtown Skagway, in a peaceful spot surrounded by a white picket fence and tall evergreens. It is a stop included in most guided tours and is the last resting place for gold rush era townsfolk and prospectors. Its most famous residents are local bad guy, Jefferson "Soapy" Smith and town hero, Frank Reid. Soapy was a con man and outlaw who, along with his gang, terrorized townsfolk and cheated prospectors. He made life in Skagway pretty unpleasant and even the law seemed powerless to stop him. Frank Reid was a city engineer who’d had enough of Soapy’s evil deeds and challenged him to a shoot out. The good news is that Soapy was killed and Skagway become much safer and peaceful. The bad news is that Frank was fatally wounded and died a few days later. Frank’s grave is marked by a large monument in honor of his bravery and sacrifice whereas Soapy’s grave is marked by a small headstone.

Most of the town's tours include the cemetery in their itinerary but it also makes a nice walk from town if you have spare time.

If you want to try your luck at catching a king salmon or halibut, there are 1/2 day and whole day fishing charters. If you're not into fishing, you can join a wildlife cruise that lasts 2-3 hours. You usually see sea lions & eagles and if you're lucky, you'll spot a whale or two (unfortunately, we didn't). Dress warmly because the temperature is cooler on the water than the land.

Taking a guided tour in Skagway is quite an adventure. Walking tours, bright yellow touring cars and horse drawn carriages complete with costumed interpreters provide a fascinating look into life in Skagway during the Klondike gold rush.

At one time, over 20,000 people descended on Skagway determined to strike it rich. In their quest for gold, many men and thousands of pack horses perished due to exhaustion, weather, etc. without ever laying eyes on the gold that they sought. Too many people, too fast, meant that Skagway turned into quite a lawless town with more than its share of varmints and outlaws like Soapy Smith and his gang.

The gold rush didn’t last long nor did Skagway’s prosperity. Nowadays, less than 1,000 people live in Skagway year round although the number increases in the summer due to the tourism jobs available.

The tour travels along Skagway’s main street, Broadway, which is part of the Historic District. The raised, wooden sidewalks and false front buildings are vivid reminders of the gold rush era.

A trip to the Gold Rush Cemetery is included and it is here that local outlaw Soapy Smith and local hero Frank Reid are both buried. Frank killed Soapy in a shoot out but also died from his wounds.

Tours last about 2 hours and cost around $35.00, depending on the style of tour.

If you have more time and money, other tours from Skagway include trip on the historic White Pass & Yukon Railway as well as float plane and helicopter tours of the countryside. For a small place, Skagway has alot to choose from.