The White Pass & Yukon Route is a narrow-gauge privately owned railroad built in 1898 at the height of the Klondike gold rush. Between 1900 and 1982 it provided passenger and freight service between Skagway and Whitehouse in the Yukon Territory. In 1994 the White Pass & Yukon Route was declared an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, one of only 15 in the world.
During the gold rush days, thousands took the 40-mile trek from Skagway to Lake Bennett, where they build boats to float down the Yukon River to Dawson City and the goldfields.
This railroad has one of the steepest railroad grades in North America. From sea level at Skagway, the railroad climbs to 2,885 feet at White Pass in only 20 miles.
Today the White Pass Railroad operates a three-hour round trip train excursion between Skagway and the White Pass Summit and features the most spectacular sights of the entire route, including the steep climb to White Pass Summit, Bridal Veil Falls, Inspiration Point and Dead Horse Gulch. From mid May through mid September there are two trips daily, one leaving Skagway approximately 8:45 am and the other at approximately 1:00 pm.