Skagway Excursion: Whitepass Railway or DIY Drive to Emerald Lake and Carcross?

I'm planning our late June 2017 Alaskan cruise. One option is to take the Whitepass Railway.

However, I have also read that driving yourself can also be quite nice.

Typically, I do my own excursions (not the ships). While we'd like to be frugal with our choices, money is not the ultimate factor.

One big consideration.....I don't like heights. Places like the Gateway Arch, Seattle Space needle, etc....not my favorites. I'm not terrified, but I don't really enjoy them either. On the other hand, if it's that outstanding, I can do it (ie, I climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge, despite being quite scared)

So, doing my research, it seems we would pick up a car (for four adults) with Avis ($150 for the day, 7am-7pm). Head out on the Yukon Highway, cross the Yukon Suspension Bridge. Go to Carcross and Emerald Lake, avoiding the crowds, so not sure which order. probably do a dog kart ride in Carcross. (Either $68 each for 30 minutes, or $49 for 15 minutes). Thinking we'd likely do 15 minutes, so $350 for the day, plus gas.

Head back to Skagway. If there is time, stop in at Jewell Gardens and/or Skagway Brewing Co. or Red Onion Saloon.

The other option is to take the railway. Head back to Skagway. These tours seem to be about $150-$200 per person I think. So likely at least $600 for the 4 of us, probably more.

I think my big question is: will there be a huge difference in the sightseeing opportunities in a car vs the train?

I'd appreciate any recommendations.

The car will NOT see the White Pass trail.

• the highway is on the West side of the canyon. Train and White Pass trail is on the East side of the Canyon.
  
• the White Pass trail is 12 inches wide. Very hard to see from the car 1/2 mile away.
  
• if the driver is willing to skip train..... you can have the passengers ride the train and meet them at the other end in theory. Might get interesting explaining this to customs.
  

The car will NOT see the White Pass trail.

• the highway is on the West side of the canyon. Train and White Pass trail is on the East side of the Canyon.
  
• the White Pass trail is 12 inches wide. Very hard to see from the car 1/2 mile away.
  
• if the driver is willing to skip train..... you can have the passengers ride the train and meet them at the other end in theory. Might get interesting explaining this to customs.
  

Thanks for your input. No, separating isn't something we are interested in doing. I do realize that the scenery will not be the same. I guess I am asking about the comparison of what you will see on each. I'm sorry I wasn't more clear.

If you have a dislike of heights, the train runs on the edge of some pretty long drops that may affect your sensitivity.

The rental car would work or perhaps one of the private tours that drives to Emerald Lake.

The train view overlooks the valley below and gives some amazing views. It does not stop to photograph bears, mountain sheep, Emerald Lake, flowers, etc. as a rental car would allow you to do.

You can do both by using a tour company like Chilkoot Charters, Dyea Dave and there are more to choose from. You can ride the train to Frasure then they pick you up in a small van and take you to Emerald Lake, Caribou Crossing, Carcross and Lake Bennett. There is an option for the dog sled ride. You can do train first then the bus, or bus first then the train. If you sit on the right side of the train going up or the left side going down, you will not see the sheer drops.

I am partial to the idea of driving one way and taking the train the other. The trains are timed so that at times you can see the train behind you.

We did a bus tour rather than the train on our 1st Cruise to Alaska. It cost less & was fun because we stopped at various points, got out, took pictures. Another cruise we took the train. It is a long day but beautiful. Whether you rent a car, take the bus, or train you we enjoy it. I personally preferred the bus excursion, since we returned sooner. & would like to try renting a car next time. TAKE YOUR PASSPORT you need it to enter the Yukon Territory.

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In the 2014 trip report list is a comparison from marysb who has taken both trips. Photos from each trip are included.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2078780

I've done the train once and car twice. The train is an enjoyable, narrated ride in a vintage car with great views.

I prefer the car since I decide where to stop and for how long. I have never seen crowds on the road, or any place we stopped. I usually leave around 9:00 so I miss the line up at Avis. Along the way it's fun taking pictures at the Welcome to Alaska sign and Welcome to the Yukon sign. Get Murray's guide - just google Murray's Guide and you'll get the link to the website. Murray sells a detailed road guide with pictures - he even tells you where there are bathrooms! Plus, if you stop at the suspension bridge, you get a $5 discount. I've not done the suspension bridge - it was closed on our way back. There are lots of turnoffs and interesting places to go for little walks or long hikes. I'm the driver, and I have never found driving to be a problem or felt that I couldn't enjoy the scenery. I'm also afraid of heights, and that was no problem on the road trip or train. There are many turnoffs, so the driver gets to see the views, too. On the way back, just before town, your can also go to the Dyea overlook with a nice view of town and the ship, and the Goldrush Cemetery and Reid falls. You can do all of this in about 5, maybe 6 hours, and still have time for exploring town.

I've done the train once and car twice. The train is an enjoyable, narrated ride in a vintage car with great views.

 

I prefer the car since I decide where to stop and for how long. I have never seen crowds on the road, or any place we stopped. I usually leave around 9:00 so I miss the line up at Avis. Along the way it's fun taking pictures at the Welcome to Alaska sign and Welcome to the Yukon sign. Get Murray's guide - just google Murray's Guide and you'll get the link to the website. Murray sells a detailed road guide with pictures - he even tells you where there are bathrooms! Plus, if you stop at the suspension bridge, you get a $5 discount. I've not done the suspension bridge - it was closed on our way back. There are lots of turnoffs and interesting places to go for little walks or long hikes. I'm the driver, and I have never found driving to be a problem or felt that I couldn't enjoy the scenery. I'm also afraid of heights, and that was no problem on the road trip or train. There are many turnoffs, so the driver gets to see the views, too. On the way back, just before town, your can also go to the Dyea overlook with a nice view of town and the ship, and the Goldrush Cemetery and Reid falls. You can do all of this in about 5, maybe 6 hours, and still have time for exploring town.

Sounds fab there will be 4 of us and my husband used to driving in different countries which side of the road do they drive on in Alaska ? My daughter and i did Alaskan cruise before and I was sorry we didn't do the train but then alot that did it told us that their bums were sore that it wasn't v comfortable any thoughts on this ?

We did the rental car from Skagway for our first trip to Alaska. That gave us the freedom of choosing where and when to stop. If we return, I would like to ride the train, but I'd be tempted to get a rental car again. It was a very good day on a good Alaskan cruise.

From research here and on youtube, the train experience seemed more variable depending on how full the rail car was, how difficult it was to get a good view inside and outside the rail car. Would it be foggy? The train has a set schedule to keep, but you control the rental car. We also had a long port day. It was 7am until 8pm so we didn't have to rush.

review of our May 2016 cruise: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2366744

We rented from Green Jeep in skagway. Absolutely loved driving ourselves. We went as far as Robinson Roadhouse. We liked we were able to stop where we wanted to (our highlight was an mine that went down to the water). Also stopped at Caribou Crossings. Only a few dollars to get in. We ended up taking so much time we had to race back to get the Jeep back by the 6 pm deadline.

We rented from Avis $136 split between two couples. We stopped at Carcross for sandwiches and went to Emerald Lake. We stopped all along the route for pictures. If you're interested, the link to my review is in my signature and Skagway is at post #51.

Since Alaska is in the USA, you drive on the right side of the road. Once you enter Canada, the "mileage" and elevation are in the metric system, but you still drive on the right. As for the seats on the train, I don't remember them being particularly comfortable or uncomfortable. Although, we spent a lot of the time standing outside on the viewing platform.