Seeking Skagway Shore Excursion Advice

[sunlover757]

My husband and I are trying to decide what to do in the Skagway. Our ship arrives in September at 7 a.m. and departs at 9 p.m., so we have plenty of time there. We are currently considering taking a 6 hour small group tour of the Yukon, doing the Chilkoot Trail Hike & Float tour, or renting a car and exploring the Yukon (and seeing Emerald Lake) on our own. We love wildlife and scenic vistas and we're looking forward to getting the most out of our day in Skagway. Any suggestions/insights on these options and which one you think might be best? Thanks in advance for your help!

[Budget Queen]

I have done all three, and each is a wonderful touring adventure. I can't pick for you, and it doesn't matter what my preference may be. :) None of these, however, is likely to be for wildlife, which will be a rare chance of viewing. So all equal there. IF you like history, then a car rental would be the third choice. Not sure how far the tours now hike, but you can get a great look at how it would have been for those prospectors, on the Chilkoot Trail. the Taiya River float is extremely scenic. Of course a combo rail/Yukon trip is consistently raved about, again, history is significant, but so is the engineering. The self drive, allows all the stops you want and going independent certainly can be a big bonus. This is also the cheapest option. Not sure, but if your Yukon reference with a small group is just a road trip, that can be desirable due to the commentary. But adding the train really adds another feature with different - superior views compared to the Klondike Highway (you will get those- the views are the same and the road is so much cheaper etc, but factually, NOT true, there is only a few miles of common view)

 

Each you will see, has pluses. So I suggest maybe you talk this over with who you are going with (I'm assuming) and see if that makes any difference? IF you truly have equal interests for each, then you might want to pick from a hat. :)

[sunlover757]

Thanks so much for your help, Budget Queen! Our family visited Skagway a number of years ago, did the train and emphasized history that time around. For our visit this time, my husband would prefer to focus on scenery and nature for our Skagway excursion. The Yukon small group tour that I mentioned is a 6-hour trip via road only. All of your insights are greatly appreciated.

[bev r.]

My daughters and I just did the Chilkoot Trail Hike & Float tour last week. We had a great time. The first part of the hike was a little challenging but the guide went at a good pace. I am not in the best physical shape but managed the hike without too much difficulty. Even though there was low cloud and drizzling rain, it was still good. The dense forest keep you pretty dry, and the guide had rain ponchos for the raft. We found this excursion great value for the price.

[Buck-White Boys]

My husband and I are trying to decide what to do in the Skagway. Our ship arrives in September at 7 a.m. and departs at 9 p.m., so we have plenty of time there. We are currently considering taking a 6 hour small group tour of the Yukon, doing the Chilkoot Trail Hike & Float tour, or renting a car and exploring the Yukon (and seeing Emerald Lake) on our own. We love wildlife and scenic vistas and we're looking forward to getting the most out of our day in Skagway. Any suggestions/insights on these options and which one you think might be best? Thanks in advance for your help!

 

The White Pass & Yukon Route railroad is really a Must-Do . . . we were there 2 years ago and I have to be honest, I was not at all interested in it or the Yukon. It became my favorite excursion of our entire trip . . . we did a bus tour into the Yukon, stopped at all the "sites" on the way up, including Emerald Lake. Then we took the train down - saw bears on the route, the scenery and got the history of the area. It was absolutely wonderful . . . and we had several kids on the trip who really got a lot out of it.

 

As has been previously said, you can't make a bad choice in Skagway and nobody can decide for you, but I'd highly, highly, highly recommend making the train part of your itinerary.

[racquetballer]

My wife and I just got back, and we hiked up the Denver Valley using a guide group directed by the Celebrity Solstice. It was included with the White Pass train. HIGHLY recommend if you want to see more than just what the real interior and scenery looks like. It was a good workout - but I wouldn't recommend unless you are in good shape for a higher altitude hike. We are in our 50s and were pushed pretty good.