White pass Train and Bike Tour

[april_jb]

Hoping someone can help - Anyone done the combined White Pass Train and Bike ride back down hill in Skagway? Did something similar in Hawaii a couple of years ago and wish to book this but wondering wether to book the early morning departure 7:30am or later 12noon. We will be in Skagway early August so just wondering if it will be more likely to have low cloud first thing in the morning ?

[TATraveler]

Hoping someone can help - Anyone done the combined White Pass Train and Bike ride back down hill in Skagway? Did something similar in Hawaii a couple of years ago and wish to book this but wondering wether to book the early morning departure 7:30am or later 12noon. We will be in Skagway early August so just wondering if it will be more likely to have low cloud first thing in the morning ?

 

Last week, I took the bus trip to the Yukon. We passed the bicyclists who were coming down from the pass. My driver kidded that the bike riders never smile. She was right. I'd say it's not a great trip. The shoulder is fairly small, and the ride is steep enough that you spend a ton of time braking, and watching to make sure you aren't going too fast or over big rocks or something.

 

I highly suggest taking a bus up and back. We stopped several times for bear, etc. I would never take the train, since the train doesn't stop until the end.

 

I used Frontier Excursions for the bus/shuttle trip, driver Brooke.

[cavecreekguy]

Hoping someone can help - Anyone done the combined White Pass Train and Bike ride back down hill in Skagway? Did something similar in Hawaii a couple of years ago and wish to book this but wondering wether to book the early morning departure 7:30am or later 12noon. We will be in Skagway early August so just wondering if it will be more likely to have low cloud first thing in the morning ?

 

I actually did that excursion last May and had a great time...regardless of what someone who hasn't done it may think. Yes you are braking most of the way down with a short uphill section, then level once you get into town.

 

There is so little traffic we didn't stay on the shoulder. We only moved over when there was a car coming and the guide kept an eye out for those. There was no issue with rocks..not sure where that idea came from.

 

I can't answer your question about August weather, but I took the morning tour in May and the weather was fine. Nice and clear most of the time.

 

I would do it again this year if my cruise was stopping in Skagway. I smiled the whole time!

[april_jb]

I actually did that excursion last May and had a great time...regardless of what someone who hasn't done it may think. Yes you are braking most of the way down with a short uphill section, then level once you get into town.

 

There is so little traffic we didn't stay on the shoulder. We only moved over when there was a car coming and the guide kept an eye out for those. There was no issue with rocks..not sure where that idea came from.

 

I can't answer your question about August weather, but I took the morning tour in May and the weather was fine. Nice and clear most of the time.

 

I would do it again this year if my cruise was stopping in Skagway. I smiled the whole time!

 

 

Thanks for that information - yes I've seen a lot of negative reviews but as I said did a downhill in Hawaii from the top of the Haleakala Volcano to the beach and it was fantastic. (Over 20miles)Same scenario on the road with cars etc but we ride bikes a bit so really looking forward to this. Live life to the full I say! Thought it would be a great way to see the scenery. We booked today anyway for the 7:30am tour , up on the train and down on the bikes Can't wait!

[cavecreekguy]

Thanks for that information - yes I've seen a lot of negative reviews but as I said did a downhill in Hawaii from the top of the Haleakala Volcano to the beach and it was fantastic. (Over 20miles)Same scenario on the road with cars etc but we ride bikes a bit so really looking forward to this. Live life to the full I say! Thought it would be a great way to see the scenery. We booked today anyway for the 7:30am tour , up on the train and down on the bikes Can't wait!

 

Glad you did. I hope you have as good a time as I did.

 

Last year, before I booked it, I read the reviews on Trip Advisor, from people who actually did the trip. Not people who just think cars and buses are fast. They were mostly very positive.

[Casey12]

I have been on the excursion and do not advise anyone taking it. Someone on our trip was run off the road and crashed his bike and injured his arm. I never saw him again on the trip to hear about the injuries but he was not able to ride back with us. We were there in July and there was quite a bit of traffic. The drivers are not looking out for the bikers. This is more dangerous than it looks.

[CaribbeanIsland]

We did this excursion 3 years ago. It is not one that I would repeat or recommend. Too much traffic and drivers are not expecting to find bikers on this road. I couldn't wait for the ride to be over.

[cavecreekguy]

Wow it's great to hear from people who have actually done this excursion!

 

I checked the Trip Advisor reviews again, to see if I just forgot about all the reviews where people said they were run off the road or fell off their bikes and had to be med-evacued to Juneau. I'm certainly not saying that's never happened, just wanted to see if I forgot about those reports.

 

I did see one from this year where someone was scared. Not injured, mind you. Oh, and couldn't believe there weren't any bathrooms along the way. I don't know why, but I just never expected there to be one.

 

But as that person points out, "There were many of our group that thoroughly enjoyed this bike ride."

 

If anyone is thinking about taking this tour, I would advise you to do more research beyond this thread. At least on Trip Advisor, it seems that the vast majority of people who've done it thought it was great. As did I.

[Casey12]

Well us Aussies are pretty adventurous so I'm very much looking forward to this excursion as is my husband! Like I said bike trip in Hawaii fantastic! Been to lots of ports where others have been to scared to adventure beyond a port and experience the real country and people and then are amazed at what we have done and wished they had been more adventurous

 

April --- this is not that adventurous of an excursion. It is a highway with lots of busses and cars driving fast and you bike down the highway. I also would not compare this to the bike trips I have done in Hawaii. Those were entirely different and I loved those. If you are into adventurous I would look into Glacier Point Wilderness Safari or some of the glacier trekking. Far more adventurous. After doing the bike ride in the Yukon my immediate thought was what a waste of money.

[ksm77]

My DH & I did the train trip in 2006. We did it round trip. I enjoyed the trip up but coming back was kind of boring to me as it is the same. We did the bike trip in 2009. We loved the bike trip. We were taken up by bus then rode back down. I don't remember the traffic being that bad. In fact I only remember a few cars going by. The guides were great they made safety a priority. One guide stayed in front of the group one behind the group. In our group we had about 12 people. We are casual bike riders it was not difficult for us at all. Don't let people scare you away from this tour. I think you will love it. We stopped all along the way for picture taking. We are leaving in 2 weeks for another trip to Alaska. We thought about doing this tour again but decided to do a float trip instead.

Edited May 21, 2015 by ksm77