Skagway - Car Rental and Excursion Ideas

[Pamthecat]

Hello All,

 

Well the car rental is organized for Juneau ($67 for the day) and now I'm sorting out Skagway.

 

Has anyone rented a car in Skagway? Is it easy to get around? What company did you use and where did you go? How did you plan your day?

 

Excursions in Skagway -- I'm trying to sort through the excursion options. I'm hesitant to sign up for a super long 7 hour excursion and I'm also trying to avoid the super expensive excursions. We are a family of 4 adults (one is a 16 yr old actually).

 

1. dog mushing and camp -- Is there more than one of these companies in Skagway? Can I drive there or do I need to pay for the transportation as well?

2. Crab fishing (deadliest catch) sounds like fun,- but I think it is booked up on the day we are in town.

3. Interested in train, but it seems very long - is there a shorter train?

4. Dyea Dave - also interested but again looks like the trip is 7 hours - shorter version?

3. Other ideas folks could recommend?

 

Thanks!!

[Bella0714]

Flying over the glaciers with Mountain Flying Service. The plane is tiny (it seats eight, including the pilot), and the pilot maintains the plane, so that put me at ease. It's less expensive than you might think, the plane is a beauty, the scenery is spectacular. The highlight of our cruise (and it had a lot of highlights).

[DougH]

First off the Deadliest Catch tour is in Ketchikan not Skagway.

 

There are shorter options for the train but you don't travel far enough in my opinion to see much. The Dyea Dave/Chilkoot tours are a combination of the train and driving so that is why they are longer. (and better)

 

Renting a car is a nice somewhat cheaper option if you have a car full. At a normal pace you should be able to drive up to Emerald Lake (the usual turnaround spot) with many stops along the way and a stop somewhere for lunch (Carcross or Caribou Landings most frequently mentioned) and be back in about 5 hours.The car gives you the flexibility to stop wherever you want for however long you want. Only one road so no way to get lost and very little traffic. You will need passports as it takes you into Canada. You will easily have time to explore Skagway on your return, there is really only one street in town.

 

I also highly recommend a flight with Mountain Flying Service over Glacier Bay if it is in your budget.

[TheCalicoCat]

Rent a car & drive to Emerald Lake.

[Budget Queen]

There are 3 car rental vendors. Avis, Sourdough and Green Jeep. The reason to rent a car, would be to drive to Emerald Lake and back, needing at least a 5 hour time invsestment. Yes, there are several sled dog, ground options, 2 on the Klondike Highway, you can just add on your own. The longer running is Caribou Crossing. There is a new one this year, which name I have forgotten. Either will offer a cart ride and cheaper option.

 

This would be your cheapest touring option. I recommend lunch at the Chilkoot Bakery, in Carcross.

 

 

Of course there are multiple other touring options to select from. Take a good look at ALL of them.

[Gardyloo]

A few miles past Emerald Lake is the Robinson Roadhouse ghost town, an interesting place to walk around and upset the marmots. http://sightsandsites.ca/south/site/robinson-roadhouse

[Les75]

We rented a Jeep from Green Jeep rentals and had a great experience with them. They provide a CD with audio tour until you reach the Canadian border. We were only 2 people, but rented the 4 person Jeep. The 2 door Jeeps looked a bit run down. Our Jeep was practically new, with leather interior and air conditioning. We actually need the AC as in the Yukon it was quite hot, which was much different than the weather in Skagway. It was great to be able to go at our own pace and make as many stops for scenery and pictures along the way!

[Mitch2016]

We just booked with Dyea Dave for our Skagway stop next June 2017. We had originally thought we would rent a car and make the trek to Emerald Lake on our own, but since it would be just the 2 of us.....as I was seeing all the beauty and scenery as the passenger, my husband would need to be paying attention to the road and driving, so we changed our minds to do a tour.

 

We chose Dyea Dave from his reviews, and it also sounds like he tries to make his tours as personal as possible. I had called and booked it on the phone with Kathy, then sent an email to confirm it with them. I had some additional questions about the tour and Skagway that I was hoping that they could answer.

 

About a half hour later, I got a call from Dave himself. When I answered the phone, it was a man ordering up 2 maidrites be made up and sent to him in Alaska! We have a great long standing restaurant that serves loose meat sandwiches here in Marshalltown called maidrites (Taylors Maidrite since 1928). Long story short, Dave was very familiar with where I live, had been here several times before and had friends in a town here in Central Iowa about 20 miles away. Small world!

 

Looking forward more than ever to do the tour with Dyea Dave and hoping we'll have a chance to personally meet!

[rvorcruise]

Yes, there are several sled dog, ground options, 2 on the Klondike Highway, you can just add on your own. The longer running is Caribou Crossing. There is a new one this year, which name I have forgotten. Either will offer a cart ride and cheaper option.

 

The new one is Tutshi Sled Dog Tours, run by Michelle Phillips, who used to be at Caribou Crossing. Her cart track there is very good - the best I've been on - and many of the smaller independent tours are already stopping there for their husky experience instead of Caribou Crossing.

[Yaya999]

How far away from Skagway is Tutshi sled dog tour?

Thxs

Edited August 29, 2016 by Yaya999

[rvorcruise]

How far away from Skagway is Tutshi sled dog tour?

 

It's at Km 74.5 of the highway, which is 46.3 miles from the Skagway ferry dock.