White Pass train OR Yukon?

[Sherme]

I booked the 8 hour White Pass and Yukon expedition (up by bus and return on the train), and now I am so disappointed to hear that the train will only be able to go to the summit this year.  This means that I will have to make a choice:  either the train to the summit and back or the bus trip into the Yukon with no train.

For anyone that has done the combo tour:  If you had to choose, which one do you recommend that I do?  Why?

This is my first trip/cruise to Alaska and I don’t know if I will have the opportunity to go back.

[JT1962]

I have done both the train to the summit and the bus / train combo and would recommend the roundtrip train since you have not done it.  It is definitely worth doing with amazing scenery and history. You actually spend more time on the train on the roundtrip (40 miles total) vs the train to Fraser (27.5 miles) to transfer to / from the bus. 
 

Depending on how much time you have in Skagway, it might be possible to do a bus trip that leaves early (8:30) and still have time for a r/t train excursion at 4:00 or later,  It would be tight and I would book the late train through the ship, if available, to ensure the ship will wait if there are any delays.

[martincath]

I'm on the other side of this - definitely do bus both ways rather than just the summit train. Especially if you aren't likely to return - when are you ever going to get the chance to see the scenery beyond the summit?

 

Maybe if you were a huge fan of Ye Olde trains there would be a big value in riding the train for itself, rather than as transportation - but if not, the bus runs up the same valley just on the opposite side, so the views from the road are of the same stuff as the railway track just from a different angle.

 

Doing the train and bus combo covers all the bases when available - but since WPYR decided not to bother with Canadian border requirement verification (frankly annoying, all the bus companies are coping...) then seeing and doing more seems easily superior to repeating the exact same 20 miles of track twice right afterward!

[Coral]

I would vote for bus.

[Wavesprite]

Or you could rent a car and drive as far as you’d like into the Yukon!

[xlxo]

Another vote for bus to the Yukon... the Summit round trip only covers 13 miles of White Pass track.  The train does 22 miles of track if it goes to Fraser.

 

Something to research... if you did the bus trip early morning.  Is there enough time to do the summit train in the late afternoon/evening.  The bus travels on the West side of the Valley.  The train travels on the East side of the Valley.  Much of the White pass trail is only visible on the East side of the Valley.

Edited April 13, 2022 by xlxo

[YVRteacher]

If you do the bus, you’re spending so much of your time in Skagway sitting.  There are amazing hikes and shore excursions in Skagway where you can experience this part of Alaska without sitting on a bus all day.

[Coral]

9 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

If you do the bus, you’re spending so much of your time in Skagway sitting.  There are amazing hikes and shore excursions in Skagway where you can experience this part of Alaska without sitting on a bus all day.

I actually have done the bus 2x and I have to say it is an amazing trip. You get out quite a bit and see some beautiful scenery. Very little of the time is spent in "Skagway". It is a trip into the beautiful Yukon.

 

I have also taken a car up into the area 2x and enjoyed that as well.

 

Now after saying that - I have enjoyed the National Park Service tour. I would recommend the bus over the National Park Service tour though. If one can do both, great.

[krkheffe]

5 hours ago, Coral said:

I actually have done the bus 2x and I have to say it is an amazing trip. You get out quite a bit and see some beautiful scenery. Very little of the time is spent in "Skagway". It is a trip into the beautiful Yukon.

 

I have also taken a car up into the area 2x and enjoyed that as well.

 

Now after saying that - I have enjoyed the National Park Service tour. I would recommend the bus over the National Park Service tour though. If one can do both, great.

We are booked on the bus trip up and down because the longer train trip was cancelled.  You said you have done the bus trip twice...which side of bus should we sit on?  Thank you!

[Coral]

1 hour ago, krkheffe said:

We are booked on the bus trip up and down because the longer train trip was cancelled.  You said you have done the bus trip twice...which side of bus should we sit on?  Thank you!

It has been a long time since I have done this so if others want to respond.....

 

IMO - it doesn't matter as you will mostly be on one highway the entire time and it is RT so you will see the other side on the return. You will stop several times and get some great pictures.

 

I would ask the guide if you can go to Emerald Lake. It is near where you will have lunch and they have gone each time I have asked. They may have to cut lunch short by 15 minutes.

[DougH]

I vote for the bus trip also, have done it a couple times. My first choice is a rental car but they are getting very pricey. May do the bus trip zgain this year. I would choose to sit on the right side leaving Skagway. You will be more tired on the way back down and not as interested in the scenery

[mpdog42]

On 4/11/2022 at 3:27 AM, Sherme said:

I booked the 8 hour White Pass and Yukon expedition (up by bus and return on the train), and now I am so disappointed to hear that the train will only be able to go to the summit this year.  This means that I will have to make a choice:  either the train to the summit and back or the bus trip into the Yukon with no train.

For anyone that has done the combo tour:  If you had to choose, which one do you recommend that I do?  Why?

This is my first trip/cruise to Alaska and I don’t know if I will have the opportunity to go back.

I am on the Same expedition....Put in a call to my Cruise Consultant and ask her directly about this situation today...She said she would ask in the morning meeting at Princess and call me afterword..She did and said this expedition is still on...Take it for what its worth...

[Sherme]

Thank you all for your feedback.  I saw that Chilkoot has an 8.30 am AND 9:30 am bus trip to the Yukon.  If I book the 8:30 am tour, I would get back to Skagway by 3 pm (I confirmed this with Chilkoot).  Since HAL offers the White Pass Summit tour at 4 pm, I could actually do that as well.  It would make it a very long day, but I could do both.

Now to decide……

[Coral]

1 hour ago, Sherme said:

Thank you all for your feedback.  I saw that Chilkoot has an 8.30 am AND 9:30 am bus trip to the Yukon.  If I book the 8:30 am tour, I would get back to Skagway by 3 pm (I confirmed this with Chilkoot).  Since HAL offers the White Pass Summit tour at 4 pm, I could actually do that as well.  It would make it a very long day, but I could do both.

Now to decide……

Check with Chilkoot to see if they have the combo. They used to.

[Eaglecw]

We have done the train many times out of Skagway. Last we did the shorten train trip out of Skagway last year, it was about 20 miles up or so. I thought it was rather lame to say the least. I think this year your best bang for the buck would be to take the bus up to Caribou Crossing/Carcross and have lunch. If you take to bus be sure to sit on the right side going up.

[quack2]

On 4/13/2022 at 12:56 PM, DougH said:

I vote for the bus trip also, have done it a couple times. My first choice is a rental car but they are getting very pricey. May do the bus trip zgain this year. I would choose to sit on the right side leaving Skagway. You will be more tired on the way back down and not as interested in the scenery

An advantage of rental car is ability to stop for bear photos on Klondike Highway.  I always see them on my drives up to Carcross.

[Eaglecw]

4 hours ago, quack2 said:

An advantage of rental car is ability to stop for bear photos on Klondike Highway.  I always see them on my drives up to Carcross.

In about a dozen trips up the Klondike Highway to Carcross we've only seen bears maybe 4 times and they were along the shoulder eating dandelions. One year we drove over to Tagish from Carcross, the shoulder of the road was covered with bear scat. Never saw any bears just a lot of scat.

[DougH]

7 hours ago, quack2 said:

An advantage of rental car is ability to stop for bear photos on Klondike Highway.  I always see them on my drives up to Carcross.

Rental car is my first choice but this year the only option seems to be an SUV that will cost about $250 plus gas. Ouch

[quack2]

41 minutes ago, DougH said:

Rental car is my first choice but this year the only option seems to be an SUV that will cost about $250 plus gas. Ouch

 

Not good.  I have usually spent a little over $100 for one day rental in Skagway.  Times have changed.  Hopefully just temporary.

[JT1962]

8 hours ago, DougH said:

Rental car is my first choice but this year the only option seems to be an SUV that will cost about $250 plus gas. Ouch

Rental car rates have been at least double post-Covid from what we paid in the past from our experience. Our rental in Arizona last May for a week was around $ 1,100 for a standard sedan and it was going to be $ 1,200 for a small SUV in Colorado for late May this year before I decided a cruise to Alaska was much cheaper.  
 

That said, even at $ 250, it’s still cheaper than the train, for 2 people and about the same as a bus trip for 2 and gives you more flexibility.

Edited April 16, 2022 by JT1962

[Gia2cats]

Four years ago, when we went to Alaska, we did a round trip bus trip through Frontier Tours. Not sure if they are still operating. But it was wonderful. We stopped numerous times and the most memorable when when the bear was on the side of the road. It was great.

Our driver was a schoolteacher who had completed the Iditarod several years earlier. She was fantastic and told us we could ask her anything. There were 30-40 on the bus. Learned so much about Alaska.

We are cruising again in July and since we are 6 family members traveling together, we have chosen a private trip, hopefully up to the Yukon. If we can’t go in to Canada, our guide said we can find many interesting sites just south of the Yukon.

 

[gvgseg]

I am also debating these same excursions for sailing on NCL Encore in August. I'm curious to hear people's thoughts on which one is better if I have a 10yo and 7yo with me. We were leaning toward the train for the novelty of the experience and the fact that the Yukon expedition/train combo was an 8hr excursion and thought it may be too long for the kids.

[SightCRR]

After the train's announcement the first week of April 2022 that they wouldn't be going into Canada the expedition/train combo will not be available. Now it is two completely different tours with the only common thing being it is the same river valley. The train goes up one side of the river to the AK/Can border (sit on the left going up) round trip. It may have short bus ride in Skagway on the way to train station.  The expedition goes up the other side of river into Can and the Yukon on the bus and does things in Yukon and is round trip (sit on the right going up). Any info you read about tours or experiences before April 2022 is wrong about current the situation unless things change. One of the things that prevents the combo is that there is no road access at the AK/Can border for the big busses. sightcrr

[augsburgdad]

On 4/15/2022 at 8:06 PM, DougH said:

Rental car is my first choice but this year the only option seems to be an SUV that will cost about $250 plus gas. Ouch

I just found this electric bike company in Skagway that now has an electric car rental! $225 no gas and you don't have to charge it back up!

 

[Jlhutch6]

I purchased this excursion for my daughter and I. Where can I read about the train announcement? 
https://www.princess.com/ports-excursions/skagway-alaska-excursions/local-connections-white-pass-rail-bennett-lake-and-yukon-adventure-created-by-train-historian/