things to do in Skagway in late afternoon

[phubli]

Greetings! We are going to be in Skagway on July 9th and we rented a car to go to Carcross and Emerald Lake. I've read that this trip takes about 5-6 hours and we plan to leave at 9am, which would mean we are back around 3pm. The ship sails at 7. what is the best way to spend our remaining 4 hours in Skagway? Thanks!

[qqqsal]

If you like to hike, go up and see Lower Dewey lake. Trailhead is across the railroad tracks near 3rd and 4th streets. Or ask at the visitor's center. Have fun.

[columbus]

Emerald Lake has the most beautiful colors, you will love it. If you are there you should also get a hold of the Yukon HOrseback and try their tour behind Emerald lake on the hills. You get a view of a lifetime. The people at the ranch are great the the place is like a little western town. There is a coolhouse that we had snacks in after our tour...

I think oif you try yukonhorse.com you will pick up their site... You won't regreet it...

Good luck and take lots of film for your camera.

[Budget Queen]

Before you leave consider going to the Park Service visitor center and doing some of their free activities. It will greatly enhance your later drive. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] [url="http://www.nps.gov/klgo/schedule.htm"]http://www.nps.gov/klgo/schedule.htm[/url]

Also consider a stop at the Gold Rush Cemetery and a drive down the Dyea road and a stop at the Slide Cemetery and Chilcoot Trailhead.

[bayman]

As you do the drive to Whitehorse ,are there hiking trails(1-3miles) along the way? Is there really a desert in Carcross. Bayman

[phubli]

What is Whitehourse? I guess I know very little about our future drive but we were just going to take the only highway all the way to Emerald Lake, look around and come back. We will stop at Carcross and yes, I've heard there is a world's smallest desert right outside of the city. Other board members also spoke of some unbeliebable cinamon buns. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[Yukon]

Whitehorse is the capital of the Yukon Territory. It's 112 miles from Skagway, and I don't recommend it as a day trip unless you have some very specific focus for going there. There's a lot to see and do in Whitehorse, but you need 2 days at least to justify that trip. While you can do the Skagway to Emerald Lake trip in 5-6 hours, you could easily fill 3 days. There really is a desert in Carcross and there are lots of places to go for walks or hikes - have a look at my road guide for information about them (and the cinnamon buns [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] ): [url="http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike-photos1.html"]http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike-photos1.html[/url]

Murray

[bayman]

Hello Yukon ,when doing the drive ,is the detour to Atlin worthwhile? Is it a paved road? Is the scenery stupendous? We like to get off the beaten path if we can ,hard to do in our 12 hours in Skagway. Thanks ,Bayman

[mbisson]

2 words-

Red Onion

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[Lou33]

phubli,

We just returned from Skagway. We also rented a car and drove to Emerald Lake. That is an excellent choice. On the way back, drive a few miles on the road to Dyea, there is an overlook where you can see the whole city and the cruise ships. It makes for nice photos.

Splendour of the Seas, 11/17/00
Summit, 10/28/02
Mercury, 5/05/04

[Sandy R]

Lou33... thanks for posting. We're doing the drive in August and can't wait. Did you bring some sandwiches from the ship? If not, where did you eat lunch? Did you try the cinnimon buns? Is there a sign for the Dyea turn off? How long did the drive take you? August can't come too soon...

Sandy

[Budget Queen]

When you leave the town of Skagway to get to Dyea you turn left instead of right on the Klondike Highway. Consider a stop at the Slide cemetery as well as the Gold Rush cemetery- just before the Klondike highway.