What side trip to take out of Skagway?

[figgy3]

We will be in Skagway on my b'day (May 29), so I get to choose the shore activity. I can't decide between the White Pass Railroad trip to the suspension bridge followed by Jewel Gardens and a lunch, or the Takshamek Mnt Trail 4x4. Would love to do both. Any advice? p.s We are in our fifties but will have our twenty-something son and daughter -in-law with us. She is a photographer.

[Budget Queen]

Split up if you have different interests. But the suspension bridge is so so at best. Jewel Gardens worthwhile if of interest. The White Pass RR is loaded with scenery, history and engineering. The 4x4's have had some pretty tame reports. Perhaps list a separate post for information on that specific tour and those who have taken it???

[brunolvr]

We will be in Skagway on my b'day (May 29), so I get to choose the shore activity. I can't decide between the White Pass Railroad trip to the suspension bridge followed by Jewel Gardens and a lunch, or the Takshamek Mnt Trail 4x4. Would love to do both. Any advice? p.s We are in our fifties but will have our twenty-something son and daughter -in-law with us. She is a photographer.

 

Hi, figgy3! We did the Takshanuk Mountain Trail 4X4 last year and enjoyed it immensely! Here's a link to our pictures:

http://travel.webshots.com/album/559812260LCbogf

 

Also, here's a review that someone on Cruise Critic wrote:

 

"Just returned from the Norwegian Pearl and we did the Takshanuk Mountain Trail by 4 x 4 excursion in Haines and we highly recommend it. We (my brother, my parents and I) were looking for an unusual excursion that was not too strenuous because my Mother has some mobility problems. We had already done the drive to Emerald Lake in 2005 so we decided to try this based on some recommendations from previous cruisers.

 

The Pearl arrived in Skagway early in the morning and we met up with our excursion group at 7:20am. There were about 20 of us and we took a very short bus ride (about 5 minutes) to the small boat harbor where we boarded the Fast Ferry to Haines. The ferry is a small catamaran that was very comfortable and it provided a smooth, enjoyable ride. I guess the trip was about 30 minutes but it seemed much shorter. There was a guide on board who provided narration throughout the trip and the captain even stopped to show us an area where sea lions were sunning themselves.

 

When we arrived in Haines we took a short bus ride to the excursion site and the driver (year round resident) was very personable and gave us a lot of information about the town. At the trail we met up with Dale (the owner) and his two assistants and we all got on our Kawasaki Mules and headed up the mountain. The 4 x 4s are a lot of fun to ride. My Dad drove on the way up and my brother drove on the way down and both said they'd like to do it again. Each vehicle can hold 4 adults but some of our group had just 2 people in theirs while one family had 4 adults and 1 child. Each Mule has seatbelts for everyone but they are open to the elements and there is no windshield, so it can get chilly. We were there on May 23rd and there was still a lot of snow on the ground. The trail itself was a little muddy but cleared of snow - it made for a very beautiful and dramatic ride. Especially when we drove between 10 foot high walls of snow and ice!

 

On the way up you make a brief stop at a comfortable cabin for coffee/tea/cocoa and cookies and a chance to warm up before continuing on. The trail is quite steep at times and it looks kind of scary but after a while you realize that the vehicles are perfectly suited for this type of terrain and you just relax and enjoy the ride/scenery. We continued up to the 1500 foot elevation scenic lookout and had a beautiful view of the valley, the lake and the cabin we had stopped at. There is ample time for taking pictures and looking for wildlife. We saw lots of animal tracks but not the animals themselves - probably because the Mules are rather noisy.

 

After enjoying the summit we headed back down the trail. This time, we stopped at the cabin for lunch. I understand that the menu can change, but we enjoyed delicious beer battered halibut, barbecued chicken, red potatoes and dessert. It was great and another highlight of our trip. After our leisurely lunch, we once again boarded our Mules and continued down the trail. Unfortunately, it was over all too soon.

 

After saying goodbye to Dale and his helpers we reboarded the bus and were taken on a short tour of the town of Haines. It's a very quaint little town with a lot of history behind it. We didn't have time to get out and walk around, but our driver was great about giving us a bit of local color and history. Back at the pier we got on the ferry again and headed back to Skagway. Once again, we had some narration and the captain stopped to show us a beautiful waterfall along the cliffs.

 

All in all, we had a great time and would definitely do it again. Just remember to dress warmly, bring gloves, maybe a hat and sunglasses. Also, don't forget your camera."

[Yukon]

Jewell Gardens isn't really a "garden" tour yet in late May - http://www.explorenorth.com/alaska/images/jewell_gardens-railway-2392-890.jpg is what it looked like on May 25 last year.

 

The Takshanuk Mountain Trail is in Haines, not Skagway, so entails a ferry ride to the town to start with. Looks like fun and gets good reviews, though - http://www.takshanuktrail.com/

[figgy3]

Jewell Gardens isn't really a "garden" tour yet in late May - http://www.explorenorth.com/alaska/images/jewell_gardens-railway-2392-890.jpg is what it looked like on May 25 last year.

 

The Takshanuk Mountain Trail is in Haines, not Skagway, so entails a ferry ride to the town to start with. Looks like fun and gets good reviews, though - http://www.takshanuktrail.com/

Thank you for your replies. Budget Queen, is there something else that you would recommend? We will probably split up in the other ports but thought itwould be nice to all do something together this time.

[kenish]

We went up White Pass by van and took the RR back to Skagway. Back in town we rode bikes to the gold rush era cemetery. It's about 2 level miles on paved or well-graded surfaces. From the cemetery we hiked about a half mile to Reid Falls.

 

Next stop was up the Dyea road. The first mile after the turnoff could be challenging if you're not fit. Fifty-ish me took smug satisfaction passing 20-ish people huffing and wheezing up the hill ! Right before the paved road ends there is a scenic overlook plaform. From there, continue out to Dyea (about 10 miles) or shortcut back to town down a jeep and hiking trail that ends up at the footbridge back to the airport. (It will make total sense once you're there).

 

There is also a company in town that shuttles cyclists to Dyea so you only pedal one way.

 

Hope this gives you some suggestions for "active" things to do if that's your interest.

 

For a photographer, there are a lot of "photo ops" everywhere but White Pass and within the city itself are particularly good.

[kellywhitehills]

Why not rent a car and drive to Emerald lake..Your daughter is a photographer and theres LOTS to photograph along the way..:)

 

Kelly

[Putterdude]

I am huge fan of the WP&YR trip. It is something that I missed in my youth and spent more than 40 years regretting until I finally took it in 2007.

[kk-l]

We will be in Skagway on my b'day (May 29), so I get to choose the shore activity. I can't decide between the White Pass Railroad trip to the suspension bridge followed by Jewel Gardens and a lunch, or the Takshamek Mnt Trail 4x4. Would love to do both. Any advice? p.s We are in our fifties but will have our twenty-something son and daughter -in-law with us. She is a photographer.

Ok...you asked which activity.

If you decide on the White Pass Railroad...you will have to determine if there is a preferred side of the train to sit on...given the weather...which will affect your experience.

The answer is...left side as you face the front going up the Pass...right side going down the Pass. Which is in actuality...the same side since they flip the seats at the end of each line. This may not make sense to you until you see it being done.

If you "give up" this information to your fellow passengers...you will decrease your chances of obtaining a preferred seat. Moral...pick your cruise "friends" wisely. And...do not assume that they do not have prior knowledge...most do...they are not your nearest and dearest friends...believe me...;)

[figgy3]

I will keep that info about which side to sit on in mind. Still can't decide which way to go though. Yukon's reply about the garden not quite being a garden in May is also something to ponder. I should have thought about that, but coming from CAlifornia, it's not something we don't think about here. I guess I'll just have to poll the others and see which way they want to go. Renting a car and going to Emerald lake also sounds intriguing. I think we're just going to have to come back at some point so we can do everything!

[MercedMike]

We enjoy renting a car and driving into the Yukon. We really enjoy Caribou Crossing (although some find it "touristy").

 

Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/skagway.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[figgy3]

Wow, MercedMike, your brochure looks great. I still would like to take the train up or down- just to say we've done it, but possibly taking a guided tour from the summit to Emerald Lake now sounds great. By the way- it's interesting that you are from Merced, as we live about an hour away from you in Oakhurst, CA!