Takshanuk Mountain Trail By 4x4

[StarTrkGeek]

While in Skagway (in June), my wife and I plan to do the Takshanuk Mountain Trail By 4x4 excursion. Has anyone done this excursion? It is offered by Princess (and possibly other cruise lines) for ships stopping in either Haines or Skagway. If you have been on this excursion, please share your experiences.

[Tobester]

We did this excursion in 2007 and really enjoyed it. In fact, we'd consider doing it again sometime. Here's the review I posted when we got back...

 

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.

[brunolvr]

We also did this excursion in 2007 and enjoyed it tremendously and would consider doing it again. Pictures are posted here:

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

 

Here was our review:

Our planned excursion was the Takshanuk Mountain Trail by 4X4. We were met at the end of the pier by a young lady who directed us to a small bus. After a quick 5-minute bus ride, we got onboard the Chilkat Fast-Ferry for our 35- minute ride to Haines. Lynn Canal is the deepest and longest fjord in North America. It was a scenic ride with a couple of stops to look at a waterfall and steller sea lions sunning themselves on a large rock. After arriving in Haines, we boarded a bus for about a 20-minute ride to the trailhead at Takshanuk Mountain.

 

We loaded into our 4X4 Kawasaki Mules and headed up the mountain trail. We opted to sit in the back seat so we could take pictures and let a nice, young couple from Florida drive. A valid driver’s license is required to drive the “Mules”. A few of the “Mules” held 2 people but most held 4. It’s a very winding unpaved trail that is very bumpy but a lot of fun! Our first stop was at the 1100 ft elevation at a modern little cabin (complete with running water and bathroom facilities). We were offered coffee, hot chocolate, lemonade and warm cookies just out of the oven! We spent about 30 minutes taking in the beautiful scenery and enjoying the snacks.

 

Back into our “Mules” and up the mountain we went. Bear and moose are frequently seen in the area, but the closest we got was fresh bear droppings by the side of the trail! He must have heard us coming and high-tailed it out of there! After several photo stops along the way, we arrived at our 1,500 ft elevation destination overlooking Lutak Inlet and Chilkoot Lake. WOW! What spectacular views! The pictures we took don’t do justice to the beauty that we encountered. There was still a good amount of snow up there and there were several kids from Florida who had never seen snow before and had great fun throwing snowballs and sliding down the hill.

 

After plenty of time for photos and playing in the snow, we headed back down the mountain for lunch at the cabin. We had a delicious buffet lunch including beer battered halibut, BBQ chicken, coleslaw, potatoes and a wonderful fruit salad.

 

All too soon, it was time to load back into our “Mules” and continue down the mountain to our original starting point. We got back on the bus and headed back to Haines with a quick stop at a beach on Lynn Canal for a photo shot of Haines off in the distance. The bus driver then took us for a short driving tour of Haines including historic Fort Steward, the first US Army outpost in Alaska, dropping us back at the pier for our Fast-Ferry trip back to Skagway.

 

We had a great time and highly recommend this excursion. Just remember to dress warmly (in layers) and bring rain gear in case of inclement weather. Depending on what time of year you go, a hat and gloves might be needed.

[StarTrkGeek]

Thanks. I appreciate the input. I think we'll go ahead and do this tour. It sounds great.

[mommym]

Thanks for the great reviews. My kids would love this I am sure. I have gone to the web and hunted high and low but can find no information as to pricing. Does anyone have any specifics? Our other option is the Eagle Preserve Float trip which is pretty reasonably priced, as Alaska excursions go. Thanks

[luvlake]

On the Princess web site the price is $200 pp. That includes Fast Ferry, bus, 4x4's and lunch. It shows 6.5 hour excursion. We have reservations for our July 11th cruise.

 

We ride 4 wheelers at home and I'm sure it won't be quite as wild as we are use to, but I told my DH you can't be the view. Plus I can tell people I went 4 wheeling in Alaska.:D

[kkstexas]

I am booked for this and it sounds great. I will have my daughter with me who will be 3 in June. Do you think she is too young for this?

[travel buff]

We're also cruising south on July 11th on the Diamond, but I see you're on the Sapphire. Does that mean your cruising north? This excursion sounds great. Can't make up my mind on this vs Eagle Preserve Float trip. Deb

[travel buff]

Tobester: Do you suggest the 4X4 trip over the Eagle Preserve Float? I can't make up my mind. Deb

[Hawaiian_A330]

I'm not Tobester, although we do cruise together ;) but I'll try to give you my opinion. We actually just did the Eagle preserve flat bottom boat excursion on this past cruise. I probably wouldn't recommend the float due to the number of times we had to circle back in the boat when wildlife suddenly appeared just as we cruised by, we were able to get additional views of wildlife in the preserve that way. You'd not have that option if you were on the float. It was a nice excursion and we did see around 5 moose, a few eagles and their nests, trumpeter swans, and the occasional trout in the water. At the end of the excursion, we all roasted hot dogs over a fire and had a nice lunch before heading back to Skagway. Personally, I still prefer the 4X4 excursion :) I had a great time driving the mule, taking in the scenery, and enjoying the fresh halibut lunch :D Tobester's summary pretty much says it all. Whatever you choose, I think you'll still have a great time!

[Tobester]

Travel buff: After completing both this excursion and the Eagle Preserve Wildlife River Adventure I'd have to give the edge to the 4x4 trip. I loved both excursions, and I'd do them both again but I'd do the Takshanuk trail first. Like Hawaiian_A330 mentioned, we didn't do the Eagle Preserve Float Trip (we felt it'd be a little too leisurely for us - we like a little speed:D) but I overheard some others on the ferry trip back who said they had a good time. I think you can't go wrong on either excursion. Haines is a neat little town and each of the excursions we did there were great!

[ColW1981]

Hi,

 

Just wondering, did people find this a very safe excursion to ride the 4x4 mules? I would imagine given the name "mules", they would be pretty slow and safe, but wanted to confirm before booking, since I will be travelling with my mother.

 

Also, are these automatic transmission? Ain't too good with manual transmission cars....

 

thank you!

[ColW1981]

I don't suppose anyone has any insight into my earlier post ? Thank you.

[Hawaiian_A330]

Hi,

 

Just wondering, did people find this a very safe excursion to ride the 4x4 mules? I would imagine given the name "mules", they would be pretty slow and safe, but wanted to confirm before booking, since I will be travelling with my mother.

 

Also, are these automatic transmission? Ain't too good with manual transmission cars....

 

thank you!

 

Very safe, seat belts, sturdy tubular roll-cage, good suspension and the Mules are indeed equipped with an automatic transmission. We did this excursion with two seniors and they had a great time the whole way. You'll love it, Have fun :)

[ColW1981]

Thank you for the reply. Very comforting to know. Will let everyone know how we go.