What to See and Do in Skagway

White Pass & Yukon Route Railway

When researching what there was to do in Skagway, many people told me that the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway was amazing and that I should definitely not miss it!  You will ride in a vintage passenger coach and retrace the original route of the gold rush.  The White Pass train is a 2.5 - 3 hr tour of breathtaking views of mountains, glaciers, gorges, waterfalls, trestles and historic sites.

If you are looking for a relaxing excursion ride with scenic views of Skagway and the Yukon for a few hours, this is the one for you!  The views are amazing and you get to see the route the gold rush miners took to give you an idea of how difficult it was for them back then.

It is a popular excursion for visitor's so don't take too long to sign up for it.

Frontier Excursion - Yukon Deluxe Sightseeing Tour

I found this excursion online.  I wanted a tour which was scenic but also a little more hands on.  This tour is 6.5 hours long and makes about 10 stops along the way so you can get out, take pics and explore the area.  This tour hit all the stops I was looking for so it was a no-brainer to pick this one. I travelled in a mini tour bus that held 22 people.  It picked me up outside my cruise ship.  My driver and tour guide, Brooke, was awesome.  She was witty, fun and very knowledgeable about the areas we were going to.

Bridal Veil Falls

Welcome to Alaska sign

Tormented Valley, Skagway, AK

Named Tormented Valley for the rugged terrain in the area.  We got out to see how tough it was to walk around in.


Tutshi Lake, Fraser, BC

Yukon Sign, Yukon, BC

We met an interesting character at the Yukon sign.  Her name was Jackie.  Jackie is the only person who lives along the Klondike highway.  She sets up shop in her little trailer selling jewellery she made herself.  She also keeps a cooler with drinks and chocolate bars for those who need a little snack break for $2 CDN.

Bove Island, Tagish Lake, Yukon, BC

Lt. Fredrick was tasked with cartography of the Yukon region and named Bove Island after an Italian explorer, Giacomo Bove, for reasons unknown.  This island is inhabited with rabbits. Not much else.  It is located on Tagish Lake, between Skagway and Carcross.


Carcross Trading Post

The trading post is where we stopped for our lunch, which was included in our excursion.  It included BBQ Chicken, baked potato with cole slaw.  There's also a vegan option. You can also grab a couple of these yummy donuts to eat with your coffee or tea.

There are also activities at the Trading Post.  There is a gift shop where you can purchase your Yukon momentos.  It's in the gift shop where you can also pay for your gold panning experience.  For $15 CDN, you can pan for gold at Klondike Mike's, set up outside.  They give you a pan with a cup of dirt and its your job to pan out the gold in the sluice.  Once you've found it, "Mike" with snuff the little nuggets out and put it into a vile with water for you.  You also get to pick out a gold painted rock that looks like a nugget as a keepsake.

Emerald Lake, Yukon, BC

After the lunch break, we were on our way to the breath taking views of Emerald Lake.

This is the furthest out we went.  Another 25 min drive further on the highway and we would have arrived in Whitehorse.  So we turned back and headed to the Carcross Desert.

Carcross Desert

Village of Carcross

Once we took our pics here, we went to the Village of Carcross where we saw Bennett Lake and grabbed a cup of coffee in town.  There was a also a place in the Visitor's Information Office, where we could get our passports stamped as proof of our visit and signed the guest book.

After this last break, we headed back to Skagway as promised with plenty of time to look around the small town and get something to eat before returning to the cruise ship before it sailed away.

Don't be afraid to book excursions that are offered online or in the ports.  They may not have the cruise ship guarantee that they will wait for you if you book with them, but they will certainly get you back in time before your ship sails or try their hardest to.  Their credibility online has a lot riding on it.  They wouldn't be able to stay in business if people kept missing their ships.

Alaska Shirt Company

If you weren't able to find your souvenir in Juneau or are regretting not buying something at the last port, this is your chance to get it.  The Alaska Shirt Company store was open at 8am so I went in and looked around.  I bought a couple of things before heading back to the ship dock to wait for Frontier Excursions to arrive for the tour.

I would say to do your shopping in Skagway if Ketchikan is your last stop.  I learned the hard way that Ketchikan is a bit more expensive than the other two ports.

Fry Bread - Doughboy

The town closes early on weekdays so it was nice to be able to get in here and get ourselves a snack after our long tour excursion.  This tasty treat is not to be missed.  It's fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.  A little side note, it's best eaten while its still hot.  Once it hits the freezing wind outside, it will turn hard very quickly, so eat fast.

Skagway Brewing Co

Got some time to kill?  Head to the Skagway Brewing Co. for a drink or two with some friends.  It's a popular spot for the cruise ship crews to hang out and socialize.  It's also great for those who want to experience drafts from other places.  Check out the brewery, you won't be disappointed.

Walk Around Town

The town itself isn't very big which makes it very walkable.  You can pay $10 for a brothel tour with a "Lady" in costume or do some souvenir shopping.  There are many little niche stores and saw only one cafe, The Sweet Tooth, which I never got to visit as it was closed by the time my excursion was done. It's a great little town with lots to offer, including ice cream.  Take advantage of it.