Skagway

The third port of call on the cruise was Skagway. The first thing we noticed when we arrived was the rock face across from where we were docked. Lots of references to ships which had been painted on the rock face. Later on in the day I also found some more reflecting one of the stores in the town.

Skagway sits atop the northernmost point of the Inside Passage in southeast Alaska. This made it the perfect starting point for gold miners hoping to strike it rich in the Yukon in 1896 when gold was discovered. The Klondike Gold rush only lasted a few years but while it was happening Skagway was a bustling boomtown.

In it’s heyday the small town boasted 80 bars, which included the Red Onion Saloon the town’s most famous brothel. The saloon still remains and we did try and go for a drink there but like the Red Dog Saloon in Juneau there was no room.  

The town is one that is very well preserved to the gold rush era with the wooden boardwalk which fronts the shops and the classic feel of a Klondike town like you would have seen in all those western movies some of us grew up with. At the height of the gold rush in 1898 The White Pass and Yukon Route Railway was built. It was built in only 26 months. This is one of the excursions you can do, riding the railway up The White Pass which looked great.

Our excursion for today was the Yukon Suspension Bridge and White Pass Summit tour. Our driver Milan picked us up from the dock and we set out for what was a bit of a disappointing day in some aspects. It was a day long tour and by the end of it I was glad to see it finished unfortunately. For this trip we had to have our passports as we would be crossing into Canada.

As we made our way up the Klondike Highway Milan gave us a commentary of what the area was about. We stopped at Pitchfork Falls for a photo opportunity and I managed to get a shot of the railway cars going across in front of the falls. Today was the coldest day we had had so far so we did need our winter coats as it was quite windy at each stop. 

Pitchfork Falls

As we drove up the highway at some stage (not quite sure exactly when) we passed through from Alaska back into Canada to experience the Yukon. The borders are very close and customs officers came on board to check that we were all ok to go on. No problems and we continued our journey.

The next stop was the Yukon Suspension Bridge which crossed the Tutshi River another fast flowing river as most seem to be in this part of the world. It was completed in 2006 so not an iconic attraction from the olden time. We all made our way across and there was lots of interpretive displays to tell the story of the area. It was quite windy out on the bridge but once on the other side the interpretation continued with a timeline of the development of the area and what it was like to live there. 

There was a trappers cabin and a cache which is a structure built up high so as to keep food stuffs in and not let the local wildlife get to it as conditions were quite harsh in the days of the gold rush and supplies had to last as most came by ship.

All of the buildings and displays were made entirely of wood as concrete couldn’t be used as the temperatures got too low at the time of building the attraction. Back on the bus and more fabulous scenery which also included a bear siting along the road. Along the highway there were a few photo stops one being at the Yukon sign. 

Not long after this was our lunch stop which was at a recreated Yukon village called The Caribou Crossing Trading Post. This was not what I was expecting and while the lunch was ok the rest of the experience left me cold. Clearly as with all tourist attractions like this and we do have them in Australia too, the object is to get you to part with your money for “experiences” related to the area. I don’t mind sometimes but this one was a bit too kitschy for me. They were also offering a dog sled ride for $35 pp and what it was was the dogs hitched up to a man made metal sled and run around the track for a few minutes. This was one activity “that was not to be missed” well needless to say we missed it. The guide did say that the dogs enjoyed it and that this was part of the training for the Iditarod Race but I didn’t think much of it. There was also a petting farm and a huge gift shop as well as a museum which was interesting telling the stories of the area and how the Mounties had to do many roles in the early days of the settlement.

After this we went on our way back down the highway to a small town called Carcross. This town used to be called Caribou Crossing but in 1904 was renamed Carcross as a result of some mail mix ups with the Cariboo Regional district in nearby British Columbia. It was full of quirky little buildings and the burnt out ruin of a paddle steamer that was being restored and burnt down before it could be finished. There were also a number of shops being run by Natives to put back into the community. This is one aspect of the day that I liked.

After this short stop we made our way back down to Skagway but with one other stop at the “Welcome to Alaska” sign which is the only one you can actually get a photo of. Back on the bus and we got dropped off in town so we could have a wander around before going back to the boat.

As I said at the beginning a lovely town which has been preserved by the residents of the area. It has a fabulous feeling to it and we wished we could have spent longer there really appreciating the atmosphere. After a quick walk around and a bit of shopping we made our way back to the boat anding another day in the lovely Alaskan summer. Unfortunately a lot of my photos from Skagway aren"t any good as I flicked my camera settings to the wrong setting and they are shocking but there are a few that turned out and some from my phone so you get the idea.

Below is the most photographed building in Alaska. "Built in 1899 as headquarters for the Arctic Brotherhood Camp Skagway No. 1. The facade constructed a year later consists of more than 8,800 pieces of driftwood collected from the local  tidal flats.

Really enjoyed the time we spent in the town itself.