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14-night National Parks Explorer Cruisetour #WB7

Price: $4,062 - # of Days: 14 days

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7-night Alaska Inside Passage Cruise

Price: $1,062 - # of Days: 7 days

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7-night Alaska Experience Cruise

Price: $1,037 - # of Days: 7 days

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Overview

Introduction

Located at the northern end of the Inside Passage, Skagway, Alaska, emerged in the late 1890s as a makeshift gold-rush town of tents and shacks with a population of 8,000-10,000 adventurers who arrived by boat with supplies for the hellish trek overland to the Yukon gold fields. Of course, the town had its temptations, too: painted ladies, gambling houses and 80 saloons. A famous person from that time is Jefferson R. "Soapy" Smith, a con artist who ran Skagway and swindled new arrivals out of their savings. (He was killed in a shoot-out in 1898.)

Today, Skagway's rushers arrive on cruise ships. Besides Juneau, Skagway is the most popular port in southeast Alaska. The town has become something of a gold-rush theme park: Much of Skagway has been painstakingly restored and designated as the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

Although some may find Skagway overly cute and contrived (not to mention crowded when cruise ships are docked), the town can be a fun place to visit and relive the past with the friendly residents.

Must See or Do

Sights—The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park with many of Skagway's gold-rush era buildings, exhibits and a free movie; vistas from the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad; turnouts on the Klondike Highway.

Museums—Gold-rush artifacts in Skagway City Museum; exhibits in the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad train depot; family possessions at the Moore Cabin; the Mascot, a restored 1910 saloon, for a look at Skagway's Klondike history.

Memorable Meals—The Skagway Fish Co. on the waterfront for fresh Alaska halibut and salmon; Starfire for spicy Thai cuisine; Olivia's Restaurant in the historic Skagway Inn for locally sourced seafood and produce.

Late Night—The Red Onion Saloon features a brothel museum, varied music and plenty of food; the Skagway Brewing Co. offers local microbrews and food; Eagles Hall has Days of '98, the state's longest-running play.

Walks—The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park's walking tour of downtown; Lower Dewey Lake and the Chilkoot trails.

Especially for Kids—Earning a Junior Trail Ranger badge at the National Park Service visitors center at Second and Broadway; the Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau's "Kids Itinerary," which involves walking, exploring, rides and ice cream.

Geography

The gateway to the Klondike is at the northern tip of Alaska's Inside Passage at the head of Lynn Canal. A triangle of flat land wedged between mountains on two sides and ocean on the third, Skagway still feels like a frontier town, with boardwalks and false-fronted buildings.

The Skagway River and the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad flank the town on either side. State ferries and cruise ships dock downtown, and you can walk anywhere in town, much of which is part of the historic district. The town is 15 blocks long and four blocks wide.

Both the railroad and the highway to Canada climb above the tree line in a few miles/kilometers, offering expansive views of the northern tip of the Inside Passage and the town hemmed in by ocean and snow-dusted mountains.

Skagway and Haines are the only two southeast Alaskan communities that are accessible via road from the rest of North America. Skagway is approximately 819 mi/1,318 km from Anchorage and 702 mi/1,133 km from Fairbanks. Even though Skagway is only 14 mi/22 km northeast of Haines, it's about a one-hour ferry ride and 359 mi/578 km via road.

History

Skagua, home of the north wind, began as a Tlingit hunting and fishing area at the head of a traditional trading route through the coastal mountains. Capt. William Moore of Canada homesteaded the area in the late 1880s and named it Mooresville. When gold was discovered in the Klondike in 1896, gold seekers steamed up the Inside Passage to Skagway.

From town, miners hauled the required "ton of goods" over the precipitous Chilkoot (the poor man's trail) or the White Pass trails through the mountains to the Canadian gold fields 600 mi/965 km inland. The "Golden Stairs" of Chilkoot Pass saw a long, black line of miners hiking, with heavy packs on their back, single-file up steps chopped into the snow. Some of these stampeders were forced to hike this trail as many as 30 times in order to transport their required gear. Dead Horse Gulch is a landmark reminder of the 3,000 horses that died crossing the White Pass Trail.

The trip got easier in 1900 with the construction of the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad. It took brute strength, 450 tons of explosives and the lives of 35 men to complete this engineering landmark, a narrow-gauge railway that climbs from tidewater to 2,865 ft/888 m in 20 mi/32 km. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, the Days of '98 show, and a train ride commemorate this era of Skagway's history.

The White Pass and Yukon Route website provides a chronology: https://wpyr.com/history.

Potpourri

The Canadian government required gold-seekers to carry huge amounts of supplies, including 400 lb/141 kg of flour, 200 lb/90 kg of bacon and 100 lb/45 kg of beans.

In the late 1800s, Skagway was the largest city in Alaska because of the number of gold prospectors who passed through town. Now it is one of the least populated, with fewer than 1,000 residents.

The Golden Circle consists of Skagway, Haines, Whitehorse, Haines Junction and Juneau, the capital cities of the Klondike Gold Rush.

In mid-December, Skagway receives about 12 minutes of sunlight each day. In the summer, it receives about two hours of darkness per day.

The White Pass & Yukon Railroad is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (along with the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty and the Panama Canal).

Thirty-five men died building the White Pass & Yukon Railroad.

Soapy Smith and his crew used to feed the hungry and then rob them in their sleep.

In 1916, Skagway was coined the "Garden City of Alaska" because more than half of the residents had gardens.

Skagway was the first city incorporated in Alaska, on 28 June 1900.

Location

Most ships pull in at the railroad dock at the southeast end of Skagway. The dock can accommodate two large ships. A few feet/meters away is the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad station where passengers board vintage parlor cars for the train ride to the White Pass, a route followed by gold-rush prospectors headed for the Yukon in the 1890s. Next door, in the old depot, is the visitors center for the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, which offers information and guided walking tours.

The Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau is in the historic Arctic Brotherhood (A.B.) Hall, about two blocks from the dock, at Second and Broadway. Open daily 8 am-6 pm in summer; Monday-Friday 9 am-5 pm in winter. Phone 907-983-2854. Toll-free 888-762-1898 for brochure requests. http://www.skagway.com.

Shore Excursions

Shore adventures can include a trip on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad, flightseeing, dogsledding, fishing, bike and Jeep adventures, panning for gold, or various historical or sightseeing hikes.

Shore excursions and their prices vary from cruise line to cruise line. Some may include lunch and drinks or additional stops. Check with your travel agent for additional information.