Forum Discussion

snowedin's avatar
snowedin
Explorer
Feb 07, 2019

Skagway

Some have referred to Skagway as being a tourist trap overrun by folks from the cruise ships and that may be true to some extent but there is so much more to Skagway for the RVers that it would be a shame to miss it. First there is a lot of history to the area. One can drive to the head of the historic Chilkoot Trail and hike at least part of it. The scenery on the drive into Skagway and in the Skagway area is spectacular. There is the option of taking the fast ferry to Juneau with the opportunity to see whales along the say, fantastic scenery too, and then see Juneau & the Mendenhall Glacier. There are flightseeing trips out of both Skagway & Haines to see the area. There is the option to load the RV on the short Alaska Ferry jaunt to Haines and while in Haines see the bears fishing for salmon along the road to Chilkoot Lake. The drive from Haines to Haines Junction is about as scenic as it gets, transitioning from sea level up through Alpine terrain. And you get to see all this while still getting to drive from Haines Junction to Whitehorse on your return trip. There are many more things to do by taking the Skagway/Haines route vs the Whitehorse/Haines Junction route that is seems a shame to miss them.

And when the cruise ships depart toward evening Skagway becomes a different place, uncrowded, and we found it peaceful to dine while listening to a local band. The hardware store in Skagway has everything you can imagine if you need supplies. Am not saying that some of the daytime tourist attractions are not worthwhile but there seems to be something for everyone.