Planning a Trip

Getting There

The Alaska Marine Highway System (tel. 800/642-0066, or 907/983-2941 locally; www.ferryalaska.com) connects Skagway daily with Haines and Juneau. The fare is $31 from Haines, $50 from Juneau. If you're headed to Haines without a vehicle, consider the private passenger ferry. Haines is 15 miles away by boat but more than 350 miles by road.

Since 1978, Klondike Highway 2 has traced the route of the stampeders through the White Pass into Canada, a parallel route to the Chilkoot Trail. The road runs 99 miles, then meets the Alaska Highway a dozen miles southeast of the Yukon capital of Whitehorse. The border is at the top of the pass, 14 miles from Skagway. This is one of the most spectacular drives anywhere in Alaska, with views basically equivalent to those from the White Pass and Yukon Route railway (but a lot cheaper). The road is a well-maintained two-lane highway with wide shoulders. Do it in clear weather, if possible, as in cloudy weather all you'll see is whiteout.

Car rentals in Skagway are available from Avis, in the Westmark Hotel at 3rd and Spring streets (tel. 800/230-4898 or 907/983-2247; www.avis.com).

Riding the ferry to Skagway and then heading inland in a rented RV is an attractive option. Expect to pay around $230 a day, plus many required extras (it's not a cheap option). Alaska Motorhome Rentals (tel. 800/254-9929; www.bestofalaskatravel.com) rents RVs one-way to Anchorage with a drop-off fee of $695 to $895, plus the cost of the rental, mileage, and gas. The same company, under a different name, also offers structured RV tours from Skagway as add-ons to cruise vacations.

Traveling by bus between Skagway and Anchorage or Fairbanks is not a practical option for most travelers. It's a marginal business to be in and operators change annually. At best, the journey takes a couple of days. If taking the bus is your goal, contact the Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau for the latest advice.

Several air taxi operators serve Skagway. A round-trip from Juneau costs $200 on Wings of Alaska (tel. 907/789-0790 reservations, or 907/983-2442 in Skagway; www.ichoosewings.com).

Visitor Information

Located in the restored railroad depot, the National Park Service Visitor Center, 2nd Avenue and Broadway (P.O. Box 517), Skagway, AK 99840 (tel. 907/983-9223; www.nps.gov/klgo), is the focal point for activities in Skagway. Rangers answer questions, give lectures, and show films, and five times a day lead an excellent guided walking tour. The building houses a small museum that lays the groundwork for the rest of what you'll see. The Park Service's programs are free. The visitor center is open early May through late September daily from 8am to 6pm, the rest of the year the museum is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm.

The Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau Center, 245 Broadway (P.O. Box 1029), Skagway, AK 99840 (tel. 907/983-2854, fax 907/983-3854; www.skagway.com), occupies the historic Arctic Brotherhood Hall, the building with the driftwood facade. The website contains links to lodgings and activities, or you can request the same information on paper (order by calling tel. 888/762-1898). Stop in especially for the handy and informative Skagway Walking Tour Map of historic sites. The center is open summer daily from 8am to 6pm; winter Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm.

Getting Around

Skagway is laid out on a simple grid, with streets branching off from Broadway. The main sights can be reached on foot. For places you can't walk, try the Dyea Dave Shuttle (tel. 907/209-5031), which operates like a taxi. Skagway also has a bus, called SMART (tel. 907/983-2743), which runs a circuit around town for $1.50 a ride, or out of town to sites such as the Klondike Gold Dredge for $5, leaving on the hour from City Hall and 7th Avenue and Spring Street. A bike is fun and practical transportation in Skagway. Sockeye Cycle, on 5th Avenue off Broadway (tel. 907/983-2851; www.cyclealaska.com), rents good mountain bikes for $14 for 2 hours and leads guided day trips.

Special Events

The springtime Buckwheat Ski Classic, in the deep snow of the White Pass, is as much for fun as it is for Nordic skiing competition. Various events for adults and kids range from 5 to 50 kilometers. Racers often wear costumes and carry libations, and spectators carve villages from the snow to drink beer and soak up the warm spring sun. A dinner and dance follow. It happens March 22, 2008. Skagway's July 4th Parade and Celebration, organized by the chamber of commerce and featuring lots of small-town events, has been a big deal since Soapy Smith led the parade in 1898. The Klondike Road Relay, a 110-mile overnight footrace over the pass, brings hundreds of runners in teams of 10 from all over the state September 12, 2008. Call the visitor center for information on any of these events.