On the fifth day of our Ultimate Alaska Cruise, we visited the port of Skagway, the gateway to the Yukon, and the site of the original Alaska Gold Rush and Klondike Stampede Route. To that end, we shelled out the bigger bucks for the day’s excursion: A ride on the old-time train over White Pass to Canada, connecting with a bus ride to the Yukon Territory. Once there, Vicki booked a ride with actual sled dogs.
First thing that morning, at 7am, we were asked to assemble in the ship’s theatre. Once everyone arrived, we walked down the gangway at the pier and headed for our designated tour bus.
The bus headed into town and dropped us off at the train depot. The Driver asked us to remember which bus was his, as we would be meeting him again in Canada, at the town of Fraser, after our train ride over White Pass. We had our tickets in hand, and soon we were whisked aboard the correct car on the correct train. There were a lot of tracks in the trainyard, with different trains all over the place. All of them had modern diesel engines, not steam, but at least the train cars themselves were of a vintage, old-time style. We picked up our official brochures and found seats in preparation for a fun ride.
After watching a neighboring train head out, our train began to move. The rails followed the course of the Skagway River, and at first it was flat and smooth. The cool thing about this ride was that we were allowed to hang out on the platforms between the cars. This was exactly where I wanted to be! I love trains, and it was also a great spot for taking photos. Of course, it was possible to open the windows and stick your head out, but no one was doing that because it was too cold that day. I decided to bear the cold for the sake of photos and videos.
Later on, it began to climb steadily toward the pass. There were low clouds and mist up above us, lingering on the mountaintops. The track hugged the side of the canyon, with the river flowing far below us. As the train snaked around curves, there were ample opportunities for great photos showing the engine in front, or the other passenger cars behind us.
As the elevation increased, we entered those same clouds. But now the air was even colder, and what might have been rain turned instead to snow! Yes, it was snowing and I was heading toward the Yukon! It was like some crazy dream of Alaskan survival. I must have read too many Gold Rush books as a kid.
Thank goodness the train car had an oil-burning stove! It was the only thing that prevented my hands from becoming inoperable. Just think how many fewer photos I would have taken without it!
The train kept on climbing. White Pass was still ahead of us. We entered the clouds completely, and visibility across the river gorge was reduced to nothing. But it was still beautiful, as there were banks of snow all along the tracks. The trees were covered in snow, as well. Then we went through a tunnel, which was really fun from outside on the platform.
As we got closer to the pass, we even crossed the river on a tall bridge, which we could barely see thanks to the thick clouds. There was also an older bridge which was now abandoned. And the snow along the track kept getting deeper.
Suddenly, the air cleared a bit and there was the border, right on the summit of White Pass. Naturally, this was an unpleasant spot for border inspections, so instead there were simply some flags and a sign. Oh, and also a Canadian Mounties Cabin! Excellent!
After the pass, the land flattened out. All along the side of the track, for miles and miles, was semi-frozen water. On the map, this long wet patch is know as Summit Lake. True enough, I suppose. Along the way, the conductor came through and announced that we needed to make sure our passports were handy, as we would be arriving at the border station in Fraser, British Columbia.
Not surprisingly, nobody bothered to check our documents. The tour guide already handled all the paperwork. That’s what we pay them for, after all. As we left the train, it was still lightly snowing, but the sun was also beginning to peek out between the clouds. It was beautiful. Welcome to Canada!
The bus driver was waiting for us, just like he said, and we found it easily thanks to the Mt Baldy T-Shirt he told us to watch for. We all got inside where it was warm, and soon we were heading north on the Klondike Highway, destination: Yukon Territory!
They switched the engine to the other side of the train for the return trip
We drove along with killer views of huge lakes, still melting out for the Summer, and snow-covered mountains. It was very dramatic scenery. I tried to imagine the trouble it must have been back in the Stampede days, with people building rafts and floating their 2000 pounds of food across these lakes on their way to the gold fields.
The driver stopped the bus at the shiny new Yukon sign at the British Columbia border. We posed for selfies and the driver took pictures for everyone in the bus. Now that’s a photo-op!
We continued north along Tagish Lake, and the scenery was dramatic. The clouds were perfect for photos, and everything was just as wild as I expected it to be. Except for our big stinky bus, of course.
We crossed the Nares River near Bennett Lake at the town called Carcross. It used to be called Caribou Crossing, but I guess they shortened it for simplicity. This shallow section of river was where the herds of caribou made their migration every year. The driver said that we’d be back here later, so he continued on, stopping just beyond the town. There were sand dunes there, right next to the highway. He said it was known as the Carcross Desert. What an odd thing to find up here in the Great White North. He stopped the bus and we walked out onto the sand.
A short ways north of town was our destination, Yukon Wild Adventures. Part of our excursion fee paid for a hot lunch in their cafeteria. BBQ Chicken, and a donut for dessert. It hit the spot. Then we headed out into the sunshine to check out the place. They had a small zoo for kids, with llamas and sheep, and a few displays like an old mining cabin.
The main attraction, however, was the dog cart ride. Vicki was excited. Sadly, there wasn’t any snow this late in the season, but the sled dogs still needed their exercise. To that end, they had multi-passenger motorized carts with car tires. They would take a dog team and attach each of the dogs via the usual harness setup, then secure the entire team to the cart. The dogs couldn’t possibly pull the heavy cart, but that didn’t matter. Vicki said afterward that the dogs were so excited to have a chance at pulling and running in front of the cart. Dogs love to run, and these dogs were no exception.
Alaskan Huskies training in front of a motorized cart.
Vicki waited for one of the carts to return, and watched them take off one dog team. Then they brought out another. The dogs were barking and jumping with excitement. There were no whips or cruelty at this facility – these dogs wanted to run! And run they did.
After all that fun, it was time to get back on the bus. The driver chose to take us a bit further up the highway to enjoy Emerald Lake. This lake is supposedly the most photographed lake in the Yukon Territory. Then it was time to head back south to Skagway.
Along the way, we stopped at Carcross, where we had additional opportunities to spend money. Vicki and I ate an ice cream cone, then took a walk along the shore of Lake Bennett. This lake was an important route during the Klondike Stampede. It should be noted that White Pass, which we visited on the train ride, was the pass that wealthy people used. These people owned horses and could afford to have others get their supplies into the Yukon. Chilcoot Pass, which was one valley further to the west, was the one where the regular folk toiled, carrying 100 pound bags of flour, one at a time, from the sea to the pass, for a total of twenty trips! There was only a wilderness trail over that pass now. I checked it out on a map later on. It looks like a fun experience for a backpacker like me! In other words, one who only has to carry thirty pounds, and only once.
On the way back to White Pass, on the Klondike Highway, we stopped next to the road and everyone got out. An enormous snowfield was laid out before us. This was a perfect opportunity for more selfies from the Great White North, which we could send back home to friends and family. One of the most important parts of any vacation is making sure that others know you are having a great time while they are stuck working all day.
The highway also crossed over a different part of White Pass, and suddenly we were back in the United States again. Wisely, the border folks didn’t bother checking our paperwork up there in the land of snow and storms. They waited until we were back in town, in Skagway. Once again, the tour operators did all the paperwork, and we were waved through the border.
After we got dropped off in town, we decided that we were fairly tired after all the fun we had on our excursion. We chose to walk back to the ship. We went up the gangway and directly to our room. After a short nap, we were ready for dinner. Sadly, just like those people at home who were working all day, we had our own chores to do. We put together our dirty clothing and took turns watching the laundry spin around in the washers and driers. Each deck had two laundromats. We decided to cheap out and do it ourselves, but in retrospect it might have been better to simply let the crew do it for us. Too late now.
The sun sets late up in Alaska, and we still had our chance to go up on deck and watch as we left the port of Skagway. We steamed away into the twilight, and we realized that, unlike today, we had no excursions planned for tomorrow’s destination: Icy Strait Point. Well, we’d simply have to wing it, wouldn’t we? And then we went to bed.
For a topographic map of the cruise see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the voyage see my Flickr Page
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