When we arrived at Skagway, we were the only ship in port, as we were the last cruise ship for the cruising season.

Skagway is famous for the Klondike Gold Rush from 1896-1899. It was the main port for miners to access the Yukon gold fields 600 miles to the north.

The harbor has tunnels made from railroad cars, because “occasionally” the hillside shifts creating rock slides.

Our first activity was the White Pass & Yukon Railroad. The route climbs 3000 feet to the top of White Pass and has a grade of 3.9%. It follows the route known as Dead Horse Trail, so named for the horses that died while carrying cargo for the miners that walked up the pass.

Construction on the railroad started in May of 1898 and reached the summit of White Pass in February of 1899. The railroad was leased for two years by the US Army during World War II, to carry supplies to the town of White Horse in the Yukon territory.

Crossing the Skagway River

You could walk out onto the platforms at the end of each train car.

We took a similar picture out on the platform in 2006 with our Great Aunt Shirley.

Looking up the pass

One of two tunnels on the train route, which Whitney and Wyatt loved travelling through.

Being the end of October, winter had come to Dead Horse Pass

Wyatt passed the time in various ways….

Due to this being the last cruise ship of the season, the train only went 3/4 of the way, stopping at Inspiration Point.

At our stopping point, there is a view of the train bridge that was abandoned in 1965. At the time of it’s construction in 1899, it was considered an engineering marvel.

At Inspiration Point, you flip your seat for the down hill trip.

The cost to build the railroad was 10 million dollars. It was a partnership of British financing, American engineering, and Canadian construction.

Being October, there was a mixture of fall and winter…

Bridal Veil Falls can be seen from the train as it cascades down Mount Cleveland

Rocky Point was the most difficult part of the railway construction process. Over half of the explosives were used here. You felt like you could almost touch the rock.

The scenery was amazing and Wyatt took some very good pictures as part of his homework assignment.

Back in Skagway, we went to the National Park office to work on the Klondike Jr Ranger booklet.

We learned lots of interesting facts about the gold rush….100,000 people came to Alaska, 40,000 reached Dawson City, but only 40 became rich. The gold rush lasted 2 years from 1896-98. There were two routes over the mountains, the Chilkoot Pass out of Dyea that was very steep and 33 miles miles or the White Pass out of Skagway that was a bit less steep but 44 miles. Once you reached the top, you had to build a boat, cross two lakes and navigate the Yukon River for almost 500 miles.

Whitney and Wyatt reciting the Jr Ranger pledge

Mission accomplished…

There are several interesting sights in Skagway…an old train plow, (notice Willy P tagged along) as well as a statue depicting the miners setting out on their trek.

There is a historic building that was built in 1899 and the entire front is covered in drift wood as well as one of the original White Horse steam engines.

We went to the grocery store to grab a drink and a snack. Everything has to be barged in, so the goods are very expensive. The potato chips were $9.00. We told Whitney to enjoy every bite…lol.

We walked to the Skagway River bridge and caught the view looking up toward White Pass.

We walked the Yakutania Trail to the point. (We did this on a previous trip in 2017 when we drove the Alaska highway. The trail gives a great view of the inlet). The trail also has workout stations.

The views from the point….we even watched the Alaska State ferry leave and took several Conquer the World poses in honor of Uncle Jade.

The view looking up the inlet toward Dyea

Wyatt insisted on having a walking stick. He wanted to take it back to the ship and was very disappointed when we said no..

On our way back to the ship, we stopped at the displays in the park and learned about the wildlife in the area. Near the ship, one of the dock workers left a sign.

Yakutania Point from our room’s balcony. We were told this was the best weather day in 3 weeks.

It had been an absolutely perfect day in Skagway, Alaska.