Skagway is a beautiful city in Alaska that bustled with activity during the Klondike Gold Rush. Nowadays, much of the appeal of the city comes from remnants of that notable gold rush, as well as the surrounding area’s natural beauty. From checking out the Gold Rush-era historical buildings downtown to going for a hike on the Chilkoot Trail, join ViewCation to find the best things to do in Skagway, Alaska.
Go for a Walk in Downtown Skagway
The city of Skagway has a downtown area that features some significant cultural appeal on account of much of it being designated as a national park. Much of downtown Skagway has been designated Klondike Gold Rush Historic National Park, and this designation has allowed for a great deal of the city’s Gold Rush-era historical buildings to be finely preserved. If you’d like to get a taste of what it was like to live back in the 19th century during the Gold Rush, walking through downtown Skagway provides you with one of the most comparable experiences that you’re liable to get.
There are numerous ways that you can experience downtown Skagway, and one of the best ways is to take a guide walking tour. As a result of much of the city being designated as a national historic park, the National Park Service conducts it’s own guided walking tours through the city’s downtown area during the summer months. These tours are free, and they can offer tourists an incomparable amount of information about the city’s historical appeal. If you’re looking to learn about the history of Skagway, taking one of these free guided walking tours is the way to do it!
Pay Yours Respects at the Gold Rush Cemetery
Taking a guided walking tour through downtown Skagway will show you how people lived during the Klondike Gold Rush, but heading out to the Gold Rush Cemetery just outside of the city will show you where those people are now! The Gold Rush Cemetery is filled with corpses of the town’s historical denizens, and you can feel their energy. The cemetery is filled with people who came out to Alaska during it’s gold rush to try and find their fortune. Regardless of whether or not they succeeded, they all seem to have ended up in the same place! While strolling through the cemetery and gazing at the names on the various, and seemingly ancient, tombstones can be a tad morbid, it’s a worthy experience on account of the historical appeal.
Take a Ride on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway
Regardless of whether you’re looking to experience some of both Alaska and Canada’s preeminent scenery or just simply want to ride an old-fashioned train, taking a journey on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway is a popular choice amongst tourists to the city of Skagway. Some say that the ride on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway is amongst the most awe-inspiring train trips that you can take in the world on account on the immensely beautiful scenery that passengers are given the opportunity to view as they ride.
In addition to the incredible scenery and the unique experience of riding on an old-fashioned railway, passengers on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway will also be treated to some narration during their journey, which will help explain some of the history of the areas that the train is travelling through. The train travels from the Alaskan city of Skagway into Canada, taking passengers through it’s namesake mountain pass into the capitol of the Canadian territory of Yukon. That capitol is the city of Whitehorse, which serves as the train’s final stop before heading back. The train follows along one of the main routes that was used by travellers trying to get from Skagway to Yukon back in the days of the Gold Rush, which means that it offers another pretty significant cultural experience to visiting tourists.
Visit a Former Brothel Called the Red Onion Saloon
There’s a location in downtown Skagway by the name of the Red Onion Saloon, and this location has become incredibly popular with tourists! Though it may seem like a run-of-the-mill restaurant and bar nowadays, this all changes once you go upstairs. Back during the days of the Gold Rush, the Red Onion Saloon was the city of Skagway’s go-to brothel.
Of course, the Red Onion Saloon is no longer operating as a brothel, but much of the location’s upstairs area has been preserved just as it was back in the day. The Red Onion Saloon’s upstairs area functions as a museum, offering guests the chance to go in and check out rooms that gold-rush-era prostitutes made love to their clients in. On top of this, the Red Onion Saloon also offers it’s own unique walking tours that are a bit more risqué and colorful than the aforementioned guided walking tours offered by the National Park Service. If you want to know the dirty secrets of downtown Skagway, this walking tour might be for you!
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Bear Witness to Skagway’s Salmon Run
If you’re into natural phenomena, there’s nothing quite like witnessing Skagway’s salmon run. For those that don’t know, salmon runs are the time during the year when salmon swim upstream to spawn, and watching the fish do so is breathtaking. Skagway’s salmon run occurs during the summer months, with a different type of salmon being visible each month. King salmon return to the waters during the month of May, pink salmon return during the month of August, and silver salmon can be seen during September. The place to spot the salmon run is Pullen Creak, and you can take the Pullen Creek Stream Walk for an easy journey.
Go Dog Sledding on an Ice Glacier
Visitors to the city of Skagway are allowed the opportunity to take a helicopter excursion out to an ice glacier and go dog sledding. This is an experience quite unlike any other. Not only do you get to take an incredibly scenic helicopter flight over Skagway and it’s surrounding area, but you also get to step foot on an ice glacier and go dog sledding. Few people ever get the chance to go dog sledding, and passing up the opportunity may make visitors to Skagway want to kick themselves later on. If you don’t want to go dog sledding but still want to step foot on an ice glacier, there are other excursions that allow visitors to do so. In addition, visitors may wish to simply go on what is known as a “flightseeing tour”, which simply consists of the helicopter ride.
Take a Visit to the Skagway Museum
Besides taking either of the aforementioned walking tours through downtown Skagway and simply gazing at it’s plentiful gold-rush-era buildings, tourists interested in the historical side of the city may want to enter into the Skagway Museum. The museum is relatively inexpensive at just a couple bucks a ticket, and it’s more than worth it for all of the information that you’ll receive once you’re inside. The museum also happens to be located within one of Skagway’s many historical buildings. The building that the museum is located in has been standing since 1898, and it also happens to house the city’s still-functioning city hall.
Experience the Serene Atmosphere of Jewell Gardens
Perched on the outskirts of the city of Skagway is a pleasant location by the name of Jewell Gardens that has plenty of fun things to do for tourists visiting the surrounding area. Whether you want to simply take a stroll through it’s namesake gardens or grab a bite to eat at the location’s locally stocked restaurant, you’ll be in for a treat! Another fun thing to do at Jewell Gardens is to take one of the glassblowing workshops that are available to visitors. The art of glassblowing may seem a little bit intimidating at first, but taking one of these workshops can make it simple and easy.
Take a Hike on the Chilkoot Trail
Finally, let’s take a look at some of the amazing hiking opportunities that are granted to tourists visiting the city of Skagway and it’s surrounding area. Inarguably the most popular of the many hiking trails that can be found around the area of Skagway is the Chilkoot Trail. It has some historical appeal, as well as plenty of breathtaking scenery.
The Chilkoot Trail is 33 miles long, so hikers likely won’t want to do the whole thing in one go. However, doing any little part of the trail will offer a great experience to tourists. If you want a better chance of getting the whole trail done in a day, you may wish to bike it! Bikes can be rented nearby, and they allow tourists the chance to see more of the Chilkoot Trail’s beautiful Alaskan scenery than they would be able to on foot. Besides the scenery, the Chilkoot Trail is also lined with various remnants from the days of the Klondike Gold Rush, meaning that there’s cultural value to go along with the nature. Because of this, the Chilkoot Trail can be said to offer the best of both worlds when it comes to what a visit to the city of Skagway has to offer tourists. There are also other opportunities for hiking around the city of Skagway and it’s surrounding area besides the Chilkoot Trail. Other popular hikes include the Lower Dewey Lake Trail, as well as taking the journey out to Smuggler’s Cove.
With all of these amazing activities for tourists to partake in while visiting Skagway and it’s surrounding area, it’s no wonder that the city has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Alaska! Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that visitors to the Alaskan city of Skagway can take a helicopter trip to an ice glacier and go dog sledding, and that the city itself used to be bustling during the Klondike Gold Rush? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more globetrotting ViewCation videos are on their way!