Skagway Travelers Recommend

Located on the Alaskan Panhandle, the small city of Skagway is best known for being the gateway to the Yukon Territory during the Klondike Gold Rush in the 1890’s. With only one day to visit, you’ll have time to see historic downtown Skagway and enjoy an outdoor adventure. Here are a few ways to spend a day in Skagway. 

Morning: Dive Into Gold Rush History

Start your day in downtown Skagway’s National Historic District, which boasts six blocks of restored gold rush era buildings and a variety of museums. Highlights include the Mascot Saloon, a monument to Skagway’s rambunctious past; Jefferson Smith’s Parlor, a museum dedicated to Skagway’s infamous con man; the Skagway Museum, which focuses on the Klondike Gold Rush; and the Moore Cabin, the town’s oldest structure. Join a free, ranger-led walking tour of this historic area, or pick up an audio guide made by Skagway local Buckwheat Donahue that includes stories and legends from the town’s gold rush days.

Afternoon: Head to the Mountains

Spend the afternoon traveling to White Pass Summit, located on the border of Alaska and British Columbia, Canada. White Pass was one of the two routes that led prospectors into the Yukon during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, and it offers views of the Coast Mountains and the Skagway River Valley. You can visit the pass as part of a tour of gold rush–era attractions on a narrow-gauge railroad from Skagway or take a combination train and bicycle tour of the area. Alternatively, if you’re feeling adventurous, spend the afternoon on a dog-sledding adventure, a river float, or a zip-lining tour. 

Evening: Red Lights and Northern Light

Nighttime activities in Skagway vary depending on the season: In the summer, Skagway enjoys up to 18 hours of sunlight every day, so you can hike, kayak, and enjoy other outdoor activities well into the evening. For a taste of history, head to the Red Onion Saloon, Skagway’s infamous former brothel for dinner and drinks, or enjoy a little gold panning and an all-you-can-eat Alaskan feast at the Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp. During the winter months, you might also be able to catch the Northern lights from town or from White Pass Summit.

With two days in Skagway, you’ll have plenty of time to see the town’s historic district and other Klondike Gold Rush landmarks, visit scenic White Pass Summit, and enjoy an outdoor adventure on a historic train, a kayak, or a dog sled. Here are just a few ideas for how to spend two days in Skagway. 

Day 1: Gold Rush Highlights

**Morning:**Start your morning at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitor Center for a quick introduction to Skagway’s history. Then take a free ranger-led tour of Skagway’s historic district or download a self-guided audio tour and get to know the town at your own pace. 

**Afternoon:**Spend the afternoon exploring the gold rush landmarks just outside of town, including the Dyea Townsite and the Chilkoot Trail, a 33-mile (53-kilometer) trail that led prospectors to the Yukon during the gold rush. For some outdoor fun, combine a hike on the Chilkoot Trail with a float on the Taiya River or a horseback riding adventure. 

**Night:**Step back into Skagway’s gold panning days with a trip to Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp, and enjoy a feast of Alaskan favorites such as salmon, rice, and cornbread. The camp also lets you try your hand at panning for gold—and you are welcome to keep any that you find. 

Day 2: Outdoor Adventures

**Morning:**Hop aboard a sightseeing train and head up the scenic White Pass & Yukon Route, or take a bus trip to White Pass Summit, a scenic spot on the Alaska-Canada border. You can also venture into the Yukon Territory on a full-day sightseeing tour or a mountaineering adventure. 

**Afternoon:**If you’re not on a full-day White Pass or Yukon tour, explore the natural beauty that surrounds Skagway on a kayaking, rock-climbing, zip-lining, or dog-sledding tour. Alternatively, if you want to learn more about Klondike Gold Rush history, you can head to the Skagway Museum. Avid gardeners and botanists also won’t want to miss the flowers at the city’s Jewell Gardens.  

**Night:**Continue the outdoor adventures on your final evening in Skagway by hiking along the coast, enjoying the sunset at the Skagway Overlook, or (if you’re visiting in winter) heading out to see the northern lights. You can also take a tour of the Red Onion Saloon, Skagway’s former brothel, and learn about Skagway’s debaucherous past.

Make Skagway your base to follow in the footsteps of the Tlingit people and the gold prospectors who headed off from the port to the Yukon in the roaring days of the 1890s. Tour the 100 century-old wooden buildings of the restored downtown, visit a saloon and ride the gold train to the summit of White Pass.

Day 1: Skagway Saunter

Get to know this former frontier port by taking a stroll around the downtown Skagway Historic District and its collection of 100-year-old wooden buildings. Glassblowing demonstrations combine with floral displays at the Jewell Gardens, and artifacts from Skagway’s gold-rush heyday are on show at the Mascot Saloon Museum downtown. To meet the locals, visit the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve on the river flats, or go rafting down the river to spot beavers, bears and moose.

Day 2: Skagway Gold Rush

Scratch the surface and Skagway’s pioneering and prospecting days don’t seem so far away. Photographs and artifacts bring the past alive at the Skagway Museum, revealing just how harsh life was on the goldfields. Drop into the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park visitor center to learn about the area, its history and attractions.

Day 3: Day Trip Destinations

Gold and Tlingit history surround Skagway, so get a taste by traveling to the White Pass summit from the port, stopping en route at the Skagway Overlook for panoramic views over the town and waterway. White Pass was one route prospectors used to travel to the Yukon; the other was the Chilkoot Trail, a walking route taking up to five days that’s not for the fainthearted or unprepared. A far easier way to imagine life in gold-rush days is to ride the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway to the White Pass summit in a historic narrow-gauge train.