Skagway Alaska

ahschneid
Sep 6
5 min read

After Palmer and the state fair, we took a few days to drive to Skagway. On our journey there, we stopped in Tok for a couple of nights to take care of chores, errands and to attend mass. After Tok we were ready for the drive to Skagway. We drove to Haines Junction on Aug 25th and then did the final leg to Skagway on the 26th. We stayed at Pullen Creek Campground in the thick of things downtown. We immediately noticed that Skagway is a big cruise ship destination, with four cruise ships docked there. The town was bustling with tourists walking, on trains, in helicopters and in busses and vans. The day we arrived we were there early enough to see some sites, so we opted to take the short drive to Dyea, a boomtown during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98, today is all but a ghost town. We saw the start of the 33-mile Chilkoot National Historic Trail which thousands of people took to the gold fields.

Steve would have liked to take our rig on the ferry from Haines to Skagway if we had more time. There are more bears in Haines. On our one full day of site seeing we walked around the city of Skagway and took in the places to see. We walked over to the cruise ship area which was near a hike to a waterfall we wanted to see, then we checked out a historic cemetery and then walked home for lunch. After lunch we went to the visitor center to watch the film on the Klondike Gold Rush and we got tickets (free) to see the Jeff Smith Museum. By the end of the day we had walked over 6 miles and felt like we'd seen all we wanted to see. Steve would have liked to take a day trip on the train while in Skagway, but we just didn't have time. The drive to Skagway had breathtaking views along the way so we took quite a few pictures enroute too.

23 August 2025 between Palmer and Tok Alaska

Matanuska Glacier

23 August 2025 between Palmer and Tok Alaska

23 August 2025 between Palmer and Tok Alaska

23 August 2025 between Palmer and Tok Alaska

Drive to Tok Alaska - 23 August 2025

Saint Elias Mountains

Drive to Tok Alaska - 23 August 2025

Drive to Tok Alaska - 23 August 2025

Tok Alaska - 24 August 2025

Mass was on Sunday at 5pm

Tok Alaska - 24 August 2025

Between Tok and Haines Junction - 25 August 2025

Roads were dusty...

Between Tok and Haines Junction - 25 August 2025

Kluane Lake

Between Tok and Haines Junction - 25 August 2025

Kluane Lake

Between Tok and Haines Junction - 25 August 2025

Between Tok and Haines Junction - 25 August 2025

All summer the low clouds have fascinated us...

Between Tok and Haines Junction - 25 August 2025

Between Haines Junction Yukon and Carcross Yukon - 26 August 2025

Between Haines Junction Yukon and Carcross Yukon - 26 August 2025

Between Haines Junction Yukon and Carcross Yukon - 26 August 2025

Between Haines Junction Yukon and Carcross Yukon - 26 August 2025

Between Haines Junction Yukon and Carcross Yukon - 26 August 2025

Emerald Lake

Between Haines Junction Yukon and Carcross Yukon - 26 August 2025

Emerald Lake

Between Haines Junction Yukon and Carcross Yukon - 26 August 2025

Emerald Lake

Between Haines Junction Yukon and Carcross Yukon - 26 August 2025

Emerald Lake

Between Haines Junction Yukon and Carcross Yukon - 26 August 2025

Emerald Lake

Between Haines Junction Yukon and Carcross Yukon - 26 August 2025

Carcross Yukon 26 August 2025

Carcross Yukon 26 August 2025