Skagway or Bust

We were pulling down miles not just to make it to our excellent stay at Caribou RV park, but also to stay in Skagway Alaska for several days. Even with the highway being closed by a beaver dam collapse causing a flood to wash the road out. Even after gas stations not having fuel probably due to the influx of people going around the closure. Even after workers cut the only fiber cable to the Yukon making the whole internet including cell phones, ATMs, and credit cards grind to a halt (yes, this made things real interesting for a minute) we were going to make it to Skagway. Let me reframe that. Skagway was the only place left to go where our money worked and we had just enough gas to reach.

There are two roads now on my must drive list for people. The Banff to Jasper section of highway and the Whitehorse to Skagway section of road. The geology is amazing to see rolling down the glacial valley to Skagway! Pictures really can’t capture the vibe. It’s truly a moonscape beyond words. The interesting part is this is one of the main paths used to get to the gold fields in 1898. The gold rush made people make some crazy decisions!

Skagway sits at the end of the longest deepest fjord in North America. It’s a town a out 4 blocks wide and long enough for a short runway. Cruise ships love to come here because the views are breathtaking. They also own the first 3 blocks of stores and make some good profits I bet. My advice for when you come, look for shops that say “locally owned” in the window. It’s a supper friendly town so take a minute to chat up a few locals. Many are seasonal workers but all know the area well.

We jumped a ferry to Haines, Alaska for a day on the lake. It’s a short 45 minute ride and worth doing just for the views. Our tour was just the 3 of us and a guide around Chilkoot Lake in a massive canoe. What an amazing time we spent with our guide Sidney! The salmon were running up the river and making nests in their spawning grounds around the lake. Eagles and bear were waiting for this special day! Just as luck can be, we didn’t see any bear…only the sign they leave behind.

The next day we did a bike ride to Dyea and viewed the old town site along with the trailhead for the famous Chilkoot Trail. Since the world is crazy these days, the trail is closed to through traffic because it crosses into Canada. At one point pre COVID you could hike the trail into Canada and take the train back down to Skagway. How cool would that be! Maybe they’ll hammer out some kind of permit process soon.

When you come to Skagway, just know the name translates into something about a north wind. It’s always windy here it seems. The weather is great though. Not too warm and hardly below 50 at night. We haven’t really needed the heat except for a few minutes in the morning. This time of year the sun comes up a little before 4 and sets around 11. No need for a night light to find the bathroom!

We’ll wrap up our time in Skagway with some laundry and housekeeping to get things situated for the leg up to Fairbanks. Fingers crossed the internet is back up in the Yukon. At lest some service to be able to get cash to buy gas would be nice!