One of the top tourist attractions in Skagway is the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad adventure. This train and track were built soon after the Klondike gold rush was over. We heard from several people that we should make sure to ride the train. Since there were 4 cruise ships at the dock, we thought that the longest route would be less crowded because it took longer and most cruisers would ride the shorter route due to time constraints. We might have been wrong on that! The train was very full. We opted for the 67.5 mile journey from Carcross, Yukon to Skagway.
We loaded the bus at 9:30am with 12 other travelers to start the 2 hour drive over the White Pass toward Carcross. Our driver was a college grad from California who told us some history about the gold rush stampeders and he added his own jokes to make the time go by faster. Overall, he was a good tour guide and offered to take pictures of anyone who asked.
The four of us were in the front row of seats and we luckily spotted 2 bears by the road. They eat dandelions and those yellow blooms seem to be plentiful alongside the highway. He was walking toward the trees, but I got a partial view of him through my camera. He was the biggest black bear that we have seen so far. Our count has been 2 bears per day while driving and I wonder if that number will go up as we get deeper into Alaska.
We stopped at several lookouts to take pictures and stretch our legs. Some stops had restrooms in case anyone needed one. They were rustic, but they would do the trick if you really had to go!
We crossed the border into Canada and had to stop at immigration so an officer could walk down the aisle of our bus and check passports. We passed the welcome to Alaska sign last saturday but the fog and clouds were so heavy that we didn’t stop for a photo. Plus, we knew that we would be going on a tour that required us to cross the border again anyway.
Once we got to Carcross, we were allowed about 45 minutes to walk around the town (I guess you can call it that) and I took a few pictures. We stopped at a bakery and bought a $5 cookie. Highway, or should I say train, robbery!
We boarded the train and we were sitting on the left side, if you are facing the engine. DON’T pick that side if you ever decide to ride the train. We saw nothing out our window but rocks and sometimes trees. The views were totally on the other side of the train the whole entire time! Most of the people on our side were falling asleep and did not look very happy at all. I understand that they switch sides when you take the shorter tour that goes up and back on the train, but we were never given the option. Such a shame, too. The trip we took was their most expensive and definitely a let down if you ended up on the WRONG side.
We stopped to walk around Bennett, a lake and town where the stampeders built their boats to traverse the water for the remainder of the trip all the way to the Klondike river. There was a town, but now only a church and a private residence remains.
The rest of the day was filled with a winding downhill track heading down to Skagway. We rode through a couple of tunnels that were blasted out of mountains as well as a couple more bridges. The scenery was nice if you could look out the window on the other side of the train.
We arrived in Skagway about 5:45pm and we all agreed that we would just make a simple dinner at home and stay in for the evening. Especially since we spent a lot of $$$ on a trip that didn’t quite meet our high expectations. I’d do the shorter route and sit on the better side next time….
