Day 10 Skagway - Railway

Early start today, so room service ordered & delivered, no extra charge - excellent!

We docked at Skagway and disembarked for our shore excursion starting with the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway. A narrow-gauge railroad built in an incredible 26 months back in 1898, during the chaotic height of the Klondike Gold Rush.

The weather was foggy and somewhat gloomy again to begin with, we boarded the vintage rail carriages, which were quite stark with big old fashioned warming stoves at the back and extremely basic toilets!! A big difference to the luxurious Rocky Mountaineer! We travelled the historic "Dead Horse Trail" from the Gold Rush, climbing an impressive 3,000 feet in just 20 miles. Entertaining tour guides pointed out foggy viewpoints and told the stories of the gold rush, the struggles endured and details about the building of the railroad, making for a fascinating journey.

We took advantage of reduced priced baseball caps, buying one each & having a bit of fun on the way!!!

Culminating at the Canadian border and Summit Lake where gold rush stampeders once faced strict Mountie border checks before heading to the Yukon, we also had to show our passports to the fierce looking border force officers before we could leave for the Klondike highway part of the tour, back down to Skagway town. Also our watches had changed by an hour to reflect the change across the Canadian border too!Read more