In early June, family is going on a cruise from Vancouver up to Alaska. One of our stops is at Skagway. We could rent a car for a day, guesstimating 0800-1800 for being able to drive around and do...stuff. Mom is 84 so we're not hiking a lot.

Given these parameters, any reccos on things to do/see? Thanks

The train is a really fun and low exertion thing to do. Very scenic, good but not overwhelming tour guide narration along the way. You can do the round trip or ride one way and take the bus back a slightly different route. We've done round trip twice and very much enjoyed it.

Town is just right there next to the port. If you're docked at the far end of the pier they run free shuttles even though it is a short walk. To get to town is something like 1/4 mile. You can look it up online for the exact distance, but it is close. Typical tourist town for sure, but fun. The usual souvenir shops and saloons/restaurants.

There is an option to get off the train in town on the return leg. At least when we did it you could.

You're very close to the Canadian border, so be sure to take your passports if you rent a car. One of the train options takes you into Canada but idk if you need a passport for that one.

Skagway is REALLY small. If you're going to make the drive up towards Whitehorse, then do rent one. It's a beautiful drive.

Everything there is to do in skagway can be done within a couple of city blocks.

We just got back from Alaska sea/land cruise almost 2 weeks ago. We were on the Caribbean Princess, which left out of Vancouver.

We hit Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, some of the major glaciers, and then we got off for the train to Denali NP from Whittier. After Denali, we were bussed to Fairbanks.

But in Skagway, we rode the train up to where we got off in beautiful snowy mountains in Canada. Then a bus ride to a suspension bridge from there with a pancake/bison sausage breakfast. Then bus ride back down the mountain to where we went to a pretty waterfall and miner’s cemetery. During bus ride down, we saw a moose.

The town has history, and of course, a lot of tourist shopping. I’m a birdwatcher, so i watched birds along a park stream not too far away from the ship.

I’m sure there is a lot more to do there in the area, but that was our experience.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ftttu,

My wife and I took that very trip back in the very early 2000s. Flew to Vancouver, got on the cruise ship, and did a great tour that stopped in Skagway, Ketchikan, Sitka and a couple of other places.

We loved it.

Took the trip a while back, out of Vancouver, be sure to fly in a few days early and spend some time in the city, plenty of good places to eat, a great cigar store where you can stock up on Cuban cigars for the cruise.

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Stroll through the Granville Island Public Market

https://granvilleisland.com/public-market

While at Granville we strolled around, several brewery's and we ended up at Ancora Waterfront Dining, great location on the harbor, really good seafood and other options, had a table outside, and there was a Pirate Ship Docking in the area.



IF we were to go again I'd spec in a few more days post cruse to explore the area hit Stanley Park, Capilano Bridge.

The cruise was ok, ports touristy, the weather kept us below deck much of the time, when we could get out the views are spectacular, especially coming through the pass by Vancouver Island.

the Glaciers are spectacular, bring some clothing to keep you warm, the air around them is quite cold and it can be very windy.

Skagway itself is small, no real reason to rent a car just to get around town.

White Pass. White Pass led from Skagway into the Yukon. There's at least 4 different ways to experience it. White Pass Railroad is a narrow gauge railroad that runs up into Canada, turns around and comes back. There are bus tours that drive the highway to get up White Pass. We've also done a Jeep tour where you get to drive a Jeep in a convoy going up to Canada that was fun. And it's possible to rent a car and drive it yourself. Of all these I'de say take the train. Be careful when booking some of these trips are a train one way and a bus the other, the bus sucks. One of my bucket list Alaska items is to drive White Pass myself and stop anywhere I want, take as long as I want and take as many pictures as I want. The Tormented Valley is one of the coolest most picturesque places I have ever seen.

If you itinerary stops in Skagway and Haines, it may be possible to rent a car in Skagway, drive up White Pass and keep going to Whitehorse and then down into Haines, Alaska. Haines is a funky little town and driving between them is gorgeous. Just make sure your cruise company would be ok with you disembarking in one port and re-embarking in another.

Dyea is a ghost town that had its heyday at the same time as Skagway and is about 5 miles away. Very little left but you can walk the graveyard and there's also a separate graveyard for those that died in the avalanche that came down the Golden Staircase.

Skagway itself has lots of touristy shops. There's walking history tours of towns and there are some of the original buildings left. There's also a museum that has a really cool display of a miner with his required supplies to get across the border and not Canada. It is a cool town, kind of like Tombstone with a beach.

Don't engage in any games with Soapy Smith.

If your Mother can be assisted onto a smaller boat, I would recommend a tour in the Tracy Arm Fjord. We took a round trip out of Juneau a few years ago, well worth the time. Quite honestly if you're not used to that type of scenery, its a little breathtaking.

Thanks for the inputs and ideas. We're going to do the train trip and walk about town, especially if it's so tiny. Rest of family didn't want to risk a road trip with uncertain bathrooms for Mom.

We really enjoyed the train ride, the suspension bridge, the pancake/bison sausage breakfast, and the bus ride back. It was a beautiful winter wonderland up there a couple of weeks ago.

Also, there is a nice public bathroom at the park there between the docks and the town. The locals were playing cricket at the park when I was there.

Y’all have fun up there!