dyeadave

In Skagway I can direct you to my secret snowfield, at the White Pass, and that is good thru June!

You can get there in a rental car on your way to Emerald Lake.

The overall cost of the rental car would be about 200 dollars from Avis or Sourdough rentals out of Skagway when you add n gas and insurance, if needed.

It is a nice family outing and about the cheapest way to get you standing on a snowpack, as well as a nice day trip.

DD

We see an occasional bear around Skagway in late May, but they usually are out earlier up the highway in the YUkon where it is actually getting warmer than it is down by the ocean in Skagway.

They are very shy at this time of year but curious, so if you are lucky enough to see one, just speak to it and the bear will disappear quickly.

DD

The lighthouse is definitely south of Haines and not visible from there.

The fjord from Haines to Skagway is uniformly v shaped and quite deep with the exception of Indian Rock which is within sight of the Haines ferry terminal.

The rest of the way is quite uniform and straight until the docks in Skagway.

It is one of the few places in SE AK where you do not find deep channels with an occasional underwater mountain peak sticking out at low tide!

This makes for interesting travel with a boat!?!

DD

Isn't there a port called Cali which can be quite warm?

Skeemo is even less accurate (and much more offensive) but it is part of people's perception which we of the thick skins are tolerant.....

Our fireworks display may be on the night before, so if you happen to be leaving on the third, late, look behind your ship. You have fifteen miles down the fjord until the turn at Haines. (The curve of the earth allows for eighteen miles horizon.)

The fourth is a grand time all day in Skagway, by the way.

DD

Plenty of time for this tour and a nice ride up the fjord on a small craft,

I do not know about the ship but the cards are being accepted at our border station north of Skagway on the tour route being discussed on this thread.

Welcome to Alaska and the YUkon!

DD

Okay so I wrote a response to this OP and then when I tried to submit the reply I get this message that three "characters" are needed.

Frustrated bad humour set in and this is the why of the incongruous "three caracters" and who knows where went the message:(

Mickey, Minnie, goofy.

Skagway will probably be 60ish in the morning, but if you get up over the pass, into the YUkon, it could be 80 degrees or so.

We see 80ish in Skagway a couple of times a summer but in my thirty odd years of living here, I have never seen it stay above 70 degrees after evening comes. Something about that ocean current just two blocks from my house!

We can't raise corn or tomatoes outside of the greenhouses, but we have six foot plus on the rhubarb plants every year, so if you come by my house before the Fourth of July this year you may see that very plant which frequently wins the judging of the tallest ruby on the Fourth of July! We take our rhubarb very serious around our town! the rhubarb is also edible from late April first shoots, all of the way thru September! It just doesn't ever get hot enough here in Skagway to soften the succulence of the stems.

So as usual, I digress,but on the water, expect coolness on deck, especially in places like Glacier Bay which I haven't been there in thirty years or so but I expect that it hasn't changed much!?!

I recall one time years ago when we were returning to Skagway from our winter sojourn on POW and on the way past Tracy Arm we spotted a berg which sat high above the others and was a perfect Sphinx, so we turned toward the thing and with our little diesel we could make eight knots, tops, so we spent just under an hour finally pulling up and laying off at a safe hundred yards or so, whilst setting up the camera for the perfect still shot of said sphinxes we got the thrill of watching our subject do a roll over and expose a non discript bottom side and the Sphinx shot escaped the slow shutter person that day! ( it took a while to live that one down, but I blamed it on the always excited Visila who got in the way of the tripod that fine day)

If you get the chance, by all means, do that tour, if they offer it from your ship. I would even favor it over GB, but maybe it's just the personal memories from here?

Hope that this all helps a bit for you on the temps you may encounter in July, etc.?

You can always save a few dollars by just finding your way into the train station which is never more than a few blocks from the farthest ship dock and booking at the station direct.

If the walk is too far, there is a smart bus at every pier which will take you directly to the train station and this is a two dollar ride. You still save a few bucks.

THen the real hoot is if you happen to book the pick up by the ship for the later run and you find your way into town, notice that y ou are at the train station, wander in and ask about boarding there and they have to tell you to make your way back to the ship since you MUST board there since you booked there!?!

As far as the Shore Trips deal is concerned, they are just one more booking agent which then assigns you to a tour company and if you are lucky enough it may be small buses which gets you more stop on the road journey. If it is a large bus, you get a couple of roll byes since they do not fit in at some stops, like bridal falls.

Far better to do a bit more research and deal direct with the local providers. A lot of young people who actually live here are starting to offer good rates for groups of six to fourteen!

First of all, there is never any tendering at Skagway port.

Next, if you don't get into one of the ship tours, the alternative stop at Tutshi kennels is much more authentic, and not so overrun by all of those friends that you left behind on the ship this morning?

DD

to the OP, If you do rent the car and go into the YUkon, you might consider putting any of your party who hasn't experienced the train, onto the train, at Fraser, and then meeting them "at the station" when they get back into Skagway, just under two hours later. Remember to check departure time of your ship if you decide on this option.

This is a good way to fulfill any fancy of trains by any member of the group, and "on the cheap" as well:)

DD

Thanks for the link! That looks like a great trail for our group. The website says there's a steep switchback for the first 500ft, do you think it's still easy enough for a preschooler (and those of us who are REALLY out of shape) to walk? :D

If you check in at the NPS building which is at Second & Broadway, they will not only give you a free map of all of the trails around here, but they will size up your group and probably steer you to the right fit for your group at that time!

From what I have read here, I would probably recommend the trail out to Yak Pt, for your group, for starters.

Then when you return to town anyone of the more ambitious set can have a go at Lower Lake!

There are more than enough trails right around town to occupy and challenge even the most ambitious and strenuous hiker as well as the aforementioned stroll out to The Point.

DD

:eek:Further to this postp

No problem - I did notice that the cruise is already sold out on min-suites and suites, with other cabins looking pricey (obviously demand is high). You might be able to save a lot by flying up to Vancouver instead and taking one of the first 7 day RTs, still spending just as much time in Alaska. Quite a few direct flight options from Down Under to YVR, albeit not as many as LAX - or if you had other plans around LA there are tons of non-stops between there and our neck of the woods.

 

Of course if the 6 sea days between LA and here are something you WANT then great, but be aware you'll have no views of land at all - ships stay far out so they can open casinos and potentially burn cheaper fuel. But if it's Alaska you want to see, it's much quicker getting up here by plane - or if your time is ample, more scenic by train.

 

The Coast Starlight goes LA-Seattle, and you can transfer at any stop between Eugene & Seattle onto the Cascades which runs Eugene to Vancouver. A combo of puddle jumpers and trains could give you a nice couple of days in San Francisco, Portland, or Seattle on the way to or from LA - all great cities to hang out in; nearly as nice as Vancouver;-)

I have taken the advice of blue water friends and never have I taken my boat "outside" of the inside passage, nor anywhere south of Ketchikan, because they have many stories of the sea and its turbulence from there south past LA!

If you are already coming all of the way from OZ, you might be well advised to start your northward cruise from VAC. Unless of course, you would like a few extra days aboard a rockin casino!?!

Just me.

DD

Both of the car rental places in Skagway, furnish car seats for kids.DD

Any suggestions on stops in Juneau, Ketchican, or Skagway for yarn to bring home? Price rang?

 

 

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Yes, the hair of the mighty muskox will be available hereabouts but the price is one of those "if you have to ask.....:eek: items!

In thegreat skein of things, however, local yarns are free (and about worth that price:( Available early in the day, at the Sweet Tooth Cafe.....

We are a close knit community you see and these are well spun on a daily basis!

DD

thank you. Been to both Banff (2 yrs ago with teens) and Olympic (pre-kids) and loved both. Teens loved Banff and wanted to go back. Also debating on just going to Whistler (been, pre-kids) if we Rt from VAN, but most concur that the mtns are more spectacular in Banff. We did not get a chance to drive to Jasper, DH wants to fish, and older teens want to WW raft again. Thought Van Island/Olympic might be too much of coastal stuff and not enough rugges mtns for a 2 week trip. Trip is 2018, so fluid at this point. Thanks for tips. Elaine

I cannot imagine getting all of the way to Banf and missing the drive up to Jasper.......:eek:

DD

1st ever Alaska cruise, stops at Juneau, Skagway,Victoria BC and would like to know from the Alaska veterans if there are taxis that will do tours at the pier like in the Caribbean. I've searched the forum over & over and can't seem to find and answer. There are 4 of us all in our 60's looking for private city and area tours. The girls aren't much for whale watching, and after 2 knee surgeries my hiking days are long over!! Thanks so much in advance, Cruise Critic has been such a great help on all our Caribbean cruises in the past.

There haven't been any taxis in Skagway in several years, but there are bus rides from the ships to anyplace in the close environs of our fair city.

Once you get into town, you will see that we have the standard "Strip", which can be found in all places where tourists travel and then if you actually get up the nerve to even look to the right or left from the trinket alley, you will see that there is truly life right out behind the bizarre and we welcome visitors to come see how we really live there!

My house is fully a block and a half "off Fraudway" and on a really busy day, with ten thousand people down there milling around, trying to decide which of the forty one jewelry stores to avoid, we could hang out a sign flaunting "free beer" (or free lunch!) and not suffer more than ten takers on a busy day.

I share a garden lot with my extended family, next door.

We already have a sign which reads "welcome to my garden"

The flowers are already blooming prior to the first arrival of cruise ships.

Depending upon the time of your visit, you might catch the blooming of the forsythia, lilacs, cheery blossoms, apple or pear blossoms, etc. and if you get around to the right angle with your camera, you can catch a background on any of these sights with a glacier, for a backdrop, right in my garden, just off the strip, and within a few blocks of your ship!

Just look for the little red and white antique car in that vicinity and you might even get a free ride, back to your ship, if you have worn out your walker in finding us!?!

DD

Re. The luxury train car and the price concern, just think of first class on a plane vs coach.....you are going the same place as the rest of the folks, you are just paying more for the amenities.....

Have a nice trip whatever you decide!

DD

We did have a snow storm in May in 1985, but this was such an anomaly that everyone took pictures and some of the old timers still talk about it.......especially when they see me putting in my garden, ALWAYS before the first of May:)

I always tell them that if we get a late freeze, I can just replant.

This has not occurred in those ensuing thirty years, but there are some who I know around town who are just waiting for the occurance so that they can be the first of the "see...I told you so's :rolleyes:

Soooo, wear your deck shoes and come see if my garden is doing well, In May, over on 3rd street when you are here!

Happy travels

DD

This is quite dated, but the best halibut fishing which I remember in that area was across a bit of open water to the west of Ketchikan. It is not deep sea fishing since the halibut tend to lay up on fairly shallow banks in the summer but this one is over by POW Island and can be a pretty interesting trip if the wind kicks up since you will be traveling in the trough if this happens:eek:

I lived over on POW for six winters back in the early nineties, so it was easy for me just to zip back into my home bay if the wind came up, which it did , often in the spring and fall!

By the time that you are there in the summer, it should be more calm if you happen to cross Clarence strait, but one can never be certain of such good fortune here in the great SE!

I too suffer from motion sickness, but fortunately, I found that whenever I found myself in dire straits at sea, I was always running the boat and the terror level always seemed to distract me from getting sick!

Good luck and great fishing.

DD

Directly across from the train station is the Skagway Mercantiale which would b my choice for what you seem to want from the OP description!

DD

It was probably the Skagway fish company when you were in Skagway.

We just went to a local fund raiser there last night and the fish and chips were real halibut and real potatoes, and yes there was some sharing of the fries....

And then there is burger queen which is thankfully protected by spell check:eek:

Dine there and dash and beware of bad companions....

DD

There are many things to do, here in Skagway, on a Saturday night, even in our season of reality, (which goes on from last of September thru next week)

But first we need to know what you already have planned for your Sataurday day here so that we might not overlap some free activity for something which you may have already paid to do:):?

DD