Murray Guide - Skagway to Yukon

[dhuxley23]

I cannot say enough good things about the Murray Guide. For reference, my husband and I have a library of guidebooks ranging from scenic road trips, off the beaten path guides, rock climbing, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, local adventures, some of the Weird USA books, a whole slew of NatGeo Trails Illustrated maps, and dozens of atlas and gazetteers for every corner of the United States. I would not hesitate to put the Murray's Guide in a prominent spot within this library. It is just that good.

 

First off, we didn't just do the drive, we followed the directions for hiking and went for a leisurely walk in the woods thru the Lower Dewey Lake system. Avis opened at 8am and we got off the ship around 7, so this was the perfect activity to kill some time. We also saw the home of Captain William Moore during our walk around town.

 

There is simply no way to cover every single instance where this guide was right on the money. So I will list just some of the highlights:

 

Mile 10.1

Murray talks about "a particularly nice and accessible waterfall with a large paved parking area". We stopped here to cool off since it was unseasonably warm during our late-May visit. And I concur with the "particularly nice waterfall" statement.

 

Km 43.9

Guide says, "The mile or so on either side of Log Cabin offers good grizzly viewing opportunities from late May through June". Indeed, this is where we saw our first brown bear. It was feeding on dandelions, just like the bear in the photo in Murray's Guide.

 

Km 64.3

Guide says, "To the right is a beautiful informal campground on the beach. This is a great area for beach walking, but keep in mind that you're in bear country – both black and grizzly bears are in the area." Though we didn't see any bears during our stroll along this breathtaking beach, we did see lots of claw marks on the surrounding trees - I'm sure if we waited long enough, we would have spotted the bears.

 

Km 71.3

Guide says, "This south-facing slope is the best place on the highway to see black bears from late April through mid-June..." Again, right on the money - this is where we spotted our first black bear of the trip and it was also grazing on dandelions, only a few yards from our car. We saw another black bear and another brown bear on this stretch for a total of 4 bears on this scenic drive!

 

Km 80.3

Guide says, "Watch for both Dall sheep and mountain goats on Dail Peak to the left - seeing up to 20 animals at a time is not uncommon." When we got to this point, about 4 cars were parked off the side of the road with binoculars pointed up to the cliffs to the left. Just as the guide says, there were about 13 little white specks moving across the mountainside. Can't really tell if they were Dall sheep or mountain goats... the camera zoom wasn't good enough.

 

Km 106.0

"Montana Services - gas, restaurant, convenience store, RV park and laundry." I only added this here as a precaution. My husband wanted a Haagen-Dazs ice cream bar and was shocked when it cost $5.00!!!

 

Km 108.6

"Caribou Crossing (formerly Frontierland) has an excellent wildlife museum and historical attractions... A barbecued chicken lunch is served daily at a cost of $15.00 per person." Excellent barbecued chicken and it's all-you-can-eat! Although, the mosquitoes (or were they birds?!?!) were also thinking that my husband and I were a part of the all-you-can-eat buffet. I still have welts on my arms from those skeeters!

 

Km 117.6

"The main Emerald Lake viewing area...." The guide states in the beginning that there are short trails that go up the rocky bluff. We took the left side going up and came down the right side. It was a bit of an uphill but well worth the effort for the stunning views of Emerald Lake and Spirit Lake.

 

All in all, it took us nearly 9 hours to do the drive up the Emerald Lake and back. I know the author recommends 5 hours, but with everything there is to see and do, that is nearly impossible.

 

As mentioned, this guide is SUPERB. I would say it is worth more than the $5 charged per copy. Hands down to Murray. Thank you for putting together a valuable resource! I kept looking for your Subaru along the way and wanted to personally thank you, but alas, you and your dogs were the only ones that we didn't see on the Klondike Highway. Everything else was right where you said they would be. :D

[VAtravelers100]

Thanks for the report! I'll be purchasing the guide to use in July. Someone is going to ask where to find it - just google for it...

[ramidon1]

I am glad to hear that the information is so accurate--I bought it & will be using it in a couple weeks....after the car rental company (Sourdough) stated they give out a map & info, I was second-guessing whether it was worth the purchase, but your insight makes me feel it is! Also, Murray was super prompt & helpful when I had trouble with the download! Can't wait to try it out!

[InternetAgeTraveler]

I am glad to hear that the information is so accurate--I bought it & will be using it in a couple weeks....after the car rental company (Sourdough) stated they give out a map & info, I was second-guessing whether it was worth the purchase, but your insight makes me feel it is! Also, Murray was super prompt & helpful when I had trouble with the download! Can't wait to try it out!

 

We used Murray's guide too and it is very complete. The one Sourdough provides is just a few pages with just some of the highlights. Murray was great, we also emailed him a few suggestions when we got back and he integrated them into to his next update.

[MercedMike]

Murray's guide is great. We used it on our two drives to the Yukon. Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/skagway.html

 

Most of you know that Murray posts on this board as Yukon, but is careful not to mention his own guide! ;)

 

We had the delightful experience of having dinner with him and his wonderful wife in Whitehorse on our cruise tour. He has a lot more Alaska information to impart than he could squeeze in his guide. He drove tour buses on that route for many years and has some good stories to tell.

[Foxhill]

We downloaded the guide in May. At that time it had been updated to April 22, 2010. I now see that it is updated to June 2, 2010. If we have already downloaded the Guide, and there are updates since, how do we obtain those? Perhaps Murray is looking in and can provide an answer. :D

[InternetAgeTraveler]

We downloaded the guide in May. At that time it had been updated to April 22, 2010. I now see that it is updated to June 2, 2010. If we have already downloaded the Guide, and there are updates since, how do we obtain those? Perhaps Murray is looking in and can provide an answer. :D

 

Just drop him an email at the address on the main page (should have been in the email he originally sent you as well). He will send you the updated link.

 

Although, per his website he is currently cruising and asks for a little extra time to respond.

[Yukon]

Yes, just pop me a note. I'm in Vancouver just settling into my space on the Coral Princess but check my email at least twice a day. My first impression of the ship and staff are both very positive!

[Foxhill]

Thanks, Murray. I will try to find out how to get in touch with you via e-mail. Do I need something to prove I already downloaded the guide?

[APDMOM]

I am glad to hear that the information is so accurate--I bought it & will be using it in a couple weeks....after the car rental company (Sourdough) stated they give out a map & info, I was second-guessing whether it was worth the purchase, but your insight makes me feel it is! Also, Murray was super prompt & helpful when I had trouble with the download! Can't wait to try it out!

 

Hi, ramidon1,

 

What was your experience with Sourdough rental? We are booked with them and saw mostly positive comments, but I want to have input from a recent renter :)

 

Thanks!

 

OOPS: I just noticed you are sailing in 1 day... please reply after your cruise and enjoy every minute!

[Harley Granny]

Yes, just pop me a note. I'm in Vancouver just settling into my space on the Coral Princess but check my email at least twice a day. My first impression of the ship and staff are both very positive!

 

 

I'll join in the praises of your guide! We used it last week and it was great!

 

I saw a mill looking thing along the way. What is that?

 

Also...we stopped at the cinnamon bun place. It was too full for us to eat there but grabbed a couple of rolls to go. They were wonderful.

Sadly we did see a sign on the door saying it was closing June 30th. That's sad...some of the best rolls I've ever eaten.

[springfire]

We used sourdough rentals and had no problems.