Skagway - Hiking to Laughtin Glacier

[etw]

My hubby and I just returned from our RCI cruise and I found such great information on the board that I wanted to share our experiences in hopes that it too helps someone plan their trip.

 

Skagway was 65 and sunny! We went independently and booked White Pass RR train tickets through their website. We also opted out of the ‘guided tour’ hike through RCI and saved around $70 per person. Instead of just doing the RR and that’s it, we rode the RR to the Laughtin Glacier Trail which was at mile 14 and got off to hike to the glacier. I initially thought you could only do guided hikes but finally found someone from 2008 on the board that hiked alone, plus the White Pass offers tickets to the trailhead so I figured locals must hike it a lot.

 

It was $66 per person for the train ticket to the trailhead. We took the 8am train and it took around 45 minutes to do the 14 miles and so we started our hike around 9:15am to be picked up at 3:30pm. It was either that or be picked up at 12:30pm. We had more than enough time to the hike but getting back by 12:30 would have been too rushed. It was nice to take our time and eat lunch at the glacier instead of rushing back. The train ride was very beautiful but we missed the last 6 miles of the ‘white pass roundtrip ride’ which is $110. We just wanted to do something a little more adventurous than just ride the train and look at scenery.

 

Another thing to be aware of is that you have to catch the train in town - NOT at the cruise pier. The people who book their RR tickets through the cruise ship get picked up right at the pier. It was a 10-15 minute walk to the downtown station and it was really easy to find – follow the train tracks! Skagway is not that big so it’s really hard to get lost. We docked at 7am and left the boat at 7:20 and made it with plenty of time. Sit on the left side of the train if possible going up or just sit on the right coming back so get the best views. You can go out on the train platform too which I thought was better anyway if it’s not too crowded.

 

We got off with about 40 other hikers, 30 in a guided hike and 10 locals who had the day off (they were all Holland America cruise tour operators). We got going before the large group so it felt like we had the trail to ourselves since the locals hiked faster than we did. The beginning of the trail was easy and wound through the forest. Once we got to the river it got a bit harder because it was a lot of rocks and we started to go up to the glacier. We also weren’t really sure if we were on the trail anymore. It’s clear getting to the river but we found out that there really is no marked trail at the river. You just follow the river up along side it on the rocks and a ways up the trail will be visible again and go off from the river again. It’s hard to miss with it goes to the right again, just walk up along the river bed towards the glacier and make your own path. I think since the water rises and falls, there’s no real trail to go by at that part. We hiked right up to the glacier even though at the base it just looks like a rock/sand/dirt covered mound and not the typical blue ice. That was just farther up. We climbed on the glacier and hiked another mile on it but never reached the ‘blue ice’ since we didn’t have spikes and the rock surface got thinner and thinner and the white ice was slipperyJ. We packed some crackers and fruit and had lunch on the glacier. It was really beautiful. We had about 1 ½ hours to wait for the train though but it was nice to lay in the sun.

 

Also, bring bug spray! There were TONS of black flies which were just an annoyance but once we got to the river, mosquitoes showed up. I forgot our bug spray but thankfully we were in pants and long sleeves so it wasn’t a real problem since they didn’t go for our faces. But they sure were trying to bite through our sleeves. Once you get closer to the glacier the cold keeps them away. But the black flies really were everywhere, we had to cover our faces laying in the sun waiting on the train so they wouldn’t annoy us. They are easy to kill so you can always make a game out of it J

[deej696]

Wow, this is a great review. My wife and I are trying to figure out our excursions for next year, and like you we don't just want to take the train and thats it. It sounds like this hike may fit the bill. I know you say getting to the "blue ice" was a bit further, is it possible? What sort of shoes, etc would you suggest to pull this off?

[love4god]

My wife and I are leaving are boarding Friday heading north.

 

We were thinking of renting a car in Skagway and driving out to Emerald lake. But now you're got me considering this hike instead. How awesome.

[love4god]

Are the last 6 miles of the train ride the most dramatic? I'm assuming they would be. I mean if it's $45/ticket more for 6 miles i would hope so. What are you missing out on?

[etw]

We saw some pretty incredible scenery in the first 14 miles, but you're correct, there are 'better' things to see in the last 6 miles but you can go even further on the train to Fraser (I think) and that's another 20 miles. So it really just depends on if you would rather hike and see awesome surroundings or stay on the train and enjoy it that way. The ticket for the 40 mile loop is pretty hefty but some people take the train one way and then take a bus back and get other parts of scenery from the road. The road for the most part follows the train tracks but it does vere off at times.

 

We chose to hike because we're young and like hiking wherever we go so it was hard to pass up hiking to a glacier. It's hard to choose because you are only in port for so long and can't do everything. I did ask if it was possible to buy the White Pass round trip ticket (first 20 miles) and get dropped off at the trailhead on the way BACK but that's not allowed. When we were waiting for our 3:30 train back to town, 4 trains passed us during our wait and none of them stopped even though there were 10-15 of us just waiting. I guess the train people have their scheduled pickups and there are no other options.

 

One more note, if you do take the Laughtin Glacier hike, bring your passport. They'll remind you when you get tickets but just so you know beforehand and remember. It's because the train you take at 8am is the train that goes all the way to Canada and for some reason even though the hikers never go into Canada, we're still on the same train and the customs guy checks our passports too.

[etw]

It is possible to hike to the blue ice but it's a big glacier and might get a little dangerous the farther you hike up. I'm no climber, but I would think you would need the spikes you can attach to your hiking boots so you can walk on just ice and not slip. I am going to link to pictures hopefully this evening so you can see how the glacier looks.