Yukon Train and bus Private Tours?

[PattyCruiser2013]

Is there another private tour other than Chilkoot? They don't have availability on our date that also includes stopping at the musher camp and seeing the puppies, and that is one of the things we were looking forward to. not sure if the cruise tour offers this or not, but will check. heard great things about chilkoot so tried them and were hoping to get on that one.

 

thanks!

[reney313]

Is there another private tour other than Chilkoot? They don't have availability on our date that also includes stopping at the musher camp and seeing the puppies, and that is one of the things we were looking forward to. not sure if the cruise tour offers this or not, but will check. heard great things about chilkoot so tried them and were hoping to get on that one.

 

thanks!

 

We took Dyea Dave a few years ago. Their price includes round trip shuttle to Emerald Lake and back to the ship. The shuttle was small, which was great for stopping off on the side of the road for pictures, etc. We went to Carcross then on to Emerald Lake. After, we stopped for lunch (the price of lunch is not included, but the stop is included). We then headed back down toward Skagway and they dropped off anyone who had purchased separate train tickets on the White Pass train from Fraser, BC to Skagway. We did purchase the train tickets prior to leaving Skagway. I really enjoyed the opportunity to see the two different perspectives (The highway was great, but different than the train ride).

 

They do not stop at a musher camp, at least not on the tour we took, but I do highly recommend it unless that is a main priority for you.

[mapleleaves]

The town web site has a list of excursions/vendors. Probably http://www.skagway.com

 

The best resource is to look at trip reports; they will provide first hand experience with the vendor ( good and bad). Go to the STICKY above, reply #45 has them sorted by cruiseline.

[Bugs4me]

We booked through skagwayshoretours, but it is actually Frontier Excursions. Bus ride up and back, same bus whether you do the sled dog ride or not. Says that lunch is included, stops look like they are pretty much the same between the different options, I am hoping they have it worked out so that people on different excursions are doing different things at different times?

[sherryf]

We booked through skagwayshoretours, but it is actually Frontier Excursions. Bus ride up and back, same bus whether you do the sled dog ride or not. Says that lunch is included, stops look like they are pretty much the same between the different options, I am hoping they have it worked out so that people on different excursions are doing different things at different times?

 

There will be a lengthy stop at Caribou Crossing that includes lunch for everyone, plus the dog cart ride for those who choose to take it. There is also a "Wildlife" museum, gold panning, playing with puppies, gift shop, etc. Everyone can make use of their time as they wish, as long as they are back to the bus on time.

[PattyCruiser2013]

We ended up booking through frontier. They got rave reviews on tripadvisor too.

 

 

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[disneyfaninaz]

We just got back from our amazing Alaskan cruise. We booked the 7.5 hour White Pass RR and Klondike Highway tour with Frontier Excursions. They were wonderful! We had need of the wheelchair rail car and had a tour van all to ourselves. It was an amazing trip. We went all the way up to Emerald Lake. While it was cool and cloudy in Skagway in the morning, it was warm and sunny in the Yukon.

 

We went to Caribou Crossing. The lunch was very good BBQ chicken quarters with half a seasoned baked potato, cole slaw and home made donuts. Water was provided at the table or you could purchase soda.

 

The dog camp and petting zoo are open to everybody. You have to pay extra to take a dog cart ride. There is also a taxidermy museum and gift shop there.

 

Bring mosquito repellant, they are thick up there.

Edited June 11, 2014 by disneyfaninaz

[cassamanda]

We took Dyea Dave a few years ago. Their price includes round trip shuttle to Emerald Lake and back to the ship. The shuttle was small, which was great for stopping off on the side of the road for pictures, etc. We went to Carcross then on to Emerald Lake. After, we stopped for lunch (the price of lunch is not included, but the stop is included). We then headed back down toward Skagway and they dropped off anyone who had purchased separate train tickets on the White Pass train from Fraser, BC to Skagway. We did purchase the train tickets prior to leaving Skagway. I really enjoyed the opportunity to see the two different perspectives (The highway was great, but different than the train ride).

 

They do not stop at a musher camp, at least not on the tour we took, but I do highly recommend it unless that is a main priority for you.

 

I have also posted on another thread. We have also booked with Dyea Dave to Emerald Lake for this coming Aug and i am considering the train return.

My question is. The return by train option doubles the cost of the tour for just the last bit from Fraser to Skagway, what is the difference between the road and the train on that section to make this worthwhile?

[reney313]

I have also posted on another thread. We have also booked with Dyea Dave to Emerald Lake for this coming Aug and i am considering the train return.

My question is. The return by train option doubles the cost of the tour for just the last bit from Fraser to Skagway, what is the difference between the road and the train on that section to make this worthwhile?

 

Yeah, I had a hard time making that decision initially too.

 

For me, I really enjoyed the diversity of the train.

 

Fraser to Skagway is the same as the way up on the highway. On the train, you are on a narrow gauge railway that meanders through the mountains differently. The views are even more stunning in some places than what you saw from the Highway on the way up. In addition, the train itself is an experience.

 

I know when we were driving back down and they dropped us off at the train station, I thought to myself...this is crazy, we should have saved the money and not bought the train ticket since the trip itself included RT transportation and the views were wonderful. But after we rode the train and got back to Skagway, I was very happy we spent the extra.

 

There were only 2 of us, so it wasn't quite the investment it would be for a larger family. Instead of taking an excursion in Ketchikan, we chose to spend more on this one. We figured by the time we got to ketchikan (that was the SB route that cruise) we would be too tired...and we were right.

 

One thing to note, it is a long day...if there are others in your party that would be too tired, (kids, etc), it may be worth it to stay on the shuttle rather than taking the train.

[sherryf]

I have also posted on another thread. We have also booked with Dyea Dave to Emerald Lake for this coming Aug and i am considering the train return.

My question is. The return by train option doubles the cost of the tour for just the last bit from Fraser to Skagway, what is the difference between the road and the train on that section to make this worthwhile?

 

There is a lot of history behind the train. The gold rush is a big part of the history of the area. On the train, you will see where the miners traveled, you can still see remnants of tools and things left behind. They narrate the train trip and point out the significant historical spots. Many people find this quite interesting, but if it is not of interest to you, then it may not be worth the extra cost.

[cassamanda]

Thank you for you positive comments. We will book the train on the return. May not be back again so makes sense.

[slix1]

Make sure you are a fan of trains and that it is nice weather when you go. A few years ago we chose to take a different tour while most of our large group rode the train. It was lightly raining and they said the windows were fogged enough to block big parts of the view. We just this month used Beyond Skagway and had a great tour. The guide knew where to show us high mountain goats on the way up and we watched a bear walking down the side of the road for several minutes on the way down. I don't know if the noise of train cuts down on the chance of seeing wildlife.