Skagway Tour

[rjwinneberger]

Hey Everyone!

 

We are headed to Alaska in July/August on the Ovation of the Seas. One of our stops is Skagway. I was looking at tour options while we are there and saw the Gold Panning, Sled Dogs & Exclusive Scenic Railway tour offered through the cruiseline. We prefer to book private tours (we tend to like the more personal approach), but we cannot seem to find a tour comparable to this to book on our own.

 

Does anyone have any experience with this? We are a group of 8 - 12 9 (depending on how many want to do the tour), so we could easily make up our own group! 

 

Thanks a ton!

[misguy]

My recommendation is to rent vehicles and then drive into the Yukon territory.  That drive is amazing and there so many things to see and do.  Carcross is a quaint little town, the Carcross dessert is the worlds smallest, Emerald Lake is spectacular on a sunny day.  Caribou Crossing has dog sleds, husky puppies, a petting zoo, and gold panning.  Check out Murray's Guide to the South Klondike Highway before you make a decision.

[dustyroad]

Try Chillkoot Tours in Skagway.  They are a very good tour Co. that will give you everything you want.  The dog sled ride will not be on snow but dirt. And the gold panning will not be in a lake but a trough,, but it is fun for the kids.  I suggest the train ride up the Mt. and the small van ride on the way back down to Skagway.  It includes lunch and stopping at places to take pictures and see the sights.  I have done it and it is a great tour and they are very reliable.  Set on the left side of train going up the Mt and on the right side of the van coming back down.  They book early so call right away if you decide on them.  

Have a great time in Alaska.  

[pbenjamin]

20 hours ago, misguy said:

My recommendation is to rent vehicles and then drive into the Yukon territory.  That drive is amazing and there so many things to see and do.  Carcross is a quaint little town, the Carcross dessert is the worlds smallest, Emerald Lake is spectacular on a sunny day.  Caribou Crossing has dog sleds, husky puppies, a petting zoo, and gold panning.  Check out Murray's Guide to the South Klondike Highway before you make a decision.

 

Thanks for the tip.  I booked two jeeps as backup in case our other Skagway plan falls through.

[prish]

Sorry to hijack the OP’s post but I have a question about the Yukon and Klondike Highway drive. Does one go through a border check, can it lead to delays? Please let me know what your experiences have been, thanks 😊

[dyeadave]

You definitely have to pass thru a border check on the way to the Yukon!

They customs people usually come on the tour buses and check passports while you hold them up, by your face, no hats or glasses worn.

Sometimes they take the passports inside for further checking, but mostly with rental cars, and occasionally with the tour buses.

You should not attempt to go up there if you have a dui or other Canadian felony on your record!

other papers like proof of parents permission, etc. may be needed Check with Customs authority if in doubt.

DD

[misguy]

On our last trip, they did check our documents into Canada and back into the US, but it didn't slow us down at all.

 

[katrina915]

We didn't experience any slow downs either way.   Was a few construction vehicles but they kept the cars moving.

[lois1112]

On 3/20/2019 at 1:31 PM, dustyroad said:

Try Chillkoot Tours in Skagway.  They are a very good tour Co. that will give you everything you want.  The dog sled ride will not be on snow but dirt. And the gold panning will not be in a lake but a trough,, but it is fun for the kids.  I suggest the train ride up the Mt. and the small van ride on the way back down to Skagway.  It includes lunch and stopping at places to take pictures and see the sights.  I have done it and it is a great tour and they are very reliable.  Set on the left side of train going up the Mt and on the right side of the van coming back down.  They book early so call right away if you decide on them.  

Have a great time in Alaska.  

I agree with this poster....Have done Chillkoot tours twice and have not been disappointed

the train ride is wonderful, and would also do the train ride up (although on one trip it was too overcast to see much) The lunch is the same exact place as the cruise ships. The highlight for me was playing with the husky puppies (we went in September last trip)