Skagway long train excursion or shorter one?

[Sandie5]

There are 3 train excursions at Skagway we can pick. One is 3 hours on a train and bus. The other two are over 7 hours, one is Bennet and other goes into Yukon and back at 8 hours. 

 

Will the 8 hour one be way too long? Is it worthwhile?

[newcruiser1956]

I took the one that went up and came back without going into canada.  What a waste of $100.

 

[Eaglecw]

We've done all the trains out of Skagway at one time or the other. The one I enjoyed the most was the 8 hour train to Bennett and on into Carcross, it's the most expensive. At Carcross they'll be a bus to take us back to Skagway. My suggestion is to spend as much time as you can out on the platform between the cars, you'll see a lot more and get better pictures.

[Kfrech]

1 hour ago, Eaglecw said:

We've done all the trains out of Skagway at one time or the other. The one I enjoyed the most was the 8 hour train to Bennett and on into Carcross, it's the most expensive. At Carcross they'll be a bus to take us back to Skagway. My suggestion is to spend as much time as you can out on the platform between the cars, you'll see a lot more and get better pictures.

Did you book the Bennett trip on your own or through the cruise line? 
 

Also, did the Bennett trip include seeing any husky puppies? We’re not interested in any dogsledding...just want to see puppies. 

[Eaglecw]

We booked the Bennett train excursion to Carcross though the ship, we had a lot of OBC on that cruise. No Husky puppies on that excursion. If you want to see Husky puppies take the excursion that stops for lunch at Caribou Crossing Trading Post https://cariboucrossing.ca/

[Kfrech]

Thanks so much.

 

From the research I've done, it seems that no tour that goes to Bennett includes a stop at Caribou Crossing Trading...although I'll keep looking!

[Jnsplace1]

I am using Chilhoot charter & tours and I"ve booked the Bennet lake.  https://chilkootcharters.com/

 From reading the itenary, it's pretty packed.   You have 45 min at Bennet lake/Carcross to check out the area before heading back.

 

I don't think there's a lot of time to add anything else.  Perhaps you may explore private tour option vs small group?

[peety3]

1 hour ago, Jnsplace1 said:

I am using Chilhoot charter & tours and I"ve booked the Bennet lake.  https://chilkootcharters.com/

 From reading the itenary, it's pretty packed.   You have 45 min at Bennet lake/Carcross to check out the area before heading back.

 

I don't think there's a lot of time to add anything else.  Perhaps you may explore private tour option vs small group?

Bennett Lake and Carcross are two different stops: the lake is in the middle, Carcross is at the end. There's not much to see in Carcross...grab yourself an ice cream cone a block from the train stop and you're set.

 

For the sake of mention, the Bennett Lake run does alternate: one day it's outbound, the next day it returns. You've got 50% odds that it'll be a returning run. Just like you'll take a bus in the opposite direction, the outbound train crew reverses the train using the triangle in Carcross, parks the train, and hops in a van for the drive back to Skagway. The next morning, the inbound train crew drives to Carcross in their van and does the run. No big deal one way or the other, just be ready for it.

[masterdrago]

We originally wanted to take the full day ride. I'm happy we did not get to take it. They do not run on Mondays and we were there Memorial day. So we opted for the ride from Fraser back to Skagway on the train. About 45 minutes. I'm really glad we did it that way as we were able to take an incredible van ride Skagway to Emerald Lake/Carcross and back to Fraser with Dyea Dave. Truly awesome trip! I shot a bit of video on the train. 45 minutes was plenty. 

 

[Msterl63]

Forget the train and check into Dave Dyea Tour.  I highly recommend it.  We did this tour instead of the train and were so happy we did.  We booked with him based on recommendations from right here on Cruise Critic.  His tour goes farther to a little restaurant for a delicious homestyle lunch.  The vehicle is a small van type with only 10-12 people which is better than a bus tour.  The tour is narrated all the way and is very entertaining.  When the driver spotted a bear, we stopped to take pictures.  You can't do that on the train.  We also stopped at a little town where we could use restrooms and get a drink/snack.  So much better than the train!!  I guarantee you won't regret it.

[Kfrech]

We decided to book Chilkoot Charter's longer trip up to Bennett Lake. We'll be taking the train up and shuttle bus back.

[adstz]

On 2/2/2020 at 4:15 PM, Kfrech said:

Thanks so much.

 

From the research I've done, it seems that no tour that goes to Bennett includes a stop at Caribou Crossing Trading...although I'll keep looking!

 

Check into Chilkoot Charters. We have gone with them twice and sent friends to them also. They have a number of excursions that include the train and Caribou Crossing for lunch.

Our preference is the Yukon Bus and Rail Excursion. 7.5 hours. We like to take the bus up in the morning and rail down in the afternoon. The views from the train on the way back down are amazing. The one time we took the train up and bus down everyone fell asleep in the bus on the way back down the mountain. 

This excursion usually includes a visit with the puppies!

My family will be doing this excursion in June when we are there.

[svm8]

On 2/4/2020 at 7:39 PM, Kfrech said:

We decided to book Chilkoot Charter's longer trip up to Bennett Lake. We'll be taking the train up and shuttle bus back.

We took this tour with Chilkoot last summer and it was fantastic.  There were only about 8-10 people in our tour group and we had our own car on the train. We took the train up, mini-bus tour down, and both legs were great. It is a long tour, but you see such a variety of scenery and history.  Highly recommend!

[Kfrech]

Great to hear that! Thanks so much!