Skagway - White Pass Train / Bus Options

[SirTomster]

My wife and I have a cruise booked for a Southern trip on the HAL ms Noordm for June of next year.

 

When we are in Skagway, we are there from 7 AM to 9 PM. or 14 hours. So plenty of time for a long excursion.

 

I have been researching all the options and I want to do the train but also want to do the bus as well.  Since I am into photography and want to make stops to take pictures.

 

I have been reviewing Chilkoot Charters and their options.  

 

At the moment, I am looking at their two longest ones.   The 8-hour Bennett Scenic Journey and the 7.5-hour Yukon Rail and Bus Excursion.  

 

Therefore, I am asking if anyone else has done these and their thoughts.   I am leaning towards the Bennett option as you are on the Train longer from Skagway to Bennett instead of just to Frasier with the other.  But you miss the Caribou Crossing Trading Post which from what I have seen is a 100% tourist trap.   So not a big loss there.  Most of the info I have found just talks about these in general and I am not sure if I have seen a post that mentions the train to Bennett.

 

Also, any other options that are cool?  I like the idea of Chilkoot's smaller buses and being able to stop more than a big motorcoach.  Though no bathroom could be an issue with my gut.

 

Also, looking at the Bus up and Train down option since the Bus will be in the morning and since I like to do photography, hope to see some animals.

[oaktreerb]

We’ve been to Bennett Lake many years ago on a different Holland America itinerary.  If you are a photographer you will love the scenery at Bennett Lake.  It is a unique opportunity.  Otherwise the bus up and the train back to Skagway would be my choice.   On our drive up the road we saw a bear eating dandelions long the side of the road.  That’s the only time we have seen a bear near Skagway.

 

Comfort stops are planned for bus transportation.   Drivers try to stop every 2 hours.

[lobsternight]

Early May we did the train up and bus to Yukon and back, think it was 8 hours, booked through HAL. Fantastic tour, lots of stops for photos.  Will do it again.  

[GTJ]

Just to be certain, here's a comparison of the two tours without the marketing hype.

 

1. Bennett Scenic Journey. This trip includes a ride on the White Pass and Yukon Route to the maximum extent to which passenger train service is available. Train usually departs Skagway daily except Mondays and Saturdays at approximately 7:45 a.m. Alaska time, and arrives at Carcross at approximately 1:30 p.m. Yukon time (12:30 p.m. Alaska time). The train passes through Bennett, where there is a 45-minute station stop for looking about. A cold box lunch is provided upon departure from Bennett. It is then 90 minutes to the terminus of the train route, Carcross, a name that is short for the original name of the community, Caribou Crossing. The station is in the center of Carcoss, a real, though tourist-oriented, community. From here the return transportation to Skagway is by bus. When offered in the reverse direction, usually daily except Fridays and Sundays, the bus travels from Skagway to Carcross, where it meets the train that had already traveled from Skagway to Carcross and has been readied for its return trip. The train usually departs Carcross at approximately 2:00 p.m. Yukon time (1:00 p.m. Alaska time). During the 90-minute travel time to Bennett a cold box lunch is provided. At Bennett there is a 45-minute stop for looking about. The train then departs for Skagway, arriving at approximately 5:45 p.m. Alaska time.

 

2. Yukon Rail & Bus Excursion. This trip includes a ride on the White Pass and Yukon Route only so far as Fraser, the location of Canadian immigration and customs. Train usually departs Skagway daily at 7:40 a.m. and 12:40 p.m. Alaska time, and arrives at Fraser at approximately 10:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. British Columbia time (9:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Alaska time). Then transfer to bus for the trip to Carcross. Because no meal is served on the train, the bus stops at Wild Adventure Yukon (formerly Caribou Crossing Trading Post), a tourist trap just outside the community of Carcross, for a hot lunch. From here the return transportation to Skagway is by bus. When offered in the reverse direction, usually daily, the bus travels from Skagway to Wild Adventure Yukon for a hot lunch. Then bus then travels to Fraser, where it meets the train that had already traveled from Skagway to Fraser and has been readied for the return trip. The train usually departs Fraser daily at approximately 11:45 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. British Columbia time (10:45 a.m. and 3:35 p.m. Alaska time). The train then arrives in Skagway at approximately 12:20 p.m. and 5:10 p.m. Alaska time.

 

In broad terms these are the differences. No. 1 includes a longer train journey but a cold lunch (turkey sandwich, chips, side, dessert). No. 2 includes a shorter train journey but a hot lunch (BBQ chicken, coleslaw, baked potato, roll, donut). The scenery is the same for both, with the exception that only no. 1 includes the distinct scenery through Bennett, where the parallel highway does not pass. No. 2 is $31 less expensive.

 

My analysis: As a rail enthusiast, I would favor no. 1 for that reason alone. Neither of the lunch options are sufficient enough--both are fairly inexpensive to provide--to base a decision. Having the additional scenery of passing through Bennett is a plus. On the other hand, some people view tourist trap visits as a plus. The difference is cost is less than 15 percent, and likely not sufficient enough upon which to base a decision. It is not clear if passengers have the choice between train-then-bus and bus-then-train, or if that choice is made by the tour operator based.

[Crew News]

I have been on the HAL Lake Bennett excursion twice and will be returning in May 2024.  The private dining car was not more than 50% occupied and the table were very convenient for the  box lunch.  The lunch was a turkey sandwich, salad, chips, cookies and free water.  The scenery at Lake Bennett made some great photos.

HAL dining car

 

As a hobby photographer, I spend most of my time on the platforms between the train cars taking photos of the amazing scenery.  Since the dining car is not full, there is little competition for space on the platforms.

 

i have deleted the people standing on the platforms between the train cars

 

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by Crew News

[john bowtie]

Another option. If you are willing to skip the train, you can rent a car in Skagway and drive to Carcross/Emerald Lake on your own. With this option, you get to stop as often as you wish on the drive (and can easily avoid a crowded stop if there is already a bus there). This option can also be far less expensive that the rail/bus tour. We left at 7:30 and returned at 5:30. We stopped at the Tutshi Dog Sled tours (incredible--puppies and very informative), the Suspension bridge, Skagway overlook, Skagway old cemetery along the way. We had lunch in Carcross at the Bistro--which was a much better option than the tours (great fish & chips, soup). I did the rental car with Affordable Car rental in Skagway--no problems--the car was waiting directly next to the ship was was easy to drive for the day. 

[SirTomster]

6 hours ago, Crew News said:

I have been on the HAL Lake Bennett excursion twice and will be returning in May 2024.  The private dining car was not more than 50% occupied and the table were very convenient for the  box lunch.  The lunch was a turkey sandwich, salad, chips, cookies and free water.  The scenery at Lake Bennett made some great photos.

HAL dining car

As a hobby photographer, I spend most of my time on the platforms between the train cars taking photos of the amazing scenery.  Since the dining car is not full, there is little competition for space on the platforms.

 

 

Cool.  I have pretty much talked myself into doing the Lake Bennett route.  But likely through Chilkoot Charters.  $50 less per person and their bus transportation are mini buses and not a huge bus.   Both pluses in my mind.  But good to know about the HAL dining car.   Hey, maybe I can get HAL to price-match it.  🙂   It is the same tour that I could see.  I have not compared every stop though.

 

[SirTomster]

6 hours ago, john bowtie said:

Another option. If you are willing to skip the train, you can rent a car in Skagway and drive to Carcross/Emerald Lake on your own. With this option, you get to stop as often as you wish on the drive (and can easily avoid a crowded stop if there is already a bus there). This option can also be far less expensive that the rail/bus tour. We left at 7:30 and returned at 5:30. We stopped at the Tutshi Dog Sled tours (incredible--puppies and very informative), the Suspension bridge, Skagway overlook, Skagway old cemetery along the way. We had lunch in Carcross at the Bistro--which was a much better option than the tours (great fish & chips, soup). I did the rental car with Affordable Car rental in Skagway--no problems--the car was waiting directly next to the ship was was easy to drive for the day. 

 

I thought of that, but sightseeing while driving is not my favorite experience.   I miss too many things focusing on not dying.   Being able to look around with someone else driving is a huge plus to me.  I also want to have the train experience.  This is why I wanted the train/bus combo.  I get the train experience but also the bus is able to stop at scenic spots. 

 

I remember a trip a few years ago to Glacier National Park.  My wife and I did the Red Bus tours and the driver knew the area and where to stop for the best sights.   It was a great ride.  We drove the same route ourselves on the trip and I just got to see more when I wasn't focusing on the drive and could look around.

[GTJ]

9 hours ago, SirTomster said:

I thought of that, but sightseeing while driving is not my favorite experience. I miss too many things focusing on not dying. Being able to look around with someone else driving is a huge plus to me.

In other comments I have mentioned the same thing. Driving a motor vehicle is a dangerous activity and requires full devotion to safe operation, and sightseeing while also driving is not a good combination. Too many people fail to drive safely, sometimes because they're doing thing other than concentrating on safe driving, resulting in severe injury or death to others or self. Moreover, some people are unable to drive safely, and may not even be licensed to do so (myself included). When intending to sightsee, best not to drive . . . generally the best choice is train and/or bus.

 

9 hours ago, SirTomster said:

"[The tour operator's] bus transportation are mini buses and not a huge bus. Both pluses in my mind."

While a smaller bus can provide a more intimate tour, the mini-buses that are used are inexpensive chassis on body vehicles that provide a much less comfortable ride than the monocoque construction of a full-sized coach. Given a choice, I would much rather travel on a modern Prevost H3-45 motorcoach than anything constructed on a cutaway Econoline chassis. But it is a personal choice and not uniform agreement.

 

9 hours ago, SirTomster said:

Being able to look around with someone else driving is a huge plus to me. I also want to have the train experience. This is why I wanted the train/bus combo. I get the train experience but also the bus is able to stop at scenic spots.

It is one of the reasons that I like RDCs. They are small and informal such that the engineer can stop them much like a bus. I remember the first season when the Alaska Railroad reestablished passenger service on the route south from Anchorage to Seward (in the late 1980s), and it used RDCs initially for that service (I cannot recall if only single car was used or if it was paired). A few times the engineer stopped the RDC to allow sightseeing, at one point even stopping on a bridge over a stream, and opening the baggage door on a combine to allow the passenger to view the spawning salmon below. Alas, the White Pass and Yukon Route is only operating full-length passenger trains, something that is more difficult for that type of sightseeing . . . better suited for bus travel.

 

10 hours ago, SirTomster said:

I have pretty much talked myself into doing the Lake Bennett route.

Given your stated preferences, I think you've made the right decision.