White Pass Railroad question....

[bettyonboard]

White Pass & Yukon Railroad excursion sounds very popular, but I also like to go and "explore" other maybe less popular places. I have been reading the Inside Passage Activity Guide. I am thinking about taking the ferry to Haines from Skagway, but don't want to miss the Railroad tour. I am sure that I can only do one. I would like to hear from anyone that has toured Haines, and is it worth giving up a seat on the left hand side of the train on the White Pass tour? :confused: Oh the choices!

[Optima7]

We rented a car and traveled along the same path as the railroad to Carcross in the Yukon.

 

You see most of the same scenery as you would from the train. The bonus is the section past the train stop. Spectacular alpine scenery, frequent wildlife, quaint town and the world's smallest desert. Did I mention beautiful glacier fed lakes?

 

Also not a difficult drive.

[Roland4]

If the choice is the railway or Haines, take the railway. We were docked in Haines last June on Crystal Harmony and it is truly a "one street town"!

[alcpa1]

When you thoroughly research your options for getting to Haines you will find that it is all in the travel and with little time left to see Haines. Depending on your arrival time in Skagway it may not be doable anyway. We had investigated it as well and decided against it. Our decision had nothiing to do with the cost.

We did do the White Pass Railroad. It was enjoyable and since we booked directly with the railroad we did not have a crowded car. The trade off was the walk back to the ship fighting the headwinds. One of the Skagway artists we met told us it is generally very windy. If you are planning on taking the train in May, early June, or September book through your cruise line because you might enjoy the proximity of the train pulling up near your ship or the bus transfer.

We are returning to Alaska next year and will rent a car and cross the border to go to Emerald Lake.

[Sillyjilly]

I know DH & I will be the minority on this, but we found the railroad pass to be BORING. If you like to take lots & lots of pictures, then maybe it's for you

 

When we made it to the top and then had to go back down, I thought I would die. I was tired of seeing green and running springs, but I got to see the same thing again while coming back down. How many pictures can you take of the same thing? I've read only good things about this excurstion, so I've always been hesitant to post. But DH & I were bored, bored, bored. We are in our mid forties, so maybe that is a factor.

 

Whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. Enjoy your cruise!

 

Jill

[misha1]

I am with you sillyjilly, I have seen the posted pictures of White Pass Rail and I am now a little hesitant about this excursion. We live in Wisconsin, and although the scenery may not be on the grand scale of Alaska, when I view people's pictures, it looks like Wisconsin. The hillsides, streams, wildlife, pines, wildflowers, rivers...I am very lucky to live it every day. I will make the best of it as this excursion comes so very highly recommended, and maybe I will enjoy it very much. I guess I will have to see. Nevertheless, I am extremely excited to be on my way in 58 days.

[soooo excited!]

I am planning our cruise to Alaska for next summer - and looking at everyone's excursions/comments - and it's true - you have to think about what will be 'special' to you. we are going to do the railway - but we live in rural Ontario which is flat, but we have lots of wildlife and greenery around us so that has to be a consideration when looking at excursions. I'm considering asking my DH to do the combination "Railway and bike tour" , he's not into cycling - but it's all downhill - train up, bike back - that might make it a little more interesting ? Has anyone done that?

 

I do want to do a float plane or helicopter over the glaciers - but other than that I'd be quite happy to be pampered on the ship. My DH wants to go salmon fishing - which is how I got him to agree to a cruise in the first place - so he'll be going off on one or two of those.

 

I'll keep reading everyone's posts re: Alaska, in the hopes next year will hurry up and get here.

[Sillyjilly]

I am with you sillyjilly, I have seen the posted pictures of White Pass Rail and I am now a little hesitant about this excursion. We live in Wisconsin, and although the scenery may not be on the grand scale of Alaska, when I view people's pictures, it looks like Wisconsin. The hillsides, streams, wildlife, pines, wildflowers, rivers...I am very lucky to live it every day. I will make the best of it as this excursion comes so very highly recommended, and maybe I will enjoy it very much. I guess I will have to see. Nevertheless, I am extremely excited to be on my way in 58 days.

 

We were fortunate enough to drive through Wisconsin this year. I do believe you will see alot of the same scenery. Beautiful, but if you live there, you have already seen it. Reminds me of Washington State.

You do get a lot of history on the train and the people who run it were very friendly! I'm sure you will enjoy yourself.

I can't sit still that long. I thought that train would never end.

 

I'm jealous. Only 58 more days. Here is a big Yahoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo just for you. :D

 

Jill

[DC2OC]

Try one of the Combo Tours.Take the bus one way the train the other.You see different veiws from each.The veiws from the decks on the train are great and the buses stop for photo ops.There are many 2 in 1 tours from Celebrity and independents like Shoretrips.com.........................Frank:)

[misha1]

Pretty much sums up how I feel! I am in the wardrobe, luggage, shopping mode already.

[Tracyr]

I just found out that the Mercury Cruise I have clients on is now going to Haines rather than Skagway. For those of you who have been to Haines how much is it to ride the ferry to Skagway. It looks like they are in port from 6:30am to 8:pm so I don't think time is a factor, just wondering how much more money they will have to spend just to get there. Thanks

[glanders]

I did both back in 2000. We did the Railway in the morning, then took the ferry to Haines in the afternoon for a float trip through the eagle preserve. I don't think they offer this anymore, as Galaxy came over and docked in Haines in the evening to pick us up.

 

We liked the Railway trip so much, we did it again in 2002. (BTW - we were in our 30's at the time). We just don't get that kind of scenery in Georgia, and the narration was very interesting.

 

The float trip in Haines was like nothing I've ever done, and it will go down as one of those once in a lifetime experiences. We were able to walk around Haines afterward. It is smaller than any tiny Hamlet we visited in Norway last summer. We stopped into a totem pole museum and talked to a carver. That was really interesting. There is a tiny wildlife museum, also. Part of the experience of being there was seeing this huge ship exclipse the whole town.

 

So, to your question - if you've never done the railway, I would say do it unless you can do the float trip through the eagle preserve.

[DaisyGirl55]

My hubby and I will be sailing to Alaska on the Infinity in September. My packing list is about done, so now we have been researching about our excursions. A friend just came back from Alaska, and she went on the White Pass Railroad excursion and she loved it! We were not sure if this was the excursion for us, but she kind of clinched it for us. Living in flatland Georgia, I think it would be rather neat to ride the railroad to the summitt!

[waunabcruizin]

Hey Everybody - Does the White Pass and Yukon just go up to the summit and then turn around (somehow) and come back down? I took this trip in 1972 (?) or thereabouts and the train went all the way to Lake Bennett in Yukon Territory where we all got off the train at the old railroad station.

 

Lake Bennett was still frozen in early May and it wasn't hard to imagine all the scruffy miners camped in their scruffy tents slogging through the half frozen mud, cutting trees, sawing, working hard at building rafts, or boats, or anything else that would float out of the lake when it thawed and down the river to the gold fields.

 

Inside the train station there were huge trestle tables piled with food served family style and we all sat at the tables and ate whatever we wanted, passing platters and bowls up and down the table. It was really, really fun, the food was great, the camaraderie was super and it's a great memory that has stayed in my mind all these years.

 

The train was a narrow-gauge with a chuffing steam engine and each car had a pot-bellied wood stove for heat. It was early May and the tundra was still frozen and it was cold. I remember I spent a lot of the trip standing on the outside platform between cars just looking at the immensity of the country where there was absolutely no sign of human habitation - no phone poles, no roads, no houses, no smoke from a fire - nothing human at all. I felt like Lewis and Clarke must have felt on their trek to the Pacific Ocean. It was simply breathtaking.

 

If the trip no longer goes all the way to Lake Bennett, or if somehow they have 'built up' the area, then I will be always and forever grateful that I did this trip 'way back when...' and I won't do it again for fear of spoiling my terrific memories of the way it was.

 

Carol.

[JuneauWhatIMean]

DH and I are doing the Yukon Rail and Bus with Chilkoot Charters in September. You take the train up to White Pass and then transfer to a bus that goes to Carcross, Caribou Crossing, Emerald Lake and Lake Bennett. Lunch and dog sled puppy petting are included. Lots of scenery for a great price, under $160.

www.skagwaysbesttour.com/yukonrail.htm

[Drew B]

I did both back in 2000. We did the Railway in the morning, then took the ferry to Haines in the afternoon for a float trip through the eagle preserve. I don't think they offer this anymore, as Galaxy came over and docked in Haines in the evening to pick us up.

 

I did the Eagle Preserve Float this May, so they are still offering it. You start in Skagway, take a catamaran across the fjord to Haines, a bus upriver, then float downstream for 6 miles before getting back on the bus and doing everything again in reverse. I LOVED this excursion, even though I didn't do anything else in Haines besides getting on and off the ferry.

[bettyonboard]

Thank you to all that responded. I love to hear all comments, popular or not. I live in Washington State, so I am spoiled with natures beauty all the time. Sorry not to have responded to each of you that took the time to comment. I think I like the "combo" idea. (Not taking the train roundtrip) I am jealous of everyone getting to go before my trip in Sept '07! I heard the Carcross has awesome cinnamon buns.

[JuneauWhatIMean]

You're welcome, Betty! But I'm sorry to say that I've heard that the cinnamon bun place has closed. :( Here's a link: www.yukonalaska.com/buns/

 

Ali

[masterbaker]

We rented a car and drove the highway that the white pass train runs along using this milepost guide that we printed and brought along with us. http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike-photos1.html We saw the train while stopped at a scenic overlook and thought to ourselves how lucky we were to be able to stop wherever we wanted along the way to get out and enjoy the day at our own pace. It's a very easy drive and you get to go further than the train, and the scenery gets better too further on. I can't imagine the train stopping so that passengers can watch a bear fish or a mountain goat climbing the rocks, or taking time for the perfect photo of a beautiful waterfall. They never get to walk in the "worlds smallest desert" or view beautiful Emerald Lake.

 

Our experience driving the Yukon Highway was amazing. I would highly recommend it instead of the train.

[Eagle1]

We booked with a tour van in Skagway and took the same route as the train up the mountain with freqent stops for pictures, at one point we actually saw a giant black bear waling along the rail road tracks. The guide was informative and verry funny and the price was light I think about $25