Yukon Jeep Adventure

[scottam]

We have booked this excursion through Princess. It says we will "drive along the Klondike Highway and head off the beaten path for amazing vistas accessible only by off-road vehicles. View Pitchfork Falls, Dead Horse Gulch and Tormented Valley en route to Carcross and its namesake desert."

 

Has anyone done this tour? How much off-road time will we have? Are the views the same or better than those from the train tour? I want to make sure that we made the right choice by booking this tour over the train ride. Thanks for your help!

[Yukon]

To expand on my reply to your query at cruisemates, I consider that trip to be nothing more than the world's most expensive car rental. "Off-road" time is minimal, you have to stay in a tightly-controlled "parade", they only go where locals take regular cars, and they don't go far enough up the mountain (the mountain that I live on) to get the good views (only Frontier Excursions does, in guide-driven 4x4s). I've talked to 4 or 5 of the "guides", and their knowledge of the area is almost zero.

 

Re the quote that you get to "view Pitchfork Falls, Dead Horse Gulch and Tormented Valley...", you don't go anywhere near Dead Horse Gulch - that's on the rail line.

 

Murray

[scottam]

Thanks for both of your replies. Since this board seems to get more traffic, I thought I'd post here too. Your answer is exactly what I suspected. Thank you for confirming it.

 

So, I am now reviewing the Rail/Bus combos and plan to cancel the Jeep Tour. It's a lot of money to just be a glorified rental. The rail/bus combos most recommended seem to be the all day tours, including Carcross and Emerald Lake (7 hours, $165) or Carcross and Lake Bennett (8.5 hours, $219). The more expensive tour gets more time on the train. Does this result in more great scenery opportunities or simply more time on the train? What's the difference between Emerald Lake and Lake Bennett? Is the additional expense of these two tours worth it over the shorter tour that don't allow time to see more of the Yukon?

 

And finally, does anyone know how these differ from the tour that Princess offers (8 hours, $179 tour). Here is their description:

Your adventure begins aboard a deluxe motorcoach that takes you along the Trail of ‘98 to the White Pass summit and beyond to Canada’s Yukon. After cresting the White Pass summit, travel through Tormented Valley and visit the village of Carcross near Lake Bennett. Enjoy a tasty barbecue lunch at Caribou Crossing Trading Post. Visit the Wildlife Gallery and see interesting exhibits of wildlife native to the region. After a short drive to Fraser, board your train for a ride aboard the historic White Pass & Yukon Route railroad back to Skagway.

 

Thanks for much for your help and insights to help us decide!

[Yukon]

>>The rail/bus combos most recommended seem to be the all day tours, including Carcross and Emerald Lake (7 hours, $165) or Carcross and Lake Bennett (8.5 hours, $219). The more expensive tour gets more time on the train. Does this result in more great scenery opportunities or simply more time on the train? What's the difference between Emerald Lake and Lake Bennett?<<

 

The more expensive one gets you more train time - great scenery abounds on both.

 

The route from Skagway to Carcros sby rail can be seen at http://www.railsnorth.com/steamex.html and then on to http://www.railsnorth.com/bennett-carcross.html and the bus route back (including Emerald Lake) at http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike-photos1.html

 

Ther Princess tour is basically the same as the 7 hours, $165 one, with rail between Fraser and Skagway.

 

Murray

[scottam]

Murry Yukon,

Thanks so much for posting your pictures. They helped make me realize that we would much prefer and enjoy the flexibility of renting a car and exploring on our own rather than taking a train/bus tour. I was struggling with which way to go and your pics sealed the deal! More questions to follow on a new post later today ...

[dodge9]

Hi!

 

I have done the train, Jeep tour and now this time I am renting a car. I enjoyed the train and the Jeep. I liked the Jeep a little better than the tain since we were able to stop for wildlife, got great pix of bear. The 4 wheel time definitely was minimal, but enough for me! My husband called it city four wheeling! This time we are renting the car for the freedom and driving to Emerald Lake.