Need Skagway Hiking Advice - PLEASE ;)

[lovetheislands]

Hi all -

 

We are booked for 7/26 sailing of Star Princess. I've been lurking on the Alaska board for the past month and have found wonderful tips. :) I am now asking for your assistance on a Skagway ?

 

We are a group of 11. Everyone else is either doing Best of Skagway or White Pass RR tour. I am dying to go hiking somewhere in Alaska and given our touring plans in Juneau and Ketchikan already, Skagway is my best shot.

 

I will either be solo (Female, 38) or with one teenager (female, 13). My question is, is it safe to do one of the day hikes from Skagway alone or do I really need to go with a guided hike? We live in a very rural area and I am used to walking alone in wooded areas and have had run ins wih wild dogs, snakes, etc. but NOT a bear and would prefer not to do so.

 

Problem is, the only ship hiking tour is the heli hike. Is $399 worth it? We are already doing heli/dog sled in Juneau and I'd rather not fork out another $400 just to go hiking. Are there any independent guides that would hike with me in Skagway?

 

Any info is GREATLy appreciated!!! Thanks!!!

[DOUGLASH]

last time we were in skagway we did the hike up to around Dewey Lake. It is easy to do on your own and takes about 3 hours.

[ErinPhotoBug]

I had a similar question about Skagway a little while back - here's the thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=984387&highlight=erinphotobug

 

If you scroll just shy of halfway down, there is a post in small font that has a wealth of info about trails. You may also be interested in taking the White Pass RR up halfway, then hiking some trails up in that area. Prices for the rail ride are more reasonable than that heli-hike! Yowza. :)

[lovetheislands]

WOW- thanks, ErinPhotoBug - that one will definitely give me some more ideaas and take some time to go through!!!

 

Has anyone actually done the Heli - Hike? I'm having trouble finding reviews...

[lovetheislands]

Douglash - Did 2 of you do it on your own? Did you see any other hikers on trail? Thanks!:)

[JCrewz]

My wife and I just got back from the Norwegian Pearl last night. A highlight of our Alaska tour was hiking up the Lower Dewey Lake trail in Skagway. It is a beautiful trail where you will hike and see maybe 40 other people in four or five hours.

 

The trailhead starts near Third Street in Skagway. This is the third block off the ship. There is a Visitor's Center at Second and Broadway (Broadway is the main street through town) where you can get a free map of the trails in the area. The trail is well marked and starts just on the other side of the train tracks.

 

We had perfectly dry weather, so footing was no issue. The Lower Dewey Lake hike is labeled a moderate hike, but we were huffing and puffing. We are not in very good shape, though, and the hike was an ugly reminder that we need more exercise at home.

 

Still, it was manageable and very quiet and nice. We did not see a hint of a bear. When you get to the sign that says "Lower Dewey Lake Loop", stay to the left and you will get to the Lake very quickly. If you go the other way, you'll be off for an around the lake adventure that I hear takes over an hour.

 

The lake itself is very calm and very scenic. There are some rocks you can sit on to view the lake and catch your breath. Then, head up to Icy Lake. It is about two miles further, but is not quite as steep of a walk. You'll hear plenty of rushing water and eventually, you'll get to a little wooden bridge in front of the lake that is great for pictures.

 

Icy lake, sitting on the silt from a glacier, is emerald green in color.....yes, green! My wife and I have never seen water that color (and yes, it is a different color than an algae plagued swimming pool). It is an amazing sight. Follow the trail a little further along the lake and you will be on the sandy lake shores.

 

Here is our tip of the day.....if you can, pack a little gold pan and a plastic garden spade. There is LOTS of gold flake on the lake shore. Any scoop of sand you dig will have lots of little gold flakes in it and you'll feel like an 1898 prospector. Take some plastic bags so you can take home a souvenier. It is like taking a hiking and gold panning tour that others would pay $100 for....but it's free.

 

You'll get some great pictures, the freshest air on Earth, much needed exercise after a few days on a cruise ship, and a history lesson all in one.

I'd budget 4.5 hours for that loop......and bring GOOD FITTTING hiking shoes. Parts of the trail down are very steep and will put a lot of pressure on your toes. Poor fitting hiking boots, like mine were, will certainly lead to a pair of blisters on each big toe.

 

I would highly recommend that you not go alone. I don't think you are in any danger, but by yourself, you are one sprained ankle or twisted knee away from not being able to get back and no one knowing where you are. I saw a few people hiking alone, but they did not go up very far. All the hikers I saw deeper in the woods had a partner or multiple people.

 

Do not go to the Upper Reid Falls, it is closed and the trail deteriorates quickly. We fussed at the Rangers about that and hopefully they will update the signage. Please contact me if you need more info.

 

Have fun....it is a wonderful hike.

[bqkali]

Still, it was manageable and very quiet and nice. We did not see a hint of a bear. When you get to the sign that says "Lower Dewey Lake Loop", stay to the left and you will get to the Lake very quickly. If you go the other way, you'll be off for an around the lake adventure that I hear takes over an hour.

 

The lake itself is very calm and very scenic. There are some rocks you can sit on to view the lake and catch your breath. Then, head up to Icy Lake. It is about two miles further, but is not quite as steep of a walk. You'll hear plenty of rushing water and eventually, you'll get to a little wooden bridge in front of the lake that is great for pictures.

 

Do not go to the Upper Reid Falls, it is closed and the trail deteriorates quickly. We fussed at the Rangers about that and hopefully they will update the signage. Please contact me if you need more info.

 

Thank you so much for all your valuable information. I'll cross Upper Reid Falls off my list and head toward Lower Dewey :)

[lovetheislands]

JCrewz - That is EXACTLY the type hike I want to do and I LOVE the idea about plastic shovel and ziplocks. Now I need to find a friend (or force a family member from the cruise to go with me...my mom who usually hikes is recovering from knee surgery)

 

Does anyone know if there are any guides that I could hire to hike w/ me?

 

Is anyone from the boards going to be on Skagway on Thusday, July 30th that would like to hike???:) Leaving Dh at home and he is my usual hiking buddy, so i need a new friend!;)

[JCrewz]

In about thirty minutes, we picked out around 200 gold flakes. Of course, we would need about 8,000 of them to make an ounce....but it is still lots of fun. We picked out more flakes than you will get in your average gold panning tour. I am sure you could do this at Lower Dewey Lake also.

 

We did not have a gold pan so we have a lot of dirt with our flakes. We are going to let our 14 year old daughter use her grandfather's gold pan to sort the gold out. Pay attention in Juneau to the cliff of rock that used to be home to a gold mine.....they mined these small flakes by using mercury plates (I believe) and made millions. Hopefully you will have the same sunshine that we did to make the flakes easy to spot.

 

If my wife didn't have a small bladder, we could have stayed out there for hours looking for gold. It was a hoot!

[MA_Cruiser]

 

Is anyone from the boards going to be on Skagway on Thusday, July 30th that would like to hike???:) Leaving Dh at home and he is my usual hiking buddy, so i need a new friend!;)

 

Darn. We won't be in Skagway until Aug 3rd. We would have loved a hiking buddy. Have fun, though.

[Marie321]

Be sure to take deet when hiking. We were there 2 weeks ago. We had a sunny, still day and the mosquitos were huge and swarming!

[jerry20001]

Here's info on the Lower Dewey Lake trail from Skagway.

 

The trail head is very close to where the Star should be docking. The trail to the lake is about one mile, an elevation gain of about 500 feet, most of which feels to be in the first 1/4 mile. It is steep in the beginning, but is a well maintained and easy to follow trail. It might feel like climbing stairs and quickly you get high enough to have several excellent views of the town and harbor.

 

As stated it is always best to hike with a companion, but this is a very busy, well traveled trail and with 7,800 passengers in town, you'll meet plenty of people on the trail. You would really be fine by yourself. You'll experience nature, see a variety of vegetation, it is woodsy enough to feel the solitude, but on the main trail you might encounter people passing at 10-15 minute intervals. I'd consider it crowded in terms of safety if you should need assistance, but still good on private nature time.

 

There is virtually zero chance of bears in this area. I have never heard of any signs of bears ever being seen and none of the normal precautions regarding bears apply to this trail.

 

The hike around the lake is approximately three miles and will have many wild flowers along the trail. Not much in wildlife potential, but a good hike to experience the woods in Alaska.

 

For a tour that includes hiking, there is a combination short hike on the Chilkoot Trail and a raft float trip which is in Dyea.

 

To JCrewz, sorry to be a downer, but I am afraid you have struck mica! If you were finding flakes along the shore in Icy Lake, it probably floated out from the shore as there has never been any gold close to Skagway.

 

You can download a trail map online or stop by and pick one up at the visitors center. Happy hiking.

[jenga123]

In about thirty minutes, we picked out around 200 gold flakes. Of course, we would need about 8,000 of them to make an ounce....but it is still lots of fun. We picked out more flakes than you will get in your average gold panning tour. I am sure you could do this at Lower Dewey Lake also.

 

We did not have a gold pan so we have a lot of dirt with our flakes. We are going to let our 14 year old daughter use her grandfather's gold pan to sort the gold out. Pay attention in Juneau to the cliff of rock that used to be home to a gold mine.....they mined these small flakes by using mercury plates (I believe) and made millions. Hopefully you will have the same sunshine that we did to make the flakes easy to spot.

 

If my wife didn't have a small bladder, we could have stayed out there for hours looking for gold. It was a hoot!

 

 

Wow gold panning sounds like a lot of fun. Can you tell me exactly were on the lower Dewey Lake shoreline you stopped to do this.

[Urban trekker]

Here are some images from my hike to Dewey Lakes taken in May 2006

 

More on the next post

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Urban trekker]

A few more from the hike to Dewey Lakes

 

Hope this help

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Yukon]

Wow gold panning sounds like a lot of fun.

 

As a previous poster noted, there is no placer gold near Skagway - you can easily get fooled by gold-colored mica or pyrites in your pan, though. The gold panning operations in Skagway bring their gravel (or the gold they "salt" it with) from the Yukon or other parts of Alaska.

[travelbuds]

[quote name=jerry20001.....

 

For a tour that includes hiking, there is a combination short hike on the Chilkoot Trail and a raft float trip which is in Dyea......[/quote]

Hi,

Do you have the name of the outfitter that does this trip? Or is this a ship only excursion?

Thanks.

[cruz guy]

Hi,

Do you have the name of the outfitter that does this trip? Or is this a ship only excursion?

Thanks.

 

 

Skagway Float tours. http://www.skagwayfloat.com

 

We used this company when we were in Skagway the first week of June. Had a wonderful time. There were only 11 people in our group and it was cheaper than the ship excursion.

[travelbuds]

Skagway Float tours. http://www.skagwayfloat.com

 

We used this company when we were in Skagway the first week of June. Had a wonderful time. There were only 11 people in our group and it was cheaper than the ship excursion.

 

Thank you. Thought we'd like to do this and also hike up to Lower Dewey Lake while we are in Skagway. Just got back from Alaska and in Skagway we did the Glacier Point Wildernss Safari and the White Pass train.

[TiogaCruiser]

We just got back yesterday, and were in Skagway Saturday.

 

You might want to take a quick walk out to Yakutania Point- We watched whales in the Lynn Canal from there and got some great pictures of the town and our ship. Allow about 45 to an hour round trip.