Skagway: My Klondike Gold Rush Adventure

We woke up docked at the very end of a narrow fjord with sheer granite walls rising thousands of feet on both sides. The morning air was crisp and smelled of pine, saltwater, and fresh coffee from the docks. Skagway itself is literally a movie set — wooden boardwalks, vintage signs, rangers in flat hats and suspenders telling stories like they just stepped out of 1898. Four cruise ships were in port, but the moment we started walking down Broadway, the town's electric energy drew us in.

The White Pass & Yukon Route Railway is the undisputed star. We boarded the 8:15 vintage train and immediately started climbing — the narrow-gauge track hugs cliffs so close you can touch the rock walls. Trestle bridges, tunnels, switchbacks, and sudden views of glaciers hanging like frozen waterfalls. At White Pass summit (2,865 ft) the wind hit us like a wall — cold, sharp, tasting of snow even in July. The guide told us how 30,000 stampeders struggled up this same trail with a ton of gear each; I got chills that had nothing to do with temperature.

Back down we joined the National Park Service walking tour — the stories of Soapy Smith, the shootout on Juneau Wharf, and the brothels disguised as "dress shops" are wild west perfection. The Moore Homestead cabin is the actual oldest building in Alaska. Lunch was reindeer sausage with grilled onions on a sourdough bun from the Skagway Fish Company, eaten on a bench while watching floatplanes take off. Afternoon we hiked the first mile of the Chilkoot Trail just to say we did — steep, rooty stairs, but the forest smells incredible and the sense of history is overwhelming.

The pros: most authentic Gold Rush town left standing, the railway is bucket-list material, and everything is compact and walkable.

The cons: it gets crowded mid-day when multiple ships are in, and most shops close early.

Practical tips: Book the earliest train possible for best light and smaller crowds. Wear real shoes — boardwalks get slippery. Bring a light jacket even if it's sunny at sea level; the pass is always 15–20° colder.