"Skagway - Boomtown of the Klondike Gold Rush" Skagway by mikelisaanna

Skagway Travel Guide: 158 reviews and 459 photos

Skagway is small town of less than 1000 people in the northern section of Alaska's panhandle. However, at its peak in the late 1890's, it had thousands of inhabitants, as it boomed during the Klondike Gold Rush. Skagway was one of the two primary port towns (Dyea, now a ghost town, was the other) from which hopeful miners began their overland trek to the Yukon gold fields. At that time, Skagway had dozens of bars and bordellos, and made a fortune by entertaining, equipping, and sometimes defrauding the would-be miners.

Now, Skagway is a relaxing stop for tourists who arrive on cruise ships sailing the Alaska Inside Passage route. The town's buildings have been well-preserved, with some of them incorporated into the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, which was established to preserved the history and buildings of the gold rush days and includes a small, but interesting museum.

Skagway is also an excellent point through which to access the Yukon, since it is less than 40 miles from the Canadian border. You can drive or take a bus from Skagway to the Yukon in less than 2 hours.

Last visit to Skagway: Jun 2007
Intro Updated Jul 22, 2007
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Reviews (8)

Do a day trip to the Yukon Territory Things to Do (8)

The Canadian border is only about 30 miles away by road from Skagway via the Klondike Highway. The road is hilly and... more travel advice

Bernard Moore House Things to Do (8)

This house is located next door to the Moore Family's original cabin and is where they lived after the town of Skagway... more travel advice

The Moore Cabin Things to Do (8)

The Moore Cabin is the original home of the Moore family, the first non-native family that settled in the valley. The... more travel advice

Yukon Gold Rush National Historical Site Museum - Skagway

Yukon Gold Rush National Historical Site... Things to Do (8)

Skagway is the location of the Yukon Gold Rush National Historical Site, which includes a collection of restored... more travel advice

Comments (1)

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apkim1972 May 17, 2010 at 7:44 PM

Warning to folks interested in taking the "Yukon Photo Tour." DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY. Absolute joke. All their vehicles air conditioning "just broke this morning", photo stops very short, you are just going up to pickup more people.