After two rainy days in Alaska, we woke up in Skagway to be greeted by clear blue skies and a wonderful shining sun. Sunshine aside, Skagway was my favourite stop in Alaska due to its small-town feel, natural scenery, and a large number of affordable activities to fill up the half-day visit.
Originally a thriving gold-rush town from the 1870s to the early 1900s, Skagway today is beautifully preserved just as it looked back then. Western-style saloons have been revived as popular pubs, wooden store fronts are now souvenir shops, and the waterfront now has a beautiful sea-side walkway.
Skagway is great because it offers many activities for visitors. My friends and I participated on two of these activities, which were very fun (and very different) and affordable: a Skagway to Yukon bus ride, and the “Days of ’98 Show.”
The View into the Yukon Territory
Road to Yukon
There is a very popular train ride that takes passengers from Skagway, just across the Canadian border into the Yukon territory. The ride is scenic, and comes with a hefty price tag of USD$130 per person for a 1.5 hour experience. I was ready to pay the price, seeing as how it was such a beautiful day, and I really wanted to experience the scenery, but then my friends found a ugh better alternative.
A little tour shop in Skagway offered a similar ride aboard a coach instead of a train, about 2 hours for both directions, and only a fraction of the cost at USD$30 per person. The coach stops at multiple spots along the way, allowing the passengers to get off and take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Like the train, the bus barely crosses the Alaska/Yukon border and then turns back, allowing a great photo-op at the “Welcome to Alaska” and the “Welcome to Yukon” signs.
The scenery truly is magnificent, and in a clear day it was outstanding. Even in the middle of summer, with the sun shining down, the temperature was cool. Definitely worth doing if you’re visiting Skagway for the day.
If you’re interested in going on a bus tour for 1/3 the price of the train ride, contact the tour company at:
ONE STOP TOUR SHOP
300 Broadway
P.O. Box 1357
Skagway Alaska 99840
akwildman@gmail.com
DAYS OF ’98 SHOW – With Soapy Smith
The “Days of ’98 Show – With Soapy Smith” is a popular cabaret-style show depicting the real-life story of one of Skagway’s most notorious criminals during the Klondike Gold rush of 1897-1898: Soapy Smith.
Me and the Girls from “Days of ’98″
The show follows the story since Soapy Smith, an infamous con-man from Colorado, arrives in Skagway, setting up one of the biggest band of thieves and criminals. Meanwhile, he creates legitimate businesses, including saloons and brothels, and even helps fund Skagway’s first church. After less than a year of reigning over Skagway, Soapy Smith is finally assassinated in retaliation to one of his previous crimes.
The setting of Days of ’98 is one of Soapy’s saloons/brothels, in which he and three “female entertainers” tell the story in a musical-style production. A pianist plays the only music, and the audience plays a crucial role in the show, as they are asked to participate at various points during the show (anything from being asked for a nickel, to an old man being taken by the “female entertainers” up to the second story of the stage, only to be returned to his seat after a session at the brothel).
What’s really cool about this production is that it is interactive and campy and fun, a good time full of laughs, for a low cost. The show has been running since cruises started making a stop in Skagway in 1923, and locals wanted to capitalize from the influx of tourists. After the show is over, viewers can take pictures with the cast!
“Explorers” Statues
*****
After our bus trip to Yukon and an afternoon watching the one-hour Days of ’98 show, we still had plenty of time that afternoon to walk around the town and the harbour a little longer, and visit a few shops, before having to board back.
Skagway may be smaller than the other Alaskan ports we stopped at, but for me it was definitely the most rewarding!
