Sharon Sparlin: SKAGWAY WHITE PASS & YUKON ROUTE

It was August 16, 1896 and gold was discovered in the Klondike region of the Yukon. Soon 100,000 prospectors surged towards Skagway Alaska as part of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Photo Public Domain

When the White Pass & Yukon Route marquee was first painted on the train station in 1898, only 4,000 had harvested any gold. By the time the train route was finished in 1900, the rush was basically over and most of the gold diggers who survived had gone home penniless.

White Pass & Yukon Train Station in Skagway Alaska

Skagway Alaska has become a popular stop for cruise ships. The Norwegian Jewel docked in Skagway on Friday, August 30, 2019. The Jewel was assigned the Broadway Dock and with coffee in hand, I made my way to the Spinnaker Lounge, deck 13. I commanded a fantastic window view looking straight down Broadway Street.

Norwegian Jewel docked at Broadway Dock in Skagway

Welcome to Skagway sign

Map of docking berths in Skagway Alaska

Skagway is also part of the setting for Jack London's book The Call of the Wild.

The White Pass and Yukon Route, narrow gauge railroad, is part of the area's mining past and now operates purely for the tourist trade, operating only during the summer months.

You will find several ticket options available for the White Pass and Yukon Route . My choice was the “White Pass Summit Excursion”. This route represents a 40 mile round trip climb from Skagway to the Summit of the White Pass, an elevation of 2,888 feet. It is a fully narrated tour passing through two tunnels, over sky-high trestles and past cascading waterfalls. The White Pass Summit Excursion is their most popular rail trip.

Tour Duration: 2.5 - 2.75 Hours
No passport required
All Summit Excursion trains are wheelchair accessible, however, space is limited in the lift-equipped cars
Complimentary bottled water
Each rail car is equipped with a restroom
40 miles round-trip

Photo Public Domain


Photo Public Domain

Building such a rail route seemed an impossible task at the time. It was literally blasted through coastal mountains in only 26 months. With its completion in 1900, it became the primary route to the interior of the Yukon.

Photo Public Domain

The route climbs almost 3000 feet in just 20 miles and features steep grades of up to 3.9%, cliff-hanging turns of 16 degrees, two tunnels and numerous bridges and trestles. The steel cantilever bridge was the tallest of its kind in the world when it was constructed in 1901.

Steel cantilever bridge

A number of minor railways sprang up and disappeared in Alaska over the years, but only one line remains in use today, and it is the only one with an international connection.

Today, the railroad is a subsidiary of Clublink and is operated by the Pacific and Arctic Railway and Navigation Company in Alaska, the British Columbia Yukon Railway Company in British Columbia and the British Yukon Railway Company in the Yukon.

All three lines were built to 3ft (914mm) gauge. Traffic declined over the years, but towards the end of the 20th century cruise tourism sparked the railway back to life. Today the thee lines together are marketed as the White Pass and Yukon Route. The trains run between Skagway and Carcross, Yukon. The section between Carcross and Whitehorse is out of service. You can purchase a ticket clear to Whitehorse but the transportation between Carcross and Whitehorse will be by motor coach.

If you purchased a White Pass and Yukon Route shore excursion from the cruise ship you will be able to board the train dockside. I shot this video from Deck 13 in the Spinnaker Lounge of the Norwegian Jewel.

If you purchased you tickets online you will need to make your way to the city ticket office to exchange your voucher for a boarding pass. The city ticket office is located at 231 2nd Avenue, is easily visable from the ship and the walk will take 8 minutes.

Walking to the city ticket office

Inside the city ticket office

Another option would be the shuttle service at a cost of $2 one-way.

Bus stop for shuttle service into Skagway

I had purchased tickets online for the 1pm departure so I needed to walk to the city ticket office and pick up my boarding pass. I arrived at 12:30pm.

The boarding process began promptly at 12:45pm and I selected car #501. This was the first car after the two engines.


My train awaiting boarding

Car #501

The wheels of the train slowly began turning at 1pm and we were off.

The train enters a tunnel at mile 16. This is called Tunnel Mountain, with the bridge spanning Glacier Gorge.

Entering the tunnel

Adjacent to White Pass Summit is a NWMP cabin where mounties braved the brutal winters to ensure that incoming prospectors had the necessary 1 ton of supplies to survive for a year in the north. It is now the official entry point into Canada.

NWMP Cabin at the US/Canada border

Arrival back at the Skagway depot was 3:45pm. Our sailing time was scheduled for 8pm so I still had plenty of time to check out main street.

I made a stop at the Skagway Visitor Center.

Skagway Visitor Center

Inside Skagway Visitor Center

There is also a National Parks Visitor Center that offers a free 20 minute presentation entitled "Gold Fever Race to the Klondike". It starts on the hour and worth watching.