Skagway

I imagine Skagway at times is this really quaint little town. That all changed during the Klondike Gold Rush. Once that was over, it remains quaint. That is until the cruise ships arrive. It's like a second gold rush every summer. Arriving in town was actually a bit of a shock for me. Most of the campgrounds I've stayed at were all but deserted. The towns were pretty quiet. The day I arrived at Skagway five cruise ships had arrive for the day. There were well over 5,000 people wondering the streets. Every other shop is a jewelery store. The remaining ones were the typical tourist type.

This is White Pass. Later in the gold rush the railroad was completed over this pass, which meant that the prospectors no longer had to lug all their gear over Chilkoot Pass. I read somewhere that it took well over fifty trips over the pass to get all the required gear over Chilkoot Pass.

The town of Skagway with just a few cruise ships docked.

The lady at the laundry mat / gas station (the only one of each in town) told me where to camp for free in Dyea. That is where the Chilkoot trail starts. During the gold rush it was where the prospectors unloaded their gear from the ships. The bay is really shallow so this pier was built way out into the bay. Dyea died within months after the railroad was built in Skagway. There is nothing left of the town now.

I spent a day hiking the Chilkoot trail. Someday I'd like to hike the entire thing. Not now, there is well over 4 feet of snow at the pass and beyond. I know,,,, the prospectors crossed in the middle of winter. I'll admit to being a wimp compared to them. The following are some pictures from along the trail.

A modern day prospector.