White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad

Adjacent to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitors Center [1] is the White Pass & Yukon Route Depot (2nd St., 907/983-2217 or 800/343-7373, www.whitepassrailroad.com [2]), built in the 1990s to closely resemble the town’s many historic structures. Narrow-gauge White Pass & Yukon Route trains depart from the depot several times a day early May–late September; there is no winter service.

White Pass Summit Excursion trains leave Skagway [3] daily at 8:15 a.m., 12:45 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. May–late September and cost $103. These go to the summit of White Pass and back, a round-trip of 40 miles that takes three hours. The tracks follow along the east side of the Skagway River, with vistas that get better and better as the train climbs.

Tour guides point out the sights and explain the railroad’s history. Be sure to sit on the left side from Skagway and the right side on the return for the best views. The diesel smoke is lighter toward the rear of the train.

The White Pass & Yukon Route has two photogenic old steam engines—one built in 1920, the other from 1947—that huff and puff out of town most days, with video cameras rolling in all directions. For most runs the steam engine is replaced by a diesel engine on the edge of town to save it from wear and tear on the strenuous climb.

The railroad’s special four-hour Fraser Meadows Steam Excursions ($133 adults, $67 children) is a real treat for train lovers. Pulled by a steam engine, these trains leave Friday and Sunday only at noon and stop in the mountains just beyond the White Pass Summit to let passengers out for a chance to take photos as the engine rolls by with steam billowing. The train returns back down the mountain to Skagway [3] at 4 p.m.

Also available is a Skagway–Whitehorse rail-and-bus connection that costs $116 adults, $58 children each way. Trains depart Skagway daily at 8 a.m., with passengers transferring to buses at Fraser, British Columbia [4], before continuing on to Whitehorse [5], Yukon, arriving at noon. The buses leave Whitehorse daily at 12:30 p.m., connect with the train in Fraser, and reach Skagway at 5:15 p.m. You can take the train one-way from Skagway to Fraser with a bus back to Skagway for $125 adults, $63 children. Also available is a once-daily train between Skagway and Carcross [6] for $228 adults, $148 children one-way. Trains stop for a hot lunch (included) at Lake Bennett. A passport is required for trips where you get off the train in Canada.

The Chilkoot Trail Hikers Service provides a shuttle late May–mid-September from Lake Bennett (the end of the trail) to Fraser ($50) or Skagway [3] ($95). The schedule changes each year, so check to make sure a train will be there once you reach Lake Bennett.