Accommodations

Hostel

The delightful Skagway Home Hostel (3rd Ave. and Main St., 907/983-2131, www.skagwayhostel.com [2]) is right in town. Built more than a century ago, the home was once owned by the marshal who arrested the Soapy Smith gang after the shoot-out. An 11 p.m. curfew may put a crimp in your social life, but the owners are very friendly, and the hostel is open year-round.

There’s only space for 12, so reserve ahead. Registration is 5–9 p.m., but late ferry arrivals are accommodated. The hostel has a kitchen, common area, showers, laundry, bag storage, and a free guest computer. Bunks are $15 in mixed dorms or $20 for gender-specific dorms. The owners also offer occasional vegetarian dinners ($5). Reservations are highly advised; you can make them on their website.

Hotels

Sgt. Preston’s Lodge (6th Ave. and State St., 907/983-2521 or 866/983-2521, www.sgt-prestonslodgeskagway.com [3]) is a tidy 35-room motel right in town, with nicely remodeled rooms and Wi-Fi. Standard units are $80–100 s or $90–110 d; families appreciate the two-bedroom units for $125 d or $145 for four.

Budget travelers can check out new but basic guest rooms at Morning Wood Hotel (444 4th St., 907/983-3200, www.skagwaypizzastation.com [4], $75 d), located over the Pizza Station Restaurant. The are no TVs or phones, and the bath is down the hall.

Skagway [5]’s largest lodging place is the seasonal Westmark Inn (3rd Ave. and Broadway, 907/983-2291 or 800/544-0970, www.westmarkhotels.com [6], $135 d), with all the charm of a retirement home. Westmark is grossly overpriced, and you’ll even need to pay $10 for Wi-Fi.

Bed-and-Breakfasts

Hosted by longtime Alaskan Tara Mallory, Mile Zero B&B (9th Ave. at Main St., 907/983-3045, www.mile-zero.com [7], $135 d) is an attractive B&B with six large guest rooms, private entrances and baths, covered porches, a cozy parlor, continental breakfast, and Wi-Fi. Kids are welcome.

Housed within one of the town’s oldest buildings, Skagway Inn B&B (7th Ave. and Broadway, 907/983-2289 or 888/752-4929, www.skagwayinn.com [8], mid-Mar.–Sept.) served through the years as a bordello, a residence, a boarding house, and now as a delightful inn. Six guest rooms ($149–199 d) have private baths, and the others ($119 d) share three baths. A full hot breakfast is served downstairs. The inn also has Wi-Fi and an evening guest lounge.

Built in 1902 and completely rebuilt after a fire, The White House Inn (8th Ave. and Main St., 907/983-9000, www.atthewhitehouse.com [9], $125–155 d) is a large plantation-style home with 10 guest rooms, one of which is wheelchair accessible. All rooms feature a country Victorian decor, with private baths, Wi-Fi, fridges, and continental breakfasts.

Eight miles out Dyea Road, Chilkoot Trail Outpost (907/983-3799, www.chilkoottrailoutpost.com [10]) is a modern lodge with eight cabins, all containing private baths and with Wi-Fi access. Rates are $145 d in duplex cabins or $175 d for deluxe units with two queen beds, a fridge, and a microwave; add $25 for each additional guest. A full buffet breakfast is included, along with evening campfires and bikes. Guests can use the screened-in gazebo cooking area for other meals, or pay $25 for a steak-and-seafood dinner. Because of its location, this lodge is popular with hikers setting out for the Chilkoot Trail [11]; the trailhead is just a half-mile away.

Cabins

Two miles from downtown Skagway [5], Cindy’s Place (907/983-2674 or 800/831-8095, www.alaska.net/~croland [12], mid-May–early Sept.) includes two modern cabins with private baths, a microwave, and a mini-fridge for $125 d with a two-night minimum. Also available is a tiny cabin with twin beds and a toilet (but no shower) for $50 s or $65 d; it’ll look like luxury if you just stumbled off the Chilkoot Trail [11]. Breakfast fixins are provided (including hot baked goods for the larger cabins), along with a courtesy shuttle to town, and (sometimes) access to the hot tub.

Another place with cabins on the way to Dyea [13] is Skagway Bungalows (907/983-2986, www.aptalaska.net/~saldi [14], Mar.–Oct., $125 d). It’s a mile from town, and the two in-the-woods cabins have private baths, fridges, and microwaves.