Day 4 - Skagway 2, train
White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad https://wpyr.com/excursions/
A narrow gauge railroad built between 1898 and 1900, the cars are a mix of the restored originals and modern replicas, the locomotives are new, our was finished in 2020.
Organizational notes:
- you can buy tickets through your cruise.
- you can buy tickets directly from the company, either beforehand online or on the day of at the train station. From the company is cheaper and you most likely will have fewer people in your car as they separate those that are coming off a cruise and their direct clients.
- the White Passs roundtrip takes about three hours, there is no getting off the train. There is bottled water available in each car and a restroom. No passport is needed for this trip as you are not getting off the train in Canada.
- they also offer combination tours: ride the train to a trailhead, hike for 3-4 hours, catch the returning train back. If you want to hike higher than the sea level, it might be a good way to get to a reasonable altitude.
- for better views on the way up you want to be on the left side of the train.
- don't book this trip planning to return really close to your ship leaving! Out train got stuck for an hour when something failed and they had to run a draisine (a motor powered one) with supplies from the city up to the train.
One can't walk from car to car, but every car has open platforms on both ends, so it is possible to watch the scenery without the glass.
On the Skagway station:
Off we go!
The views!
This bridge wasn't used for a few years and then collapsed in 2018. There are no plans to restore it.
We were crossing this valley on a different bridge :)
One of the tunnels:
Choo choo!
A narrow gauge railroad built between 1898 and 1900, the cars are a mix of the restored originals and modern replicas, the locomotives are new, our was finished in 2020.
Organizational notes:
- you can buy tickets through your cruise.
- you can buy tickets directly from the company, either beforehand online or on the day of at the train station. From the company is cheaper and you most likely will have fewer people in your car as they separate those that are coming off a cruise and their direct clients.
- the White Passs roundtrip takes about three hours, there is no getting off the train. There is bottled water available in each car and a restroom. No passport is needed for this trip as you are not getting off the train in Canada.
- they also offer combination tours: ride the train to a trailhead, hike for 3-4 hours, catch the returning train back. If you want to hike higher than the sea level, it might be a good way to get to a reasonable altitude.
- for better views on the way up you want to be on the left side of the train.
- don't book this trip planning to return really close to your ship leaving! Out train got stuck for an hour when something failed and they had to run a draisine (a motor powered one) with supplies from the city up to the train.
One can't walk from car to car, but every car has open platforms on both ends, so it is possible to watch the scenery without the glass.
On the Skagway station:
Off we go!
The views!
This bridge wasn't used for a few years and then collapsed in 2018. There are no plans to restore it.
We were crossing this valley on a different bridge :)
One of the tunnels:
Choo choo!