Skagway, Alaska, White Pass and Yukon Route

Welcome to Skagway. A quaint hick village kept afloat by cruise tours.

The gargantuan Zuiderdam docked in Skagway.

White Pass and Yukon Route Railway

Those hip sunglasses again!

This railway, built in the 1900s, was born of the Klondike Gold Rush to provide an alternative for the treacherous route through the mountains. It winds through gauged out mountains faces, through incredibly dark tunnels and over a few fragile little bridges.

There are some truly amazing views, it was by far the best way to spend our day in Skagway.

Some tips for ultimate enjoyment!

• Board the train early so you can sit with your group. It fills up quickly.

• Sit on the left on the way up to make the most of the views.

• Stand on the platform outside on the way down and let the wind whip around you, not that it goes very fast.

• We went on a sunny day and it was beautiful. It wouldn't be so good in bad weather.

• Good narration giving you a feel for the building of the railroad, and how treacherous the route was before this was built. What people do for gold! I guess nothing changes... Listen to the narration on the way up, as you should be delighting in standing on the platform on the way down.

• If you like card games, buy the historic playing cards. They have unique pictures for each card and although distracting, they are fun to play with!

• More for adults, it’s quite a long trip so maybe not suitable for kids. We didn't see any in our carriage.

• Charge your camera battery! My camera ran out of battery half way up so I actually sat back and enjoyed soaking up the ambience, history and awesome views. However, I don’t have as many pictures to share with you as I’d like!