Haney Vacation Part 3: Skagway, Alaska & Canada's Yukon Territory

For Part 1 of the trip, click here.
For Part 2 of the trip, click here.

Skagway, Alaska & Yukon Territory, Canada

Skagway is a little town of about 900 people. The history of this place really fascinated me as it played a key role in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-1898.

We took a scenic drive along the Klondike Highway and ascended the White Pass Summit which parallels the route used by prospectors during the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. We saw beautiful views of mountains, waterfalls and glaciers. 

Once over the White Pass, we continued through Canada's rugged wilderness and traveled through the glaciated area known as Tormented Valley and along the string of lakes that make up the headwaters of the Yukon River. 

We stopped at a native village in Canada (the nearest gas station and grocery store were still an hour away) where a dog sled musher and her dogs are training for the Iditarod. We enjoyed a tasty lunch complete with homemade apple donuts and explored the little town. 

After exploring the town, we continued on to Fraser, British Columbia to board the historic, White Pass Scenic Railway for your return trip to Skagway.

The White Pass & Yukon Route is the "scenic railway of the world" and was built during the Klondike Gold Rush. It is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, an honor shared with the Eiffel Tower, the Panama Canal and the Statue of Liberty.  

The Canadian and US boarder

We saw the original Klondike Trail of '98 worn into the rocks, a permanent tribute to the thousands of souls who passed this way in search of gold.