Gold Rush Boomtown: A Walking Tour of Skagway

(26 reviews)

Skagway, Alaska audio tour: Gold Rush Boomtown: A Walking Tour of Skagway

This is a 1.8mi walking tour

It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.

Skagway, Alaska

The United States

$5.99

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About the Tour

Strike out for gold on a journey back to the rough and seductive roots of the Klondike Gold Rush’s most famous boomtown. This tour will take you from the docks of present-day Skagway to the historic businesses and buildings that comprise this National Park town.

We’ll travel back in time to experience Skagway in its heyday when there were wooden boardwalks, ladies of the night calling from windows and gunslingers sidling up to the local bar. You’ll hear stories of the foolhardy stampeders, industrious native guides, quick-thinking ladies, wild west mobsters and desperate entrepreneurs who gave this stretch of Alaska’s coastits living legacy. After the tour, you’ll know a lot more about this quirky frontier town that gets up to one million visitors each summer.

The highlights include:

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
Broadway Street which is the busiest section of Skagway’s downtown
Locomotives that hauled thousands of stampeders closer to the goldfields
Houses of Negotiable Affection
A gold rush ghost town
The famed Chilkoot Trail

This tour is a must for any curious mind looking to discover Skagway’s close connection to the land and entrepreneurial spirit. Join me on an insider’s guide to the Gateway to the Klondike.

Tour Producer

Alaska Mountain Guides

2 tours

The Premiere Shore Excursion Tour Operators in Skagway and Haines. Locally owned and operated for over 30 years. We offer over 25 incredible tours and adventures in Skagway and Haines.

From an active strenuous hike to the top of a mountain, to a gentle float trip through the Bald Eagle Preserve, we have a tour for everyone. Delve into a cultural exploration of the native Tlingit people or enjoy an ATV adventure into the wilds of Alaska. Whether Zip-lining through the treetops of the Alaskan rainforest, kayaking amongst bears, eagles and salmon in a serene wilderness setting, or canoeing on an aquamarine alpine lake at White Pass; you’ll be sure to have the experience of a lifetime.

Preview Location

Location 18

Dyea

Turn left and walk down 5th Avenue until you come across our next stop, the First Presbyterian Church. While you walk, I’ll tell you more about our neighboring town that’s now in ruins.

No tour of Skagway is complete without talking about the famous Chilkoot Trail and the ... Turn left and walk down 5th Avenue until you come across our next stop, the First Presbyterian Church. While you walk, I’ll tell you more about our neighboring town that’s now in ruins.

No tour of Skagway is complete without talking about the famous Chilkoot Trail and the ghost town of Dyea.

In 1897, Dyea was a pioneer boomtown, just like Skagway. Stampeders arrived in the tens of thousands to reach the Klondike gold fields along the Chilkoot Trail. Dyea was a large seasonal fishing camp used by the Tlingits before stampeders came rushing through, but the Tlingits capitalized on the opportunity. Tlingit guides accompanied prospectors as early as 1880, transporting prospecting gear and route finding for the foreign gold seekers.

Many stampeders didn’t realize how treacherous the Chilkoot Trail could be. The Chilkoot is 33 miles long and crosses the Canadian border into the Yukon Territory. At this border, Canadian officials weighed a stampeder’s goods to make sure they carried a year’s worth of supplies into the Klondike. Like we said earlier, this amounted to 2,000 pounds of supplies, or a literal ton of goods. The Chilkoot Trail was much shorter than the White Pass Trail, which eventually became the route for the railroad out of Skagway. However, it was impossible to use horses, oxen, or even dogsleds on many parts of the Chilkoot Trail, so gold seekers would have to carry their goods up the 33 mile trail, one load at a time. The White Pass Trail was still no cake walk, but it was easier to bring a cart along.

Many ships used the port of Dyea since high tide could bring boats more than a mile further inland. However, if the tide went out while you were still unloading, your boat would be stuck. Dyea residents built a 2-mile long dock to make sure the tide didn’t catch too many boats unaware.

Now, nothing remains of Dyea’s history except for the broken posts of the old, long dock. Visitors and locals alike visit Dyea to enjoy the beauty and wildlife of Southeast Alaska. The Taiya River runs through the tidal flats to become an estuary, gathering thousands of birds, fish, and land creatures every year. It’s a popular area to look for whales, bears, otters, sea lions, and bald eagles. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Railroad Dock
Port of Skagway
White Pass & Yukon Route Railway
Skagway Centennial Statue
Broadway
Arctic Brotherhood Hall
Golden North Hotel
Skagway First Presbyterian Church
Mc Cabe Avenue

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Getting There

Route Overview

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Start location
Port of, Skagway, AK 99840, USA
Total distance

3km
Final location
500 Broadway, Skagway, AK 99840, USA
Distance back to start location

921.11m

Directions to Starting Point

This walking tour start at the Railway dock in the port of Skagway.

If you arrive in any if the other docks, we invite you to head towards Broadway Street, where you can join the tour. Walk to the wood building with the sign "Tours Sold Here", it is the first building on your left once you left the pier. Walk a feet steps to the side of the building so you can see the mountain view. This is where we begin!

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitor Center, The Moore Homestead

Once you have finished the tour, you can stop at the Skagway Brewing Company or the Klondike Brewing Company to try a local favourite: Spruce Tip Beer.

Best time of day

Anytime but ideally during daylight hours.

Precautions

Please mind your bearings when walking down Broadway Street. It can be crowded with tourists and traffic can be substantial.

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“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”