Overview
Skagway is a town with a population of less than a thousand in Southeastern Alaska. It is the northern terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway System. It sprang up during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-1899, and now subsists almost entirely on tourism. The historical interest and natural beauty of the area make it a worthwhile place to visit.
8 sights · 3 things to do · 2 places to eat · 1 bars & cafés · 3 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Skagway
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitors Center
Built as the railway's depot, completed in December 1898, after a long history this building was transferred to National Park Service in 1976, with restoration completed in 1984, returning its appearance to the 1908-1915…
Skagway Centennial Statue
Remembers the miners coming to Skagway in the Gold Rush.
Skagway Museum and Archives
Photos and artifacts from Old Skaguay including a Tlingit canoe, a Portland Cutter sleigh and Bering Sea kayaks as well as Gold Rush era tools, baskets, beadwork and carvings. Also gold rush genealogy research.
Footbridge to Yakutania Point & Smuggler's Cove
Trails, exercise course, picnic spots.
Skagway Sculpture Garden
Skagway Overlook
Turnoff and platform.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Jun–Aug. Summer highs reach about 67°F; winter lows dip to about 20°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: Sep and Oct.
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- HNS Haines Airport, Haines — 17 mi away. Directions
- GST Gustavus Airport, Gustavus — 73 mi away. Directions
The most common way to get to Skagway is by boat, whether cruise ship or Alaska Marine Highway ferry.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 3-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitors Center, Skagway Float Tours, Klondike Electric Bicycles
- Lunch The Smokehouse Alaska
- Afternoon Skagway Museum and Archives, Skagway Centennial Statue
- Dinner Skagway Fish Co.
- Evening Red Onion Saloon
Day 2
- Morning Footbridge to Yakutania Point & Smuggler's Cove, Mountain Flying Service
- Afternoon Skagway Overlook
Day 3
- Morning Jewell Gardens
- Afternoon Gold Rush Cemetery
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
A few restaurants and bars along the main street offering a variety of brews and cooking provide a pleasant alternative to - or break from - shopping and excursions.
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Climate
Visitor information
Get in
By boat
Go Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) (Alaska Ferry)
Connects Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Kake, Sitka, Juneau, Haines, and Skagway in the southeast panhandle of Alaska. Some trips operate to Bellingham, Washington or Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
The most common way to get to Skagway is by boat, whether cruise ship or Alaska Marine Highway ferry.
By car
The only road access to the remainder of the continent is on Highway 98, which travels to Whitehorse, Yukon via Carcross, Yukon. The highway is named Highway 2 (South Klondike Highway) in Canada within British Columbia and Yukon.
By train
Go White Pass and Yukon Route
Operates from Skagway, and stops in Northern British Columbia on its way to Carcross, Yukon. Service operates from May to early October. Railroad was built to transport miners from Skagway to the gold. It was in service until the early 1980s, servicing the Yukon's Mining Industry. Today, a portion of the railroad is restored and still in operation. An out-and-back day trip offers great views as the train snakes along the sides of mountains overlooking the river far below; although it goes into Canada, passports aren't required because you don't get off the train. The restored/replica passenger cars feature reversible seats so that passengers face forward both outbound and when the train reverses course to return to Skagway. International trips to Fraser and Bennett Lake, British Columbia are also available. The railroad also offers a transport service for hikers traveling to our returning from Bennett Lake, which is the Canadian trailhead of the Chilkoot Trail, which travels between Alaska and British Columbia.
By plane
Skagway is accessible by commuter flight from Juneau.
Get around
The city is only a few blocks wide and a couple dozen blocks long, on level ground; walking works just fine. S.M.A.R.T. City Transit provides small buses around town and to and from the cruise ship docks. Bus fare for the short route that travels from the cruise ship docks to Broadway and 8th Street costs $2 per trip or $5 for an all-day pass. Buses run from May 1 - October 1, 7AM-9PM, 7 days a week. The fare for the bus route that goes from Broadway and 8th street along State Street to Jewel Gardens and Klondike Gold Fields is $5.
See
Start by stepping away from any buildings and turning 360 degrees for an impressive view of the nearby peaks that enclose Skagway.
See Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitors Center (former Railway Broadway Depot)
Built as the railway's depot, completed in December 1898, after a long history this building was transferred to National Park Service in 1976, with restoration completed in 1984, returning its appearance to the 1908-1915 time period. It now serves as the KGRNHP's Visitors Center and Headquarters. The National Park itself includes much of the historic downtown: the railway Administration Building, Soapy Smith's Parlor, Mascot Saloon and several other buildings, owned and restored by NPS and others, some leased even today for ordinary commercial purposes, to recreate the city's bustling activity.
See Skagway Museum and Archives
Photos and artifacts from Old Skaguay including a Tlingit canoe, a Portland Cutter sleigh and Bering Sea kayaks as well as Gold Rush era tools, baskets, beadwork and carvings. Also gold rush genealogy research.
See Skagway Sculpture Garden
See Gold Rush Cemetery
Old cemetery which includes the grave of Jefferson "Soapy" Smith and "The Largest Nugget in the World" which is really just a giant boulder painted gold. Trolley tours offered to the cemetery, but if you wish to walk from downtown it will take about 20 minutes.
Do
Do Mountain Flying Service (Glacier Bay Flightseeing)
Mountain Flying Service does charter flights and flightseeing out of Skagway and Haines primarily. They have a spectacular plane with very large windows for flightseeing. Paul the pilot has been flying tours in the area longer than anyone else.
Buy
There is no shortage of shops along Skagway's main street (actually Broadway Street, one block from Main), offering an array of standard tourist souvenirs, native/local crafts and imported imitations, jewelry, and other goods. Here are a few:
Eat
A few restaurants and bars along the main street offering a variety of brews and cooking provide a pleasant alternative to - or break from - shopping and excursions.
Eat Skagway Fish Co.
FISH. Halibut fish and chips, Alaskan king crab.
Eat The Smokehouse Alaska
More upscale and overlooking the small boat harbor.
Drink
Drink Red Onion Saloon
Has that Gold Rush era feel. "Meet the Ladies of '98".
Sleep
Hotels
Hostels
Bed and Breakfast
RV Parks
Nearby
My experience
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