This is our 2nd time to Skagway, and we're debating whether to rent a car again this time to do a scenic drive. Last time, we drove on the South Klondike Road all the way to Emerald Lake, with stops in Carcross, the smallest desert in the world, and some pull-offs along the highway. Wondering if there are other scenic routes to take, or some spectacular short hikes we can do along the road?
The car rental is steep -- $120 per day -- so we want to make sure the drive is really worth it before doing the 2nd time.
Thanks!
Skagway -- Scenic Drives?
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That drive is pretty well it for Skagway, unless you want to drive all the way to Haines and back. If you are on a cruise, you won't have time to do that. Take the Whitepass Railway or the Bike trip, or just walk around town. The Salmon bake is not bad either.
I too have done this drive once, but we are going to do it again. Yes the rental cost is high, but it is less than the fare for ONE person to take the railway to Carcross.
I purchased and downloaded a nice illustrated road log for the South Klondike Road (http://www.murraysguide.com/). The guide is detailed and mentions places I have not seen before. He mentions several locales for hikes.
One side route would be to take Route 8 from Carcross to Tagish and/or The Alaska Highway, which is about 30 miles beyond Carcross.
We just returned from driving from Skagway to Emerald Lake (and back) for the 2nd time, and I still think it is worth it. We made a bunch of stops on the way up toward White Pass, plus several more between the BC and Yukon borders. I think that this stretch is particularly scenic. Here are a few photos I took, starting with a black bear wandering around near the White Pass summit:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=503475531791&set=a.503475122611.1142.295000001&type=1&theater