White Pass and Yukon Railway - Skagway, Alaska
Written: Jul 29 '03 (Updated Jul 29 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Breathtakingly beautiful scenery
Cons: Cost
The Bottom Line: A spectacular look at Alaskan scenery. If you want to see wildlife, go in August.
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Hubby and I had wanted to go to Alaska for a while now. Flying to southern Alaska and flying back from northern Alaska seemed to be a financial challenge. Hubby suggested we see Alaska by cruise ship, but take a round trip voyage. We wouldn't get to see as many ports, but it wouldn't cost as much.
Our second port on this trip was Skagway. We sailed the Holland America, Maasdam and bought our tickets through the cruise line for about $100 each. It might be cheaper to buy them in person, but then you aren't guaranteed a seat. The Maasdam was 4 hours late getting into port. We were supposed to be there about 8 am, but ended up getting to port closer to noon. Our tickets aboard the White Pass Yukon Railroad was for 1 pm. We would be OK, or would we? How about the passengers with earlier tickets? As it was, we were fine. For the folks who had earlier seatings aboard the train, they added extra cars and everyone was happy.
The White Pass and Yukon Railroad gives you a glimpse of the scenery our forefathers saw on their way to discover all that gold that made everyone rich. At least the folks who sold the horses and mining equipment got rich.
The railroad cars are made to look old. The sides of the cars are mostly windows with supports in-between. There are perhaps 10-15 seats from front to back of each car. Each seat holds 2 people. There is a seat on each side of the car, right and left. The seat backs are made to flip back and forth. If you are sitting facing the front of the train, you can flip the seat backs around and then you will be facing the rear of the train. I will tell you more about that later.
As we took off from the train station I noticed the right side of the train was mighty close to the side of the cliff. The cars made a rickity type sound. I figured we were ok, since that car has probably done this trip many times before. As I looked to my left, I saw the lovely scenery in the distance. If I looked directly down from the window, at times all I saw was land VERY far beneath! Oh my word! What is holding us up? Kind of like on an airplane, you are on there by faith.
The scenery was spectacular! There was a voice on the intercom, telling us points of interest. One person a few cars ahead of us saw a bear cub. Another person in our car saw it, but she must have been the only one. Maybe we didn't look close enough to the car or it was too well camouflaged.
Periodically a man would come through the cars and make sure we were ok, available for questions. We were cautioned not to walk between cars, since the connections pivoted and we might be thrown from the car. If that were the case, there cords above the windows to pull. If that happened, the car would stop immediately. Several people stood on the landing between cars and took videos. It was a tad chilly out there. The further we climbed up the mountain, the colder it got. While it was nice in Skagway, by the time we reached the summit, there was snow on the ground. Our final destination was just inside Canada. They cautioned us not to get off the train, or else we would have to go through customs again. Yeah, right. Well, perhaps!
Some of the scenes that remain in my mind was how narrow the track was. At times one could not see land directly beneath you. Not very close, anyhow. We saw a preview of our trip in the distance. If you followed the track, or path with your eyes, you could see where you'd be crossing a trestle perhaps 3 miles away. It looked very narrow, perched high in the sky. We also passed through a tunnel or two for perhaps 10-20 seconds. Toward the top of the summit, we passed an area with both American and Canadian flags. The narrator gave us a good glimpse into Alaska history, explaining about the horses who were on their way to the glue factory taking a detour here as miner's pack animals.
I want to say the trip was 20 miles and took about 90 minutes. As we reversed our course, only the train engine turned around. The engineer took a second track and hooked up to the rear of the train, which now became the front of the train! We were told to switch our seatbacks and sides of the train. Folks who had ridden on the "inside" of the train, close to the mountain, were now able to sit on the outside and enjoy the view. You are treated to a bottle of room temperature bottled water while on board.
Would I recommend it to others? Yes. Would I go again? No, I think once is enough. Maybe I will take the Royal Caribbean train through Denali National Park if I'm up that way again. Alaska scenery is spectacular! If you are interested in wildlife, I heard August is best.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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remnjava
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Member: Carol
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Zekiah born 11-3-03 6lb 14 oz 19 3/4" dark curley hair blu eyes
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