Skagway Rail & Bus Excursion

[micruiser12]

We are considering the Chilkoot Charter rail and bus excursion. As far as scenery and clearer views(to avoid fog or clouds) is it better to take the bus first and come back on the train or train first, then bus back? For those that included the dog sled ride, was it worth it? Can't do the Lake Bennett one as we are in port on a Monday. Any other suggestions regarding this excursion?

[quiltsnh]

We did train then van to Emerald Lake with lunch at Carcross.... Just great... Best day...

[DragonOfTheSeas]

There is no way to predict the weather.

 

We picked the itinerary with the best time. We took the van up with Chilkoot and train down. They van left an hour later [8:30am vs 7:30am]. It does not seem like that would be a big deal, but it was.

 

AK excursions are often very early. Our Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour left at 6:20am. [We ordered a lunch and had to pick that up before the bus came.:eek:]

 

Our Whale watch left at 10am, but we had to meet at 9:20. Add the time we needed to eat breakfast, grab out things and get to the disembark area, to tender to the shore, and to walk out of the port area to the parking lot--we were up early.

[Krazy Kruizers]

When we did this excursion a few years ago, we chose to the bus first and then the train down.

 

Glad we had as it was cloudy onn the way up.

[NancyIL]

I've booked the train to Carcross twice, and both times the tracks were washed out before we got to Skagway! We ended up doing the shorter rail/bus excursion with the bus portion first. The first year it rained as we went up and was clear when we returned. The second time it was clear when we went up and rained when we came back. In other words - choose the TIME that works best for you!

[sherryf]

I'm glad we did train first then van back down. By the time we headed down, it had been such a long day that many people started to doze off. If I had to miss part of the tour due to a little nap, I'd rather do it on the bus portion rather than the train. :o

 

As for the dog cart ride, I guess it depends on your level of interest. It is an expensive add-on for a short ride, but I have been interested in sled dogs since I was about 10, so I really wanted to do it. I can't afford the pricey helicopter/dogsled on a glacier tours at this point in my life, so I was happy to compromise with the dog cart. You can still play with the puppies even if you don't take the ride.

[micruiser12]

Thanks for your replies so far! I hope more will post and let me know what your impressions were of the rail or bus first decision.

[NancyIL]

I've booked the train to Carcross twice, and both times the tracks were washed out before we got to Skagway! We ended up doing the shorter rail/bus excursion with the bus portion first. The first year it rained as we went up and was clear when we returned. The second time it was clear when we went up and rained when we came back. In other words - choose the TIME that works best for you!

 

Sorry - I was wrong! We took the train to Frasier, and the bus from Frasier to Carcross to Skagway. I also dozed off a bit on the bus ride back.

[lois1112]

We are considering the Chilkoot Charter rail and bus excursion. As far as scenery and clearer views(to avoid fog or clouds) is it better to take the bus first and come back on the train or train first, then bus back? For those that included the dog sled ride, was it worth it? Can't do the Lake Bennett one as we are in port on a Monday. Any other suggestions regarding this excursion?

 

we did this in September....took the train up (very foggy) and the van down. Loved our driver really gave us a feel for living in the area. as for the dog sled...we did not do it, several in our group did and enjoyed it. (and we got to see the dogs etc)I for sure would recomend Chilkoot charter!