Skagway Planning Help Needed!! Liarsville?

[Amy5000]

Hello all. I'm making plans for my family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children (ages 8 and 10) for Skagway on July 4. I've read through several of the excursions and I've decided not to travel into the Yukon even thought is sounds amazing.

 

I'm looking at

-checking out the town and it's 4th of july parade

-doing some hiking (maybe Upper Dewey Lake)

-a trip with Ocean Raft Alaska (an adventure boat ride through the Lynn Canal - pick ups at 10am 12:30 and 3pm)

-the Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp & Salmon Bake (pick up at 12 or 3)

 

I'm not to sure that Liarsville would be for us but we have the Alaska Tour Savers Coupon book, so the cost for the four of us would be about $100. My kids are very into the idea of panning for gold and I noticed that it's included in the price.

 

I wondering if you knowledgeable readers had any suggestions of what would work for the day and whether any of you thought Liarsville worth it...

 

Thanks, Amy

[Duck Duck Cruise]

Hi Amy,

 

We have a blog below from our cruise to Alaska on the Zuiderdam and went to Liarsville. Our blog talks candidly about it and you might want to read it before you spend your money there. I think your kids would enjoy hiking or rafting more.

 

Enjoy your cruise and have fun at whatever you decide to do.

 

Lin

[Krazy Kruizers]

We did Liarsville quite a few years ago -- then it didn't include a salmon bake.

We rated it as "okay".

[huskyguy]

You'll be able to do Lower Dewey Lake, but not the upper lake, which is a long, tough hike.

[Amy5000]

Thank you for the insight. I was tempted b/c of the coupon but I think I'll pass and find things to do around town.

[Nauticat42]

Just got back from our AK cruise and can offer partial insight on Ocean Raft Alaska. For us 2 adults, this tour was the very best of anything we did in AK. The tour was extremely well run and offered the very best opportunities for viewing and photographing wildlife (eagles galore, whales up close, seals, mountain goats high up on cliffs). The only concern you might want to look into is the advisability for 8 and 10 year old kids. As you probably know, they suit you up in 1-piece survival suits to protect against cold and wet spray -- totally unnecessary on the warm, calm day we did this, but certainly essential on windy, choppy days. They had suits of varying sizes, but didn't notice if they had sizes for smaller kids. Also, the straddle-type seats were such that it's helpful for your feet to be able to reach the floor when seated. The boat speeds around and takes sharp turns at high speed, and having your feet firmly planted helps for stability. I'm sure many kids would LOVE the speed and sharp turns -- especially if they've ever experienced thrill rides like at Disneyworld, etc. but the parents might want to sit on the outboard edge seats to keep the kids safely contained within the boat. Maybe phone Ocean Raft directly and ask about kid-related issues -- they were quite responsive when I called about other questions. BTW -- the boat speeds around at times, but when something interesting shows up, the boat stops completely allowing you to get up, move about the boat and take pictures, etc. Would highly recommend this trip, and despite the price, would definitely do this trip again.