Emerald Lake

[PSDottie]

We will be on the Disney Wonder next week and were going to rent a car in Skagway and drive to Emerald Lake. However, we are making reservations in Juneau to take the pilot's choice helicopter tour. I know the scenery will be spectacular going to the glaciers on a helicopter so I wonder if we should forget about the drive to Emerald Lake.

[jskinsd]

If you have the time, DO IT. I was in Skagway on May 31st. The day was a little cloudy in the morning, cleared up in the afternoon, and then rained a little after 5pm. You will see lots of waterfalls, spectacular views Dall sheep and the lake you drive by on the way up was frozen. I thought it to be cool since I'm from San Diego. Emerald Lake is beautiful. I got talked into going on to Whitehorse and saw a caribou on the side of the road eating. Sorry no bears seen. Stop at your own pace or follow a tour bus. Watch out for the Mounted Police. They have rader. I got stopped. They were nice enough to let us off with a warning. In Canada everything is metric. I forgot to look at the little numbers on the speedometer.

[huskyguy]

I don't really understand what a helicopter tour has to do with this drive.

 

Sorry about your luck, jskinsd, the cops were on a week-long blitz when you were here - they're normally very much invisible. A LOT of people got stopped that week, as it was the first enforcement in several years.

[PSDottie]

I thought if we saw such spectacular scenery from the helicopter ride Emerald Lake would almost be a "let down" and rather than drive 140+ miles round trip we should do something else. In Ketchikan we plan on salmon fishing on a chartered boat. Our group consists of me (76) a daughter (48) and two children (9 and 7.) My daughter and kids do a lot of cycling (9 year old just did 32 miles) and they hike in the Colorado mountains.

[sherryf]

I thought if we saw such spectacular scenery from the helicopter ride Emerald Lake would almost be a "let down" and rather than drive 140+ miles round trip we should do something else. In Ketchikan we plan on salmon fishing on a chartered boat. Our group consists of me (76) a daughter (48) and two children (9 and 7.) My daughter and kids do a lot of cycling (9 year old just did 32 miles) and they hike in the Colorado mountains.

 

Is there something else you'd rather do in Skagway? Consider what else you would do if you don't do the drive.

 

The scenery is completely different, and there is more chance to see wildlife. We did the drive last year and saw 3 bears and a bunch of mountain goats, and we were able to stop and watch them as long as we wanted.

 

To me, this is like saying, "We'll see plenty of scenery from the ship. Should we even bother to get off in ports and see any more?" :eek:

[Amy G]

How long is the drive to Emerald Lake?

[smiles2go]

Last year around this same time, our extended family of 8 did the Emerald Lake drive with Tom at TNT tours. We saw 11 bears in our drive! Two were mothers, one with a single cub and one mother had triplet cubs. All the bears we saw were just grazing on dandelions in the meadows along the side of the highway, and we were able to stop and watch them as long as we could. Amazing! We also had a great time stopping at Caribou Crossing where we got to hold the sled dog puppies, tour the Wildlife Museum, and have a nice lunch.

 

DH and I will be on the Diamond Southbound June 15th, so this time we're making the Emerald Lake drive with a rental car. Seeing as many bears as last year is likely too much to hope for, but regardless we know it will be a beautiful drive.

[huskyguy]

I thought if we saw such spectacular scenery from the helicopter ride Emerald Lake would almost be a "let down" and rather than drive 140+ miles round trip we should do something else.

 

IMO, Emerald Lake by itself isn't worth the 5-hour drive (round trip with lots of stops). It's the incredible variety of scenery all along the route. "It's not the destination that's important, it's the journey."

[NEtrekker]

smiles2go,

We will also be on the same cruise. We have reserved with Avis in Skagway, so we may see you out and about on the road to Emerald lake. Hope to get on the road as early as possible. So excited to see Alaska!

[kamac56]

We will be on the Disney Wonder next week and were going to rent a car in Skagway and drive to Emerald Lake. However, we are making reservations in Juneau to take the pilot's choice helicopter tour. I know the scenery will be spectacular going to the glaciers on a helicopter so I wonder if we should forget about the drive to Emerald Lake.

 

We did the drive last year and a few years prior. LOL We do it every time we go and see something different than the time before. Check out this gentleman's blog he has some nice pictures of the area for a pre-visit. You will not regret the drive at all. give the kids binoculars and have them look for sheep, bears etc and they will be real busy!

http://www.riding-the-usa.com/2013/01/day-14-skagway-and-4th-of-july-part-2.html

[jskinsd]

IMO, Emerald Lake by itself isn't worth the 5-hour drive (round trip with lots of stops). It's the incredible variety of scenery all along the route. "It's not the destination that's important, it's the journey."

If you have expectations you will see nothing. If you have none then you will see everything.:D

[grapehound]

Emerald Lake is definitely worth the drive. We took a tour up to the Yukon and if we get a chance to go again we will rent a car and go up there on our own. It's really stunningly beautiful. Carcross, the Carcross Desert, and all the other scenic views are also well worth the effort. We saw mountain goats up on one of the hills and a bear 15 feet from the bus.

[bobo5551]

I think the drive looks great, with a stop in Carcross for the kiddies. Silly question, but is there a gas station in town? If I take a van will need to fuel up midway, I think. Thanks for all the great ideas!

[huskyguy]

I think the drive looks great, with a stop in Carcross for the kiddies. Silly question, but is there a gas station in town? If I take a van will need to fuel up midway, I think. Thanks for all the great ideas!

 

There's a gas station on the highway in Carcross, but no vehicle will need to fuel up on a 150-mile trip.

[Budget Queen]

There was construction going on a couple weeks ago, that had significant wait times for a pilot car. so Emerald Lake wasn't doable if you were on a "schedule".

 

Emerald Lake is NOT a destination of this drive, but simply a turn around point. You need to commit at least 5 hours for this drive, which is 150 miles round trip.

 

Yes there is a gas station in Carcross, which also has decent food options.

 

There is still only one station in Skagway, between 1st and 2nd at State. Can be LONG waits if you wait until the last minute.