Please help me decide on excursions in Skagway and Ketchikan

[TonisZ]

OK - so here is where I am.

 

We are going to do the Tracy Arm excusion in Juneau.

 

In Ketchikan we are leaning towards the Back Country Jeep and Canoe safari, but I am also thinking about kayaking or the Misty Fjords seaplane. If someone has kayaked there - which kayak excursion did you choose and did you like the scenery? has anyone taken the jeep and canoe safari? If so, I would like to know if it was a big canoe or if there are many, and if you liked it.

 

In skagway - i think I am going to make myself take a helicopter tour. I need some input on the Pilot's choice which has 2 glacier landings and the Valley of the Glaciers via helicopter. Also a choice is the heli-hike and white pass railway...anyone taken this?

 

All input is much appreciated!!!

 

Sincerely,

Toni

[fajitapita]

I just kayaked in Ketchikan on Aug. 6 (our 10th anniversary) with Southeast Sea Kayaks (http://www.kayakketchikan.com/guidedtrips.html). We did the 4 hour kayak trip to Orca's Cove (about 2 hours in the kayak), and it was absolutely wonderful! Someone met us at the dock, walked us to their store (short walk), took a small boat out to Orca's Cove where a larger boat was waiting with kayaks tied up to the side of it. There were a total of 6 of us using 3 kayaks with one guide. He was great and knew a lot about the area. We saw jellyfish, sea stars, 7 bald eagles, humpbacks spouting in the distance, and lots of salmon jumping out of the water right around the kayaks. The day we went the sea was like glass- no wind, no waves, just absolutely beautiful. They supply yellow Columbia rain jackets (kept us warm, although no rain that day!) and life vests- also dry packs for cameras, etc. After kayaking we went back to the larger boat and had a great snack of crackers, cream cheese, capers, red onion, and smoked salmon! Then back on the smaller boat to the store. A GREAT EXCURSION!!!

[OldBaldGuy]

Anyone done the horse ride thing in Skagway? A friend who is going with us next July is a real horsey person and wants to take the ride, we are not so into horses, and I have a bad back. We would like to try it, would appreciate any info on length of ride, terrain, quality of the horses...

 

OBG

[TonisZ]

Thanks so much for your response! I went to the website and found exactly what we were looking for. we are going to do the combo package - kayaking in Orca Cove and then onto the seaplane to fly over the Misty Fjords and land on a lake! A little expensive, but we get to do both, which I'm sure I will always remember.

 

Thanks again for the tip! I called and spoke with the owner Kim - she was very nice and informative and sounded genuinely excited to see us in two weeks!

 

I'll let you know how it is...

 

Toni

[fajitapita]

OBG-

My DH and I did the horseback riding with Southeast Tours in Skagway on August 4th. We met them at their store, and then they took us up in a van over Whitepass and continued into the Yukon to Emerald Lake Ranch and Stables. We rode with Joni and her horses and a group of 10 people. I hadn't been on a horse since 1977, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We were on the horses for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours and got off at least once to take pictures and stretch. Most of the people in our group weren't very experienced riders, so she didn't have us do a whole lot of trotting. The horses were great, really knew the trails, and just seemed to follow each other. Saw some beautiful scenery on the trails- they're well-marked, lots of flats, some uphill/downhill (but not very steep). Afterwards we had sodas and baked goods for a snack and listened to some poetry readings by a real live cowboy. :) (By the way, our van driver was very informative about the area and let us stop wherever we wanted to on the way up and back for pictures.

Here are the websites... I highly recommend this excursion.

http://southeasttours.com/03_skagway_yukon_horseback.html

http://www.yukonhorses.com/default.htm

[alaska16]

We went horseback riding in Skagway and booked through the sun princess. While it was very enjoyable, a good portion of the ride was spent just going through the trails. We only spent about half an hour out in the open where we could see the mountains the little river. That half hour, though, made the whole excursion worth it...it was so beautiful. Of course the sunshine that day helped too... not many clouds this past Thursday. Overall, I'd rate the horseback riding a B, not excellent, not bad, but good...just good. However, if you like riding a little faster this tour may not be for you, because the horses did not get to trot at all. The total riding time (the time actually spent on the horse) was about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The bus rides were about 1/2 hour each way and about 15 minutes getting some instructions and mounting the horses. I really enjoyed this excursion because it was with my fiancee who used to ride and simply beams everytime she is even near a horse, that alone made the trip worth it for me. So if you or someone you love is into horseback riding go for it, you'll love it. P.S. watch the forecast, we heard from our tour guides that it can get really, really muddy if it is pouring...and wear old clothes and shoes that you don't care too much about as some of us got a little muddy, but that just added to the fun.

[Budget Queen]

The horseback riding via Southeast tours consistantly gets raves. A room mate did the Skagway tour and did not recommend it for some of the reasons above- just too basic for her.