Mccarri Posted May 31, 2007 #1 Share Posted May 31, 2007 Dear All What is the big 'MUST DO' or 'MUST SEE' in terms of excurions etc in Skagway? We are doing floatplane/Misty Fjords in Ketchikan and whale watching/Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. Cheers I + F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjnky Posted May 31, 2007 #2 Share Posted May 31, 2007 Put Skagway in the "Search" and most of the posts you'll find will be going on the train. Lots of options - from 3 1/2 hours to 8 according to what kind of tour you want. If that doesn't appeal to you, the Forest Service does a walking tour. Renting a car to Emerald Lake is also popular. A very good friend of mine told me Skagway was her favorite place to shop in all of AK - so there's another option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaribbeanBound Posted May 31, 2007 #3 Share Posted May 31, 2007 Skagway: Rented a van for $75 from Avis which is located very close to the piers. We drove to Carcross, Yukon Territory, Canada (130 miles roundtrip). As it turned out, there’s really nothing in Carcross, but the trip was incredible. (It’s not the destination —– it’s the journey). There was almost no traffic at all. We saw but one bus, a truck, and maybe 2 dozen cars the entire trip. We saw bears, caribou, mountain goats and bald eagles. We saw snow capped mountains and crystal clear lakes, numerous water falls, sweeping valley and mountain views, raging rivers, the White Mountain Pass Train. The kids threw snowballs. We got back into town about 2pm and shopped. Many interesting stores. The place was packed with 4 ships in port. Enjoyed an Alaska Amber Ale at the Red Onion Saloon and were driven back to the ship by the folks at Avis. Between 8pm and 10pm that night we saw numerous Humpback whales, including tail slaps, and a breach within 50 yards of the ship. We enjoyed all three Alaskan ports (Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan) and the Tracy Arm Glacier. We had incredible weather. We did not book any cruise ship excursions —– yet we saw more scenery and wildlife than most passengers. We were a family of four staying in one inside cabin aboard the Star Princess. We would do it again. Complete Alaska review: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/alaska.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qiangf2 Posted June 1, 2007 #4 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Do what CaribbeanBound suggested. I would recommend a horseback ride with Joni at Emerald lake ranch. That was the hightlight of the trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mccarri Posted June 2, 2007 Author #5 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Dear All Thanks for the suggestions. Given these, we will probably rent a car now! Just need to decide if we drive to Carcross or Emerald Lake. Anyone got any thoughts on that? Also, where can we find suggested itineraries for these drives. I've read on here about a 'Murray's Guide', but can't seem to find it on-line. PS. Are Sourdough and Avis the only car rental places in Skagway? Cheers I + F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonna go cruising Posted June 2, 2007 #6 Share Posted June 2, 2007 This is Murrays guide. Great reading. http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike-photos1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbenson81 Posted June 3, 2007 #7 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Do the glacier landing or dogsledding here and do whale watching in Juneau. Also check out the Red Onion Saloon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted June 3, 2007 #8 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Dear All Thanks for the suggestions. Given these, we will probably rent a car now! Just need to decide if we drive to Carcross or Emerald Lake. Anyone got any thoughts on that? Also, where can we find suggested itineraries for these drives. I've read on here about a 'Murray's Guide', but can't seem to find it on-line. PS. Are Sourdough and Avis the only car rental places in Skagway? Cheers I + F Emerald Lake is just 7 miles past Carcross, yes definately go all the way there. Yes only 2 car rental companies. I only rent from Avis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mccarri Posted June 3, 2007 Author #9 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Dear All We took your advise and have hired a car with Avis for USD74 base rate. Now, I am a Brit (well live there at least, actually Irish by birth) and we have manual transmission mostly - gear stick on a central console. Will the Pontiac we have rented be automatic or will the transmisson be manual-hand operated like we see in US movies?! Also, will Avis accept a UK driver's licence or will I need an International Driver's Permit from the AA (AAA to you!)? About the customs crossings into Canada and back into the USA, as non US or CA passport holders, will we have to go through the usual painful immigration formalities (form filling, photos taken, fingerprints and exit/entry stamps) or is it more of a 'show your passport and on you go' affair? Cheers and thanks I + F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtr6 Posted June 3, 2007 #10 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Better check with Avis, as a Canadian we are not allowed to drive a US rental from Skagway into Canada and then back to Skagway:confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted June 4, 2007 #11 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Dear All We took your advise and have hired a car with Avis for USD74 base rate. Now, I am a Brit (well live there at least, actually Irish by birth) and we have manual transmission mostly - gear stick on a central console. Will the Pontiac we have rented be automatic or will the transmisson be manual-hand operated like we see in US movies?! Also, will Avis accept a UK driver's licence or will I need an International Driver's Permit from the AA (AAA to you!)? About the customs crossings into Canada and back into the USA, as non US or CA passport holders, will we have to go through the usual painful immigration formalities (form filling, photos taken, fingerprints and exit/entry stamps) or is it more of a 'show your passport and on you go' affair? Cheers and thanks I + F All cars are automatic. I don't think there are ANY manual rental cars in the US, but the major companies? :) I suggest you get your customs information direct from the Canadian and US sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfepackin Posted June 6, 2007 #12 Share Posted June 6, 2007 Better check with Avis, as a Canadian we are not allowed to drive a US rental from Skagway into Canada and then back to Skagway:confused: May I ask why????? :confused: ... Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Posted June 6, 2007 #13 Share Posted June 6, 2007 May I ask why????? :confused: ... Mike Just 'cause Canada Customs says so! :( Murray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
signora Posted June 7, 2007 #14 Share Posted June 7, 2007 Someone suggested buying sandwiches in Skagway and bringing them on the drive. Will this be a problem at the border? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suziqz007 Posted June 14, 2007 #15 Share Posted June 14, 2007 About the customs crossings into Canada and back into the USA, as non US or CA passport holders, will we have to go through the usual painful immigration formalities (form filling, photos taken, fingerprints and exit/entry stamps) or is it more of a 'show your passport and on you go' affair? Show and go...we stayed in the car, answered a couple of questions (any alcohol?, how long staying in CA?), and we were on our way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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