Renting a Car instead of White Pass railway

[judynorth]

Murray's Guide give you a lot of the history that you would hear on the train or motorcoach plus a whole lot more. The freedom to stop when and where you like is what makes the car a great idea. Oh, and the $$$ savings also.:rolleyes:

[itsanita]

Does anyone know how long it will take to drive, straight thru, from Skagway to Fraiser?

 

MY DH and I are driving, and will be picking up friends who are taking the train from Skagway to Fraiser.

 

I have the milage, but that may not be so helpful, as it depends on what kind of road your on and how fast/slow you can travel. I don't want to get there too soon and have to wait, but at the same time, I don't want them to have to wait for us.

 

Thanks

[Yukon]

It takes a half-hour to get to Fraser without stops.

[TrnrMom]

Hi,

Newbie to cruise critic, here, but I've used TripAdvisors extensively. We will be in Skagway June 3 on Star Princess & have rented a car from Avis. Dyea

Dave said there was a dog sled camp at Caribou Crossing. Their website quotes $66pp for 20 minute ride & 10 min "talk". Was wondering if there is another camp. Still waiting to hear if I can get a reservation. I was told before 11 AM & after 1PM are best times, since they are busy at lunch hour.

 

Thanks for any more info.

[Yukon]

Hi,

Newbie to cruise critic, here, but I've used TripAdvisors extensively. We will be in Skagway June 3 on Star Princess & have rented a car from Avis. Dyea

Dave said there was a dog sled camp at Caribou Crossing. Their website quotes $66pp for 20 minute ride & 10 min "talk". Was wondering if there is another camp. Still waiting to hear if I can get a reservation.

 

You can take a ride of the same length at Dyea - with a tour of Skagway included it's $119 - http://www.alaskasleddog.com/ You don't really need a reservation at Caribou Crossing unless you want to go during the busy noon 2-hour period.

[TrnrMom]

That piece of info, really helps. I didn't realize that firm was in Dyea....they apparently do service Princess, since they ask you to book thru the ship. The timing of their trips make it impossible to drive the Alaska Highway, like we had planned. Since reservations aren't necessary, we'll probably stick with our car reservations.

[judynorth]

That piece of info, really helps. I didn't realize that firm was in Dyea....they apparently do service Princess, since they ask you to book thru the ship. The timing of their trips make it impossible to drive the Alaska Highway, like we had planned. Since reservations aren't necessary, we'll probably stick with our car reservations.

 

Ummm....Klondike Highway.:o

[SOOKIENY]

Tried to book with Avis for our September sailing, but they are all sold out. Anyone have info on other rental companies or private tour operators in Skagway???

 

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[ojaidenny]

Which day? You got me worried so I booked for Sept. 5 and got it.

[lovesublime]

dbl sorry

[lovesublime]

It was about 2:30 p.m. and with about a 2 hour drive to get back to Skagway, I climbed off the rocks and we started heading back. I was so happy with the day I was beside myself and couldn’t imagine how things could get much better, when all of a sudden right there in front of us on the left side of the road was a baby black bear just walking on the road! I had been so enamored with the scenery I never even thought about seeing wildlife and was so shocked when we came across the bear!

 

There was a turnout about 20 feet in front of the bear, so I pulled into that spot. The bear began to walk off the road into a bushy area and we thought he was gone, when he then climbed a small tree and started eating leaves. We stayed there for about 30 minutes while I emptied the memory in my camera with shot after shot! I became the hero of the day as I flagged down cars and buses to see the bear. It was funny to see the passengers giving me a “thumbs up” sign as they jumped over each other to get pictures of the bear!

 

We would go on to see many other bears over the rest of our trip, but seeing that first bear was something really special!

Larry-we were on the NCL Pearl in Skagway on the same day as you. We also rented a car and made the drive. We saw that same young black bear. We saw him in the morning as we were first heading out. He stepped out in front of us and stood up on his back legs to check us out. We were so excited and nervous that we were fumbling with the camera and didn't really get any good shots of him. I either read here or heard somewhere that, unfortunately that young bear had to be relocated because people were feeding him. :(

 

I love your review. You described everything perfectly to a tee. Our drive in Skagway was the highlight of our entire trip! We're doing another cruise this June and we have a car booked-we're driving the Klondike again! BTW, we also pulled over and had a snowball fight :)

[LarryF]

It was about 2:30 p.m. and with about a 2 hour drive to get back to Skagway, I climbed off the rocks and we started heading back. I was so happy with the day I was beside myself and couldn’t imagine how things could get much better, when all of a sudden right there in front of us on the left side of the road was a baby black bear just walking on the road! I had been so enamored with the scenery I never even thought about seeing wildlife and was so shocked when we came across the bear!

 

There was a turnout about 20 feet in front of the bear, so I pulled into that spot. The bear began to walk off the road into a bushy area and we thought he was gone, when he then climbed a small tree and started eating leaves. We stayed there for about 30 minutes while I emptied the memory in my camera with shot after shot! I became the hero of the day as I flagged down cars and buses to see the bear. It was funny to see the passengers giving me a “thumbs up” sign as they jumped over each other to get pictures of the bear!

 

We would go on to see many other bears over the rest of our trip, but seeing that first bear was something really special!

Larry-we were on the NCL Pearl in Skagway on the same day as you. We also rented a car and made the drive. We saw that same young black bear. We saw him in the morning as we were first heading out. He stepped out in front of us and stood up on his back legs to check us out. We were so excited and nervous that we were fumbling with the camera and didn't really get any good shots of him. I either read here or heard somewhere that, unfortunately that young bear had to be relocated because people were feeding him. :(

 

I love your review. You described everything perfectly to a tee. Our drive in Skagway was the highlight of our entire trip! We're doing another cruise this June and we have a car booked-we're driving the Klondike again! BTW, we also pulled over and had a snowball fight :)

 

Thanks so much for your nice comments. We leave this Saturday for Anchorage and will be in Skagway a week from Saturday and will be following Murray's guide again. Can't wait! I know we're still almost 10 days away, but the forcast right now calls for sunny skies and 68 degrees!!

 

Thanks,

 

Larry

[lovesublime]

Thanks so much for your nice comments. We leave this Saturday for Anchorage and will be in Skagway a week from Saturday and will be following Murray's guide again. Can't wait! I know we're still almost 10 days away, but the forcast right now calls for sunny skies and 68 degrees!!

 

Thanks,

 

Larry

 

 

Have a great time! I thought we got really lucky with the weather last year and I'm hoping you'll have the same wonderful weather. We're not cruising until June 25, but we're counting the days......:)

[KimmyinLA]

What a helpful thread! I was a bit bummed because we booked our excursions late and just found out that the longer rail excursion is already booked by Chilkoot. So we "settled" on renting a car instead of doing a short rail/bus outing.

 

Now that I've read Larry's excellent review, I think this will actually suit us much better as my husband is an avid photographer. I will also be sure to print out the Murray Guide.

[TMLAalum]

to all the posters on this thread, especially Larry for his detailed entry. We have our reservation with Avis for our port day in Skagway, so now the fun is to plan our journey.

[lalawgirl]

Hi,

Newbie to cruise critic, here, but I've used TripAdvisors extensively. We will be in Skagway June 3 on Star Princess & have rented a car from Avis. Dyea

Dave said there was a dog sled camp at Caribou Crossing. Their website quotes $66pp for 20 minute ride & 10 min "talk". Was wondering if there is another camp. Still waiting to hear if I can get a reservation. I was told before 11 AM & after 1PM are best times, since they are busy at lunch hour.

 

Thanks for any more info.

 

Caribou crossing is the place. We stopped there last year -- my sister did the ride and loved it. Best to avoid any time the tour buses are there - I'd ask when you hear back re: your reservation.

[Poconolady]

Yes, we did the dog sled camp last May. It was interesting to see the dogs and talk with the musher about her adventures on the dog sled races. We were happy to see how well cared for the dogs are. The ride through the woods was fun. The rest of the camp was kind of a take it or leave it thing for us. The museum had some nice exhibits. We booked directly with the camp online and saved quite a bit.

As far as the drive through the Yukon goes, I can only agree with all the others. The day was absolutely perfect. The scenery is unbelievable, and we too saw the small black bear walking along the side of the road! We consider him"our bear", and I consider that one of the absolute highlights of our cruise. I am sorry that we will miss Skagway this year.