Drive to Emerald Lake - Difficult?

[dbhome]

I was thinking of renting a car to drive to Emerald Lake -- until I just read a post about having to turn around because of cloud cover and no visibility. I am really scared of heights and will probably be doing the driving this trip. I was terrified as we drove over the Continental Divide in the Rockies last summer. If the roads are narrow with steep drops, then maybe the train is for me. Has anyone had difficulty with this drive?

[TeeBuccs]

I didn't find the drive to be difficult at all into the Yukon from Skagway to Emerald Lake. The roads are plenty wide and no cliffside areas at all. We made this trek in mid to late May and early on at higher elevations there was snow in the mountains but the roads were perfectly clear, only a little fog at these higher elevations but nothing that would present an issue. There were a few patches of the road when you are driving along that just suddenly are gravel vs. paved so reduced speed was necessary, but by far this was an easy, enjoyable and quite beautiful drive. We saw bears and deer and made many photo stops along the route - we loved doing this! Just don't forget to make an auto reservation plenty early if you want to go this route!

[Yukon]

There were a few patches of the road when you are driving along that just suddenly are gravel vs. paved so reduced speed was necessary, but by far this was an easy, enjoyable and quite beautiful drive.

 

And this year there is no construction, so it's all pavement.

[ute_fan]

I was thinking of renting a car to drive to Emerald Lake -- until I just read a post about having to turn around because of cloud cover and no visibility. I am really scared of heights and will probably be doing the driving this trip. I was terrified as we drove over the Continental Divide in the Rockies last summer. If the roads are narrow with steep drops, then maybe the train is for me. Has anyone had difficulty with this drive?

 

I live in Utah and have done plenty of driving in and around the Rockies of Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. The drive to Emerald Lake is much less scary than I-15 coming down Parley's canyon as you head into Salt Lake, let alone any of the canyon drives that go up through the Continental Divide. I wouldn't worry about it at all. It's a beautiful drive and Murray's guide is an excellent resource.

[gazingm42]

And this year there is no construction, so it's all pavement.

 

How long should we plan round trip to get from Skagway to Emerald lake?

 

Thanks

[TFHgirl]

We made the drive to Carcross on May 20th. It was all pavement and in pretty good condition. We've done a lot of beautiful drives on scary roads (at least they scare me), but I double-checked with the driver, just in case I was so distracted by the beautiful scenery that I didn't notice it was "scary". He said it wasn't scary at all.

 

Coming down to Skagway from the pass, the road is quite steep. The brakes of one bus smelled pretty bad, and there are a couple runaway truck/bus ramps provided, but our car/driver did just fine.

 

We left Skagway with beautiful, sunny skies, but by the time we got to Carcross hours later (we stopped a lot for pictures and to look at wildlife) it was drizzling a little. We thought it might pour on us on the way back, but it didn't, and the storm clouds just made for more dramatic scenery. We could see rain way out across the mountains here and there, but never on us. And it got sunny again as we headed up for the pass and back down into Skagway.

[Yukon]

How long should we plan round trip to get from Skagway to Emerald lake?

 

I recommend 5 hours from Skagway to Emerald Lake and back. It's only 150 miles but there are a lot of places you might want to stop for a look-see or a walk.

[Misha]

I just purchased Murray's new guide... It sure is pretty! Thanks for all the hard work.... We are really looking forward to the drive.

[raytownlady]

What is this Murrary's guide I keep hearing so much about, where can I buy it?

[Misha]

Oooh.... I feel so knowledgeable!! and I don't leave for 2 more weeks! Murray has a fantastic route that goes from Skagway out into the Yukon along the Klondike road. He points out and describes all the points of interest along the way. You can find it at

http://explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike-photos1.html

[mdeane]

If I already have Murray's Guide, is the new one very different or with different information that I need to get it also??? Thanks It is a wonderful travel narrative.

[Yukon]

If I already have Murray's Guide, is the new one very different or with different information that I need to get it also??? Thanks It is a wonderful travel narrative.

 

It's quite different but most of the information is correct in the one you have.

[TFHgirl]

Oooh.... Murray has a fantastic route that goes from Skagway out into the Yukon along the Klondike road. He points out and describes all the points of interest along the way. You can find it at

http://explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike-photos1.html

 

The guide is really good, and my family is glad I had it. However, we missed some things, but it was usually because we didn't see always see the mileage markers and therefore didn't know exactly where we were, or because I was too distracted by the beautiful scenery to be looking at the guide!

 

It took us 3-4 hours to get to Caribou Crossing (sled dogs & museum) with all the stops we made for reading signs, taking pictures, or just enjoying the scenery. I'm pretty sure it took almost 1-1/2 hours to get back, with a couple fairly short stops. I'd allow more to get back if the weather's nicer on the way back than on the way out. :)

[TampaJules]

We left the city at about 11 am and didn't get to Emerald Lake until 3:30. 75 miles in 4 1/2 hours! We stopped so many times to take pictures. Then we drove back almost straight through to make sure we were there in time. One tip, since the mile markers that Murray references are not always there. When you get the car, zero out the trip odometer. This way you will know what mile marker you are at. I realized this would have been nice once I got to about 50 miles or so.

 

And its not a scary drive at all. The roads are perfectly fine to drive on and I didn't notice any steep cliffs to be afraid of. The landscape is just so beautiful!