SKAGWAY

Haines (this post) and Skagway are only about 15 miles apart by water -- Skagway is at the end of the Lynn Canal.   By land, the only way to get from one to the other is 350 miles, back into Canada through part of the Yukon.  

 

view of Skagway Harbor from the ferry

 

So of course we chose the water route -- taking another Alaska Ferry, very much like the one we traveled on (back in early June) to Alaska from Washington State.  But this one just makes the one-hour crossing between the two cities several times daily.  

As we did in Haines, here we also stayed in an RV Park within easy walking distance of the town center.  But Skagway seemed to us like a made-up town.   Three to five cruise ships were docked every day we were there -- and when the passengers disembark they by far outnumber the population.   Many of them walked right by our RV Park on their way into town, so when we were at "home" it made for good people-watching.

    

 

  

This picture, from a viewpoint above town, is a graphic example of how the giant cruiseships dwarf the town --  Skagway really does exist (these days) almost solely to cater to these tourists.  Skagway's downtown blocks are charming at first glance, wooden sidewalks and some old buildings dating from the Yukon goldrush. But there are almost no locally-owned stores.

 

 

The driftwood-covered building above was (in goldrush days) home to the Alaska Brotherhood lodge.  Now it is a Visitor Center for the Klondike National Historical Park.    Next to it (on the left of the picture) is a jewelry store.   Most Skagway storefronts are occupied by jewelry and "gold" stores.  Not our thing anyway and besides nearly all of them are owned by the cruise lines... tailor made so that cruise passengers who may only have a few hours in town can spend their money on something "local."  

But ... although we didn't love Skagway the way we did Haines, we were really glad that we stayed there .... 

Shameless teaser about the next post

...because of the adventures we had when we got away from the town itself.  (And that's another post or two. )   

 

SHARING WITH:  Wednesday Around the World.  A new meme for me, hosted by Betty who blogs beautifully from New Zealand.  Thank you Betty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Joe Todd]

Enlightening perspective on Skagway.. Thanks Sallie... Always enjoy all your posts

[Felicia]

sure looks like beautiful territory. Those ships are rather huge.

[Carver]

Great mix of shots.

[Hildred Finch]

I said to myself - Gosh, look at the size of that cruise ship!! And found that others were as amazed as I was. What I know about Skagway is what is in our family genealogy and stories about Charles' grandfather who jumped off from Seattle to Skagway and over the Pass to the Alaska Gold Rush in 1898, and it certainly wasn't like modern day Skagway, but probably just as busy with starry eyed prospectors. I would prefer Haines too!

[Sharon Wagner]

No locally owned stores? For shame. But what a good time you must be having up there.

[Linda]

MAN! That ship is HUGE!!!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

[lindyloumacinitaly]

I just do not like the way these gigantic cruise liners over power every city you see them in. :(

[Rainfield M Penang]

I love this journey and am expecting to see more.

[Aimee]

I think my parents may have gone to Skagway when they took their Alaskan cruise years ago. I wouldn't have been interested in the jewelry shops either, but would have enjoyed the historical buildings:)
Blessings, Aimee

[Lois]

I have never been on a cruise ship and it amazes me how big they really are! I guess the tourists at least spend a lot of money in the town.

[Penny]

ooooooo, can't wait for the rest of the story, Sallie.
Wow! Your photo of the cruise ships really does illustrate how much they are akin to a big town.

[EG CameraGirl]

WOW! Those cruise ships really DO take over, don't they?

[diane]

I agree with you about Skagway. The town is spoilt with artificial tourist shops. The fun starts when you get not he White Pass train.

[orchid]

Wow, look at the size of the cruise ship☆☆☆ Interesting to read about the town Skagway; it sue looks like the town for cruise passengers especially fro the first picture! And LOVE the driftwood covered building, SO unique♬♬♬
Great endless ADVENTURE, Dearest Sallie♡♡♡

Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

[pattisj]

That's interesting about the cruise lines "owning" the town. We used to have one line that docked in Norfolk (VA).

[Sondra-SC]

too many tourists makes it hard to enjoy the small town...those ships are huge!! What do all those people do when they arrive? I imagine its a great spot in winter when no one comes off the ships!

[Halcyon]

Despite being overrun with cruise ship tourists, it looks like a nice place. I love the driftwood covered building. Very neat!

[Lady Fi]

Gosh - the cruise ship is bigger than the town!

[TexWisGirl]

those floating cities are something else. i kinda feel sorry for the locals who just wanted things to stay the same. :)

[Dianne]

Those cruise ships present a double-sided sword, don't they? Makes an interesting photo, however. I wonder how the larger ship makes it into that small place. Must be more folks on the ship than in the town.

[Eileen]

Sallie, the ferry sounded like a much faster way to travel from town to town.. I am sure the cruise passengers enjoy these little towns and the town can enjoy the revenue generated from the cruise ships. Great shots!

[Mick]

Those cruise ships are HUGE!I don't think cruising from place to place would be too enjoyable for me but I really like the sound of traveling around the way you have by RV. Oh well - I can always dream!!

[hazel]

I had no idea there was so much to see and do in Alaska-and the stunning variety! The info with the lovely photos is fascinating.I was amazed about the cruise ships.