Skagway Trip Overview
Leave the crowds of Skagway behind and join a small group tour (14 maximum) to nearby Dyea. In 1898, Dyea boasted over 8,000 residents and had a busy Main Street crowded with gold-crazed miners. What little of the town remaining today has been taken over by nature. This area is protected as part of the Klondike National Historical Park.
Start with a scenic, nine-mile drive along the rocky seacoast. Every month brings something different to Dyea. Wildflowers, migrating salmon, harbor seals, bald eagles and even the occasional brown bear each peak at different times. Your naturalist guide knows the area well and knows the best places to get out of the vehicle to take it all in. The tour highlight is a half-mile walk along a flat trail lined with fragrant spruce trees and wildflowers that once was Dyea’s Main Street.
You’ll return to your ship with more than photos. You’ll have gained an appreciation of the impermanence of man and the profound and lasting power of Alaska nature.
Additional Info
Duration: 3 hours
Starts: Skagway, United States
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Historical & Heritage Tours
Explore Skagway Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Skagway, Alaska, United States
Leave the crowds of Skagway behind and join a small group tour (14 maximum) to nearby Dyea. In 1898, Dyea boasted over 8,000 residents and had a busy Main Street crowded with gold-crazed miners. What little of the town remaining today has been taken over by nature. This area is protected as part of the Klondike National Historical Park.
Start with a scenic, nine-mile drive along the rocky seacoast. Every month brings something different to Dyea. Wildflowers, migrating salmon, harbor seals, bald eagles and even the occasional brown bear each peak at different times. Your naturalist guide knows the area well and knows the best places to get out of the vehicle to take it all in. The tour highlight is a half-mile walk along a flat trail lined with fragrant spruce trees and wildflowers that once was Dyea’s Main Street.
You’ll return to your ship with more than photos. You’ll have gained an appreciation of the impermanence of man and the profound and lasting power of Alaska nature.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Skagway, Skagway, Alaska
Leave the crowds of Skagway behind and join a small group tour to Klondike National Historic Park in nearby Dyea. In 1898, Dyea boasted over 8,000 residents and had a Main Street lined with dozens of hotels, restaurants and saloons. Little of the town remains today. Alaska nature is what gives Dyea its defining character.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Nahku Bay, Skagway, AK 99840, USA
Enjoy a scenic, nine-mile drive along Taiya Inlet’s rocky seacoast. No big buses are allowed along this route. We’ll keep our eyes open for bald eagles and harbor seals that frequent this rich tidal estuary as we cross the Taiya River Bridge and head to explore Dyea’s rich meadows and forests.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Dyea, Skagway, AK 99840, USA
This is a “guide’s choice” tour, so the exact itinerary is dependent on weather, wildlife, and group interest. Every month brings something different to Dyea. In May, June and July, the wildflowers are at their peak, with an impressive display of chocolate lilies, fireweed and wild irises. Beginning in late July, the Taiya river fills with migrating salmon, and the chance of seeing bald eagles and the occasional brown bear increases. In September, the cottonwood trees turn yellow and the bushes are covered in berries. Amanita mushrooms add a splash of red to the green forest understory.
We will stop at the former townsite for a half-mile walk along a flat and well-maintained trail that once was Dyea’s “Broadway.” Your guide will help you discover signs of this town’s fascinating history which is still evident under the layers of moss, ferns and mushrooms.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Gold Rush Cemetery, Intersection of Main St and 23rd, Skagway, AK
Another possibility is a short stroll through the thick spruce forest to visit the Slide Cemetery. Dozens of miners were buried here after the Palm Sunday avalanche of 1898. The quiet here is palpable; only occasionally is it broken by the lilting call of a songbird. The faded wooden grave markers are a poignant reminder of the hazards faced by the Klondike argonauts.
Duration: 30 minutes
