After cruising just 90 miles up the Lynn Canal from Juneau, the next morning we arrived in Skagway, our favorite
port of call in Alaska. During our first visit to Alaska, we cruised the Lynn Canal between Skagway and Juneau in a small
vessel. We have fond memories of the spectacular beauty of the Lynn Canal. It is truly too bad that the cruise ships now
negotiate the Lynn Canal at night.
For a bit of history about Skagway, click here
My worst fear was we would have a cold, foggy, rainy day in Skagway. It turned out to be our most perfect day of the
cruise. The highlight of our visit to Skagway was riding the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway again!
From sea level at Skagway, the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway climbs 2,885 feet to White Pass summit
in only 20 miles of track, one of the steepest railroads in the world. Of its entire 110 miles of track,
20 miles are in Alaska, 32 miles in British Columbia and 58 miles in Yukon Territory. This great engineering
feat was completed in the 26 months between May 28, 1898 and July 29, 1900. The railroad construction
employed approximately 35,000 workers, 2000 being the most employed at any one time. The total cost was
approximately $10 million, with not a single dollar coming from any government aid. The operation of the
railroad rendered the Chillkoot Trail and its aerial tramways obsolete. The railroad carried thousands of
prospectors to the Klondike gold fields in relative comfort, despite the fact that by the time it was completed
the great stampede was already over and the immediate need for a railroad had passed.
