White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad

I haven’t ridden on a train for a long time so this was quite a treat as an excursion on our cruise. It was a very good learning experience as we were told the entire history of the railroad dating back to the times when they built the train for gold mining. The excursion lasted for about 3 hours as it took awhile to reach the summit and the train itself was traveling quite slow to traverse the mountainous areas. There were numerous places to take pictures of the incredible scenery and you could even go outside the train cars to enjoy the cool air. I especially liked riding through the tunnels as they were pitch black and added a bit of excitement.
The trains were heated so you didn’t have to be concerned about being cold plus they even had a restroom onboard and offered complementary bottles of water. It was interesting how everyone flipped their seat backs for the return trip so you can be facing forward and not backward since the train only goes in one direction and not round trip.
My main complaint of the experience was that they took a long time to board everyone and then after that they even took longer to start up the train for the journey. Even though I booked the excursion outside of the cruise package, it was still a spendy experience.
P. S. If you are leaving for the train up the mountain be sure to sit on the left side of the train for the best photo experience.

I LOVE TRAINS!!! I grew up near them, used to count them when stopped at a crossing and even worked in a business where I got to make arrangements to move containers cross country on the train! I live near a rail line and the clickety-​clack of the wheels on the rail is music to my ears. I love hearing the horn. It’s in my blood!
We took the White Pass Summit Excursion, after taking a train trip from Denali to Anchorage and then another from Anchorage to Seward. (Did I tell you I love trains?)
This was definitely something not to be missed! The views were so breath-​taking. It’s amazing to think that we stepping back in time, seeing the old mining trial and cemetery and to think of how many people made their journey through that area on foot for a better life. It is so rich in history; it is truly humbling. Every time the train turned a corner, you’d see something even more spectacular than what you just saw. It was awesome!
The car we were in was only half full, so most of us had our own seat. When we reached the summit, the train switched directions and we flipped the benches back on the return trip. It was very scenic. You will not be disappointed! Oh how I hated for it to end!
To top off our trip, we grabbed a bite to eat at the Skagway Brewing Company on the other end of town. The food was great and the service was first rate! It was a perfect way to end a fantastic day in Skagway!

Very fun trip! The scenery is beautiful — lots of mountains, valleys, rivers, and waterfalls, along with the red, old school train touring cars. The train cars are basic but comfortable and clean with large windows, and they’re warmed comfortably by body heat and a stove on one end. (I imagine they could be hot on a warm day though, unless the mountain air was cool enough as it passed through the open windows.) There’s a bathroom in each car also. The seatbacks flip sides for when the train reverses course at the high point of the trip, at which time the staff asks people to switch sides of the train in order for everyone to see the views from both sides during the ride. It’s fun to stand outside on the platforms at the ends of the carriages too, although be sure to rotate to allow others to enjoy the views as well.

This was such a let down for me and my group of 15. We got off our cruise ship (Ruby princess) and we were super excited for this excursion due to the reviews we read. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable about the scenery, but there just wasn’t anything impressive to see. You could probably get a few nice shots of mountains but that’s about it. It wasn’t worth the money ($ 120+ per person) and it was a waste of time.

If you’re going to be in Skagway you must ride the historic White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad. This is an absolutely terrific train ride with spectacular views and a history that runs deep. Climbing through the mountains on this railroad gives you a great appreciation of the rugged beauty of Alaska. Although the ticket price of $ 80 per person was pretty ridiculous, I would still highly recommend the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad. It was one of the best excursions we did on our Alaskan cruise.

Absolutely breathtaking.
I regretted not doing this last time I was in Skagway and if I ever find myself there again I would take this ride again.
We did the roundtrip ride on the train and I was very happy we did. This meant that there wasn’t a bad seat since when you got to the half way point and turned around, your seat was now on the other side of the train. Also, on the way up when everyone was crowded outside to get certain photos, I just waited to get the crowded ones when we were on the way back down.
The staff was friendly and knowledgeable.

Horrible experience. We booked through our cruise ship.
Here is what happened:
Our train left the station about 15 minutes late. My wife and I rushed and skipped breakfast to make the excursion.
After leaving the station, we stopped and waited another 10 minutes to then be told our engine went out. We had to return to the station and were then hooked up to another train. This took an hour.
We finally left the station 1.5 hours late, being told we would return by 12:30.
We rode the rail very slowly, finally making it halfway up the mountain by about 12:30 PM. We were then told we had to return without reaching the summit.
We returned to the station about 2:00 PM, about 3 hours behind schedule, without making our way to the top of the summit that we paid for.
Ruined our time in Skagway

White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad is a great excursion or do it yourself activity. Our cruise ship docked at Skagway and we decided to ride the train up near the Canada’s borderline. You can get awesome views of the surroundings either from your seat or my favorite, outside on the platform of the train. There are some great photo oppurtunities during the train ride. If you want to take photos I suggest sitting in the first or last carriage. Why you may ask? There will be no obstruction of the view if you are standing outside on the back platform if you ride the last carriage going up. You have a clear view of the scenery. When the train reaches to the end, the locomotive will come around and attached to the last carriage. So now the first carriage is now the last carriage. This ride is relaxing and a personal will tell you the history over a speaker. Staff is extremely nice throughout the trip and they offer souvenirs that you can purchase.

This is a must do for the nature lover.
Absolutely beautiful scenery. The mountain, the rivers,.the mist,…
The train was very clean with seats that switch so you can always be facing forward.
Views like no where else.
For those reviewers who say they saw nothing,…well,.it’s a zen moment of breathtaking views. The quietness of the wild. Soak it up.
Probably boring for kids after the first 30 minutes.
Originally visited August 2013

Bought this shore excursion from Princess cruise. It was expensive but worth every penny. The train was clean (has bathrooms! Warning: the water is very cold) and spacious.
Pro tip #1: don’t sit in the front because they had to open the windows to let the air in (it was 40 degrees outside).
The view from the train was spectacular! The mountains, the trees, the river; everything was breath-​taking. We were very lucky that it wasn’t raining on the day we were there. The water was so calm and clear, we could see the reflection of the mountains in the lake. Pictures don’t do justice how beautiful it was! Yukon was probably the most beautiful place I’ve visited so far. It was during September so all the leaves turned yellow. If I have a chance to come back here, I would go in September.
Pro tip #2: sit on the L side of the train
The narrator from the train was also very helpful. I learned alot about history of the railroad and Alaska gold rush.
Pro tip #3: bring your passport. You’ll pass Canadian border, they will check your passport.
If your cruise offers this excursion or you just want to explore Whitepass & Yukon, I 100% recommend this tour. You won’t be dissapointed.
Note: I took the train to Yukon but came back to Skagway by bus (we could stop to take pictures).
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There is really not much I can say about this tour because I barely saw anything while riding the train for two hours! We purchased this tour through the cruise excursion option. The train ride costs over $ 100 per person. I definitely did not get my moneys worth.
After about 20 minutes into the ride there was nothing to see. The mountain was completely engulfed in fog. The fog was so heavy it seemed to be raining (even though it was not). This made the train ride pretty boring. While on the train, the employees were selling memorabilia of the tour. For $ 20 they offered a copy of a DVD of the train ride (with views of the ride on a SUNNY day), a copy of a book, and a baseball hat. I ended up buying the DVD because I really wanted to see what the view looked like when the mountain was NOT covered in fog.

Picturesque to say the least. A 3 hour round trip that takes you through the mountainside. The views are spectacular — waterfalls, a lake, a river, a glacier, wildlife, etc. all in the same trip.
SIT ON THE LEFT SIDE GOING UP FOR THE BEST VIEWS! They make everyone change sides on the way back down but the trip down isn’t as smooth as going up. For the best pics and experience sit on the left side going up.

We ended up here after choosing an excursion via our cruise line. The tour was part train ride, part hiking via Packer Expeditions (another excellent company that we reviewed on Unilocal.)
It started out as a leisurely ride from the port of Skagway, through the town, up into the mountains via highway 98 and into Canada. The scenery is beautiful, like everything else in Alaska. We even got to see a mama bear and her 2 cubs walking in the brush!
We got dropped off on the shores of Bernard Lake, a super picturesque area with turquoise water and a gorgeous mountain backdrop. I took a lot of photos here. There are restroom facilities here as well, but no food vendors, though the spot is a major drop off and pick up point for the railway. We jumped on board and headed south back into Alaska.
The views were just amazing. Cool, clean, and crisp mountain air. We were up high in some parts, winded around the mountains and even through some tunnels. We hung out on the caboose platform for the most part, as we got unobstructed picture opportunities.
Because we were going on the hike, our group got off at the Denver Valley stop. We did our amazing hike, had lunch above a raging river with the most beautiful scenery, then caught the last train back into Skagway.
Once back in Skagway, it took a while to disembark the train, as border officials come aboard and check passports and what not.
We did however have some time to get in a few drinks at the Red Onion Saloon and marathon it back to our ship.
TIP:
Bring your passport as you enter into Canadian territory!
OVERALL:
Highly recommended. Bring your camera and get ready for a heavenly ride.

Skagway kind of feels like you’re being herded around like a cow everywhere you go, and this train trip was no different in that particular regard. But! It was a treat to be able to ascend above the crowds into the clouds. We were fortunate enough to go on a day that was almost clear, and the scenery was beautiful. We even managed to see 2 black bears and a couple of mountain goats.
The narrator (I can’t remember her name) was informative and chipper – sometimes bordering on a little too chipper, but she kept the crowds entertained. The stories were great. I appreciated the fact that they made both sides of the train switch so everyone got one shot at the good view. I saw some reviews complaining about the trip being essentially the same up and down the mountain, but 1) where else would you expect to go? It’s a historical railroad that only goes one way and 2) I took the opportunity to nap on the way back.
All in all, a great experience, and I’m glad we had the chance to go.

Meh. It cost about $ 100 for the 3 hour ride. The view to the summit and back is the same so it’s really boring and long coming back down.
Pros:
— the train is comfortable
— views are pretty good
— you get to cross into Yukon without a passport
— there is an outside platform to take photos
Cons:
— it’s very crowded
— repeat view on way down
— you can’t get off the train at the top
— outdoor platform is small
— very expensive for what the experience is
If you’re in Skagway it’s probably the thing to do so you should probably shell out to do it but don’t go into it expecting something amazing.

Got off from the cruise ship… walking distance about 15 minutes to the train station.
Love the cute little train station. The staffs at the ticket office are super friendly. There is a gift shop and snacks shop. You can do some shopping or grab a coffee while you are waiting for the train!
The view is gorgeous and love to witness part of the history.

We took a ride on the White Pass Railway while in Skagway because it was part of the excursion that we booked on our cruise ship.
The Train Depot is a quick walk from where the cruise ships dock right next to downtown Skagway. Boarding the train was easy, and we got going quickly afterwards. Make sure to sit on the left side of the train on the way up, and the right side of the train on the way down for the best views.
We rode in the car right in front of the caboose (second to last car) which was cool, but it didn’t have a bathroom or a heater like the other cars. We had to go one car up for that, which wasn’t very inconvenient, but just hard to navigate while the train was moving!
We only were on the train about ¾ths of the way to the summit because we got off to hike. I don’t regret this because we still saw a ton of amazing views the time we were on which was about 45 minutes round trip and the summit is about an hour round trip.
Definitely recommended while in Skagway! There’s nothing else you could do to have better views of the town and surrounding area.

Este pequeño poblado de Skagway (Alaska) ofrece la oportunidad de ascender 873 metros en sólo 20 millas terrestres a bordo de un tren decimonónico que nació para acercar a esos hombres buscadores de oro a las montañas cercanas. La ruta del ferrocarril White Pass & Yukon Route es una obra de ingeniería que serpentea la montaña en su ascenso mientras atraviesa el cauce del río por viejos puentes que dan miedo hasta llegar a las frontera canadiense y norteamericana. A su paso se atraviesan parajes espectaculares de una vegetación exuberante con múltiples saltos de agua.

Our original excursion in Skagway from our cruise ship was a helicopter ride, hike, and train ride. Unfortunately it was cancelled because they needed a minimum of four people, such a bummer. We booked this train ride last minute on our cruise ship.
*Note: If you’re going on a cruise do not book it through them, find an independant company in Skagway.
The views on the train were really beautiful! Everyone on the train will have equal amount of time to sit on the left where the views are. Once at the top, you switch seats with the people sitting on the opposite side. The tour guides were very informative and didn’t have corny jokes.
If we had to do it over again, I’d go on the train one way up and take the bus the way down. I was falling asleep a little on the way back down, but not comfortably because the train had to make sudden brakes going downhill.
Overall, it was cool to see a little bit of history; hard to believe people crossed that path by foot/​horse during the Gold Rush.
Bonus: Unlimited bottled water on the train that we took back on our ship.