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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Skagway
Give Skagway one full day plus a second only if you ride the White Pass train or hike: the historic core is 6 blocks and walkable in 2 hours.
Skagway is a Gold Rush town of under 1,000 people at the north end of the Alaska Marine Highway, reachable by ferry, cruise ship, small plane from Juneau, or the South Klondike Highway from Whitehorse. Almost everything sits on flat ground within a few blocks of Broadway, so one day covers the national park buildings, the cemetery and the trailheads; a second day buys the White Pass and Yukon Route train or a Chilkoot Trail day hike.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Jun–Aug
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (cold, many businesses closed)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $90–140 excl. bed · Mid $150–250 excl. bed · High $300+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Skagway Police (non-emergency) 907-983-2232 · Skagway Visitor Center 907-983-2854
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $4–6 |
| Halibut fish and chips | $22–30 |
| Beer, draught in a bar | $7–10 |
| Museum entry | $2 (check) |
| S.M.A.R.T. bus short route | $2 a trip / $5 all-day (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $20–40 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SGY · Skagway Airport
- Commuter flights from Juneau; no scheduled jet service.
Typical fares
- S.M.A.R.T. bus, short route
- $2 a trip or $5 all-day, May–Oct (check)
- S.M.A.R.T. bus, State Street route
- about $5 (check)
- White Pass and Yukon Route excursion
- about $150, half day (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Downtown is level and a few blocks wide, so walk. S.M.A.R.T. City Transit runs small buses around town and to the cruise docks from 1 May to 1 Oct, roughly 07:00–21:00 daily; short-route fare about $2 a trip or $5 for an all-day pass, and the State Street route to Jewell Gardens and the Klondike Gold Fields about $5 (check current fares). A car is only useful for Dyea, the overlook and the highway.Downtown is level and a few blocks wide, so walk. S.M.A.R.T. City Transit runs small buses around town and to the cruise docks from 1 May to 1 Oct, roughly 7:00 AM–9:00 PM daily; short-route fare about $2 a trip or $5 for an all-day pass, and the State Street route to Jewell Gardens and the Klondike Gold Fields about $5 (check current fares). A car is only useful for Dyea, the overlook and the highway.
See and do
Known for
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
- White Pass and Yukon Route railway
- Chilkoot Trail trailhead
- Broadway boardwalk storefronts
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| White Pass and Yukon Route railway | Departs the depot at 2nd Ave; out-and-back excursion, no passport needed if you stay on the train | Half day (about 3–3.5 h round trip) |
| Dyea and the Chilkoot Trailhead | Car or taxi about 15 min on Dyea Road | About 30 min each way |
| Haines | Alaska Marine Highway ferry, about 1 h | 2–3 h |
| Juneau | Alaska Marine Highway ferry (long) or commuter flight from SGY | Flight about 45 min; ferry much longer |
| Whitehorse, Yukon | Drive the South Klondike Highway (about 175 km (109 mi))Drive the South Klondike Highway (about 109 mi (175 km)) | About 2.5–3 h |
Sleep
- Broadway and downtown core
- Walk to the park visitor centre, shops and the train depot; most lodges and B&Bs sit within 8 blocks.
- Near the small-boat harbour and Congress Way
- Quieter, close to the Fish Co. and Smokehouse restaurants; a 10–15 min walk from Broadway.
- Dyea Road and the highway edge
- RV parks and outlying lodgings; you need a car or the S.M.A.R.T. bus.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the ferry terminal? | Where is the ferry terminal? |
| One ticket, please | One ticket, please |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the trailhead? | Where is the trailhead? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Cruise-ship days flood Broadway with thousands of people at once: check the ship schedule and do the park and cemetery early or late.
- Cell and data service slows badly when several ships are in port; download maps and tickets before you arrive.
- The White Pass train and most tours run May to early October only; outside that window expect closures.
- Weather turns fast: rain gear and a warm layer even in July.
- Book the train and any flightseeing weeks ahead in peak season.
Very safe for a town of this size; the real risks are cold water, fast-changing weather on trails, and bears in the brush outside town. Tell someone your route before hiking and carry rain gear.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Skagway yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
- White Pass and Yukon Route railway
- Chilkoot Trail trailhead
- Broadway boardwalk storefronts
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Skagway official visitor site: www.skagway.org/
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (NPS): www.nps.gov/klgo/
- Alaska Marine Highway System: dot.alaska.gov/amhs/
- White Pass and Yukon Route: wpyr.com/
- Wikivoyage: Skagway, revision 5237234 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5237234
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Skagway
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Skagway Police (non-emergency)907-983-2232
- Skagway Visitor Center907-983-2854
No embassies in Skagway; the nearest consulates are in Juneau and Anchorage. US visitors use 911 and local services.
English is the only language you need here.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/skagway). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.