Skagway, the northernmost port of the Alaska Inside Passage

June 12, 3:47 PMGreat Destinations Travel ExaminersWayne and Judy Bayliff

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Skagway is the best-preserved gold rush town in Alaska. During the 1896 stampede for riches it played an important role as the last outfitting post along the Inside Passage seaway before the prospectors headed inland over the mountains to the Klondike gold fields.

 This tiny seaside village with wooden sidewalks and gold rush era architecture runs north and south in a picturesque glacial valley. The town sits at sea level, but is surrounded by 7000-foot snow-capped mountains.

The locals say, "It's a thousand miles north of worry." That describes this peaceful little community well, but not accurately.  Skagway is actually 1,800 miles north of Seattle, and 800 miles south of Anchorage.

Most of the other gold-centric towns of Alaska have disappeared, but Skagway’s natural beauty, virtually nightless summer and mild year round weather (for Alaska), as well as its proximity to the sea made it a particularly nice place to settle – and many did.  

 

The park is not on the tourist maps, but ask any resident to point out the walking bridge across the river. Turn left and follow the signs to Smuggler’s Cove.

The rocky cliff near the city dock is festooned with graffiti painted by cruise ship employees, mostly naming and honoring the various captains of the many ships that have sailed into Skagway Harbor over the years. 

Skagway is the farthest north stop in the Inside Passage on the Alaska Marine Highway. This impressive network of ferries and ships is not very well know to the residents of the lower 48 states, but it plays a major role in connecting the remote communities along the many waterways of Alaska’s Inside Passage.