Discover Skagway: History and Trails Through Nature

Skagway brings together Gold Rush history, historic buildings, and trails through diverse landscapes. When planning your trip, you can focus on two areas: cultural history in the Historic District and trails through forests, mountains, and coastal landscapes. If you’re looking for a hotel for your stay, you can use these interests as a starting point for your travel decisions.

Historic Buildings and Gold Rush History

The historic downtown district covers six blocks and is designated a National Historic District. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park manages more than 20 buildings within the district and just beyond its boundaries. The Moore Cabin is the oldest building in Skagway; it was built in 1887. The Arctic Brotherhood Hall was established in 1899 and served as a community gathering place for more than 100 years. At the J. Bernard Moore House, you can learn about life on the early frontier.

Museums also explore different aspects of the city’s history. The Visitor Center Museum features accessible, interactive exhibits with artifacts, video clips, maps, photographs, and dioramas. The Jeff. Smiths Parlor Museum displays rare photographs, unique artifacts, folk art, unusual taxidermy, and animatronic figures. The Mascot Saloon Museum showcases a restored Gold Rush-era saloon. Visitors can learn about vice in Skagway, community figures, changes in the city, and the building’s restoration. No tickets, passes, or payments are required for the Mascot Museum.

The Skagway Museum covers local history, including the Klondike Gold Rush and Alaska Native baskets, beadwork, and carvings. The film Gold Fever: Race to the Klondike combines historical reenactments, archival photographs, and landscape footage of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The Days of '98 Show has entertained audiences for more than 100 years with a melodrama about Skagway’s Gold Rush era.

Walking Tours and Hiking Trails

The self-guided Walking Tour of Park Buildings is 0.64 miles long and passes historic Gold Rush-era buildings in Skagway’s Historic District. The Chilkoot Trail is a 33-mile recreational trail. Hikers pass hundreds of artifacts left behind by gold seekers. This offers a compact loop through the district and a much longer trail with archaeological traces, suited to different distances and interests.

The Dewey Lakes Trail System is very close to Skagway’s Historic District and leads into spruce and hemlock forests. Another trailhead is located about three-quarters of a mile from the Historic District. Trails accessible from there run along the coast and up a mountain, offering panoramic views over the valley. The area with the Gold Rush Cemetery and Lower Reid Falls is about a 1.5-mile walk from the Visitor Center. The approximately 1.5-mile walk applies to the area with the cemetery and waterfalls; the approximately three-quarter-mile distance refers to the trailhead.

Dyea, Taiya Inlet, and the White Pass & Yukon Railroad

Outside Skagway is the Historic Dyea Townsite. It features historic interpretive signs, opportunities for bird and wildlife viewing, and views of the Taiya River. Cyclists can ride along the scenic road to Dyea, passing wetlands and historic sites and enjoying views of Taiya Inlet. Another scenic route is the White Pass & Yukon Railroad, built in 1898: it crosses White Pass through the wilderness of British Columbia and Canada’s Yukon Territory.

Getting There and Practical Information

Skagway is accessible via the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system, the Klondike Highway, and scheduled air taxi flights between Juneau and Skagway. As schedules and operators can change, check connections when planning your trip. The Skagway Visitor Center provides free area guides and trail maps.

The daily schedule at the Moore Homestead varies; check with the Visitor Center. The museum is closed in winter, from early October through the end of April. This seasonal closure is relevant when planning if the Moore Homestead is one of your priorities.

Discover more destinations: Angoon, Gustavus.

Return to the regional travel overview: Hoonah-Angoon Census Area.