In Skagway the railway announces itself before you see it: a whistle bouncing off the mountain walls, the clank of couplings, and a line of narrow cars waiting beside the old depot. The little town of wooden fronts and boardwalks, set beneath steep forested slopes, seems built around that sound.
Is visiting the White Pass and Yukon Route worth it?
Yes, for anyone who likes railroads, gold rush history or the pleasure of letting a mountain pass unfold from a window seat without driving it. It suits people who want a clear shape for a day in Skagway, travelers with limited mobility, and families who would rather ride than hike.
What sets it apart from other historic lines is its scale and its story. The White Pass and Yukon Route is a narrow-gauge railroad that once tied the port of Skagway to Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon, and it was part of the mining past of this whole region.
It is also recognized as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, which tells you something about the work of laying track through this terrain.
It is also an isolated system. It has no direct connection to any other railroad, so locomotives, freight and passengers all arrive and leave by ship through the Port of Skagway. That fact gives the railway a self-contained feel, like a small world that exists for this one valley and its history.
What to see at the White Pass and Yukon Route
The line from Skagway to Carcross
The active track today runs 67.5 miles from Skagway to Carcross. The railway was originally laid out for 107 miles, all the way to Whitehorse, and the difference tells a story of how the line shrank as mining declined and tourism took over. In its modern form it operates purely for the tourist trade during the summer months, starting at the port of Skagway.
Passenger service to Carcross began in May 2007, with six trains per week and motorcoach return trips. What you look for from the window is the way the track clings to rock faces and climbs away from the water, the kind of engineering that earned the landmark designation. Sit on the side that gives you the view and keep a camera ready for the bends, where you can often see the train’s own length curving ahead.
Steam Locomotive No. 73
One steam locomotive is still in operation on the line: No. 73, a 2-8-2 Mikado type. For many railfans it is the reason to come. Steam engines have a presence that diesels lack, from the hiss at the platform to the smell of coal smoke and the slow, heavy rhythm when the engine works uphill.
Even if you are not a rail enthusiast, watching a steam locomotive at work gives you a feel for how the railway was run when it hauled prospectors’ supplies and freight. Look at the driving wheels, the rods and the brass details, and at the crews who tend it.
The depot and Skagway’s historic district
Skagway keeps a historic district of about 100 buildings from the gold rush era, and walking it is the natural companion to a train ride. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park has its visitor center at 2nd and Broadway, in the old White Pass & Yukon Route Depot building, so the railway’s own past is part of the park story right in town.
In the evenings, the Days of ’98 Show plays in the Fraternal Order of Eagles Hall, a lively stage version of the gold rush era. Along the boardwalks you pass false fronts, small museums and shops, with the mountains close behind every street. The town has fewer than a thousand people, and its scale makes the railway feel like part of daily life rather than a separate attraction.
White Pass Summit and the old trail
The pass that gave the railway its name has its own story. The White Pass Trail was advertised as an easier trail, friendly to pack animals, but it became a trail of disappointment and backache for the people who tried it. The railway was the answer to that struggle, carrying people and supplies over the same ground without the suffering.
Visitors can also drive up the White Pass Summit from Skagway, which gives a different angle on the same landscape, and the White Pass and Chilkoot Trails are part of what the national historical park offers. Seeing the terrain from a car or a trail makes you appreciate the railway all the more once you have ridden it.
Hours, tickets and rules
The railway is a summer operation, run purely for visitors, and the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway takes excursion bookings through its own channels. The line has had a long, stop-and-start modern life. It was reopened between Skagway and White Pass in 1988 for tourist passenger traffic only, extended to Carcross later, and then suspended in July 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It resumed operations in May 2023.
| Site | Open |
|---|---|
| White Pass and Yukon Route passenger trains | Summer months, for the tourist trade |
| Steam rotary snowplow demonstrations | Once or twice each winter, for railfan groups |
The snowplow is steam-powered, and it is pushed by two diesel locomotives when it runs for railfan groups. At least eight passenger cars have wheelchair lifts, which matters for anyone planning around mobility. Because the railroad is an isolated system with no direct link to other lines, everything it needs arrives through the port.
How to get to the White Pass and Yukon Route
The railway starts in Skagway, a town in Southeastern Alaska, so the question is really how to reach Skagway. Because no railroad connects to the line, travelers do not arrive by train from elsewhere. Passengers and equipment come in by ship through the Port of Skagway, which is also why cruise ships are such a visible part of the town’s summer.
Skagway is the northern terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry network and an important port of call on the Lynn Canal corridor. If you prefer to come by water without a cruise, the ferry is a way to arrive in the town. The Alaska Marine Highway fits naturally with a trip through the Inside Passage, with Skagway at the end of the line.
By road, the only access from Skagway to the rest of the continent is Highway 98, which travels to Whitehorse, Yukon via Carcross, Yukon. The Klondike Highway, completed in 1978, connects the town to the lower 48, northern British Columbia and the Alaska Highway. By air, Skagway Airport receives commercial service from Alaska Seaplanes. Once you are in town, the depot sits at 2nd and Broadway in the center of the historic district.
When to visit the White Pass and Yukon Route
The summer months are the time to ride. The railway operates purely for the tourist trade then, and the town responds in kind: its population doubles in the summer tourist season to handle the large number of visitors. Skagway is a popular stop for cruise ships, and the tourist trade is a big part of its business, so the streets and the depot take on a busy, festive character.
Time of day is something you will want to think about once you have a booking, because the town changes with the arrival of ships. Mornings on the boardwalks tend to feel quieter before the day’s visitors fan out, and evenings bring the Days of ’98 Show and a more relaxed feel. The railway’s own departure times are set by the operator, so plan the rest of your day around them.
Winter has a very different charm for railfans. The steam-powered rotary snowplow runs for railfan groups once or twice each winter, pushed by two diesel locomotives, and that is a specialist event rather than a regular ride. For travelers, the line is a summer experience, and the rest of the year the town goes back to its small, quiet self.
Tips for your visit
Think of the railway as the centerpiece of a Skagway day, not the whole of it. Pair it with the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, whose visitor center in the old depot building sets up the history before or after your ride. A walk through the historic district, with its gold rush buildings, rounds out the story, and the Days of ’98 Show makes a fitting evening.
Bring a camera, and sit where you can see the track curve ahead. Railfans may want to know that steam locomotive No. 73 is still in operation, though the operator decides which trains it pulls. If you are traveling with someone who uses a wheelchair, the line has at least eight passenger cars with lifts, a useful thing to raise when you make your plans.
Families will find that the train gives children a window seat on the mountains without a long hike. For those who want to see the pass from a different angle, you can drive up the White Pass Summit from Skagway, and the White Pass and Chilkoot Trails are part of what the national historical park offers. The Tongass National Forest partly surrounds the town, so the forest is always at the edge of whatever you do.
Good to know before you go
Skagway is a small town, with fewer than a thousand year-round residents, so the summer swell of visitors shapes everything about it. The railway has been owned by Holland America Line since 2018, and it continues to operate as a tourist railroad along the route that once served the gold rush. Because it is a summer service, plan your Skagway days around the warm months, and keep the winter snowplow runs in mind only if you are a railfan with a group.
Sources
- White Pass and Yukon Route Railway, Skagway (https://www.wpyr.com/), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, White Pass and Yukon Route (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Pass_and_Yukon_Route), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikivoyage, Skagway (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Skagway), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Skagway, Alaska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skagway,_Alaska), checked October 11, 2026
- National Park Service, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (Skagway), plan your visit: basicinfo (https://www.nps.gov/klgo/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm), checked October 11, 2026
- National Park Service, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (Skagway), plan your visit: directions (https://www.nps.gov/klgo/planyourvisit/directions.htm), checked October 11, 2026
- National Park Service, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (Skagway), plan your visit: things2do (https://www.nps.gov/klgo/planyourvisit/things2do.htm), checked October 11, 2026
- Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau (https://www.skagway.com/), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Holland America Line (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland_America_Line), checked October 11, 2026