"We had a great time on our Alaska vacation, and thank you for your efforts. . . .We would enthusiastically recommend you to any friends looking to plan an Alaskan trip." 
George and Linda D.
Thinking about travel to Alaska? You deserve the Alaska vacation of your dreams
Welcome to Your  One - stop Alaska Travel, Alaska Tour Center
We offer: Custom Alaska vacation  planning
Alaska shore excursions - pre and post cruise adventrues
Alaska Cruises - Alaska Cruise Tours - - Alaska Lodging
Knowledgeable information from long time Alaskans
Call us at 1- 888 -850 - 7273
or
Many  thanks to Dave Rocke, Family Air Tours, Ketchikan, AK; Larry Dupler, ORCA Enterprises, Juneau, AK; Bear Creek Outfitters, Juneau, AK; Kenai Fjords Tours, Seward, AK, Doug Ward, Dolphin Jet Boat Tours, Juneau, AK, Juneau Convention and Visitors Bureau, Alaska Tourism Marketing Association, Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau, Vancouver Convention and Visitors Bureau, Anchorage, Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Alaska Railroad and the State of Alaska Division of Tourism, Juneau, AK for the pictures on these pages. All pictures are copyrighted and all rights are reserved to the owner of the picture.
For planning, or remembering your Alaska trip
 
Site Search:

sitemap
Preparing for your trip
Humpback whale jumping, seen on Alaska whale watcg tour
Sunset as seen on a Misty Fjords Alaska tour
Bald Eagle seen on Alaska wildlife viewing tour
Traditional Native art carving, seen on Juneau City tour
Fly Fishing on Alaska fishing tour
Your trip personally:
a choice for every style
Alaska Destinations
Gateway Cities
Alaska Wildlife
(fin,feather, claw , paw)
Alaska PersonalTours
Alaska PersonalTours on Facebook
Headline Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 17, 1897
Gold in the Klondike!

       The news spread round the world.  Thousands of stampeeders descended on Skagway, off to claim their share of the
Gold "just lying on the streets waiting to be picked up." Most had no idea of the ruggedness of the wilderness they would have to navigate in the face of an unseasonably cold Alaska winter.
Slideshow of Skagway, Alaska interspersing historic and modern pictures
      The awesome forlorn beauty of the area was lost on them as they struggled up the pass moving the  ton of supplies required to get into Canada and then on to the Klondike Gold fields. They endured incredible hardship as  they single-mindedly concentrated on Gold!

   
       Very few found Gold. For most  of the stampedeers there was only the adventure. Of those that did find Gold, the majority of them, squandered their money; ending up as broke or broker than when they arrived. The real winners were the shopkeepers, bar owners and ladies of the night. Times were rough and  tough, especially since Skagway was a magnet for con artists who soon fell in with the notorious Soapy Smith to create what one writer described as  "the most lawless town in America." Life in Skagway was so onerous that it took vigilante justice, in the form of a shoot-out to bring an end to Soapy's reign.
Things to do in Skagway:

Hike the Chilkoot Trail
Ride the White Pass Railroad
Pan for Gold
Stroll the  historic streets
     of Skagway      
Mush a dog team
Shop
Float down a River
Learn about the Gold Rush
Visit Soapy Smith's Grave
Fish for salmon
View whales
Visit Klukwan Native Village
See Eagles
Bike from White Pass Summit
Discover the  Yukon
Visit the artists in Haines
      These adventurous times are chronicled  in the Klondike Gold Rush National Park  Skagway Unit; which along with the Klondike Gold Rush Park Seattle Unit and the National Historic Sites of Canada in the Yukon  form an inter-state, international memorial to "the last great gold rush."

   Today Skagway is the Williamsburg of the North -- preserving the turn of the century ambiance of those historic times. Now you can experience the rugged beauty of this area in a Skagway tour by air, van, bike or on the Skagway train --historic narrow gauge
White Pass and Yukon Railroad. You can enjoy the beauty of this land, which is the real Gold.

     We highly recommend that you plan to take  one of the longer tours into the Yukon.  British Columbia and the Yukon along the
South Klondike Highway are unlike anywhere else you will encounter on your Alaska adventure.

     For a unique tour, away from the crowds take a short ferry ride or small plane hop from Skagway to the town of
Haines, Alaska.  Haines is both the home of the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, and a vibrant artist colony. One of the unique adventures you can choose here, is a private or small group experience with a local internartionally renown artist.
Have your own Golden adventure.
Visit the 1890's in historic Skagway Alaska
with