PMIACW

Thursday, September 15, 2022

Day-4 aboard the Wonder.

Arrive at Skagway, Alaska fairly early, with a planned excursion on the Skagway Railroad to White Pass, and back for a 40-mile adventure.

Rest of the stay on-land would be wandering about Skagway Village.

First, we boarded the White Pass & Yukon Scenic Railroad Train. This route has been designated an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, putting it in the good company of such landmarks as the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, and the Panama Canal.

The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U.S. Class III 3 ft narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other railroad. Equipment, freight and passengers are ferried by ship through the Port of Skagway, and via road through a few of the stops along its route.

The railroad began construction in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush as a means of reaching the goldfields. With its completion in 1900, it became the primary route to the interior of the Yukon, supplanting the Chilkoot Trail and other routes. The route continued operation until 1982, and in 1988 was partially revived as a heritage railway. In July 2018, the railway was purchased by Carnival Corporation & plc. Our route would travel roughly 20-miles to Whitehorse Pass and back.

00.0-miles Skagway Depot

00.6-miles Skagway Junction

02.4-miles Gold Rush Cemetery

04.5-miles Boulder Station

05.9-miles Denver Station

06.0-miles Skagway River East Fork Bridge

06.9-miles Rocky Point Station

08.5-miles Clifton Station

08.8-miles Buchanan Rock

10.2-miles Black Cross RockStation

11.5-miles Bridal Veil Falls

12.3-miles Heney Station