If you have taken an Alaska Cruise, chances are almost 100% that you sailed the Inside Passage. There are few places on the Inside Passage that you can reach by land. Skagway, just a bit off our route as we moved southward, was one of those places. And from Skagway, we could take a roundtrip ferry to Juneau and see the Inside Passage. Let’s do it!
Our travels had us driving from Dawson City in the Yukon down the Klondike Highway. Once we arrived in Whitehorse, the Klondike Highway joined the Alaska Highway and the roadway we had taken northward in late May. Familiar scenery! Eventually, we left the Alaska Highway behind and proceeded down the Klondike Highway into Skagway.It felt like once again that we were on “top of the world.”For the most part, the Klondike Highway was pretty good. But we did hit a few areas of construction. It’s a good thing we aren’t fanatics about keeping the outside of our vehicles clean. It would be a frustrating losing battle.Speaking of losing battles, the mount on the back of our Garmin RV GPS cracked after a particularly large jostle. The GPS would no longer stay attached to the dash mount. The GPS is 10 years old and we have been thinking about replacing it, this just forced our hand. You may be asking “Why not just use Google Maps?” Well, we do. But Google Maps only works IF you have cell service or have thought ahead to download your maps. But one huge advantage of the Garmin is that it will also warn you of low bridges (to see why that’s important….check out the YouTube Channel 11foot8 at https://www.youtube.com/@11foot8plus8/videos), and bridges that won’t support the weight of our RV. For now, we have a couple of rubber bands keeping the Garmin upright and we will order a new GPS when we are back in the lower 48.The Yukon River was our companion for much of the drive.Bear!!!! We spotted this black bear and I did my best to get a picture of it. But he scurried off into the bushes before we could get a closer shot.
The Klondike Highway into Skagway had some absolutely breathtaking scenery.
Emerald Lake After all the slopes covered with solid trees, this section off the highway really surprised it. It was all rocks!Welcome to Alaska (again)! We had left the Yukon and briefly entered British Columbia only to immediately be back in Alaska. We were smarter about the border crossing this time. All RVs (usually) are subject to an Agricultural Inspection. This time, all our chicken and eggs were cooked (no bird flu here). We didn’t have to turn anything over.
Skagway
We had no expectations with regards to Skagway. We were there because we could ride the ferry to Juneau and back. Our knowledge of cruise ship towns is minimal. The only cruise we have been on was the QE2 back in the late 1980s when we did an Atlantic crossing from England to the USA. That was many years ago. The cruising world has drastically changed.
While we were in Skagway, there were four cruise ships in port. In fact, looking at the sailing schedules, there are ALWAYS four cruise ships in port.Some may recognize this, downtown Skagway. Shop after shop after shop.We saw multiple cruisers taking a picture of this painting up on a cliff face in town. Well heck, if they are taking pictures, I should too! I then had to do a search to see what I was taking a picture of. It’s the Skagway Rock Clock, advertising a curio shop.
Skagway to Juneau Ferry
It was time for our ferry ride to Juneau. We were excited to see what the Inside Passage would hold.
This is our ship for the day, the Fjordland. Small, but comfortable. Its sole purpose is to make a daily run from Skagway to Juneau and back, with brief stops in Haines. Some passengers had suitcases. They obviously were doing a one way trip.Time to get everyone loaded up. We sat right up front so we could see what the Captain was up to. Of course.We were off. We settled in to see the sights and enjoy the provided fresh blueberry muffin and coffee.Our Captain was pretty adept at steering the boat with his feet! He also did a pretty good job of watching for wildlife. He did have a schedule to keep, but time was built in to stop to see the sights (like whales…we hoped).An interesting place to take a nap!Steller Sea Lions.Just chillin’!
Both on the way to and from Juneau, we saw a number of humpback whales. We even saw a whale breach (jump out of the water). But capturing that on a camera was way beyond my modest camera(s) capabilities.
We did get to see whale flukes a number of times.We learned that the trick was to watch for the “blow.” That meant there was a whale down there. The Captain said they would blow every 4 to 7 minutes. We had a number of boats in this area, all watching the whales. It was pretty amazing.
Juneau
After a 4 hour sail that passed all too quickly, we arrived in Juneau. We were left off at a dock away from the city center and bussed into the city. Again, cruise ships were in abundance.
Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas, room for you and 4904 of your closest friends.
We found the totem poles that were at the docks interesting.
They also had this art installation on the dock. They reminded us of whale flukes.
After a few hours on land, it was time to get back on the boat and head back to Skagway.
Eldred Rock Lighthouse
And just like that, after a 12 hour day, we were back in Skagway. We LOVED the ferry experience!
The next day, on our way out of Skagway, we pulled into a turnoff that had a scenic view. I saw the tour buses and said to James (pretending to talk to the cruisers), “Hey people! Look at our large RV. Take a picture of us.” I was being sarcastic of course. But we had no more than exited the RV when an Australian gentleman from this white bus asked “You can drive to Skagway?” Why yes, you can. He then remarked on the size of Sandy and he and his companions immediately started taking pictures of our rig! Did I call that right or what?Our early morning departure meant we got to see some reflections in the lakes.
One surprise on this route was the Carcross Desert. It’s not really a desert (too humid), but rather is sand dunes with trees and shrubs.
The sand dunes are popular for sand boarding (summer) and cross country skiing and snowboarding (winter).While there, we happened upon another one of these European Extreme RVs. Via a QR Code on the rig, I grabbed the link to his Instagram page. It’s at https://www.instagram.com/frei_mind/. There are some interesting pictures there, including the build process. This rig is called the Tortuga (see, we aren’t the only ones that name our RV!)
All in all, we spent 2 nights in Skagway, just enough time to see what the town was about and to ride the Inside Passage. The towns of Skagway and Juneau weren’t really our cup of tea…you probably picked up on that. But the drive to Skagway was spectacular and we loved the ferry ride.
We had one more stop to make in Alaska, the town of Hyder. Next time…..
Still enjoying your trip!!! We were in Skagway –flew from Juneau and the pilot told us that he was going to come close to the mtn. but not to worry as he does it all the time. Then he took us and our little bags to the hotel. Were rather perturbed that they “roll up the sidewalks” after the cruise ships leave!!!!!
Still enjoying your trip!!! We were in Skagway –flew from Juneau and the pilot told us that he was going to come close to the mtn. but not to worry as he does it all the time. Then he took us and our little bags to the hotel. Were rather perturbed that they “roll up the sidewalks” after the cruise ships leave!!!!!
You and D. certainly got around when you were in Alaska. I imagine the sidewalks do roll up when the ships leave. We never saw them leave!!!!
Very cool trip! That scenery was beautiful!
Very cool!
Beautiful scenery (again)! Emerald Lake especially. I think you need to start selecting photos for the Goeke’s 2026 calendar!