5 walks to do in Skagway (free/cheap + easy!) on a cruise ship visit 🏔 Alaska cruise port tips

Hi there!

Skagway is not that big of a town, and there are a few walks you can do directly from the cruise ship.

The cruise ship basically docks in downtown Skagway, so in some cases you can walk directly off the cruise ship and straight to downtown.

In some cases, cruise ships are docked at a spot that requires a shuttle.

If you do need a shuttle from the cruise ship, then you’ll be able to walk into downtown from the shuttle drop-off spot!

So if you find yourself with a little bit of extra time before your back-on-board time in Skagway, or if you just want to make Skagway an easy-going day during your Alaska cruise, then here are ideas for easy walks to do in Skagway from the cruise ship!

These are easy walks you can do with an hour or 2 of time in Skagway. If your cruise ship doesn’t require a shuttle, then you can walk straight from the cruise ship to do these walks.

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There are partner websites included below.

First here are the quick tips for activities you need to know about when it comes to walking in Skagway straight off the cruise ship!

Downtown Skagway is a historic district. You walk straight from the cruise ship (or your cruise shuttle drop-off!) and to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park visitor center and historic buildings around town.

To save you some walking around town, you can take the (paid) downtown shuttle.

Walking around the historic downtown is something you can do after you get back from the Yukon, like a remote Yukon sled dog camp or a Yukon driving tour.

Venturing into the Yukon will give you a greater appreciation of the history of Skagway and the Klondike Gold Rush too, since Skagway was a gateway town for the Yukon where people went in search of gold. (aka the reason Skagway exists at all!)

Skagway is surrounded by mountains (you will see this as you are sailing in and out of Skagway on the cruise ship!) and it’s also easy to get to a hiking trail by walking from the cruise port.

For more nature, you do your walk through the forest after your wilderness excursion like a waterfalls tour, ocean rafting, or even ziplining!

👆 It’s an easy walk from the cruise port to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park visitor center.

👆 You can walk to hiking trails from the cruise port.

👆 You can walk to downtown to get on a shuttle to see waterfalls. Once you get off the shuttle, it’s a short walk to the waterfalls!

I have been to Skagway by cruise ship 6 times (mostly on Princess but also NCL), and these are my picks for easy walks to do!

Since the time and distance of each walk will depend on where exactly your cruise ship docks in Skagway, for reference on a map, I will start at the Small Boat Harbor.

1. Skagway footbridge

The Skagway footbridge can be an easy spot to get some nice views.

The walk to the bridge itself from the cruise ship is just a walk along a regular road, and as you get closer to the bridge, it feels like you’re in an industrial area.

This bridge is also where you can find a Skagway welcome sign!

It might be a 15-20 minute walk one-way to get to the Skagway footbridge from the cruise ship. (map)

2. Yakutania Point Trail

You can go to the Skagway footbridge just for the views there, or you can keep walking to Yakutania Point and/or Smuggler Cove!

It will be a walk through the forest if you do continue past the bridge.

If you do end up going to Yakutania Point or Smugglers Cove, what can make the Skagway footbridge fun is the noticeable difference in the tide! Alaska is known for big tidal swings, and you can witness it!

So if you are going to hike further past the bridge, make a note of the water level at the bridge before you start your hike. Then, when you return to the bridge, you might see a significant difference in the water level!

👆 After you cross the Skagway footbridge, you can continue walking to Yakutania Point or Smugglers Cove! AB Mountain is a solid day hike.

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3. Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park

Well, just by being in downtown Skagway, you will be in the Klondike Gold Rush historic district.

The best way to start your exploration of Klondike Gold Rush history in Skagway is to go to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park visitor center.

When you get there, first you can get a national park passport stamp. 😄

Then, you can grab a free brochure from the ranger desk, which will include a map of the historic buildings of downtown Skagway. You can then go for a walk around downtown Skagway using the map.

Also look for the park ranger program schedule board at the visitor center!

There are ranger talks held throughout the day, and some of them are held at other historic buildings.

The topics of the talks will be on different aspects of the Gold Rush participants. There might be more than 1 talk you want to go to.

I went to one that was at the Moore Homestead and I thought it was really interesting. Not as many people go to the Moore Homestead, so even if there’s no talk there, you can go and check it out! The ranger will be happy to talk to you. 😄

Also at the visitor center, you’ll also want to be sure to check out of the short introductory film that will give you the basics of the Klondike Gold Rush history, including Skagway’s role, so you can better appreciate your Skagway port stop! This film repeats frequently throughout the day, so you won’t have to wait long for the next showing.

It might be a 10 minute walk one-way to get to the Klondike Gold Rush national park visitor center from the cruise ship. (map)

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For more Gold Rush history in Skagway, you might also be interested in the Red Onion Saloon walking tour.

If you want to get a further appreciation of the “stampeders” and those who were in Skagway to start their journey (long walk) to find gold, you can even hike part of the trail that they walked during the Klondike Gold Rush by hiking part of the Chilkoot Trail through a guided tour.

If you want to look into doing it on your own, the Skagway tourism website does list information about a shuttle to Dyea, where there is a Chilkoot trailhead (map). I haven’t done this myself so I am not sure how well/if it works, though. But it’s something you can look into if you’re interested. If you use this shuttle to Dyea, I would love to hear how it goes! I would also stop by the national park visitor center to ask about trail conditions before you head out. You can also rent a bike in Skagway to go to Dyea. (On my list of things I need to do!)

More about the Chilkoot Trail from the National Park Service.

4. Dewey Creek and Pullen Creek Streamwalk

Dewey Creek and Pullen Creek can be fun if you’ll be in Skagway during salmon season, which generally starts mid-summer.

You can go to the creek to see salmon swimming!

The super clear and shallow water will allow you to see the salmon swimming as you’re standing along the creek!

Depending on where your cruise ship is docked, you might walk right past the sign that says “Pullen Creek Streamwalk” on your way to downtown. (map)

From the streamwalk, you can naturally end up walking along Dewey Creek.

I was on my way to the Lower Dewey Lake Trail and the creeks were along the way.

So you can make the Dewey Lake trailhead your destination to see various spots along the creek.

I went to Dewey Creek in early September, and the salmon were still there.

It might be a 5-10 minute walk one-way to get to Pullen Creek from the cruise ship… and then keep walking in the direction of the Dewey Lake trailhead, which will be a few more minutes of walking along the creek! (map – don’t use the map’s walking directions, as it seems that it doesn’t recognize all of the Skagway’s walking paths, but you can get the visual of where Pullen Creek, Dewey Creek, and the Dewey Lake trailhead are located. Basically, don’t go through downtown to get to the trailhead or else you will miss out on the creek!)

👆 You can see the salmon swimming in the shallow creek!

👆 Walking from the cruise ship to the creek. Your walk may vary depending on where you cruise ship is docked!

👆 Walking to Dewey Creek and Lower Dewey Lake Trail.

👆 After you see the salmon, you can start hiking to Lower Dewey Lake!

👆 Hiking the Lower Dewey Lake Trail.

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To see more salmon swimming during your Alaska cruise, be sure to stop by the salmon ladder in Ketchikan, and then continue the Ketchikan salmon walk and walk down to the creek near the Harris Street bridge! To EAT salmon, there are salmon bake tours, including the epic Taku Lodge excursion in Juneau!

5. Lower Reid Falls

Once you are at the Lower Reid Falls trailhead, it’s a short walk to get to the waterfalls.

You can walk to the trailhead if you want, but it’s a long walk. (Like an hour.)

So you may prefer the paid shuttle that can take you from downtown.

The trail to Lower Reid Falls starts at the Gold Rush Cemetery, so you’ll take the Gold Rush Cemetery shuttle to get to Lower Reid Falls.

See more about the shuttle to Lower Reid Falls.

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To better plan your day of walking, see my post with the Skagway cruise port map with where cruise ships dock. This also includes how to find out where your specific cruise ship will dock.

More easy walks: Juneau | Ketchikan | Icy Strait Point | Sitka | Victoria | Vancouver | Seattle

More walking: Hiking in Alaska cruise ports

More for your cruise ship visit: All things Skagway on the blog

HAPPY WALKING IN SKAGWAY!