Hi there!
A hike to Lower Dewey Lake is something you can do if you’re looking for a moderate hike in Skagway.
It’s easy to get to the start of the Dewey Lake trail from the cruise ship, since it’s within walking distance.
There is a little bit of an uphill, so overall it’s not a completely easy hike, but it’s not exactly difficult either.
You’ll start at the Dewey Lake trailhead which is well marked, and then follow the signs for the Lower Lake Loop!
It’s listed as 0.9 miles to get to the lake one way, and then 3.6 miles to do the loop around the lake.
There is also a side trail to go to another lake overlook.
So in total, you might hike 5-6 miles.
If you have 3 to 4 hours, you can comfortably hike the Lower Dewey Lake Trail from the cruise ship, including time to get to and from the trail. The suggested time to allow yourself to hike this trail is 1 to 2 hours.
There are also other trails you can do from the Dewey Lake trailhead if you’re looking to hike longer.
If swimming in Alaska is something you want to do… you can go swimming in Lower Dewey Lake… if you want to brave the cold water! 😱🥶😂
I saw someone swimming in Lower Dewey Lake in early September. No, the water was not warm! And I am pretty sure he was not wearing a wetsuit.
For most people, the water temperature will be too cold any time of year, even in the summer! It’s Alaska!
I did the Lower Dewey Lake Trail on a sunny day in September 2023, having arrived to Skagway on a cruise ship.
See below for details on how to make the Lower Dewey Lake Trail a part of your day in Skagway cruise port!
There are partner websites that are included below. Read the reviews!
First: Skagway tours you need to know about!
- Yukon suspension bridge + White Pass summit tour
- Dramatic scenery with views you’ll love! (Passport required)
- Skagway city and summit tour
- Easy-going intro to Skagway and the Klondike Highway with views! (Passport)
- Remote Yukon sled dog camp + summit tour
- Have fun with puppies at a remote camp! (Passport)
- Helicopter flightseeing with remote wilderness glacier landing
- Walk on a glacier. Epic Alaska excursion you will remember forever!
- Ocean Raft tour
- Adventure tour: Experience the coastal wilderness by raft!
Here’s what’s below!
- Map: Skagway cruise port to Dewey Lake trailhead
- download offline maps
- Why do the Lower Dewey Lake Trail
- How much time?
- Cost
- What to wear hiking the Lower Dewey Lake Trail
- Reviews
- alltrails
- google maps
- national park service
- More hikes in the Dewey Lake trail system
- More hikes in Skagway
Map: Skagway cruise port to Dewey Lake trailhead
Cruise ships dock in downtown Skagway.
The walk to the Dewey Lake trailhead can be longer or shorter depending on which specific dock your cruise ship is docked at.
Your walk from the cruise ship to the Dewey Lake trailhead will probably be around 10 to 15 minutes.
See my picks for activities to choose to have so-very-Alaska experiences!
👆 Map. How to get to Dewey Lake trailhead: Skagway cruise port to Dewey Lake trailhead walk. Google maps doesn’t seem to recognize all the walking paths, so this is not the exact route you want to take, but you can see that it is near the cruise port. Once you are in the area, you will see a sign for the Dewey Lake trail system. Explore the map.
Download offline maps before you go
I recommend that you download offline maps before you go.
I’ve been to Skagway several times, and the phone data situation has not been consistent. (I have t-mobile.)
So I think it’s a good idea to have a backup in case you’re not able to get online!
For the Dewey Lake trailhead, it can be helpful to have either offline google maps or the free app called mapsme.
For mapsme, be sure to also download the specific Alaska map.
Both google maps and mapsme will have the Dewey Lake trailhead.
GPS will work in downtown Skagway even if you’re not able to get data, so offline maps will be able to get you to the trailhead.
Why do the Lower Dewey Lake Trail
You can walk to the Dewey Lake trailhead from the cruise port.
The Lower Dewey Lake Trail is something you can do on your own when you’re in Skagway cruise port.
The trailhead is within walking distance of the cruise port, so it’s FREE to do the Dewey Lake Trail!
It’s a nice walk through the forest.
The majority of Southeast Alaska, where most Alaska cruises spend most of their time, is covered in forest.
So consider a forest hike on the Dewey Lake Trail is a so-very-Alaska thing you can do when you’re in Skagway!
👆 You can do a forest hike in Skagway… and basically every cruise port really!
It’s a nice walk with lake views!
Well yes, it is the Lower Dewey Lake Trail, so you will get some of those lake views too!
The trail makes a loop around the lake, and there are different viewpoints that you’ll get of Dewey Lake.
There’s one point that you can cross a small bridge to go to “Dewey Island.”
Now, don’t expect too much, it is a tiny little island!
But there is a picnic table, so you can use it as a resting spot too!
And then there’s another side trail that will take you to a Lower Dewey Lake overlook. There is a sign for it.
Skagway tours I think you should know about!
Aside from the White Pass train excursion (which is easiest to book through the cruise line), the White Pass summit experience and Yukon suspension bridge tour allows you see see the rugged wilderness with views you'll love. You can also do a fun gold panning in the Yukon and sled dog tour with Alaskan huskies! On my bucket list is the Laughton Glacier hike. This uses the famous White Pass train to get to the trailhead, where you'll start a hike to the glacier! It ends at a spot on rugged terrain that feels like you're hiking the remote wilderness!
👉 See more so-very-Alaska experiences I think you should know about in other ports!
👉 Or go straight to my picks for booking tours independently in Alaska cruise ports!
You might spot some colorful mushrooms.
Look down as you’re hiking and you might see some brightly colored mushrooms!
There is a cruise ship viewpoint along the trail.
As you’re walking along more towards the beginning of the trail, you’ll come across a viewpoint of the Skagway cruise port!
You can walk by Pullen Creek on your way to the Lower Dewey Lake Trail.
Pullen Creek is located between the Skagway cruise port and Lower Dewey Lake Trail.
If you’ll be in Skagway from mid-July to early September, the highlight of Pullen Creek is watching the salmon swimming up the creek!
Pullen Creek can be along the way as you make your way to the start of the Dewey Lake Trail.
There are different routes you can take to get to the Dewey Lake trailhead, so if seeing the salmon interests you, be sure to follow a walking route that will take you past the creek!
👆 You can see the salmon on your way to the Dewey Lake trailhead!
You can stop by the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park visitor center after your hike around Lower Dewey Lake.
If you’re doing your Lower Dewey Lake hike in the morning, then after you’ve finished your hike, you can walk through downtown Skagway and stop by the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park visitor center!
Watch the film in the theater to learn about basic Klondike Gold Rush history and Skagway’s place in this historic event!
Also check out the board for the park ranger programs to see if there are any remaining talks that you can attend to learn a different perspective of the Klondike Gold Rush.
If you’re doing your hike in the afternoon, you might want to stop by the visitor center first to make sure you have time to explore the visitor center’s offerings.
You can walk from the Dewey Lake trail to downtown Skagway.
The Klondike Gold Rush visitor center is in downtown Skagway, so that’s just one of many places that you can go after your hike! (Or before!)
So it’s easy to combine a hike to Lower Dewey Lake with some time in downtown Skagway.
If you want post-hike food and drink that’s so Skagway, then you can go to the Red Onion Saloon.
While you’re there, do the $10 tour to learn about a different side of the Klondike Gold Rush story.
How much time does the Lower Dewey Lake Trail take?
If you’re on a mission to just hike without any stops, you’ll likely be able to do the Lower Dewey Lake Trail in less than 2 hours.
If you walk straight to the Dewey Lake trailhead from the cruise ship, it might be a 10 to 15 minute walk from the cruise ship, although this will depend on where your cruise ship is docked.
In total, you might give yourself 3 hours to 4 hours to go from ship to ship!
Meaning, time starting from the cruise ship to arriving back at the cruise ship!
Here was my afternoon timeline doing the Lower Dewey Lake Trail:
- 1:01pm: stepped off the cruise ship
- 1:14pm: walked along pullen creek to see salmon
- 1:33pm: arrived at dewey lake trailhead
- 1:51pm: arrived at cruise ship viewpoint on the trail
- 2:17pm: first view of lake, completed a loop around the lake
- 4:14pm: arrived back at trailhead, walked back through downtown skagway
- around 4:35pm: got back on cruise ship
So I was off of the cruise ship for around 3.5 hours.
And I was on the Dewey Lake Trail for almost 3 hours, but it doesn’t have to take you 3 hours to do the Lower Dewey Lake loop trail!
I was walking at a pretty leisurely speed and I stopped a few times.
But if you think you’ll also be taking your time, it’s a good idea to give yourself 4 hours too!
Cost to do the Lower Dewey Lake Trail
There is no entry fee for any part of the Dewey Lake trail system, so your DIY Skagway hiking excursion is free!
What to wear hiking the Lower Dewey Lake Trail
As a trail through the forest, it’s a good idea to be wearing proper shoes to hike the Dewey Lake Trail.
Ideally, this means hiking shoes or trail running shoes.
If you’ve packed your hiking poles, you might as well bring them for this hike too! (I did!)
Reviews
Before doing any hiking in Skagway or any other Alaska cruise ports, it’s a good idea to read through the reviews so you can know what to expect.
Read the reviews for the Dewey Lake Trail:
More hikes from the Dewey Lake trailhead
From the Dewey Lake trailhead near the cruise port, you can access the Dewey Lake trail system, which includes the Lower Dewey Lake loop trail.
The hikes that are part of the Dewey Lake trail system are generally considered moderate to difficult.
The Dewey Lake trail system hikes include:
- Lower Lake Loop (what this post is about!)
- Icy Lake + Upper Reid Falls
- Sturgill’s Landing
- Upper Dewey + Devil’s Punchbowl
To get the most updated trail information, you can stop by the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park visitor center in downtown Skagway to ask about the trails.
The trail system is not managed by the National Park Service, but the park rangers will be familiar with the trails!
More hikes in Skagway
Depending on how much time you want to spend hiking, how much effort you want to put forth, how much snow there is, and what the weather is like, here are more hikes for you to consider:
- Yakutania Point (See more easy Skagway walks)
- Smugglers Cove
- Lower Reid Falls
- AB Mountain Trail
Hiking in more cruise ports:
Walking in cruise ports:
HAPPY HIKING THE LOWER DEWEY LAKE TRAIL!
I did the Lower Dewey Lake Trail on September 5, 2023, coming off a Princess cruise ship. Your experience may vary!
👉 Read: Alaska cruise excursions you need to know about
I've picked out a theme for each port so you can experience different aspects of Alaska!
👉 Or go straight to my picks for booking tours independently in Alaska cruise ports!
Explore Alaska cruise ports:
Juneau | Ketchikan | Skagway | Icy Strait Point | Sitka | Victoria
Seattle | Vancouver
Whittier | Seward
Things to know: Mendenhall Glacier on your own vs shuttle
👉 PACKING LIST: waterproof shoes | rain jacket or poncho | puffer jacket
👉 Before you book: First-timer's guide to Alaska cruises
There are partner websites that are included on this blog. I may earn a commission.