Skagway cruise port map + shuttle + where do cruise ships dock in Skagway? 🏔 Alaska cruise tips

Hi there!

So if you want to use a paper map to walk from Skagway cruise port, there are a few places that you can get one!

This includes the Skagway visitor information center and the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park visitor center, which are both downtown within walking distance of the cruise port.

All cruise ships dock right in front of downtown Skagway, and then you’ll be just a 5-10 minute walk away from the heart of downtown.

If you’d rather not walk as much, there are also paid shuttles that do a downtown loop, which I will talk about below.

You will also find below a google map of the Skagway cruise port area that I’ve created for planning purposes that includes some of the top attractions, which is based on my 6 cruise ship visits to Skagway. You can decide if you want to do any of these things!

These are things you can do on your own, whether it’s walking from the cruise ship or getting there by shuttle.

See below for how to figure out exactly where your cruise ship will dock.
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Where do cruise ships dock in Skagway?

Cruise ships dock right in front of downtown Skagway. This includes Princess, Holland America, Norwegian (NCL), Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Celebrity, and Disney.

There are 3 different docks for cruise ships, which are the railroad dock, broadway dock, and ore dock.

Depending on which one you are at, you may require a free shuttle from the cruise ship, or you will be a 5 to 10 minute walk to the heart of downtown immediately upon walking off the cruise ship.

If you are docked at the broadway dock or ore dock, you can walk off the cruise ship and walk 5 to 10 minutes to get to town!

Free cruise ship shuttle

And now… about the railroad dock and free cruise ship shuttle.

The railroad dock is the hillside cruise ship pier.

And it’s along here that there is a concern for rockfall, so the port people don’t want people (YOU!) walking along this pier.

More accurately, there is a concern for another rockfall.

A couple years ago, the Discovery Princess cruise ship was actually damaged because of a massive boulder that stumbled down the mountain. You can still see the path it took down the hill today.

You can get a glimpse of it in my Skagway helicopter tour video, at the start of the flight shown at around the 1:25 mark between the Norwegian cruise ship and Carnival cruise ship.

So how it has been in the past couple of years is that if your cruise ship is at the railroad dock, you can’t walk the pier. Instead, you’ll need a shuttle.

If your cruise ship is at the back of the pier (railroad aft), then you’ll take a free shuttle bus to quickly get you through the danger zone and to the end of the pier.

If your cruise ship is at the front of the pier (railroad forward), then you’ll take a free water shuttle (tender boat) to ferry you to land.

If you’re docked in a spot that requires a water shuttle and you are planning to do things on your own in Skagway, then it’s very important that you look at the daily activity schedule the night before to look for instructions on how to get a tender boat ticket.

If you’re only finding out about the boat tickets on the morning of, then you’ll end up waiting even longer to get to shore, and that is most definitely not fun!

If you have a morning excursion through the cruise line, you will probably get a designated meet-up spot on the cruise ship which would mean you don’t need to worry about a ticket. Afternoon excursions usually have a meet-up spot on shore if the cruise ship arrives in the morning, but by that time, boat tickets will probably not be required. (On the day you board the cruise ship, your excursion tickets will be in your stateroom/cabin, and there will be meeting instructions on that ticket.)

You can see exactly where your cruise ship will dock (railroad, broadway, ore) by looking at the Alaska cruise port schedule for 2025.

There will be letters listed next to your cruise ship name. RRF is railroad forward. RRA is railroad aft (back). BRD is broadway. ORE is… ore. 😁

Although as always, schedules can change.

During my end of October cruise in 2023, my Skagway shuttle bus driver said that if all goes well in 2024, then they will probably go back to the pier being open to walking in 2025. 🤞 But of course, circumstances (land stability!) can change!

👆 Where do cruise ships dock in Skagway? Cruise ships dock right in front of downtown Skagway. Depending on the exact dock your cruise ship arrives at, you may require a free shuttle or you will be a 5 to 10 minute walk to the heart of downtown. You can find the map above of the cruise ships in relation to downtown in the official Skagway visitor guide. You can have a paper copy mailed to you, or you can view an online copy.

Skagway downtown shuttle ($)

There is also a Skagway town shuttle that loops around downtown that you may opt to use no matter where your cruise ship is docked. It can also get you from your cruise ship to downtown.

When you’re ready to go back to your cruise ship, you’ll want to confirm with your shuttle driver that it goes to your specific cruise ship. There are different shuttles that go to different cruise ships/docks.

A day pass for the downtown Skagway shuttle is $5. Otherwise, it’s $2 a ride. Confirm the prices.

I’ve gotten dollar bills from guest services on the cruise ship.

👆 This is the Skagway SMART bus downtown shuttle bus route map.

Separate from the downtown shuttle is the shuttle that goes to the Gold Rush cemetery. This is $5 one-way. When I went to the gold rush cemetery, I got on at the shuttle stop in front of the Mascot Saloon.

In addition to going to the cemetery, you can also use the gold rush cemetery shuttle to go to Lower Reid Falls, which is what I did!

Skagway Alaska map

Now, here is the interactive google map of Skagway that I created!

👆 How to use this map: Click on the top left icon for a list of what’s on the map! Or, just start clicking the icons on the map! Each icon has more details, so click to expand! If the map isn’t loading well for you, you can also open it directly in google maps. See below for the quick list of what’s on the map.

What’s on the Skagway map?

• Locations of where cruise ships dock (check the Alaska cruise port schedule 2025 for which berth your cruise ship will be at)
  • Railroad dock forward (RRF) + water shuttle/tender boat drop-off spot
  • Railroad dock aft/back (RRA) + shuttle bus drop-off spot
  • Broadway dock
  • Ore dock
• Skagway visitor information center (stop here to get the Skagway visitor’s guide magazine which has a map in it)
• Things you need to take a picture of
  • Welcome to Skagway sign (see more welcome signs in Alaska)
  • Stampeders statue (see more iconic Alaska statues)
  • Skagway footbridge (see more about walking in Skagway)
• Klondike Gold Rush history
  • Klondike Gold Rush National Park visitor center (stop here to get a Skagway historic district map and information about hiking trails)
  • Moore homestead
  • Red Onion Saloon
  • Gold Rush cemetery
  • shuttle stop that goes to Gold Rush cemetery
• Where to see salmon swimming (during salmon season)
  • Pullen Creek Stream Walk
  • Dewey Creek (details of a walking route in Skagway)
• Hiking
  • Yakutania Point Trail start (see easy walks from Skagway cruise port)
  • Smugglers Cove
  • Hidden Cove
  • Dewey Lake Trail start
  • Lower Reid Falls
  • See more about hiking in Alaska cruise ports
• Popular excursions
  • White Pass train excursion
  • Helicopter tours – glacier walk or dog sledding
  • For more about the above tours, see more about the best Skagway excursions

More maps and where cruise ships dock:

• Ketchikan cruise port map
• Juneau cruise port map
• Sitka cruise port map
• Seattle cruise port map

Walking in cruise ports:

• Skagway walking
• Ketchikan walking
• Juneau walking
• Sitka walking
• Icy Strait Point walking
• Victoria walking
• Walking the Seattle waterfront (near NCL Seattle cruise port + downtown)
• Things to do in Seattle without a car
• Things to do in Vancouver without a car

HAPPY PLANNING YOUR TIME IN SKAGWAY!