The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad is the “Scenic Railway of the World” on the Trail of ’98. 2023 marks the 125th Anniversary of the White Pass & Yukon, so be sure to put this incredible journey on your list.
Travel across the White Pass on a narrow-gauge railway that parallels the trail followed by the frantic gold seekers in 1898. Daily service May through September. As you board the train, you receive a milepost information magazine, which is keyed to point-of-interest markers beside the track. An onboard Passenger Representative also gives a commentary about the history and scenery.
In the first 20 miles from Skagway the diesel-powered train climbs from sea level to nearly 3,000 feet. En route you will see panoramic views of Skagway and the head of Lynn Canal. Bridal Veil Falls with as many as 22 cataracts tumbling into a gorge. Tunnel Mountain with its southern portal on a sheer cliff, and Dead Horse Gulch—named for 3,000 pack animals, which perished there during the gold rush. The railroad reaches White Pass Summit at Mile 20.4 (this is where the Summit Excursion trains reverse directions to go back down to Skagway). Through trains continue across the barren rock-strewn Pass to Fraser, BC (also Canadian Customs & Immigration).
