White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad

The White Pass and Yukon Route is one of the great scenic railways of North America and a direct link to the gold rush era — it was built during the rush itself, completed in 1900 to service the Klondike. The narrow-gauge line climbs from Skagway's sea level to the White Pass summit at 2,885 feet, and the views of waterfalls, glaciers, gorges, and trestle bridges are spectacular.

Excursions run from spring to autumn when the cruise ships are in port. The most popular option is the summit return trip; longer journeys into the Yukon Territory are also available. The vintage rail cars and the engineering feat of the route itself make this one of Skagway's unmissable experiences, whether or not you have any particular interest in railway history.

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The railway was built in 1898 in just 26 months through terrain so formidable that engineers from other projects said it couldn't be done. At the summit the line crosses into Canada at 2,885 feet — a climb of nearly 3,000 feet in 20 miles — past the spot known as Dead Horse Gulch, where an estimated 3,000 horses died carrying supplies during the rush before the railroad made them unnecessary.