Skagway is a tiny gold-rush-era town in southeast Alaska. It’s nestled between tall mountains and sits at the head of a fjord. Skagway is a popular port of call along cruise ship route’s through the Inside Passage. Along with its gold rush history, the area is also famous for its vintage locomotive tours along The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad, riding past the insanely steep Chilkoot trail to Canada. Many visitors to Skagway opt for an early railroad tour and spend the rest of the day wandering the shops or hiking.
If you’re visiting Skagway via cruise ship or if you’re on an Alaskan vacation and find yourself here, then you simply can’t miss a day hike in this beautiful town! Personally, after having seasonally worked onboard cruise ships to Alaska for 4 summers now (to-date of when this post was published), I’ve been lucky enough to have spent a lot of time in Skagway. I’ve done the railroad tour (and found it very pretty but honestly kind of boring), and various other tours offered. But my absolute best memories of this area (and some of my best photos!) are all thanks to hiking the trails!
I’ve done a lot of these trails on my own, and found them very easy to navigate once I knew where the trailhead was. I’ll attach an aerial map below, but you can pick one up in town from the National Park Service Visitor’s Center, the Klondike Gold Rush building, or the City of Skagway Visitor’s Center. You can also download a trail map here.
Some Pointers :
♦ Keep in mind you’re in bear country. Stay alert to your surroundings and make noise here and there as you hike (whistle, sing, talk, clap). Do NAWT be one of those fools who approaches a bear for a photo, especially if it has cubs! If you see a bear on your hike, talk to it firmly and do not run. Put your hands in the air to make yourself appear larger and back away slowly. More bear tips are in my Solo Female Hiking Safety Guide.
♦ Pack out all garbage and don’t leave anything behind on the trails.
♦ Fires are only allowed in the designated fire pits. Some trails such as Lower Dewey Lake have picnic and bonfire areas to enjoy, but you first need a burn permit from the Skagway Fire Department in town before you make a fire. You’re not allowed to cut and burn live trees for your fire, and you must also put it out properly before you leave!
With all that being said, I’ve put together a list of the best day hikes in Skagway! This list goes in order from the easiest trails to the most strenuous. It also therefore goes by the trails that take the least amount of time to the most amount of time to hike.
Yakutania Point
Difficulty : Easy
20 feet elevation gain
1.6 miles roundtrip — 1 hour roundtrip
The shortest and easiest day hike in Skagway is Yakutania Point. It’s actually more of a walk than a hike, in most sections of the trail. Near the airport strip is a bridge over the Skagway River that leads to a few trails. Walk to the left and you’ll wander by the woods along the water with the ships in view. You’ll go by outdoor exercise stations and arrive at a roofed picnic shelter. An outhouse is available here. Climb around the rocks and take in the mountains. you can also see the entrance to the inlet you entered from, if arriving by cruise ship. Once in a while, whales swim by this area!
Gold Rush Cemetery & Lower Reid Falls
Difficulty : Easy
50 feet elevation gain
4 miles roundtrip — 2 hours roundtrip
The Gold Rush Cemetery and Lower Reid Falls is typically packed with people, because it’s one of the easiest points of nature to get to. It’s also more of a stroll than a hike. But if you only have a limited amount of time in this town, it’s worth a look. Follow the gravel road on 23rd Ave that goes around and behind the railroad yards to the tracks. The cemetery is in the woods just past the parking area (an outhouse is here). The short wooded trail near the cemetery leads to the falls. I think it’d be a better visit if you knew some history of the graves and the characters buried there, beforehand. Or you might luck out and overhear a tour guide tell some funny and interesting stories there.
Smuggler’s Cove
Difficulty : Moderate
100 feet elevation gain
2 miles roundtrip — 1-2 hours roundtrip
You can get to Smuggler’s Cove from the Yakutania Point trail. You’ll reach the high rocky area just before the outhouse where a path leading off to the right can be found. Follow this forested path to a grassy inlet with a sheltered picnic area and outhouse. Hop around the rocks as the tide goes out and enjoy this slightly more peaceful trail.
Lower Dewey Lake
Difficulty : Moderate
500 feet elevation gain
0.9 miles to the lake roundtrip OR 3.6 miles around the lake roundtrip — 1-2 hours roundtrip
Another very popular trail is to Lower Dewey Lake. This hike is a bit more difficult. The beginning seems like it’s all uphill and switchbacks. But the lake and the viewpoint along the way is worth it. You’ll get an awesome panoramic view of the town and the harbor before you continue on. The lake is often a pretty green color, and there are picnic tables, fire pits, and an outhouse up there. This is one of my favorite spots to hang my hammock and chill out, with friends and the food we buy in town.
Icy Lake & Upper Reid Falls
Difficulty : Moderate
850 feet elevation gain
6 miles roundtrip — 3 hours roundtrip
Once you get to Lower Dewey Lake, turn left at the junction sign to hike to Icy Lake and Upper Reid Falls. You’ll cross a few wooden footbridges and continue past the Upper Dewey Lake intersection. Icy Lake is filling with glacial silt, so come prepared for muddy sections in the shoreline. Water from Upper Reid Falls is transported into Icy Lake via a pipe that runs alongside the last 1/4 mile of the trail.
Sturgill’s Landing
Difficulty : Moderate
500 feet elevation gain
7 miles roundtrip — 4 hours roundtrip
Once you reach Lower Dewey Lake, turn right at the junction sign and head all the way down to the southern part of the lake. You’ll come across the Sturgill’s Landing trail off to the right. I only saw two other people on this trail, and it quickly became one of my favorites — even though it was kinda creepy to hike alone on. The landscaping and the trees here are enchanting, yet it also looked like a vampire was gonna come popping out at any moment. Everything was so eerily quiet too. Come here for peace and the raw beauty of the Alaskan forest!
Upper Dewey Lake
Difficulty : Strenuous
3,100 feet elevation gain
6 miles roundtrip — 5-6 hours roundtrip
You guys. This trail right here. Ooooh LAWD! Upper Dewey Lake is the hardest trail I’ve done to-date. But it’s also one of my favorites! I first hiked this strenuous trail in August 2014 with a couple coworkers. It took 5 to 6 hours roundtrip, and we could only spend about 20 minutes at the lake before running (literally) back down the mountain to make our ship on time for sail-away. Granted, we had a late start that day. I then decided to hike Upper Dewey Lake again, this past summer of 2017, solo this time and leaving earlier than last time.
It was so difficult to continuously talk myself up and force myself not to quit or go back. But 3 and a half hours later, I made it to the top. And I laughed hysterically at myself for not realizing that it was only June and that of course the lake would still be covered in snow! My luck!
August 2014 Visit
June 2017 Visit
Once you reach Lower Dewey Lake, go left at the junction sign, cross the wooden footbridges, and head right at the Upper Dewey Lake junction sign. You’ll feel like you’re going up and up and up these practically 90 degree rocky switchbacks for what feels like forever. But there are plenty of pretty places to “pull over” to take a breath (or 8,000 breaths like me — seriously, my throat actually hurt the next day from all my heavy breathing). Stop by waterfalls and some scenic overlooks until eventually the ground seems to level out. Continue over wooden bridges and wooden planks. The trail follows Dewey Creek for a bit until all the trees suddenly clear and you’re met with outstanding views of the surrounding glacier-topped mountains. Trudge through the meadow toward a little cabin (people can rent this out!) and some picnic tables. Now sit your a$$ down and pat yourself on the back[pack]. You made it!
Hopefully, you get here in late summer when the lake is almost turquoise in color, surrounded by hot pink fireweed, and reflecting the snowy mountains around it. Pack plenty of water and lots of energy-boosting snacks. And don’t even think about this hike if you’re not wearing proper footwear! Be careful on your descent as well. There are muddy, rocky, steep, and slippery parts of this trail. If you go down too fast you can hurt your knees and toes.
Which trail would you tackle?
And would you hike Upper Dewey Lake?!
Why or why not?
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Comments
I hope that the city puts some conduit under the railroad tracks this time. They didn”t plan ahead and do it when the Ash Street crossing was replaced. It is amazing that some people don”t realize that part of the city is on the west side of the railroad tracks and there is a need to run utility cabling under those tracks.
Lovely post! My families first venture to Alaska will be by cruise ship this summer. So many people rave about the train but I thought it sounded very boring. I would much rather be IN the area as opposed to watching it go by. We’ve planned to just enjoy Skagway! Going to walk around the town, maybe do a Ranger Led talk and definitely head up to Lower Dewey Lake. I found your blog wondering if it would be okay to take a picnic up there or if that would be asking for bear trouble. I found a sweet sounding bakery in town. I thought we could get some sandwiches for a fun picnic. We’re bringing fishing poles so we planned to hang out there for a bit. Happy to read the tip about being able to have a fire with a burn permit!
And to answer your question…I would absolutely LOVE to hike up to Upper Dewey. I think I read on a different blog about there being a public use cabin up there? Definitely planning to return to Alaska again, if not several times. Would gladly hike up there and even stay at the cabin!
That’s so awesome! I hope you have an absolute BLAST on your cruise! I actually wrote an entire post on Skagway as well (and Ketchikan! I’m currently working on one for Juneau) and one about what to pack for an Alaskan cruise so make sure to check those out too before you leave for your cruise! There are a lot of great tips and recommendations on things to do and places to eat in each port! If the bakery you found in Skagway is Sugar Mama’s, you chose right haha and I also mentioned in my Cruise Crews Guide to Skagway post a great place to get picnic packs for a picnic hike to Lower Dewey!
And yes! There’s a cabin right on Upper Dewey Lake that you can reserve, hike to, and sleep in! I would love to do that someday when I travel to Alaska not on a ship haha
My wife and I hiked Upper Dewey in August of 2015. While a lot of the folks on our cruise ship opted for high priced helicopter tours, etc, we live 20 miles south of Glacier National Park in NW Montana. Hiking is just our cup o’ tea. But you are dead on on the elevation on this one. Straight shot up! But all the struggle was worth it! This was the Alaska we came to see. Upper Dewey is a special place and to those who have the fortitude to make the push, you’ll reap the spoils. We highly reccommend dinner and a beer after at the Skagway Brewing Company!
How am I just now seeing this comment?! So sorry! But YES, I fully agree! It’s worth every difficult step haha Next time I’m in Skagway, I’ll have to try the brewing company! I was here a lot when I worked seasonally on cruise ships more often than right now, and I worked with kids onboard, so I couldn’t drink in port lol. Always wanted to try the beer there though.
Thanks for this summary! We’re arriving in Skagway tomorrow and were doubting the train rides because of the price, but after seeing pictures we’ll be taking on the Upper Dewy Lake hike! Wish us luck! It is early summer now though so we’ll first check the visitor centre as we might have to rent some gear haha.
How exciting! And Haha yeh I remember my first time on this hike was in mid to end of the summer and that’s when I saw the turquoise lake and the hot pink fireweed flowers around it and it was gorgeous! And then I went again solo in like early June and there was snow at the top and the lake was 90% frozen over. HA! Still worth it though. Hope your hike went well!
Bringing the family (2 teens and 48, 54 years old moderately active adults) and was thinking the train rides for 4, were expensive. Upper Dewey not doable for these flatlanders who aren’t big on the strenuous…. but Lower Dewey Lake or the other trails looks lovely, moderate and relaxing. Thanks for the reviews. Will go find your blog about Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau now!
So glad you’re about to visit Skagway! Lower Dewey has a bit of a difficult section but once you’re past those switchbacks, it’s flat and beautiful and so worth it! Have fun!
I hiked Upper Dewey Lake in different months (May-early Sept.) and i will do it as long as i can.. Though it’s really hard with 3.5-4 hrs ascend, i never get tired because the lake is so lovely whether it’s rainy, cloudy, icy or on a sunny day..it’s worth the effort of having all the pains of hiking straight up…very special place..i was even lucky that i made it this time to The Devil’s Punchbowl…so amazing…on the way, you can have a awesome view of the Upper Dewey Lake and the whole of Skagway..
I totally agree — it’s 100% worth the leg pain haha I really want to do Devil’s Punchbowl as well, but whenever I’m here it’s usually because I’m working onboard a cruise ship and have to make it back in time for crew all-aboard. Someday I’ll get to visit as a passenger (hello cruise employee perks haha) and then I’ll get to do the punchbowl! How much further is it roundtrip added on from Upper Dewey?
Joy,
My wife and I are celebrating my birthday by going on a cruise that tops out in Skagway on July 29th. We are from Colorado and are avid hikers. If you had only one day and one hike, which one has the most awesome scenery to take in and photograph?
If you’re an avid hiker then I definitely suggest tackling Upper Dewey Lake! It’s a bit intense but the view of the lake at the top is worth it and there are quite a few pretty and scenic areas on the way! EnJOY your birthday!
Also, where in Colorado are you from?! I’m headed there this weekend for 5 days to visit my boyfriend who’s doing his 2nd season as an L.E. park ranger in CO!