Things to do nearWhite Pass & Yukon Route Railway

The White Pass & Yukon Route Railway was built between 1898 and 1900 to serve the tens of thousands of prospectors pouring into the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush. Constructing a rail line through the Coast Mountains in under two years was considered an extraordinary engineering achievement at the time, requiring workers to blast through solid rock, span deep gorges, and lay track along sheer cliff faces at elevations approaching 2,900 feet. The railway was designated an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1994, a distinction it shares with the Eiffel Tower and the Panama Canal.

Today, passengers ride vintage parlor cars and open-air platforms from Skagway's downtown depot, climbing through spruce forests, past rushing waterfalls, and along ledges that drop hundreds of feet to the valley floor. The summit crossing at White Pass straddles the Alaska-Canada border, and on clear days the panorama extends across a vast wilderness of peaks and glaciers. Interpretive narration during the journey connects the landscape to specific moments in gold rush history, pointing out the original Chilkoot Trail route visible below and the remnants of early pack camps.

Skagway itself, a compact and well-preserved gold rush town within Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, rewards time before or after the ride with period architecture, ranger-led walks, and local seafood. The White Pass & Yukon Route Railway offers a rare combination of genuine historical depth and spectacular natural scenery that makes it one of the most rewarding rail journeys in North America.