Skagway to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
We rode the White Pass Yukon Route Railway from Skagway to Fraser where we transferred to a touring bus for the final leg of our journey to Whitehorse, the capital city of the Yukon Territory. The train ride was all it reputed to be with steep drops from the edge of the tracks into the valleys below to towering mountains climbing straight up from the rails on the opposite side of the car. It is beyond us how this rail line was literally carved out of the mountains. Our experience on the train was much different than that of our bus ride yesterday on the highway which runs up the same valley but on the opposite side of the river. The bus never seemed like it was hanging over the edge of a cliff and the switchbacks were fewer giving us a less varied view of the surroundings. The train took 3 times as long to cover the same distance as the bus because it had to maintain a grade of less than 4% which required a much longer route and we traveled at much less speed. We are happy to have taken both excursions as doing so really presented the full beauty of the route and challenges with building roads and laying track in this vast wilderness.
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| Looking Back at Skagway Harbor in the Distance - Inspiration Point |
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| White Pass Route to the Yukon |
The White Pass & Yukon Route Railway was constructed to support mining operations in the Klondike. Construction began in May, 1898 and reached the summit of White Pass, 20 miles from Skagway, in February, 1899. The line from Skagway to Whitehorse was completed in July, 1900. Since then, the White Pass & Yukon Route has had its economic booms and busts. Today, it operates primarily as a tourist railroad offering spectacular views of the Alaskan and Canadian valleys leading to the Klondike gold fields.
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| Trestle and Tunnel |
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| Dead Horse Cantilever Bridge |
After our 3 hour train ride, we disembarked at Fraser and boarded a motor coach to continue on to Whitehorse. It took us a little over 2 hours to complete this leg of our journey and arrive at our hotel. Once again, we were very fortunate with the weather as we had clear views of the vast landscape. We marveled at the thought of thousands of men and a few women crossing this rugged terrain to get to the Klondike gold fields over 400 miles from Skagway without the aid of roads or railroad during the brief period of the Klondike Gold Rush.
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