Above: Part of the main street in Skagway
Skagway is a small town on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 862 but the population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with more than 900,000 visitors.
Above: Skagway from the ship
The port of Skagway is popular with cruise ships, and even at the end of the season when I visited, there were four ships in port. One of the most popular attractions is the White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad, part of the area's mining past, which is now in operation purely for the tourist trade.
Above: White Pass and Yukon Railway
Whilst in Skagway I took the 'White Pass and Bike' tour which saw me first board the narrow-gauge railroad for a scenic ride through the coastal mountains to Fraser Station in British Columbia. There we met the guides who set us up with bikes to cycle down from the summit to the sea. It was a fun way to see the beautiful border region of Alaska and Canada even if the weather wasn't great!
Above: The view across the valley - can you see the White Pass Train?
Above: Biking down the mountain
Ketchikan - named after Ketchikan Creek, which flows through the town - was the third port we visited in Alaska. It is the fifth most populous city in Alaska and with an economy based upon tourism and fishing, the city is known as the 'Salmon Capital of the World'.
Above: A panoramic shot of Ketchikan from the Zuiderdam
Above: The Zuiderdam docked in Ketchikan
The town has a lot of character, especially around the more historical districts such as Creek Street - the town's old red light district.
Above: Creek Street
Ketchikan also has the world's largest collection of standing totem poles, found at three major locations: the City of Saxman, Totem Bight State Park, and the Totem Heritage Centre. I visited the Heritage Centre to see some of the poles for myself.
Above: Totem Poles!
I had the opportunity to go zip-lining as a crew escort with passengers (always funny to see how terrified some of them are). The experience was similar to the zip-lining I had done in Roatan and Belize but I still find Go Ape in the UK more fun as there, you are responsible for clipping yourself in!
Above: Ziplining in Ketchikan
Above: The zip line course also had a suspension bridge and a mountain slide!
Thanks for reading and I'll be back with some great posts from our repositioning cruise soon: San Diego, Mexico and of course, the Panama Canal!
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