Unique, beautiful, and off the tourist paths! Experience the power of nature on this excursion to Klondike National Historic Park. Be awed by the majesty of the fjord and nature.
You'll meet your knowledgeable guide at your Skagway cruise terminal. Your small group will board a comfortable van to begin your journey. This is a "guide's choice" excursion, the exact itinerary is dependent on weather, wildlife, and group interest.
Your amazing excursion can typically begin with a nine-mile drive along Taiya Inlet, a tidal estuary that lies in a deep valley route. This quiet route allows only small vehicles, no buses. The pace is unhurried and you'll have time to enjoy the wonders of nature. Your knowledgeable guide knows the best spots for scenery and nature. All the vehicles are equipped with a powerful spotting scope and binoculars to assist with wildlife viewing. Keep your eyes open and your camera ready you might be able to see bald eagles and harbor seals that make this area their home.
The area has incredible scenery no matter what time of the year you visit. During May, June, and July, you'll be able to see wildflowers at their peak, with an impressive display of chocolate lilies, fireweed, and wild irises. In late July, the Taiya river fills with migrating salmon and the chance to see bald eagles and if you are lucky enough, you might see brown bears. In September, the cottonwood trees turn yellow and the bushes are covered with berries. Amanita mushrooms add some red color to the forest.
One of your stops is the ghost town of Dyea. It's a short 9-mile drive from Skagway but the two towns are opposites apart. Upon arrival, your guide will lead you on a short half-mile walk along the former main street, ‘Broadway', while filling you in on the town's interesting history. Haunted some say but you decide. Nature has taken over the ghost town which is now buried under moss, ferns, and mushrooms. You might spot brown and black bears in the distance feeding on salmon along the shores of the inlet.
A short drive from Dyea is the Slide Cemetery. The tiny cemetery that dates back to a fateful day in 1898 is a short walk through the spruce forest where you can see the old wooden grave markers of the prospectors that died in an avalanche. Heavy snowfalls followed by warm weather caused the rocks to slide off the mountainside. Many miners chose to ignore the landslide warnings which caused dozens of fatalities and how the cemetery got its name, Slide. The sounds of thrush are all that break the silence in this tiny cemetery. A beautiful setting for such a tragic happening in history.
Whatever your itinerary for the day is, you'll return to your ship not only with fantastic photos but with an appreciation of the impermanence of man and the power of Alaska nature. At the end of your day, your transportation will return you to your cruise ship terminal in Skagway.
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