Skagway’s Garden City Market
A monthly gathering of talented local artisans sharing their creative wares. Find hand crafted jewelry, paintings, organic and wild harvest
Skagway
Try to escape (if you can)
Skagway plays host to a unique venue for their first-ever escape room. At 777 Alaska Street, you will spot an old White Pass train car that hosts the challenging puzzle.
New Adventures, Old Heirlooms
About eight or nine years ago, my dad’s cousin’s widow called out of the blue to berate me (in her high-toned British accent) because I didn’t let her know about my mom’s passing. I didn’t want to explain that I didn’t even know this relative was still alive or that she was still in touch …
Skagway community rallies to find Alberta couple’s lost dog – Part 2
This is the second part of the story of Jessy the dog, who got lost in the wilderness around Skagway this past summer.
Spring snow-ventures
The Thursday evening of the 2018 Easter long weekend was predicted to be perfect bluebird weather with warm temperatures. The snow had not been the best during the season, so it was time to come up with an adventure.
Skagway community rallies to find Alberta couple’s lost dog – Part 1
An Alberta couple’s dream retirement trip through Yukon and Alaska this past summer turned into a community search and rescue mission. Cindy and Grant Reekie didn’t get past their first major destination point of Skagway before losing their dog, Jessy, on the Dewey Lake hiking trail.
North of sexy
Skagway’s Nude and Rude Revue is once again visiting Whitehorse to share its specialized mx of performance art, including variety, vaudeville, burlesque, song and dance. The 12-member group, led by Juneauites Taylor Vidic and Cameron Brockett, is on an autumn “Guilty Pleasures” tour that will travel through Whitehorse, Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Dawson City and, lastly, …
Friends discover Yukon
When you tell your friends and family that you’ve finally found the place you want to settle, they get a little excited. I mean, after living in London, Moscow, Dublin, Edinburgh, they figure it must be a truly vibrant city with access to the world. Or after living in the Austrian, French and Georgian alps, …
Forgotten Town: Dyea, the town Alaska forgot
Two prominent American tourism publications hit the streets recently. Neither included much of a mention of Dyea, except to list the Dyea Campground in Skagway and note that it is the start of the Chilkoot Trail to the Klondike. Considering your roving RV reporter proclaimed from the top of the Golden Stairs last summer that …
What a difference a year (or 40) makes
The 53-kilometre Chilkoot Trail starts in Dyea, Alaska, at sea level and in full rain forest. There is lush vegetation, dense, fragrant canopy, moss of fairy tale proportions and lots of climbing on steps hammered into the earth by the US Trail Service. It ends at Bennett Lake, British Columbia, the water conduit to the …
Skagway Brewing Company expands
Whether you’re visiting Skagway by boat or by highway from Whitehorse, a visit isn’t complete unless you’ve tried the local beer. Healy was born and raised in Yankton, South Dakota and first visited Skagway in 1999. “So a buddy and I decided to go on a roadtrip to the East Coast. At the last minute, …
Keeping the trains on track
The famous White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR) Railway is a busy and beautiful journey through the White Pass of Alaska and the Yukon. Every year, as Alaska and the Yukon emerge from winter, so does the work to make sure these trains can carry tourists safely through avalanche paths and safely along the railway. …
Nude & Rude
The Nude & Rude Revue started with two best friends, Taylor Vidic and Cameron Brockett, and their love of performance art. Vidic, 25, was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska, and met Brockett during high school in Juneau. Brockett was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, and has lived in Colorado, Ketchikan and Kodiak before moving to …
International Falls
International Falls. You’ve probably seen the signs, but have you gone for the hike yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Just past the Fraser border crossing, it’s a pretty chill adventure you can easily do enroute to Skagway. Shortly after you pass Canadian customs (you will see a rest stop on the left, …
Skagway: A ‘bluebird day’ with blue skies…
It’s May long weekend and we’re driving to Skagway, and it seems as though most of Whitehorse has decided to do the same with a queue of 20 vehicles at the U.S. border … It was a warm evening, and we went to Starfire, in Skagway, to enjoy some Thai food before camping for the …
Walk, hike, stroll …
Walk … “You weren’t in any hurry to walk,” my mother said as she showed me a photo of myself at 15 months, happily sitting on a blanket in the yard. But after a late start, there was no stopping me. I walked to school almost every day of my long student career, walked to …
Hail to the night runners
Only in the Yukon would we conceptualize a relay race where hundreds of people (when it first started) run along a highway through the night. Not to mention, we’ll decide to make all the race legs about a half marathon, so while you are battling the demands of your circadian rhythm to curl up into …
Old tramways and new ziplines on Windy Arm
Conrad, on Windy Arm, is just the first of a new wave of Yukon campgrounds with eyes to the future.
Enjoying a ‘Skagway Quickie’
Enjoy one of the brothel tours with the lovely and knowledgeable Madam Toler Skagway holds its quirky charms with its Klondike-themed buildings and summer staff dressed similar to the time period. It’s no different as you step inside the Red Onion Saloon. The blood-red walls, wooden furniture and old-time music gives the feeling of stepping …
Top 10 tips for your first summer in Whitehorse
Here are some tips and tricks to starting out in Whitehorse as a Cheechako (which is the name for being new to the north of 60th parallel).
Skagwegian Camping 101
Our American neighbours do things a little differently… I have not made the trip to mainland Alaska yet, but my experience of those oddballs and genuinely interesting characters that live in the tiny village of Skagway truly are one of a kind. Hiking and camping are certainly a great way to get out and explore …
5 Hikes to Get a Taste of Southern Yukon
Here are the top hikes to give you an introduction to the diversity of southern Yukon.
Skagway shenanigans
Early morning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, December 23 I began my journey to Skagway. The brisk Whitehorse temperatures of -27ºC would be a distant memory once I got to Alaska. I arrived to a balmy -6ºC in Skagway and I started the trek up to Upper Dewey Lakes on the steep snowless tracks, regretting …
The Yukon’s Magnificent 11- Part 2 of 6
The Klondike Highway wasn’t done for tourism reasons. The Silver Trail Highway, on the other hand, is a highway geared towards tourists.
Bringing the White Pass story to musical life
Any of the millions of passengers who have ridden the White Pass and Yukon Route – “the scenic railway of the world” – in the 117 years since its completion, would immediately recognize it as a marvellous technological achievement. Indeed, the White Pass and Yukon Route is recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers …
A Memorable Night in a Red Caboose in the Forest
Choo-choo-choosing to camp in an old red caboose in the middle of the largest national forest in the United States was certainly very wet, but an experience I won’t forget. During a visit to Skagway over the May long weekend, I had taken the White Pass and Yukon Route train to the White Pass summit. …
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North Words
“Exploring the Frontiers of Language” will be the theme of this year’s edition of the North Words Writers Symposium, which will be held in Skagway from May 31 to June 3. This is the eighth annual symposium since the event’s inception. It was originally inspired during a series of walking conversations between Daniel Henry and …
Got knocked down, got back up, then was blown away
There is a bit of Murphy’s Law happening when it comes to reviewing live acts. Last weekend I was ready to let off some steam, when ole Murphy gave me a sharp poke in the back and declared, “You shall miss two big shows”. All right, it wasn’t that dramatic but I did …
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The Last Ski Race of the Year
Volunteers are gearing up for the Buckwheat Ski Classic. The cross country ski race is on March 25, but starting in early March volunteers were driving up to Log Cabin, B.C. from Skagway, Alaska two times a week to set tracks for the course. The last two years the race was rough – the weather …
High on Life
Between the years of 1991 and 2011 my husband and I used to pack up our son and drive to a mountain summit a few times every winter. They were once our favourite places to be: those white wide-open expanses. An active community of winter lovers is still going to the summits: skiers, snowboarders, snow …
Chasing Stories in Skagway
My shakedown cruise for our trailer has come to be my annual pilgrimage to the town of Skagway to attend the North Words Writers’ Symposium, held this year from May 25-28 in the windy town. This was the seventh annual event, of which I have attended all but one since the first in 2010. The …
Farewell Winter, Hello Summer
After a long Yukon winter, you look forward to packing away your warm winter coat. We all look forward to the warmer days.
An International Celebration of Talent
The Folk Society of Whitehorse has been hosting the famous Yukon-Alaska Coffee House for more than 25 years. This event features two coffee house evenings, back-to-back, in Skagway and Whitehorse. The Yukon evening of talent, which takes place on Saturday, will also serve as the finale to a series of Whitehorse coffee houses that happen …
Celebrating 30 Years of Cult-Classic Skiing
The force is strong in our northern skiing communities. The Buckwheat Ski Classic has grown significantly to over 400 skiers.
Trees
Trees grow differently on mountain pass. It’s harder to grow. Compare to the southern trees, mountain trees are facing a disadvantage.
Hotdog Destiny
On July 4 my family headed to Skagway for the Independence Day celebration. Since I was about to write a piece for the WUY Hot Dog Issue, I thought, “What a great way to sample the Americana hot dog culture and stuff myself with delicious mystery meat.” We arrived just in time to catch the …
Bus, stop!
They come for a pee, a snack, and a knick-knack. After spending 45 minutes in the first Canadian community that many will ever experience, cruise ship passengers are back on the buses to see Emerald Lake or have a chicken dinner at Caribou Crossing Trading Post. Such are the challenges, and opportunities, for shopkeepers in …
Happiness is a Warm Bird
It’s a season of traditions, and for thousands of Canadians this means taking part in the annual Christmas Bird Count. Called the “longest-running science project in the world” by the Audubon Society, this annual winter event — the 115th — can be fun, and it also has a purpose. This year the Yukon Bird Club …
A Piece of Alaska-Yukon History
On a cold and cloudy February day in 1899 a group of eleven men boarded the City of Seattle, a ship bounded for Skagway, Alaska. Some were former gold miners who had been North before, and could not stay away; others were entrepreneurs and businessmen. In the ship saloon they found themselves telling tales from …
Winnowing Word in the Windy City
In windy Skagway, the boat people make their way from the cruise ships into town several times a day, clogging the streets and shops. I meet them or walk among them on the seven-minute stroll from my trailer to the Arctic Brotherhood Hall, where I have been attending my fourth edition of the annual North …
Running from Skagway to Whitehorse
The first year I ran in The Klondike Trail of ’98 International Road Relay, I was one of a group of women who were all pretty much new to running. In fact, we had only started running the previous April. We met during a beginners running clinic set up to prepare people to run the …
Skagway Club Shares Gardening Tips
Whether you’re in the Yukon, Alaska, or Arizona, your ground is the foundation of gardening, and that is the focus of the keynote event at a conference taking place in Skagway this month. Typically held in Juneau, the bi-annual Southeast Alaska Garden Conference will be held in Skagway for the first time, July 19 to …
Artrepreneur: Corsets and a Hunger for Colour
It’s spring. For Cori Giacomazzi, that means busy. I had the chance to visit this Canadian garment artist in March at her home in Skagway. I had seen her work at the Yukon Riverside Arts Festival in Dawson City. I had admired the conceptual corset made of old paint-and-glue-stained Carhartts and the one she was …
Yukoners Mastermind a Winning Homebrew
If I was a better planner, I would have made my way down to Skagway at the end of April for the annual Craft Brew Festival, but sometimes my father’s genes kick in and I end up a little scattered. Luckily, I have friends who need to geek-out over conical fermenters, brewing efficiency, yeast viability, …
Klondike Road Relay Popular As Ever
Be warned: if you are travelling along the Klondike Highway on the evening of Sept. 5 or into the wee hours of Sept. 6, you may come across a 200-pound chicken. Not a real chicken of course, but rather an Alaskan donning the poultry get-up. It’s just one of the many antics that make up …
Respite on the Road
It is amazing how a day can change. It was Friday night of a Discovery Day weekend and I was pretty upset … relationship issues. I’d spent from about 10 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon telling my troubles to a good friend and now was home cleaning the refrigerator. A half-hour into …
From the Arts: A Large Show of Small Works
Rosemary Piper’s work is familiar to Yukon audiences. She’s a faithful exhibitor at the Yukon Artists @ Work Cooperative Gallery while the North End Gallery shows her reproductions. She has shown in Skagway for many years, and can be counted on at the Cranberry Fair and the Fireweed Market. New Works 2010 offers viewers her …
Shootin’ the Brews: Skagway Edition
Last weekend, Beer Cache had the amazing opportunity to spend the better part of a day with Trevor Clifford, head brewer at Skagway Brewing Co., Skagway, Alaska. Spring-boarding from an established ribbon-winning homebrewer to the head brewer at a brew pub takes some ingenuity. Clifford has made the most of an incredibly small space and …
Skagway Craft Brew Festival Debrief
It’s official: Skagwegians know how to have a good time. We just got back from the second annual Skagway Craft Brew Festival, and it was awesome. First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who made the festival a hit: Trisha Sims at Skagway Development Corporation, White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad, the good folk …
Skagway Craft Brew Festival
If you’re 21 years of age and like to kick back in the company of more than 200 beer enthusiasts while tasting a wide variety of exceptionally crafted homebrew, we may have plans for you on April 23. Oh, and did we mention amazing food and live music? That’s right folks: it’s the second annual …
Looking Back: 3,000 Horses
One of the interesting names on the map in Yukon history is Dead Horse Gulch. It’s a name that has been well-earned. During the height of the Gold Rush, from 1897-1898, there were thousands of horses that joined the thousands of people making the epic trek from the south up to the Klondike. A North-West …
