Skagway-Haines Trip
 

I’m planning a 2012 trip to Alaska. We plan to visit the Haines-Skagway area and drive the Haines and Klondike highway loop between the two towns with a stop in Whitehorse for a few days.

I’m aware of the White Pass & Yukon Route train ride to White Pass Summit and beyond. Looking at maps, it appears the South Klondike highway runs parallel to the train tracks for a large part of the trip. With limited time, I’m wondering if driving the Klondike highway would cover many of the scenic aspects of the train ride. I’m not interested in doing the “same thing” twice, but if there is a definite need to do the train ride for the scenic aspect, I would consider it in addition to driving. Can anyone comment?

Also, is there any advantage in driving the loop starting in Haines as compared to starting in Skagway?

What time of year?

In the Skagway/Haines ares in August 2012

If it were me, I'd drive into either Skagway(if coming from the south) or Haines (if coming from the north), take the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry between the two, and then drive outbound from the second.

If you drive between the two, you just have to drive back again from the second one because in either place, once you get there, the only way to go is back unless you take the ferry.

I have done it both ways -- enjoyed both and from the train their are number of things you would not see from the highway.

You might want to check out this link on the internet.

http://www.go-alaska.net/Skagway-and-Haines/

enjoy

Ron

For what it's worth, Alaska is one place where to travel the same path in both directions CAN at times yield so much different scenery (as viewed from a different direction, and on the opposite side of the road) that it is possibly worth doing in various spots.

Also, you say you'll stop in Whitehorse "for a few days". During that window I think you'd do well to get yourself to Kluane Lake. To me it seemed the most scenic area along the entire Alaska Highway.

Whitehorse itself is... small-ish... and it won't take too long to cover the whole town, even allowing time for a picnic near the mighty Yukon River.