Skagway Trip Overview
Explore the beautiful waters of southeast Alaska on a canoeing trip of a lifetime. Experience the astonishing scenery of the Inside Passage as you help paddle the voyageur canoe. Board a high-speed catamaran for a 45-minute trip to Haines down the Lynn Fjord. Once in Haines, your expert guides will drive you along the coastline and up the salmon-rich Chilkoot River to scenic Chilkoot Lake. Once at the lake, you’ll receive all of the necessary equipment and instruction before heading out onto the water to explore the far reaches of the lake with your guide in a motor-assisted voyageur canoe. Your adventure will wrap up with a beach-side lunch with spectacular mountain and ocean backdrops before heading back to Skagway by catamaran.
Additional Info
Duration: 6 hours 30 minutes
Starts: Skagway, United States
Trip Category: Day Trips & Excursions >> Day Trips
Explore Skagway Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Skagway, Alaska, United States
Explore the beautiful waters of southeast Alaska on a canoeing trip of a lifetime. Experience the astonishing scenery of the Inside Passage as you help paddle the voyageur canoe. Board a high-speed catamaran for a 45-minute trip to Haines down the Lynn Fjord. Once in Haines, your expert guides will drive you along the coastline and up the salmon-rich Chilkoot River to scenic Chilkoot Lake. Once at the lake, you’ll receive all of the necessary equipment and instruction before heading out onto the water to explore the far reaches of the lake with your guide in a motor-assisted voyageur canoe. Your adventure will wrap up with a beach-side lunch with spectacular mountain and ocean backdrops before heading back to Skagway by catamaran.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Pass By: Fort William H. Seward National Historic Landmark, 4-6 Ft Seward Dr, Haines, AK 99827
This excursion begins with a short tour of the historic Fort Seward before embarking on a scenic drive from downtown Haines past Lutak Inlet and into the Chilkoot River Valley. Fort Seward was the first Army base in Alaska and still holds a commanding prsence along the beachway.
Pass By: Haines, Haines, Alaska
Enjoy the simplicity and beauty of small-town Haines on your way to Chilkoot Lake. Along the way, your guides will regale you with local natural history, geology, and Gold Rush tales as they point out snow-capped peaks, thick timber forests, and the abundant wildlife.
Pass By: Chilkoot River, Haines, AK
The Chilkoot River Valley offers incredible wildlife viewing. Brown Bears, eagles, mountain goats, and spawning salmon are commons sights. Our guides are expert naturalists and enjoy sharing their love and knowledge of the Alaskan wilderness.
Stop At: Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Area, Lutak Road, Haines, AK 99827
At Chilkoot Lake, you’ll be stepping into a Voyageur canoe, which is stable, comfortable and quiet; perfect for observing nature’s splendor and the wildlife that abounds around this peaceful lake. You’ll be out on the water for about 1.5 hours exploring the inlets, coves, salmon spawning streams and numerous waterfalls that spill off the mountains into the lake.
After a short tour of Fort Seward, a 30-minute drive from downtown Haines, leads us up the Lutak Inlet to the Chilkoot River Valley. The Chilkoot corridor offers incredible wildlife viewing. Brown Bears, eagles, mountain goats, and spawning salmon are commons sights. Our guides are expert naturalists and enjoy sharing their love and knowledge of the Alaskan wilderness.
Once at Chilkoot Lake, we’ll head out in stable, motor-assisted Voyageur Canoes. Our Canoes are built using similar dimensions as the canoes used by trappers and gold miners at the turn of the century. Powered by either paddle or motor, this tour offers guests the opportunity to paddle in the serenity of Chilkoot Lake, while also having the advantage of relaxing and taking photographs when it’s time to take a break from paddling. We’ll be out on the water for about 2 hours and explore the inlets, coves, salmon spawning streams and numerous waterfalls that spill off of the mountains into the lake. After enjoying the beautiful views on the lake, we’ll return to Haines and serve a picnic-style lunch at a private ocean beach location.
After lunch you will be transported back to the fast ferry and on to Skagway.
We are able accommodate dietary restrictions with a minimum of 48 hours advance notice, including gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, allergies, etc.
Timing:
00:00 – Meet on pier, complete waivers and answer any questions
00:00 – 00:10 – Depart pier by van for a short transfer to the small boat harbor
00:10 – 00:15 – Short walk to fast ferry, board ferry for trip to Haines (100 m)
00:15 – 01:15 – Catamaran ferry ride to Haines includes live presentation about local cultural and natural history.
01:15 – 01:55 – Board van/bus and have a guided driving town tour of Fort Seward, downtown Haines on the way out to Chilkoot Lake. The road parallels the ocean coast and the scenic Chilkoot River.
01:55 – 02:10 – Canoe orientation, safety briefing and equipment fitting
02:10 – 04:10 – Experience pristine Chilkoot Lake from your canoe while paddling and utilizing the motor as a backup when you’re ready to relax or if the wind picks up.
04:10 – 04:40 – drive back along the coast to our private beachside lunch site
04:40 – 05:10 – Beachside picnic lunch
05:10 – 05:15 – Short ride from beach back to the fast ferry dock
05:15 – 06:15 – Fast ferry ride back to Skagway and van transfer back to your ship
Duration: 3 hours
