White Pass Summit Bus Tour in Skagway: Everything you Need to Know!
You need to visit White Pass Summit while you are in Skagway! Taking an excursion to the summit is a great way to explore the mountains of Skagway if you visiting via cruise and don’t have a vehicle. A popular way to do this is via the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway. However, another great, cheaper option is to visit is via bus tour!
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About White Pass Summit
The White Pass Summit is a nearly 3,000 ft summit between the borders of Alaska and British Columbia. From Skagway, which is at sea level, you can take a train ride through the mountains or you can take a ride up the Klondike Highway. Both options will provide incredible mountain views while you climb from sea level to the summit!
➡️ This map is provided by White Pass and Yukon Route showing the route the train takes from Skagway to the summit.
The black line that runs nearly parallel to the railway is the Klondike Highway. This is the route the bus tour follows, which is about 14 miles from Skagway.
Bus Tour vs Train Ride
Path: As you can see from the map, the paths are very similar between the two. The biggest difference between the routes is the train goes into Glacier Station area and through the tunnel, which is one of the most picturesque portions of the train ride.
Stops: A perk for me for the bus tour is that it is able to stop along the highway in order to take photos whereas the train continues along the trail and then loops back to Skagway without stopping.
Price: A bus tour is definitely a more budget-friendly option. The bus tour is $60 per adult, $40 for kids and free for under 24 months old. The train is $176 for adults and $73 for children.
Which Bus Tour Company to Use?
There are several companies you can use to take a tour to the White Summit Pass. We opted to go with Klondike Tours due to good reviews and the size of the bus, which was a smaller, 24-person bus.
There are several companies that provide tours from Skagway to the White Pass Summit. I can imagine they offer very similar stops with just slight differences in price.
However, I can say our driver/tour guide was great. She was engaging and provided good information on the history of the area and made sure we could stop at each lookout.
Which Tour to Take?
Klondike Tours themselves offer three different tour options: the White Pass Deluxe Tour, the White Pass Deluxe Tour with Gold Panning, and the Yukon Adventure with Suspension Bridge.
- The White Pass Deluxe Tour with the gold panning is exactly like the original tour, but includes gold panning, as you can probably guess.
- The Yukon Adventure with Suspension Bridge tour goes along the Klondike Highway. However, it passes the White Pass Summit, where the previous tour stops, and goes a bit deeper into Canada. It continues to the Yukon Suspension Bridge where you will have admission to the bridge, cafe and gift shop.
- Price: $115 for adults and $80 for children over the age of 2
We opted to take the basic White Pass Summit tour with Klondike Tours mostly due to the more reasonable price and the fact that excursions in Alaska can add up quick! However, I’m sure the suspension bridge offers incredible views of the mountains!
Everything to Know about the Klondike Tour
Price: $60 per person
Time: 3 hours
Meeting Spot: 3rd and Broadway or pick up available at the cruise port
Timeline of the Tour to White Pass Summit
- Pick Up or Meet at Downtown Office
- Multiple Stops will be made along the Klondike Highway including:
- Skagway Overlook where you will have a view of the cruise ships and the town below
- Captain William Moore Bridge Lookout
- Summit Lake Lookout, just passed the border of the US and Canada- Welcome to Canada! Keep your eyes peeled for the train!
- “Welcome to Alaska” sign as you re-enter the US
- Bridal Veil Falls where you can get out and get a drink of the running water
- Pitchfork Falls
- Stop at the Gold Rush Cemetery
- Here you can take a short, 10 minute hike to Lower Reid Falls
- Drop off in Skagway city center or at the cruise port
What to Bring With You to the White Pass Summit
The tour to the White Pass Summit is only three hours, so you don’t need much. However, here is what you should be sure to bring with you.
- PASSPORT– This is the one thing you can’t forget to bring with you. Without it you can’t go on the tour due to crossing the US/Canada border.
- Warm layers/clothes– Even if it feels pretty good at the start of the tour in Skagway, you are ascending into the mountains and the wind can be intense! I wore a beanie at the end of July.
- Rain jacket– Alaska is notorious for summer showers, so be prepared because weather can change fast!
- Cash for tips- They do have a tip jar in the bus that is cash only.
Tip to Make your Excursion More Worthwhile
Be cognizant of the weather and time you choose for your excursion. We are morning people, so we opted for the 8:00am tour time. However, mornings in Alaska tend to be more cloudy and foggy and this was true in our situation. A lot of the mountain peaks up the Klondike Highway weren’t as visible as they would have probably been later in the day.
Though the lesser crowds in the morning were nice, I think it would be worth it to have a later time in order to have better mountain views! Klondike Tours typically offer an 8:00 am tour and a 2:00 pm tour.
Final Thoughts on the White Pass Summit Bus Tour
In FULL honesty, this wasn’t my favorite excursion we did in Alaska, as there is just so much to do and see there. However, I DO recommend it as a more affordable shore excursion while you are in Skagway.
Sure, the helicopter rides look incredible and I’ve heard the train ride really is a great experience. But if you can’t afford tickets to the higher-priced shore excursions OR if you are planning to spend your money on a higher-priced excursion somewhere else in Alaska (such as whale-watching in Juneau 😉), then this really is a great way to get into the mountains above Skagway!
Save it for Later!