Skagway, Alaska is a beautiful destination even in the off-season. Over the next two weeks I’ll be showing you the town over two visits. The first, aboard Voyage 1 aboard Ovation of the Seas, had us arriving here on Monday, 27 September 2021. Our next visit on Voyage 2 was eight days later, Tuesday, 5 October. That extra day was the result of a weather-related change our our itinerary, in which the captain substituted Ketchikan for Sitka.
You’ll be able to spot easily which visit was which just by looking at the photographs over the next two weeks, as Voyage 1 gave us cloudy skies, and Voyage 2 brightened up considerably. Regardless of which voyage these photographs were taken, today’s article will concentrate on the sights along the short stroll from the cruise dock into town, beginning with this pose of Ursula with Ovation in the background:
One of the really neat things you’ll see as you walk alongside the dock is the Ship Signature Wall, upon which are commemorations of past cruise ship visits. I absolutely love photographing this wall, and reading the entries brings back many memories of our past visits here.
And as we approach town, Welcome to Skagway:
Before you hit the main portion of Skagway, your stroll will take you past a marina and a boatyard. These are always fun to photograph:
One of the attractions you’ll pass walking into town is the ever popular White Pass and Yukon Route Railway. Ursula and I have taken this trip before, and on this day the latter portion of the route was closed for maintenance. But if you get the chance, this trip is well worth the cost of admission. The tourist segment takes you to Carcross and back.
Make sure you take time to look back in the direction of the ship. If it’s a sunny, off-season day you’ll get views such as this:
You’ll know you’re getting close to town when you see the Alaska Shirt Company, which has a classic caboose sitting in front of it:
And here are the first buildings you’ll encounter has you hit Skagway proper:
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