Home > Skagway > Skagway Shore Excursion: Chilkoot Trail Hike and Float Tour
USD $100.00
Skagway Shore Excursion: Chilkoot Trail Hike and Float Tour
Skagway, United States of America
The Chilkoot Hike and Float Tour is a great family-oriented hiking adventure along the world famous Chilkoot Trail. This wilderness hike takes place in the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and is Skagway's most affordable hiking and rafting adventure tour.
When your cruise ship docks, depart Skagway for a 10-mile (16 km) van tour along the coastline to the Chilkoot Trail trailhead and then enjoy 1.5 to 2 hours of hiking and 45 minutes on the raft. Have your camera ready for occasional wildlife sightings both on land and in the water.
This guided 2.0-mile (3.2-km) hike on the world-famous Chilkoot Trail runs through spectacular temperate rainforest. It’s a moderate hike and is fairly steep over uneven terrain for the first half mile (0.8 km), going uphill for about 300 feet elevation (92 meters) and then back downhill the same elevation and distance, with the remaining mile on level ground for the last mile.
Your naturalist guide will point out wildlife and native plants and tell stories of Skagway and the Klondike Gold Rush. Retrace the footsteps of stampeding prospectors who bypassed Skagway's White Pass Trail, to hike the Chilkoot Trail in order to reach the headwaters of the Yukon River. The Chilkoot Trail was the most direct route leading from the Skagway/Dyea area to the Klondike Gold Fields around Dawson City in the Yukon.
At the end of the hike, you will board an eight-eleven man rubber raft with your guide for a peaceful river float through the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park on the Taiya River, which runs parallel to the historic Chilkoot Trail. As you continue floating down the Taiya River, you will see little evidence of human civilization. However, you may see or hear the signs of a wide variety of wildlife, including bears, otters, salmon and eagles, all of which make their homes in the Taiya River Valley.
After your Taiya River float, you will be treated to a riverbank snack before ending your adventure back in Skagway and boarding your cruise ship.
Worry-free Shore Excursion: We will ensure your timely return back to the ship in Skagway for this activity. If your ship is delayed and you are unable attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.
Our guide was fabulous. Tour was beautiful, interesting, and fun. Great way to spend half a day. Highly recommend.
Review by: David G, August 2017
It was an excellent tour. Bob, our guide, was very knowledge and authentic. He was intuitively conscientious about the well being of everyone on the tour.
Review by: Matthew R, August 2017
At the beginning of the trail hike, we realized that it was going to be too much for us and, based on the guide's recommendation, we backed off and enjoyed a nature walk with another guide. We rejoined the group for the float trip and it was very nice. The guides were excellent and, overall, it was a great experience! Perhaps the degree of difficulty could be clarified in the excursion description.
Review by: ORESTES C, August 2017
Bryan was a fantastic guide, very knowledgeable
Review by: cbroseker, August 2017
The tour guy was very informative and seem very passionate about his job. He was punctual and was very accommodating since we had our five-year-old with us. The hike was almost exactly 2.5 miles like stated and my five-year-old did it without a problem.
Review by: Kristen S, August 2017
This was such a fun and educational excursion. We really enjoyed the hike. It was a little arduous but my 83 year old father handled fine. I was impressed with how careful they were to keep us safe and comfortable. Joe, our guide, was very knowledgeable and entertaining. I'm glad we chose to do this
Review by: Charles F, August 2017
Jayce was a fabulous guide and was very patient with us as we were having some trouble on the first part of the hike. She's very knowledgeable about the area!
Review by: Alfredo, August 2017
Great guide, awesome tour.
Review by: Jdean52, July 2017
Excursion was great but our guide seemed uninterested in providing much information about the historical and environmental aspects of the area.
Review by: Scott B, July 2017
Our tour guide, Brian, did a great job, and we really enjoyed our hike and float down the river. Brian did a good job of sharing the history of the Chilkoot trail and pointing out plants and trees unique to the region.
Review by: Nicole I, July 2017
Great tour and Ryan, our guide was very knowledgeable. We walked the first part of the Chilkoot Trail which the Yukon Gold miners had to walk. It was a nice challenging hike the first 45 minutes and easy going the rest as we walked down the mountain to meet up with our raft. Ryan pointed out all of the local fauna and told us many stories of the Minors difficulties to trek over the 33-miles.
Review by: Timothy C, July 2017
Our excursion was really great and fun. Our guide was amazing and super nice. It was a great experience for sure.
Review by: Kandi B, June 2017
Great time hiking the trail and relaxing float down the river. Becca our guide was awesome! She was such a joy, very informative and fun. Three of us are in our mid-50's a little out of shape but were able to do the hike. So glad we did, learned all about the forest, the plants the trail that the gold miners had to endure. Highly recommend this excursion!
Review by: denise.carter52, June 2017
Jim who met us at the boat was a great guy. Then Bob took us in a van to meet and pick up the other people. He drove us into the forest and explained all about the town and its history. Whenever got to the trail we were given walking sticks and before we began a chance those the restroom. All along the hike he explained plants, what to do if we saw a bear, the different trees and we had stops along the way. Bob kept his eye on me because at 65 I was the oldest and most out of shape. We hiked 400 feet up and then down. There were steps in places but lots of tree roots. Then we put on rubber boots and he paddled down he river. Beautiful hike and float. Loved Bob.
Review by: John G, June 2017
Excellent enjoyable tour. Just myself and husband and an Australian couple and 2 knowledgeable guides, Ryan and Bryan. A minibus took us to the start of the walk. This was a fairly tough hike through a forest trail but there were plenty of stops where guides showed us particular plants, including various lichens and devil's claw and edible plants which we tried. There were signs of animals such as bears claw marks. Ryan was explaining the bear spray, a strong pepper spray which he always carried but had never used, when we heard a crashing in the undergrowth and were surprised to glimpse a bear, who made a hasty retreat from us! On reaching the river we swapped walking boots for the provided wellies and boarded the inflatable raft for a lovely float down the river, passing bald eagles nests and other interesting features. We then had a snack of fruit juice, biscuits and salmon jerky, before being transported back to our starting point. Altogether a great day out.
Review by: linda h, May 2017
what a great tour, our guides were very knowledgeable and fun!!! The hike was a learning experience, we got history, botany, wildlife lessons! The float down was awesome!!!!! The views from the raft were amazing!!!!
Review by: dawn b, September 2016
This was the ighlight of our visit to Alaska. The weather was perfect and Brooke our guide made this fun and very informative. She new the history of the trail, Skagway and the area. She was able to speak to topics of history, herbal medicine and Alaska politics that wove into the beauty of our hike and float. I've never been on a river raft and it was amazingly relaxing, safe and again filled with breath taking views. We didn't see any animals or birds large than a red squirrel but you can't schedule nature. this is a trip not to miss if in Skagway. The hike was a little tough for since we're not the most active types but Brooke moved at good comfortable pace and kept a close eye on us. At the end of the float we were met by the rest of the crew with some amazing snacks and friendly banter. Thanks for a great trip.
Review by: dawn b, September 2016
This was the ighlight of our visit to Alaska. The weather was perfect and Brooke our guide made this fun and very informative. She new the history of the trail, Skagway and the area. She was able to speak to topics of history, herbal medicine and Alaska politics that wove into the beauty of our hike and float. I've never been on a river raft and it was amazingly relaxing, safe and again filled with breath taking views. We didn't see any animals or birds large than a red squirrel but you can't schedule nature. this is a trip not to miss if in Skagway. The hike was a little tough for since we're not the most active types but Brooke moved at good comfortable pace and kept a close eye on us. At the end of the float we were met by the rest of the crew with some amazing snacks and friendly banter. Thanks for a great trip.
Review by: John S, September 2016
A good guide can make a trip like that and ours was excellent, I would add we were lucky with the weather. The trip can only serve to make you hold in awe the early prospectors who went on the trail.
Review by: Rebecca V, August 2016
fun hike with Becca she had explained the edibles and the history she was so nice. Roscoe was so helpful and fun.
Review by: coralie.pieper, August 2016
Wonderful excursion. Highly recommend this trip for lovers of hiking and river rafting. Absolutely gorgeous part of the world. Our guide was so informative.
Review by: tcbcshopping, August 2016
Luckily we had great weather. The hike is pretty strenuous not recommended for those out of shape or having balance problems.
Review by: REID B, August 2016
We had a great time on the hike and float. Gan was a great guide and gave us great flora and fauna information, as well as history of the area as we were hiking. The float was very fun as the river was up and carried us down the river rather swiftly. We saw 4 bald eagles nesting by the river.
Review by: Lauren G, August 2016
Excellent trip! A short but challenging two mile hike on rooty and rocky terrain through the woods followed by a leisurely float down the river where all you need to do is enjoy the beautiful scenery. Unfortunately we saw no wildlife. The closest we got to seeing a bear was skat on the trail!_br/_ Our guide Brooke was amazing! She is a native Alaskan and was so knowledgeable regarding the history of the Chilkoot trail as well as, the wild plants we passed along the way. Under her guidance, we able to taste many of the wild berries and learn the medicinal purposes for several plants growing on the mountains.
Review by: Donald A, August 2016
A great excursion. Tour guide met us at the ship and stayed with us until the tour concluded and dropped us off in town or would have taken us back to the ship. The group was small a total of 5 and made for a great tour. The guide was knowledgeable and well trained on the float. I would recommend taking this excursion.
Review by: Emily A, August 2016
It was a great hike and float. Our guide was nice, knowledgeable and fun. Nothing but good things to say!
Review by: Robert P, July 2016
Fabulous day! Small group, beautiful hike through rainforest and our guide helped us over the steep parts........and we needed it! Sonia and Robert
Review by: Barbara L, July 2016
We had an excellent guide who was so knowledgeable and friendly. The hike was strenuous and the day was very warm but we were with a fun group. The float took a bit too long but overall it was a very good and challenging experience.
Review by: Randal H, July 2016
Rush to the finish line! Although our guide tried repeatedly to pause the group and tell us about the forest and edible plants, most of the group was on an athletic outing and wanted only to reach the finish line. My wife and I struggled to keep up and were not able to enjoy the time in the forest. The place was beautiful, and worthy of pausing and looking at it.
Review by: Linda S T, July 2016
This tour was a wonderful but very challenging experience. I think that this hike is harder than was advertised with more down hill climbing than I expected. Otherwise, the guide was awesome and did no try to move us along any faster than we could handle. Just make sure you know that this hike is really for those in pretty good shape and can handle the rocks, roots and down hill climb. The float trip was magical. Highly recommend.
Review by: Carl H, July 2016
Sam was great. He was very knowledgeable about the plants and history of the area. A hike and a float give you two perspectives and some excellent views.
Review by: Todd S, July 2016
Brian was a great guide. We had a group of 9, ages 9 to 78 and all seemed to enjoy the experience.
Review by: Duey97, July 2016
Awesome from start to finish!!! Bob is the perfect guide for the tour and was a bundle of information.
Review by: Lisa E, June 2016
Becca was a great guide-very knowledgable about the flora and fauna.
Review by: Steven H, June 2016
We went hiking at every port in Alaska. We could have skipped the others. Brooke was by far the most knowledgeable guide we had on our trip.We learned a ton about the native plants and their uses. This was a true hike not just a dirt path through the woods. The final float down the river to enjoy the beautiful scenery was a terrific way to finish. This excursion was our favorite outing of our entire time in Alaska.
Review by: melinda1az, June 2016
We absolutely loved our excursion! Brooke was a wealth of knowledge and opened our eyes to the beauty and serenity of Alaska. Thanks so much for everything!
Review by: David J, June 2016
Our tour guide, Gann, was very patient and knowledgable. He made the tour interesting and safe at all times. Speed was limited by the slowest person in the group, which was too slow for us. Overall though the best tour on our cruise.
Review by: Marnie Thao N, June 2016
Great great hike! Beautiful forest and a great light workout to counter the inactivity on the cruise. It was breathtaking at every corner and our tour guide Sam is super knowledgeable about not only the area and its history but also about the vegetation in the forest. He was so excited about nature and made the hike a memorable one.
Review by: Linda P, May 2016
Everything about this trip was wonderful. Our leader, Brook, was so informative and pleasant. She kept a good pace for our small group. Would recommend.
Review by: Lucy R, October 2015
This was OK. The trail hike was reasonably easy and the float down the river was pleasant.
Review by: Kim K, September 2015
This was a great tour. The first mile of the 2 mile hike was a little steep, but our tour guide, Bob, had us take breaks so it wasn't too hard. There were lots of tree roots on the trail to avoid, but Bob showed us where to step to we wouldn't fall. He explained a lot about the rainforest trees and plants. The second mile of the trail was mostly flat and easier, but just as scenic. The float on the river was also very good. Bob showed us how to get into the raft so we wouldn't fall. As we floated down the river he pointed out bald eagles and other wildlife. For a short while we were followed by two harbor seals. So cute. At the end of the trip we got a light snack. The ride in the van to the trail was also scenic and Bob told us more interesting stories about the area. It was a great trip and worth the price.
Review by: Susan G, September 2015
We had a fabulous time. The hike was pretty strenuous, but our guide, Gann Brewer, went out of his way to help. He made the excursion fun and exciting, keeping us safe, yet having fun. On the way back, he pointed out fun facts about Skagway and dropped us off wherever we wanted to go. I would highly recommend the trip.
Review by: Jonquille C, September 2015
Really good tour. Our guide, Joe, was excellent. Hike was moderate nice mix of up , down, and flats. Float trip was great, saw Bear, Eagles, seals_br/_ Highly recommend
Review by: Jim H, September 2015
One of the best tours we have every taken. Loved every minute.
Review by: Gordon T, August 2015
We thoroughly enjoyed our tour guided by Brooke hope we remembered her name correctly. She was knowledgeable, helpful and lots of fun. She displayed great skill on the float portion of the tour, and we felt it was worth the time and money. We would recommend this tour to friends.
Review by: Myrna K, August 2015
Very enjoyable with a knowledgeable guide who stayed with us on the hike and float trip. It's good to get some exercise after the feasting on a cruise ship.
Review by: stuarttabb, August 2015
loved our young guide - a budding Grizzley Adams. the hike was rigorous enough. Raft trip was fine - not much to see everything we saw was spectacular but didn't need to be rafting to see it
Review by: den01, August 2015
We thoroughly enjoyed the forest walk and float down the river.
Review by: Jack L, August 2015
Bob the guide was personable and informative and maintained a comfortable pace on the hike as well as an accomplished raftsman. Enjoyed the narration and tour and would highly recommend.
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