Port of Skagway

Skagway, Alaska is one of the most unique cruise destinations on the planet. When you consider that Skagway boasts a year-round population of just over 1,000 residents, it's almost hard to believe it's the 18th most visited cruise destination in the world. However, Skagway's friendly small-town atmosphere combined with its dramatic frontier beauty only tells part of the story.

For thousands of years since the last Ice Age, Native Tliglit people populated the fjord lands around Skagway. The Chilkoot Trail offered coastal Tlingit people a way to trade and barter with the First Nations people living in the interior. During the Klondike Gold Rush, that trail offered treasure-seekers a means of accessing the goldfields to the north.

Skagway boasts a robust array of retail shops, restaurants, and shore excursions, including the famous White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad, which was originally built to expedite travel into the Yukon. Today, it’s the number-one land-based shore excursion in the entire state of Alaska.

Skagway’s future is inexorably linked to the cruise industry. The pandemic presented Skagway and the industry with many difficult challenges, but cooperation between Skagway government officials and cruise company reps made it possible to get ships back to Alaska in 2021. Make no mistake, this was a monumental accomplishment.

Despite our recent challenges, Skagway’s future is looking brighter than ever. Improvements are being planned to increase dock and berthing space to accommodate future industry growth within the region. Upgrades to port facilities and waterfront uplands will offer guests a better overall experience while helping local businesses continue to thrive.

For more information about Skagway’s future port improvements please click here. For more information about traveling to Skagway visit www.skagway.com.