Skagway White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad: Is the Luxury Train Excursion Worth It?
If you are planning a cruise to Alaska, there is one excursion that pops up on almost every itinerary, message board, and YouTube video: the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad in Skagway.
Having cruised to Alaska across multiple cruise lines- we can safely say that Skagway is one of our absolute favorite ports. (If you want a full breakdown of the town itself, check out our complete Guide to Skagway in Alaska!).
But whenever people ask us about excursions, the conversation always turns to the train. Is the White Pass Railroad actually worth the hype? Should you shell out extra for the VIP Luxury Class car? Or is there a smarter, better-value way to do it?
Having taken the train up 3,000 feet into the snow-capped mountains of British Columbia and the Yukon, we’re sharing our honest experience, key seating tips, and whether the luxury upgrade is really worth your hard-earned money.
👉 We booked this through Shore Excursions Group (Affiliate link)
What Is the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad?
Before diving into ticket tiers and seating hacks, it helps to understand why this railway exists in the first place.
Built in 1898 during the height of the Klondike Gold Rush, this narrow-gauge railway was a staggering feat of engineering. Workers literally hung from ropes off sheer cliff faces, using over 450 tons of explosives to blast through solid granite. It took just 26 months to complete, connecting the coastal port of Skagway to Whitehorse in the Yukon.
Today, it operates as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark—putting it in the same technical company as the Eiffel Tower and the Panama Canal.
Cruiser Tip: Because it’s a narrow-gauge railway, the track is only three feet wide (compared to standard four-foot-eight-inch tracks). This allowed the train to navigate incredibly tight mountain curves, but it also means the vintage parlor cars sway a little more than a standard passenger train. If you suffer terribly from motion sickness, take note—though honestly, it moves at such a gentle, scenic pace that neither of us felt ill for a second.
What It’s Actually Like Onboard: Scenery, Comfort, and Mountain Climbs
What It’s Actually Like Onboard: Scenery, Comfort, and Mountain Climbs
David is a self-confessed train geek, so getting onto this was easily one of his most anticipated moments of our entire Alaska trip.
Generally comes down to three main choices of tours:
Train-only roundtrips: You ride the rails up to the White Pass Summit (or Fraser, BC) and return along the exact same tracks.
Rail & Bus combos: You cover one leg by train and the other by road—either climbing by rail and returning by motor-coach, or driving up first and riding the train back down.
Extended Yukon excursions: This is the option we booked through Shore Excursions Group. It combines the scenic rail climb up into Canada with a small-group minibus tour that takes you much further into the Yukon territory.
Our journey began right near the cruise docks in Skagway, where we hopped on a quick five-minute shuttle over to the main rail yard. Depending on which pier your ship is assigned to, some trains actually pull right up alongside the dock, meaning you can literally step off the gangway and straight onto the carriage platform.
Once you settle into your vintage parlor car and the locomotive pulls out of town, you steadily begin a 20-to-27-mile climb, ascending nearly 3,000 feet into the wilderness.
To be fair, the first ten minutes feel relatively tame as you pass through the coastal trees. But as you gain elevation, the flat ground completely vanishes. Within 20 minutes, you're clinging to the side of a mountain, staring straight down into deep granite gorges, roaring waterfalls, weathered wooden trestle bridges, and sheer drop-offs that will make your stomach do a quick flip if you look down too fast. You’ll pass historic Gold Rush landmarks along the way, including Inspiration Point and Dead Horse Gulch—where thousands of pack animals tragically perished during the 1898 rush.
What we didn't expect was just how dramatically the landscape transforms in such a short window of time. Even traveling in late spring or early summer, the dense green pine forests eventually give way to rugged sub-alpine tundra, sweeping glaciers, and frozen, vivid-blue lakes that look almost painted onto the landscape.
Our Tip: Photos honestly don't do the sheer scale of these mountain drop-offs justice, nor do they convey just how windy it gets standing out on the open metal platforms between cars! You can see the full climb—and how the scenery changes minute-by-minute—in our Skagway Vlog on YouTube.
The Onboard Vibe
Inside the standard vintage parlor cars, you’ll find plush bench seating, large picture windows, and an old-fashioned cast-iron stove keeping the car warm. Restrooms are available in every car, and complimentary bottled water is provided.
What surprised us most: How interactive the journey is. You aren't stuck glued to your seat the entire time. Passengers are allowed to step outside onto the open-air platforms between the train cars. Standing outside on metal platforms as the mountain wind hits your face, smelling fresh pine, and watching the train curve around cliff edges is incredible—and looks even better on video!
You can see the exact drop-offs and the open-air platform views in our Skagway vlog below:
3 Essential Train Hacks Other Reviewers Miss
If you decide to book the White Pass train, these three tips will make or break your experience:
1. The "Left Side" Seating Rule
If you are taking the train up from Skagway, sit on the LEFT side of the carriage (facing forward).
The Left Side: Faces out toward the open canyon, dramatic bridges, waterfalls, and sweeping valley views.
The Right Side: For the first half of the journey, passengers on the right side are mostly staring directly at a solid wall of blasted granite rock face.
Note: If you take a simple round-trip train excursion that goes to the Summit and turns right back around, the seats are flipped or the train loops, meaning everyone gets a turn on the valley side. But if you do a combined train/bus tour, always snag the left side heading up.
2. Aim for the Rear Carriage
When boarding, ask the attendants if you can sit in the very last carriage of the train. Being in the rear car gives you exclusive access to the back platform. You get unobstructed, 180-degree views of the tracks receding behind you into the snowy peaks without other passengers’ heads in your shot.
3. Don't Forget Your Passport!
Depending on which train package you book, you may actually cross the international border into Canada (British Columbia/Yukon). Canadian border patrol officers board the train at Fraser, BC, to physically check passports. If you leave your passport in your cruise cabin safe, you won't be allowed on the Canada-bound excursions!
Standard vs. Luxury Class vs. Yukon Combination: Which Should You Book?
This is where cruisers usually get confused. There are three main ways to experience the White Pass Railroad:
Option A: The Standard Summit Excursion (~$155)
Duration: ~2.5 to 3 hours.
What it is: You ride the train up to the White Pass Summit (Milepost 20.4) and return directly to Skagway on the train.
Who it’s for: Cruisers on a strict budget or those short on time who just want to experience the historic rail ride without spending all day on an excursion.
Option B: The "Luxury Class" / Legacy Club Car (~$425 - $460)
Duration: ~2.75 to 3 hours.
What it is: A private VIP parlor car attached to the train, limited to roughly 14 passengers.
What you get: Oversized plush leather swivel chairs, a dedicated host/guide, all-inclusive beverages (beer, wine, champagne, mimosas), and elevated appetizers (salmon crostinis, pastries, cheese boards).
Is it worth it? Honestly? For most people, no. While the leather swivel chairs and endless mimosas are lovely, paying over $400 per person for a 2.5-hour train ride is steep. You get the exact same panoramic mountain views out the window as the passengers sitting in the standard vintage cars three carriages ahead.
Option C: The White Pass Train & Yukon Bus Combo (Our Personal Pick!)
Duration: ~6 to 7 hours.
What it is: You take the train 27 miles up the mountain to Fraser, British Columbia. There, you disembark, clear Canadian customs, and meet a small minibus guide who takes you deep into the Yukon territory before driving you back down the scenic Klondike Highway.
Why we loved it: You get the absolute best of both worlds! You get the full train ride experience climbing into Canada, plus you get to explore parts of the Yukon that standard train passengers never get to see.
What Happens on the Yukon Combination Excursion?
When we booked our Skagway excursion, we chose a combined Train & Yukon tour via Shore Excursions Group (a third-party provider we frequently use as an alternative to cruise line shore excursions).
It was significantly cheaper than booking the luxury train car through the ship, yet it gave us an incredible 6-hour wilderness adventure:
1. The Carcross Desert
Yes, Canada has a desert! Located in the Yukon, Carcross Desert is informally known as the world’s smallest desert. It's an bizarre series of sand dunes sitting right in the middle of snow-capped sub-arctic mountains. Walking across sand dunes while looking at snow peaks is properly weird—and brilliant for photos!
2. Emerald Lake
Further up the highway lies Emerald Lake, famous for its intensely vivid green and turquoise water caused by light reflecting off marl deposits on the lakebed. When we visited, parts of the surrounding landscape were still dusted in snow, making the emerald color pop even more.
3. Carcross Town & The "Honey Twist" Pitstop
We stopped in the historic First Nations town of Carcross for an included BBQ chicken lunch, tea, and warm cinnamon donuts.
While wandering the cute little town shops, Ben couldn't resist buying a local "Honey Twist" pastry—which turned out to be roughly the size of his head! To be fair, after a chilly morning in the mountains, hot coffee and fresh pastries hit the spot.
Is the White Pass & Yukon Railway Worth the Money?
And honestly? Yes, 100%.
If you are visiting Skagway, taking the White Pass Railroad is easily one of the most iconic experiences in all of Alaska cruising. Standing on the open platform between rail cars, watching the historical Gold Rush trail wind beneath snow-dusted cliffs, feels like stepping straight into a history book.
Our Final Verdict:
Skip the Luxury Car Upgrade: Unless you have money to burn or strictly want unlimited mimosas in a 14-person leather lounge, save your cash.
Book a Yukon Combo Tour: Combining the standard train ride with a minibus tour into British Columbia and the Yukon territory gives you vastly superior value, smaller group sizes, and much more variety.
Dress in Warm Layers: Even if Skagway port is a mild 15°C (60°F), it will be freezing and windy at 3,000 feet up in the pass. Bring gloves, a warm hat, and a waterproof coat!
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