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White Pass Summit Excursion With Optional Gold Panning
You’ll begin your tour to the White Pass Summit area from Skagway, riding in a comfortable coach with large viewing windows.Take in the scenic Klondike Highway as it parallels White Pass Railroad, climbing 3,292-feet (1,003-meter) to the summit! The railway was built in 1898 through some of Alaska's most rugged terrain, ascending 20 hair-raising miles of steep mountain.
As you travel, you’ll learn from your informative guide about the gold-rush history of the Skagway area and the natural features that make it such a beautiful place. Marvel at the spectacular landscape's waterfalls and rivers, mountains and glaciers, historic sites and panoramic vistas. Keep your eyes open for sightings of bear, caribou and other animals!
Near White Pass Summit, the terrain shifts to an alpine tundra that hosts a stunted forest of 300-year old trees. Admire the unforgiving wilderness that inspired adventure-loving writers such as Jack London and Robert Service.
As you return to Skagway, you’ll stop for photos at the "Welcome to Alaska" sign, a popular place to document your trip.
Passports are required as you'll cross into Canada on the journey to the summit.
Gold Panning Option:
On the return to Skagway from White Pass Summit, you’ll stop at the Klondike Gold Dredge and experience the thrill of the 1898 Alaskan Gold Rush! Colorful characters in period costume lead the guided tour, sharing stories of the men who toiled in search of gold. Check out the 350-ton gold-dredging machine, one of more than 120 that operated in the northern gold rush.
After viewing mining artifacts, historic photographs, and a gold-panning demonstration, you'll get to pan for gold yourself, with the guarantee of finding gold in every pan! When you have finished, the staff will weigh your gold and make it into a keepsake for you to take home as a souvenir of your Alaskan experience.
