alternative tour options...touring outside the box.
Although the nature of the private tour is personalized to begin with, here are some unique ideas for just the right group. These are ideas based on your guide's favorite sites and activities that she suggests to her friends and family when they visit from out of town. You are on vacation! Why keep going, going, going? Why not stop and savor the moment? Feel the area with all your senses. Slow down. Have a picnic. Pop open a bottle of beer at the beach in Carcross. Shift your focus from quantity of miles to quality of the moment. Stop and savor the views a little longer. Experience for yourself why Skagwegians choose to live here.
the helicopter option: the rainy day in skagway get away
Helicopter tours in Juneau and Skagway get weather cancelled on a regular basis. If you schedule your helicopter ride in the Yukon you will not be let down, as the weather is often better when we drive over the mountains and into the interior. Experienced Yukon pilots will take you on the flight of a lifetime over Montana Mountain, a volcanic crater lake, massive Lake Bennett, and the winding Watson River. Your flight will take off and land next to the surreal Carcross desert. Look for caribou, moose, bear, Dall sheep, mountain goats, eagles and back country hikers. This tour is best scheduled in advance, but last minute bookings may be possible.
Helicopters take off from Caribou Crossing. If anyone in your group does not wish to fly like an eagle, there are plenty of options to take advantage of at Caribou Crossing*, such as dog sled rides and demonstrations, sled dog petting, wildlife museum, RCMP museum, gold panning, hobby farm, gift shop, cafe, and if the timing is right...PUPPIES!
15 minute helicopter ride @$149 ea (plus GST) with a 2 person minimum will be added to the price of the 6 hour Emerald Lake Tour.
*Additional charges apply to enter the attraction and for dog sledding/gold panning.
Helicopters take off from Caribou Crossing. If anyone in your group does not wish to fly like an eagle, there are plenty of options to take advantage of at Caribou Crossing*, such as dog sled rides and demonstrations, sled dog petting, wildlife museum, RCMP museum, gold panning, hobby farm, gift shop, cafe, and if the timing is right...PUPPIES!
15 minute helicopter ride @$149 ea (plus GST) with a 2 person minimum will be added to the price of the 6 hour Emerald Lake Tour.
*Additional charges apply to enter the attraction and for dog sledding/gold panning.
the 'Shut up and drive' option-- the anti-tour
SKAGWAY'S ONLY TOURLESS TOUR
Experience the serenity of this great land at your own pace and on your own terms. Ask the driver questions or she won't talk. If you want to stop just ask, otherwise your driver will just keep going. Bring your own music on ipod, disc or iphone. Enjoy each others' company without the distraction of listening to someone's life story or being bombarded with regional trivia. Stop wherever you choose and stay as long as you wish. Make this a picnic or champagne get away.
Hourly rate is $125 hr with a 4 hour minimum.
Experience the serenity of this great land at your own pace and on your own terms. Ask the driver questions or she won't talk. If you want to stop just ask, otherwise your driver will just keep going. Bring your own music on ipod, disc or iphone. Enjoy each others' company without the distraction of listening to someone's life story or being bombarded with regional trivia. Stop wherever you choose and stay as long as you wish. Make this a picnic or champagne get away.
Hourly rate is $125 hr with a 4 hour minimum.
the picnic option
Choose any hourly tour and add a picnic lunch to the day. We will find a nice spot to stop and take in the view. Folding camp chairs and table will add to the comfort of this stop.
Pack your own lunch or we will have one ready for you. Food charge will be added to trip deposit if we order food from a local Skagway business ahead of time. Beer, champagne or wine can be added to the picnic experience for an additional charge and may also be subject to Canadian duties at the border which could double the expense of alcohol. Canadian Customs stated that the PROcess is quite fast and would not cause much delay at the border.
Stopping at the grocery store or any restaurant before hitting the road in Skagway would be included in total touring time and could shorten distance traveled. Food options are available in Carcross on the 6 hour tour.
(A menu link will be added closer to the cruise ship season for advance ordering so food will be ready when your tour begins.)
Pack your own lunch or we will have one ready for you. Food charge will be added to trip deposit if we order food from a local Skagway business ahead of time. Beer, champagne or wine can be added to the picnic experience for an additional charge and may also be subject to Canadian duties at the border which could double the expense of alcohol. Canadian Customs stated that the PROcess is quite fast and would not cause much delay at the border.
Stopping at the grocery store or any restaurant before hitting the road in Skagway would be included in total touring time and could shorten distance traveled. Food options are available in Carcross on the 6 hour tour.
(A menu link will be added closer to the cruise ship season for advance ordering so food will be ready when your tour begins.)
birdwatching option
Skagway, Dyea, Northern British Columbia and Yukon are the crossroads for countless species of migrating birds. Modern climate change has brought surprise visitors to our region as well as new residents. Skagway's unique geography offers 3 climate zones in just 25 miles. Starting in the temperate rainforest at sea level we will look for bald eagles, belted kingfishers, blue herons, golden eyes, surf scoters and more. We then will travel 3292 ft. in elevation to a sub alpine forest where we can look for the state bird, the willow ptarmigan in it's seasonal plumage. Just ten miles further will take you into a boreal forest with owls, eagles, harriers, and migrating visitors. It will be easy to add some unique birds to your Big Year. Your guide may not know as much about birds as YOU do but will love to learn from experts. She knows good out of the way locations to sit and observe without being bombarded by giant diesel buses.
This tour includes a spotting scope, tripod, regional bird books, camp chairs, and extra binoculars to share so you can travel light. $125 hr with 4 hour minimum.
This tour includes a spotting scope, tripod, regional bird books, camp chairs, and extra binoculars to share so you can travel light. $125 hr with 4 hour minimum.
the bear hunt option
Add an obsessive search for black and brown bears to any of our hourly tour option for no additional charge. Wildlife sighting are not guaranteed and every year brings different potential sightings. Summer of 2012 was the Year of the Bear, and your guide saw 1-4 bears a day in May alone. Her boss called her "Sherry Beary". Last summer it was a dead zone and only 4 bears were spotted in May. This is just proof that the seasons are unpredictable and that really the sightings are up to the bears. Most tour guides don't want to talk about bears unless they see them because they don't want people to be disappointed. YOUR guide however knows that everyone (including herself) wants to see bears or any other wildlife, so why downplay the search? It's why we choose to live here; we want to enjoy nature.
Bears don't s#@* in the woods, they do it on the road which gives us a great opportunity to see one of these amazing beings in action. Your guide will point out piles of bear poop on the road so we will know they were close and so we can be extra alert for the pooping culprit. Traveling with a local increases your odds of spotting wildlife as she will know the spots where wildlife has been spotted in the past and she also knows the area like the back of her hand which means she won't be tricked by the culvert that looks like a bear or the stump that looks like a cub. That happened years ago so she can focus on real possible sightings like a pro. Your guide will share personal bear encounters that only years of living and hiking in Alaska could provide. The farther you travel into the interior the greater the opportunity for wildlife which means the longer the tour, the better your chance so go ahead a book a 6 hour tour.
Binoculars and a spotting scope will be available on this tour for everyone to share.
NO BEARS WILL BE ACTUALLY HUNTED UNLESS YOU COUNT SHOOTING THEM WITH A DIGITAL CAMERA. NO FEEDING, APPROACHING OR DISTURBING BEARS WILL BE TOLERATED.
NO GUARANTEES CAN BE MADE FOR WILDLIFE SIGHTING. IF YOU WANT A GUARANTEED WILDLIFE SIGHTING BOOK THE JUNEAU WHALE WATCHING TOUR HERE OR HEAD TO THE RED ONION SALOON AFTER THE TOUR-- IT GET'S PRETTY WILD IN THERE...
Bears don't s#@* in the woods, they do it on the road which gives us a great opportunity to see one of these amazing beings in action. Your guide will point out piles of bear poop on the road so we will know they were close and so we can be extra alert for the pooping culprit. Traveling with a local increases your odds of spotting wildlife as she will know the spots where wildlife has been spotted in the past and she also knows the area like the back of her hand which means she won't be tricked by the culvert that looks like a bear or the stump that looks like a cub. That happened years ago so she can focus on real possible sightings like a pro. Your guide will share personal bear encounters that only years of living and hiking in Alaska could provide. The farther you travel into the interior the greater the opportunity for wildlife which means the longer the tour, the better your chance so go ahead a book a 6 hour tour.
Binoculars and a spotting scope will be available on this tour for everyone to share.
NO BEARS WILL BE ACTUALLY HUNTED UNLESS YOU COUNT SHOOTING THEM WITH A DIGITAL CAMERA. NO FEEDING, APPROACHING OR DISTURBING BEARS WILL BE TOLERATED.
NO GUARANTEES CAN BE MADE FOR WILDLIFE SIGHTING. IF YOU WANT A GUARANTEED WILDLIFE SIGHTING BOOK THE JUNEAU WHALE WATCHING TOUR HERE OR HEAD TO THE RED ONION SALOON AFTER THE TOUR-- IT GET'S PRETTY WILD IN THERE...
the corrington museum of alaskan history option
Add a guided visit to the famous Corrington Museum of Alaskan History featuring the history of Alaska on masterfully scrimshawed walrus tusks. Starting with the prehistory of Alaska the museum will guide you through exhibits featuring Native peoples, the Civil War, Gold Rush, Reindeer Herding, Sinking of the Princess Sofia, Aviation, World War 2, and The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and more. See the dogsled used by Dennis Corrington* in the 1976 Iditarod as well as the coveted Red Lantern Award for last place. The museum also features the world's largest baleen basket as well as a massive mastodon tusk and trade bead display.
The museum is free to the public and obviously you may visit on your own time after the tour without a guide to ask questions. We can include a photo shoot in front of the giant mural on the side of the building featuring YOUR guide painted by her talented brother Bret. Your guide is the only guide in Skagway with their very own mural. Cool.
A visit to the Corrington Museum of Alaskan History can be incorporated into any of our hourly tour options.
(*Warning: we might run into Dennis Corrington who is full of so many stories you either might not want to leave or you might not be able to get away. We can come up with a code word in case it's just too much. How about "toothpaste" or "bubbles"?)
The museum is free to the public and obviously you may visit on your own time after the tour without a guide to ask questions. We can include a photo shoot in front of the giant mural on the side of the building featuring YOUR guide painted by her talented brother Bret. Your guide is the only guide in Skagway with their very own mural. Cool.
A visit to the Corrington Museum of Alaskan History can be incorporated into any of our hourly tour options.
(*Warning: we might run into Dennis Corrington who is full of so many stories you either might not want to leave or you might not be able to get away. We can come up with a code word in case it's just too much. How about "toothpaste" or "bubbles"?)
THE TOURS LISTED BELOW ARE DESIGNED FOR FOLKS WITH A SENSE OF HUMOR AND WHO LIKE TO DO THINGS A LITTLE "DIFFERENT" THAN OTHERS. FINALLY THESE INDIVIDUALS HAVE SOME TOURS OPTIONS!
the novelty tour
Do you travel with a rubber chicken? A favorite Pez dispenser? A flat Stanley? A ratty stuffed animal? Do you take photos of your strange muse everywhere you go? Well then this is THE tour for you! Join the mama of the infamous traveling CREEPY BABY as she facilitates your own personal photo shoot with that very thing that makes you crack up and causes those who know you to think you are off your rocker. Nail that photo of your G.I. Joe head on top of an Inukshuk rock pile before you kick it over. Live life and LAUGH!
This tour option can be incorporated free of charge into any of our hourly tours and comes with a free Creepy Baby bumper sticker.
This tour option can be incorporated free of charge into any of our hourly tours and comes with a free Creepy Baby bumper sticker.
the 'inukshuks suck' tour
Your driver escorts you up the Klondike Highway to a 7 mile stretch past the White Pass summit to knock down as many stacked rocks and Inukshuks you can possibly destroy in a minimum of 4 hours. Everywhere you look there are signs of man's presence in the middle of what should be pristine, untouched nature. Visitors have been trampling and destroying a fragile eco-system all along the highway to make these senseless stacks, rendering the actual stacks we use to mark trails and other important landmarks almost impossible to discern. I'm sure the smell of humans has impacted wildlife sightings throughout this area, as well. You can help the next bus load of wide-eyed visitors avoid the distraction of "why are all the rocks stacked?" instead of absorbing the rugged beauty of this magnificent region. Contribute to a return to the untouched beauty of the land, where man's fingerprint cannot be seen.
This can be done free of charge on ANY 4-6 hour tour.
**An accident waiver shall be signed claiming responsibility for your own actions, or you can not destroy stuff.
This can be done free of charge on ANY 4-6 hour tour.
**An accident waiver shall be signed claiming responsibility for your own actions, or you can not destroy stuff.
where's my wookie?
In the summer of 1978 your driver buried her favorite toy in the sand at the beach in Carcross. That toy was a Chewbacca action figure from a movie she hadn't seen yet. But the wookie was so cool. She buried it in the sand-- then she dug it up. She did it again, and again. Then she went to dig it up, and couldn't find it at all! The wookie was gone! She cried all the way back to Skagway on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad. To this day, somewhere in the sand at the north end of Lake Bennett is a Star Wars Chewbacca action figure.
Enjoy our scenic 6 hour Emerald Lake Tour with a twist; enjoy a picnic lunch or snack on the beach while you or your guide digs in the sand for a missing wookie. Enjoy a picnic at the beach or just enjoy more time exploring Carcross. You don't really have to dig for Chewbacca. But it is a good excuse to get away. Plus, you will be the only one to say they did the "wookie" tour while on an Alaskan cruise.
6 hour tour @ $125/hr. Tiny beach shovels provided.
This tour comes with a Free "MAY THE TOUR BE WITH YOU..." bumper sticker.
Enjoy our scenic 6 hour Emerald Lake Tour with a twist; enjoy a picnic lunch or snack on the beach while you or your guide digs in the sand for a missing wookie. Enjoy a picnic at the beach or just enjoy more time exploring Carcross. You don't really have to dig for Chewbacca. But it is a good excuse to get away. Plus, you will be the only one to say they did the "wookie" tour while on an Alaskan cruise.
6 hour tour @ $125/hr. Tiny beach shovels provided.
This tour comes with a Free "MAY THE TOUR BE WITH YOU..." bumper sticker.
may the tour be with you...
HERSTORIC SKAGWAY AND KLONDYKE TOUR
Of the 100,000 stampeders only about 100 of them were women. This tour focuses on the amazing women of the Gold Rush who bucked tradition to chase the dream of Klondike Gold. Not all the women who came north were ladies of the night; there were hardy Tlingit women who packed goods over the Chilkoot Trail for the stampeders, women entrepreneurs like Harriet Pullen, the rumored discoverer of the Klondike gold, the first female ship captain in the Yukon, and many more. These often glossed over stories are brought to light with a celebration of their contribution that can inspire even the jaded.
This focus can be incorporated into any of our hourly tour options.
Group rate of $125 per hour for up to 6 people. 4 hour minimum.
This focus can be incorporated into any of our hourly tour options.
Group rate of $125 per hour for up to 6 people. 4 hour minimum.
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TOURS FOR THE 1%
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The world's largest minority finally has a tour designed especially for them! It must be difficult living in a world where everything is catered to the lowest 99% of the global population. Skagway Private Tours is an inclusive company that treats everyone with respect and dignity as well as enthusiasm for diversity while catering to the individual needs of our clientele. Our unprecedented Tour for the 1% offers a private hourly rate that will allow our often disparaged 1% to feel more comfortable with their fiscal foundation. All of our tour options and alternative tour options offered to the 99% at a measly $125/hour will now be offered to the lonesome 1% at a rate of $12,375/hour with a 4 hour minimum. Skagway Private Tours knows that if you pay more, it must be a better product. Well, this tour is the best. Travel in sweet comfort in a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan. If you would like a different vehicle, Skagway Private Tours is more than willing to help your staff with the logistics of shipping it to Skagway after you purchase it as well as advising with local registration and insurance.
20% of profits from this tour will be donated to the local Skagway charity of your choice. No financial records needed to book this tour. We will just use the honor system.
$$$ Cash discount offered. $$$
20% of profits from this tour will be donated to the local Skagway charity of your choice. No financial records needed to book this tour. We will just use the honor system.
$$$ Cash discount offered. $$$
All tours are subject to a 5% city sales tax which helps pay for all services and additional employees hired to accommodate the 1,000,000 visitors we have each summer.
