skagway/shgagwei
 private cultural tours

DEEP DIVE TOURS THAT TAKE YOU WHERE ONLY A LONG TIME LOCAL CAN. JOURNEY WITH THE ART OF STORYTELLING AS YOUR GUIDE.

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Our private, deep-dive cultural tours focus on the Indigenous history of the area providing an immersive and thoughtful exploration of the region’s Indigenous cultures, traditions, and history.  Our cultural tours go deep below surface-level narratives, critically examining the effects of colonization, displacement and local residential boarding school history. We will also focus on the ongoing resilience of Indigenous communities in both Alaska and Yukon and how northern Indigenous cultures are rising back after years of suppression.

Unlike the vast majority of local tours that romanticize the Klondike Gold Rush or aim to entertain, we center our attention on the profound effects the Gold Rush had on the land and its original inhabitants. We also explore the long history of Indigenous peoples in this region, which stretches back since time immemorial. We are committed to the whole picture and in revealing uncomfortable truths rather than focusing on punchlines and entertainment for guests looking for more knowledge and depth during visit to Skagway. We will include the history of residential boarding schools in Skagway and Carcross—institutions that left a lasting legacy of intergenerational trauma.
Our goal at Skagway Private Tours is to shift your perspective with authenticity and depth; taking tours to a new level of potential. Through storytelling, we aim to educate, connect, and restore balance, with the belief that revealing all facets of the past is essential to healing.

The regional Lingit language is nearing extinction and your guides are dedicated to learning and sharing the Lingit names of the animals seen on tour as well as the traditional place names used before colonization.  In 2008, born and raised "skagwegian" Du Aaní Kawdinook Xh'unei (aka Lance Twitchell) said to the first ever Lingit language class in Skagway "I don't care what your back ground or heritage, for every word in Tlingit you learn you help undo what was done and you help put back what was taken."  Let us join the mission to do this one word at a time; one tour at a time. 

Our guides are long time year round locals (including a born and raised Alaskan) who each bring a deep, personal connection to the land and its people. All guides hold Cultural Host Training certificates from a program designed to increase awareness and knowledge of Alaskan Native cultures, languages and history. In the off season our guides actively seek out Indigenous voices to share wisdom and perspectives with us so we can share this direct knowledge with our visitors. Stories are always shared with permission because in local Tlingit culture stories are possessions. Our tours prioritize the stories that matter most to our Indigenous neighbors; ensuring that much of what you hear comes not only from our own life experiences and studies, but also directly from their voices and passed to us via the ancient art of storytelling.

In the future, we hope to welcome guest speakers and guides from the Skagway Village, Carcross Tagish First Nations, Tagish and beyond, further enriching the experience and providing a more complete picture of the region’s diverse Indigenous cultures. We are excited to add to our cultural tour options in the future.

it’s our honor to offer tours that revitalize cultural understanding and connect you to the land through a deeper appreciation of Indigenous history.
 Gunalchéesh for choosing our local guides!

full day cultural tour to emerald lake

We've adapted our most popular 6 hour option to Emerald Lake and Carcross to give guests a deep dive into the rich cultural history of our area. Visit Ha Shagoon Hidi the Carcross Tagish First Nation's learning and gathering center to see a fantastic collection of local art and totem poles.
150 miles roundtrip. Two van options:
Minivan for 6 guests is $900 or UPGRADE to our full sized luxury Limovan for 7 guests $1350 plus 5% city tax.

northern cultural tour: indigenous history, culture, and DOG mushing

This 5 hour tour to Yukon/BC border combines two great topics and weaves them together in an unforgettable tour experience. As we dive into Indigenous history and culture we will also explore dog mushing's ancient Indigenous roots and it's evolution into a modern sport. Discover the major role dogs have played in northern Indigenous and colonial cultures. This tour will stop at Iditarod and Yukon Quest musher Michelle Phillips summer training camp. Go for a cart ride pulled by remarkable canine athletes or just spend your time petting puppies and sweet sled dogs. Admission/rides are extra and paid upon entry. 100 miles roundtrip .
Minivan for 6 guests is $750 or upgrade to our full sized luxury Limovan for 7 guests @ $1125 plus 5% city tax.

half day cultural tour to yukon border

Our 4 hour Half Day Cultural tour to the Yukon/BC border is a fabulous way to see the best of this area and learn about our area's rich Indigenous history and culture. You will also enjoy lots of photo stops with time to savor this spectacular land.
100 miles round trip.
Two vehicle options are available.
Minivan for 6 guests is $600 or UPGRADE to our full sized luxury limo van with full sized captains chairs for 7 guests. Luxury limo van is $900 plus 5% city tax applied to all tours.

healing ceremony with AN indigenous elder in yukon

This "tour" is unprecedented. Join your guide on a spectacular drive from Shgagwei to Yukon to join a tribal Elder in a healing ceremony. The sacred space we will share on this journey together will help heal the land, it's Indigenous residents, and ourselves. This transcends a tour experience and enters a new category entirely. This healing journey is for locals and visitors alike.  Mileage unknown  (likely 80-150 miles round trip).  Details TBA.

it's time to share a more authentic history.
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land acknowledgement: we are honored to provide tours on the sacred and unceded land of the tlingit AND TAGISH PEOPLES.
Skagway Private Tours operates on the stolen/stampeded lands of the Tlingit AND TAGISH PEOPLE and acknowledges the members of the Skagway Traditional Council with gratitude and respect for this privilege as we share the beauty and history of this great region with guests from all over the world.  leaving shgagwei we climb out of Jilkoot Lingit Aani and enter the lands of the Taku River Tlingit people before we move into Carcross Tagish First Nations tribal lands. Skagway Private Tours gratefully acknowledges this use and respectfully intends to present visitors with an authentic and honest representation of this area's rich history in a manner that is congruent with the wishes of the tribal governing bodies. GUNALCHÉESH FOR THIS PRIVILEGE. Let us help restore balance one tour at a time.