British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska and Pacific NW
a trip
by Kyle Sterry
Share- Monday, August 23, 2010
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Arrived in Vancouver on 23rd August on BA85 First Class from London Heathrow. Taxi at CAD$35 to hotel. Stayed at Century Plaza Hotel on Burrard Street. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g154943-d184316-Reviews-Century_Plaza_Hotel_and_Spa-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html Walked to harbour, plenty of seaplanes leaving, costs around CAD$145 upwards for a 30mins flight (per person). Down via Old Vancouver (Gastown). Subway very easy to use, modern and clean. -
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Arrived at Port Hardy on Vancouver Island via a small regional airliner, Pacific Coastal from downtown Vancouver. Stayed at the Gray's Den B&B on the outskirts of Port Hardy. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g184839-d1536216-Reviews-The_Gray_s_Den_B_B-Port_Hardy_Vancouver_Island_British_Columbia.html The Quarterdeck Pub, although looks a bit utilitarian, serves great food in heaped servings - the halibut is the best here in the Pacific NW! Town is basic, and slightly dreary, especially to the mall side. Took BC Ferries in the morning after, 17hrs ride to Prince Rupert, on its newest boat. Recommend paying extra on board to get reserved seats at the front with panoramic views. Sadly was mostly cloudy on the way up the southern end of the Inside Passage but that added to the drama of the scenery! Plenty of whales to be seen. -
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Stayed at the Eagle Bluff Bed & Breakfast http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g154939-d185796-Reviews-Eagle_Bluff_Bed_and_Breakfast-Prince_Rupert_British_Columbia.html#REVIEWS situated right on the waterfront/habour, in the Cow's Bay area of the town. Downtown is within easy walking distance up the hill. The restaurant at the same place is often packed in the summer, so reservations are a must. Meals were nice, but for the price, the decor could be better. Caught early morning Alaska Marine Highway Ferry from Prince Rupert to Juneau, an overnight trip. -
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Two hour stay at the town later in the day for lunch. Overnight part on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry included going through an extremely narrow passage, full of navigation lights, and can feel the boat scraping on the rocks! Great stuff, worth getting up for! Wrangell Narrows. -
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Arrived at Skagway late in the evening and was picked up by a helper from the Chilkoot Trail Outpost B&B for the 7-mile trip from Skagway to Dyea. B&B link: http://www.chilkoottrailoutpost.com/ The B&B, nestled in an opening in a forest, provides a car rental (well used old-ish car for $70 a day) and is close to where bears can be sighted and some small rivers - it's a nice quiet area with lots of walkers for the Chilkoot Trail. Awesome log cabins! Awesome views of snow capped mountain peaks and meadows!
Skagway was a Klondike Goldrush town that moved from Dyea in the late 1890s when the White Pass and Yukon Railway opened in Skagway. It is nestled between two hills and some high peaks, and a fairly steep climb into the interior. It retained the old frontier style of the Klondike days, if not the character. For more of a rustic example, visit Dawson City in the Yukon.
It is very much a cruise-ship town, which is unfortunate, but I imagine the town wouldn't be able to be this way if it were not for the cruise ships. To put it in perspective, around 900 people lives here are flooded by nearly a million cruise ship passengers each summer. -
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Carcross is reached by rail from Skagway in Alaska on the White Pass and Yukon Railway (WPYR), and by road from the south from British Columbia or from the north where Whitehorse is located. It is well worth the train ride to Skagway, but most dramatic parts of the train journey are pretty much on the Alaskan side.
Carcross is pretty much a hamlet, built in the traditional Gold Rush style and feels slightly more authentic than Skagway, but without the masses of tourists. However, the town is absolutely tiny, and you're ready to do within a couple of hours.
Near the town, is the world's smallest desert... it can be really dry in shadows of the Rocky Mountains, but you wouldn't have believed it for the trees and lakes! -
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A very functional town, rather than an aesthetically pleasing one, it's the Yukon's gateway - airport, car rental, tourist agencies and motorcoach/rail transfers. Get what you need and go.
Best Western's Gold Rush Inn is pretty good here and a great location in town, but it can be quite hot in the rooms, so go for one with air con. The pub downstairs is really popular with the locals with live jigs.
Car rental was done through Norcan - http://www.norcan.yk.ca/ - and compared to mainland USA, it's very pricey - around $450 for a cheapo-economy car for 5 days PLUS a 200km/day limit then 20 cents per KM charge after that! Ouch. We ended up paying another $200 for the excess KM.
However, Norcan doesn't care if you go off the road with it (so that means you can do the Dempster Highway or the Top of the World Highway for examples), whereas the likes of Budget tells you not to go off the road, which limits you to a very few surfaced roads in the Yukon! -
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- Monday, September 20, 2010
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- total distance: 5,403 miles (8.695 km)
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