For Karen16-Emerald Lake & other ?s

#1 (**permalink**) July 12th, 2005, 08:18 PM

Karen:
We will be in Skagway on 8-1-05 from 10am-8pm. I understand Emerald Lake is a place to see. What is the best way to get there and how long does it take to get there and back to Skagway? We are crusing on Celebrity Summit.

Also, we would like to do the White Pass Railroad roundtrip. They have 12:45pm and 4:30pm slots available. Can we fit in both excursions?

Any other recommendations to see instead of these? Thanks

Karen16 · #2 (**permalink**) July 12th, 2005, 08:59 PM

Consider the 4:30pm train. The only way to Emerald Lake is with a combo bus/train tour or rental car. You can not be a Canadian citizen however. Avis is the only major rental, 3 independents. Emerald Lake is 75 miles from Skagway. Allow 5 hours, Avis opens at 8am and it pays for an early morning start to avoid the buses up and down the Klondike Highway. Print out the very detailed South Klondike Highway guide www.explorenorth.com

pooh1bear43113 · #3 (**permalink**) October 14th, 2005, 03:07 PM

We rented a car in Skagway and drove the 75 miles to Emerald Lake and it is a trip we still talk about. We were free to stop at will and enjoy the scenery....saw bears along the road - great ice cream in Carcross, saw and played in the smallest "desert" - then took some fabulous photos of Emerald Lake. If at all possible - check out the web site Karen16 referenced (explorenorth.com) and take the drive - it was the highlight for us.

However, as Karen mentions: if you are Canadian and rent a car in Skagway - you cannot drive into the Yukon Territory.

Have a great time.

Karen16 · #4 (**permalink**) October 15th, 2005, 04:13 AM

For clairfication on the above

"However, as Karen mentions: if you are Canadian and rent a car in Skagway - you cannot drive into the Yukon Territory"

You can NOT get into Canada at all. Yukon Territory is NOT the boarder on Alaska, British Columbia is.

HotRod · #5 (**permalink**) April 27th, 2006, 01:43 AM

Is Emerald Lake something that is a typical stop on the railroad/bus excursion? I don't see it mentioned in the excursion guide.

Thanks!

Karen16 · #6 (**permalink**) April 27th, 2006, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HotRod

Is Emerald Lake something that is a typical stop on the railroad/bus excursion? I don't see it mentioned in the excursion guide.

Thanks!

It is usually a stop on the rail/bus combos that go into the Yukon and are the long trips. The Summit/Liarsville trips only go about 25 miles and return, Emerald Lake is 75 miles from Skagway. Expect to pay about $160+++

GailM · #7 (**permalink**) May 16th, 2006, 02:14 PM

Janice: If I might respond, I cruised on the Summit last May to Alaska. It was a 14-day West Coast/Alaska cruise and it was a fantastic cruise. It was our (my husband and parents) first time Alaska, but it will definitely not be our last. We loved the Summit as it was our first time sailing on Celebrity. I have since taken another Celebrity cruise. Their service is hard to beat in my opinion. I have a suggestion for you regarding Emerald Lake. I took the advice of a fellow cruiser I "met" on the boards prior to my cruise. You can save a lot of money by renting a car in Skagway and driving to Emerald Lake. It was one of the highlights of our cruise. It's a long port call so you have plenty of time. We stopped along the way (the scenery is spectacular) and took many photos. We stopped and talked to some locals who shared some Alaskan lore with us. It took us about 2 hours (leisure driving) to get to Emerald Lake. When we returned we still had time to explore some more. AFter we turned in the rental car, we walked around town and did some shopping. Actually, we rented a car in Skagway and Juneau. We will do this again on any future cruises to Alaska. I hope you have a great cruise.

GailM

BCHappyGal · #8 (**permalink**) June 7th, 2006, 10:12 AM

We just returned from our Alaskan Cruise and as we are Canadian and cannot rent a car in the USA and then drive it back into Canada we teamed up with a couple from Australia who rented a car and the 4 of us drove from Skagway to Emerald Lake and back. Great trip - you parraell the railline for much of the way. We took our time stopping often for photos and enjoyed a good lunch at the Carribou Crossing in Carcross. A great trip and much cheaper than the train + we saw a lot more.

We rented from Sourdough rentals and it was fine.

Karen16 · #9 (**permalink**) June 7th, 2006, 11:00 AM

I rented from Sourdough, again this year, and will not again. Last time the car was filthy, this time, not mechanically right. Very poor gas milage, with a so so car. Certainly should have been in top condition since I was the first cruise ship of the season. When I reported this, it didn't seem to be of any concern. I just can not recommend them.

I have rented from Avis for years, and they always have clean and well running cars. Much newer stock and prices are actually higher with Sourdough.

mickym · #10 (**permalink**) June 7th, 2006, 11:42 AM

We will be doing the train/bus combo into the Yukon with Chilkoot Tours. We really wanted to do the train. We will be back in Skagway by 2:30PM which will leave us plenty time to take in the town or do another excursion if we choose to. The cost of this is $152 and it includes lunch and a museum visit.