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Chilkoot Wilderness and Wildlife Viewing - Skagway Departure

Chilkoot Wilderness and Wildlife Viewing - Skagway Departure

Overview

Leave the crowds of Skagway behind and visit Chilkoot Lake State Park in Haines.

Your tour begins with a high-speed catamaran ride along the steep-walled fjords which connect Skagway to Haines. Over a dozen unnamed waterfalls drop hundreds of feet from both sides of the boat. Upon arrival in Haines, you will meet your knowledgeable guide for a drive to Chilkoot Lake State Park.

This park has it all: a turquoise lake surrounded by snowy mountain peaks, a salmon-filled river flowing into the sea, and important Tlingit cultural sights. Bald eagles, harbor seals, and brown bears are often seen here.

City: Skagway

Sat 05 Jul

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $270.00

Make a reservation

Sat 05 Jul

Starting at $270.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Transportation and Fare on Haines/Skagway Fast Ferry

Lunch consists of a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, fruit, freshly baked cookie and water. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are available with 48 hours advance notice.

Driver/guide

Port pickup

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children must be accompanied by an adult
A minimum of 2 people is required for tour to run
At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the name of their cruise ship and Hotel guests must provide the name of the hotel or B&B.
Not accessible to motorized wheelchairs.
Your tour includes a portable lunch. It consists of a turkey sandwich on organic whole wheat bread, fruit, freshly baked cookie, and bottled water. Vegetarian and gluten free options are available with 48 hours advance notice.

What To Expect

Haines

Visit a true naturalist’s paradise - Haines, Alaska. Haines boasts some of the most pristine wild country in Southeast Alaska. Your expert naturalist guide will share their knowledge of this area’s unique wildlife, plants, and ecosystems.

Chilkoot River

In May, June and July, the wildflowers are at their peak and eagles are busy caring for their young on the nest. Beginning in late July, the river fills with migrating salmon, while brown bears come down to the river’s edge to feed. As the number of salmon in the river increases, the likelihood of seeing bears down along the river increases, with a good probability of bear sightings from early August through late September.

Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Area

As you drive through the park, your guide knows the best places to stop for scenery and the possibility of wildlife spotting. Your guide is equipped with a powerful spotting scope to bring the wildlife in close, and your guide will help interpret the behavior of the various wildlife and explain how the animals fit into the Chilkoot’s complex ecosystem. Make sure you bring your camera to take advantage of the numerous photo opportunities.

Fort William H. Seward National Historic Landmark

Fort William H Seward overlooks the Port Chilkoot Cruise Ship Dock. Built by the US Army in 1904, the fort has a storied past and is now privately owned and maintained.

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Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (51)

Robert_C

Jul 2024

The cost was not worth it. Just a typical shuttle bus with the same commentary as all the other Alaska guides

Response from Host

Jul 2024

I am sorry to read this review. Our goal is to exceed our guest’s expectations, and clearly we did not measure up in your case. Our Chilkoot Wilderness and Wildlife Tour Skagway departure is much more than a “typical shuttle bus.” I have found that we are so good at making the experience seamless hat some guests don’t appreciate what it takes to put this tour together. It starts with our meet and greet service on the dock in Skagway. Skagway has multiple docks and it has become fairly complicated to figure out where to go once your ship arrives. We streamline the process and have a dedicated agent there to meet you. If you have any issues, we have staff in our office standing by the phones to make sure you do not miss your connection with the Fast Ferry. We provide transportation from the ship dock to the Fast Ferry and then check you in with the Fast Ferry agent. The next part of the journey is a 45-minute ferry ride along the steep-walled fjord linking Haines to Skagway, a beautiful trip in its own right. Upon arrival in Haines, our naturalist guide meets you and you board our small airport-shuttle style bus. Our guides scout the area in advance and know the best places and times to maximize your chance of seeing wildlife. This tour includes several stops in Chilkoot Lake State Recreation area, and typically includes an exclusive stop at some private property we have access to at the mouth of the Chilkoot River. When we find wildlife, we set up a high-quality spotting scope and also provide quality binoculars for our guests to use. We also include lunch. At the end of the Haines portion of the tour, we return you to the Fast Ferry and , upon arrival in Skagway, provide transfer service to get you back to your ship. You mentioned the cost of this tour. Besides all the costs associated with the tour as I’ve described above, it's important to note that our tours have a maximum of 14 guests per vehicle. Many other companies use 40-passenger buses, and they can charge less per person because of the volume. Rainbow Glacier Adventures stresses quality over quantity. We offer a premium product at a fair price. I am proud of our reputation and stand behind my guides 100 percent.

VICKYA_R

May 2024

The rivers, eagles and overall scenery was spectacular. They made sure not to overcrowd the tour. Our guide, Pat, was awesome.

Response from Host

May 2024

Thanks for this awesome review of your tour with us and with Pat, your guides. I'm glad you mentioned that we made sure not to overcrowd the tour. We believe in small group, high-quality experiences and emphasize quality over quantity. Our largest vehicle only holds 11 guests!

Lindsay_A

Sep 2023

Ella was our guide on a wildlife tour in mid September. The bus visit about 14 people and it was comfortable. From the start Ella asked what we most wanted to see and when we all answered “Bears!” She did he best to give us the best opportunity. After hearing there was a spotting she drove up and down the river corridor and we finally spotted them! A mom and two cubs. Highlight of the trip but after that she took us to several other viewing areas, set up the scope, helped us take photos and shared her knowledge of the wildlife. She was a great tour guide. We really were fortunate with the incredible weather, couldn’t have asked for a better day to experience the magic and beauty that is Haines. Driving home, we spotted a humpback whale close to shore and we pulled over to watch it, apparently that is extremely rare and was a very special treat to see. Highly recommend this tour and Ella as your guide.

Response from Host

Sep 2023

This a great review and I appreciate your comments about the tour and Ela. It is true that so many of our guests come to Haines and hope to see bears and we cannot guarantee it. But when it does, it is truly special to see a brown bear in the wild. And how great that you also saw a humpback whale! We hope to see you again if you ever come back our way.