Two summers ago, we were fortunate enough to take an Alaskan cruise. We sailed on the Disney Wonder, leaving from Vancouver, British Columbia. To date, it has been one of our favorite vacations. The cruise sailed to Dawes Glacier, Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. In each port, we did some fantastic adventures, but by far our favorite was the Yukon Discovery and Sled Dog Excursion.
In researching excursions for this trip, I found it was a better deal to book directly with a tour company, rather than through the cruise line. There was a significant price difference, and we traveled with a smaller group. I did my research and ended up using Frontier Excursions and Adventures. We were not disappointed. Our driver met us at the dock and escorted us to a minibus. There were a total of 12 people on the bus. It was perfect. Our guide handed us a map of the road we would be traveling and a list of points of interest we would see along the way. We would be following the Klondike Highway, all the way to Emerald Lake. The road passes through three different provinces/states (Alaska, British Columbia, and Yukon). We traveled from Skagway, drove over the White Pass, went alongside the White Pass and Yukon Railway, drove by lakes, mountains, waterfalls, wildlife, and more. We drove through the rain forest, the tundra, and a desert. We made several stops along the way for photos.
The White Pass Summit is located at the U.S./Canadian border. Our guide pulled over (on our way back to Skagway) and took a photo of each family in front of the Welcome to Alaska sign.
At about mile 15, we crossed the border into British Columbia, Canada, and the landscape changed drastically. This area is known as the Tormented Valley. It is unique, and our guide pointed out that it looked lunar.
As we continued, the road took us around Tutshi Lake for almost 10 miles.
At around mile 50 we crossed over into the Yukon. Once in the Yukon, we drove along Windy Arm, which is part of Tagish Lake. We stopped for photos at Bove Island Viewpoint.
After about 2 hours we made it Emerald Lake. Emerald Lake is the most photographed lake in the Yukon. It is affectionately called the jewel of the Yukon. It was gorgeous. The bluish-green waters are the result of light reflecting off layers of marl (a mixture of calcium carbonate and clay) at the bottom of the lake.
After our visit to Emerald Lake, we headed back down to Skagway. However, we still had a few more places to visit. First, we stopped at Caribou Crossing Trading Post. Caribou Crossing is a great place to visit, have a delicious BBQ lunch, take a dog sled ride, pan for gold and more. Dog sledding was the highlight of the day for this dog loving family.
We enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch, along with the famous grandma’s donuts. After lunch, we were escorted over to attend a Sled Dog 101 presentation. We learned about the history of dog sledding, the athletes and even met a dog or two.
Then we were off to experience our own dog sled ride!
It was a bumpy, but fun ride. These dogs are eager to please and work extremely hard. The ride lasted approximately 15 minutes. Once done, we had a little bit of free time and wandered the property. We played with some puppies and took in the sites. Bill and I spoke to a gentleman about his life in the Yukon. He had moved here from Calgary and loved every moment of it.
Our second stop on the way back to Skagway, was the smallest desert in the world, Carcross Desert. It actually isn’t a desert, but the bed of a glacial lake. It is approximately 1 square mile.
After leaving the desert, we stopped at one of many waterfalls and filled our water bottles up with fresh, cold spring water.
Our last stop before heading back to the ship, the Welcome to Alaska sign of course!
Overall, the journey lasted about 6 hours. Our guide was terrific, and we had great people in our group. I highly recommend Frontier Excursions and Adventures.
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Shirley | 18th Apr 19
I so want to go to Alaska! Yours pics really capture the essence of all that Alaska is. Love it!
Heather | 18th Apr 19
Thank you! I will be posting more about our adventure over the next couple of weeks.
Missy | 18th Apr 19
The landscape is so beautiful. Awesome that you got to go on a dog sled.
Lisa | 18th Apr 19
So beautiful, what an amazing experience.
Heather | 21st Apr 19
Thank you!
Kristi @ Way Beyond The Norm | 18th Apr 19
How amazing! Hubby would love to take an Alaskan cruise. We’re settling for touring around Alaska in our RV next summer. We may have to get over to the Yukon while we’re up that way as well. Your pictures look amazing!
Heather | 21st Apr 19
We would like to do a land-based trip to Alaska as well. There is just so much to see and do.
Shannon Delaney | 18th Apr 19
Must have been an amazing trip. I especially love the photo of Emerald Lake.
Heather | 21st Apr 19
Emerald Lake a STUNNING!
Hera | 18th Apr 19
We absolutely loved Alaska when we cruised there. The landscapes line in your pics were stunning!
Heather | 21st Apr 19
Thank you!
kmf | 18th Apr 19
Alaska is on my travel bucket list…thank you for sharing your adventure!
Heather | 21st Apr 19
Thank you for reading!
jen | 18th Apr 19
Wonderful trip! It looks peaceful, yet seems it was action packed 🙂
Heather | 21st Apr 19
Yes, it was an adventure!
Amanda | 19th Apr 19
How were the roads? I’m always worried about that haha Looks like so much fun!
Heather | 21st Apr 19
The roads were great!
Marianne Blackham | 19th Apr 19
I love Alaska. So glad you had fun.
Heather | 21st Apr 19
Thank you!
Clara | 19th Apr 19
Two things.
1- I love following your adventures
2- you captured the essence of alaska so wel!
Heather | 21st Apr 19
Thank you so much. I am very touched.
Heather | 19th Apr 19
Tom would love to go to Alaska to take pictures of the grizzly bears. Thanks for the tip of booking your excursions separately to save money.
Heather | 21st Apr 19
That is the one animal we did not see. I am so sad. It was a bit late in the season for the bears. Earlier in the summer is best to see them.
Lori Nielsen | 19th Apr 19
Alaska feels so majestic! I would love to visit someday! Thanks for the tip about the tour company, it’s nice to have a good recommendation for which company to use!
Heather | 21st Apr 19
Yes, these trips are not cheap, so anyway I can save money, I will.
Life Beyond Zebra | 19th Apr 19
I am not really into cruises but I hear Alaska is a great one! I hope someday to take a cruise up there and then explore by car once we arrive. Great post!
Heather | 21st Apr 19
So many beautiful ports up there. I can’t wait to go back.
Tricia Snow | 20th Apr 19
Gorgeous scenery and I love your photos!
Heather | 21st Apr 19
Thanks so much!
Lara | 22nd Apr 19
This is still on my bucket list. Alaska is amazing. Can’t wait to go. But I also want to ride the train around that area.
Heather | 23rd Apr 19
We heard the train is great. I wanted the flexibility to get off at different stops. We may do the train the next time we go.