If your Alaska cruise stops in Skagway, I have one piece of advice: rent a car. Skip the ship excursion and drive yourself up the South Klondike Highway into British Columbia and Canada's Yukon Territory. The road climbs from sea level to nearly 3,300 feet in about 14 miles, crosses an international border, and then rolls past one glacial lake after another until you reach Emerald Lake, about 73 miles north of the ship. It's some of the most beautiful water I've ever seen, and I'm a lake person by trade.
We did this drive as a family on our Alaska cruise, and it was so much fun. My favorite cruise port because of the drive. The scenery was beautiful from start to finish, and being able to stop wherever we wanted was the whole point. This is why we lake, even at 60 degrees north.
The Lay of the Land: One Highway, Two Countries, a Dozen Lakes
The South Klondike Highway is a paved two-lane road that runs about 110 miles from Skagway to Whitehorse. The stretch you care about is the first 75 miles or so: up and over White Pass, through a sliver of northern British Columbia, and into the Yukon at Carcross and Emerald Lake. It's the same route the Klondike gold rush stampeders fought their way over in 1898.
The lakes come at you in order, each with its own personality, and nothing here requires hiking boots, so it works for little kids and grandparents and anyone who'd rather see ten views from a pullout than one from a trailhead.
Renting a Car in Skagway and Crossing the Border
Skagway is tiny, and the rental companies are all within a short walk of the cruise docks (Skagway Affordable Car Rental will even meet you at the dock). The main players are Avis, Skagway Affordable, Drive-About Car Rental, Klondike Electric Car Rental (all electric, so you skip the gas bill), and Skagway Jeep Rentals. All of them let you drive into Canada, and all of them sell out during cruise season, so book the day you book your cruise.
The border crossing itself is easy. You'll pass the US customs station about 7 miles outside town without stopping (that one is for the drive back). Canadian customs is at Fraser, British Columbia, about 22 miles from Skagway, and every vehicle stops. Have passports ready and you'll be through in minutes.
What to Know Before You Go
Passports for everyone, including the kids, even on a closed-loop cruise. Don't leave them in the cabin safe. Ask about car seats when you book. Klondike Electric includes child seats at no charge, and Skagway Affordable offers them as an add-on. Most rentals include 175 to 200 miles. The round trip to Emerald Lake is right around 150, so you're fine. Gas up in Skagway before you leave town (or rent electric). There's no fuel between Skagway and Carcross. Clocks jump one hour ahead when you cross into Canada. Your ship runs on Alaska time. Notes to Keep in Mind Fair warning: there's a 5% Skagway tax and a 10% Alaska vehicle rental tax on top of the daily rate. Your rental return deadline may be earlier than your all-aboard time. Ask when you book. Up and Over White Pass: Summit Lake, Bernard Lake & Shallow Lake
The first 15 miles are the steepest and the most dramatic. The road climbs right up the side of the mountain, past waterfalls and the White Pass & Yukon Route train tracks, and the temperature drops the whole way. At the top, you cross into British Columbia and the landscape changes to alpine tundra: stunted little evergreens, boulders left behind by glaciers, and ponds everywhere. It's called the Tormented Valley, and the name fits.
Summit Lake is right there at the top, deep blue and ringed with rock, with a pullout where you can see the lake and the train line. A few miles later, near the customs station, a gravel turnout with a viewing platform looks out over Bernard Lake, which is a deep green that doesn't look real. Shallow Lake comes along after that, and yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. We drove past all three before the real show even started.
Yukon Suspension Bridge: A Bridge, a Canyon & Mammoth Bones
About 46 miles in, you'll see the sign for the Yukon Suspension Bridge, which, despite the name, is still in British Columbia. It's a proper attraction with an admission charge, and it's worth it. The bridge is about 200 feet long and hangs roughly 60 feet over the whitewater of the Tutshi River canyon, which is exactly as exciting for kids as it sounds.
Beyond the bridge there are boardwalks and an outdoor museum with exhibits on the gold rush, the local wildlife, and real woolly mammoth bones and tusks. There's also a gift shop and the Assayers Café for snacks, plus the first reliable restrooms on the drive. This was our first real stop of the day. Plan on 45 minutes.
Tutshi Lake to Nares Lake: Welcome to the Yukon
Right after the bridge, the highway drops down alongside Tutshi Lake (say "Too Shy") and runs along its shore for miles. It's a glacier-fed lake protected as a BC conservancy, with pullouts everywhere, and on a calm morning it's a mirror.
Then comes the "Welcome to Yukon" sign, which is mandatory photo territory. From there the road hugs Windy Arm of Tagish Lake and the water turns turquoise. Keep going and you'll cross the little bridge over Nares Lake and roll straight into Carcross. Nares is the short link between Bennett Lake and Tagish Lake, and the land bridge here is where caribou herds used to cross by the thousands. That's where the town's original name, Caribou Crossing, came from.
Carcross Desert: The World's Smallest Desert (Sort Of)
A mile or two north of town, you'll spot sand dunes on the right side of the road. This is the Carcross Desert, about one square mile of sand that locals call the world's smallest desert. Technically it isn't a desert at all (too humid). It's the bottom of an old glacial lake, and the wind off Bennett Lake keeps blowing fresh sand onto it. Either way, it's wildly fun for kids. Park, walk onto the dunes, and climb.
Note that it's a fragile little ecosystem, home to a rare sedge found in only a handful of places in North America, so stay on the sand and don't take any home as a souvenir. We stopped here on the way in, and it was a great spot to burn off car energy before lunch.
Where to Eat: The Bistro on Bennett & Hanging Out at Bennett Lake
Carcross is a village of a few hundred people, and the center of it is the Carcross Commons, a cluster of brightly painted buildings decorated with First Nation clan crests and totem poles carved by local artists. That's where you'll find The Bistro on Bennett. We had lunch there and I'd highly recommend it. Think bison burgers, fish and chips, sandwiches, salads, real espresso, and baked goods made on site every day. It's casual and fun, with highchairs, indoor and patio seating, and an ice cream counter with 16 flavors and milkshakes.
After lunch, walk a few minutes to the water. Bennett Lake is about 26 miles long and straddles the BC and Yukon border, and in 1898 the far end of it was where thousands of stampeders built boats to float to the gold fields. Today, the Carcross end has a beach, a viewing platform, picnic tables, and restrooms. We hung out here for a while, and it was the perfect lazy stretch of the day: a lake day, Yukon style.
Emerald Lake: The Most Beautiful Blue and Green Water I've Ever Seen
About 7 miles past Carcross, the road bends and Emerald Lake appears below you. It's the most beautiful lake I have ever laid eyes on, and it was the MVP of the trip. There's a big pullout with a viewpoint right on the highway, so you don't have to hike an inch to get the money shot.
The color comes from sunlight bouncing off a white layer of marl (a mix of clay and calcium carbonate) on the shallow lake bottom. The calcium carbonate came from limestone gravel that glaciers ground up and dropped here about 14,000 years ago. Yukoners also call it Rainbow Lake, and once you see the bands of turquoise, teal and green from the overlook, you'll get why. This lake alone is the reason to push those extra few miles past Carcross.
Spirit Lake and the Drive Back
Turning south, you'll pass Spirit Lake, just off the highway between Emerald Lake and the desert. It's smaller, with its own emerald green color and, oddly, crater-like holes in the lake bed left by retreating glaciers. This is also a good moment to check the clock: from here you're roughly two hours from the ship without stops, and you'll want a comfortable buffer.
Tutshi Sled Dog Tours: Puppies, Cart Rides & Real Iditarod Dogs
We ended the day at Tutshi Sled Dog Tours, a summer camp near the south end of Tutshi Lake on the BC side of the border. It's run by Tagish Lake Kennel, home to Michelle Phillips and Ed Hopkins, veteran Yukon Quest and Iditarod mushers with about 60 dogs.
A summer visit can be as simple as camp admission to meet the dogs and the puppies, or you can add the musher's presentation with a gear demo, or the main event: a ride on a wheeled cart pulled by a 14-dog team along a 1.3-mile alpine trail with Tutshi Lake in the distance. Weekdays you can just show up, but on weekends they recommend a reservation. If your kids love animals, this is the stop they'll talk about at dinner on the ship.
Tips for Planning Your Family Self-Drive from Skagway
Book the car the same day you book the cruise. Skagway rentals are limited and several ships dock every day. Check your port hours. You want 10 to 12 hours in port for the full drive to Emerald Lake. Allow at least six hours round trip, more if you add the bridge, lunch, and the sled dogs. Pack snacks and water in Skagway. There is nothing to buy between town and Carcross. Plan restroom stops around the Suspension Bridge, Carcross, and the sled dog camp. Bring layers for everybody. It's dramatically cooler at the pass than at the dock, and snow in July is not unheard of. Download offline maps before you leave the ship. Cell service is spotty to nonexistent for long stretches, so check your carrier's Canada roaming too. Watch for bears and caribou on the road, and set your phone alarm for ship time, not Yukon time. Make the Yukon Your Next Lake Escape
I expected this to be a nice drive. I did not expect a highway that delivers a new jaw-dropping lake every 15 minutes, a walk across a canyon, a desert, sled dog puppies, and the single most beautiful lake I've ever seen, all before dinner on the ship. Doing it ourselves, at our own pace, made it hands down the way to go at this port.
If Skagway is on your itinerary, put the lakes of BC and the Yukon on your must-stop list and drive it yourself. Trust me on this one.
If you're planning a lake trip and want help organizing where to stay, what to book, and how to maximize your time, I'd love to help! As a lake travel expert, I specialize in matching families with the perfect getaway that blends comfort, adventure, and ease. Reach out for help with planning!
Anita Burke is a certified Pro travel advisor with Fora Travel, and she books the lake trips she writes about here.
