Alaska's parks
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
Skagway was launching point for stampeders
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park commemorates the rush in 1898 of more than 20,000 prospectors and others from Seattle to Skagway and into the Klondike region of Yukon Territory.
Skagway went from a one-cabin settlement to a lawless boomtown practically overnight after word reached Seattle and the rest of the economically depressed United States in 1898 that prospectors working for years in the Klondike had discovered gold.
After the boom, Skagway's leaders recognized quickly that the town had tourism potential and so moved the gold-rush buildings into one district in 1903. The National Park Service began buying those buildings more than 70 years later, and now the 862-resident town itself is pretty much a museum catering to cruise passengers and Chilkoot Trail adventurers.
By all accounts, Skagway was a horrid place. There was no law enforcement, and the town was run by "Soapy" Smith, a swindler, pimp and underworld kingpin. Smith was shot dead by surveyor Frank Reid, who was mortally wounded in the shootout. Reid is buried in the town cemetery, Smith nearby.
Many people want to relive the prospectors' challenge by taking the 33-mile Chilkoot Trail from Skagway to Bennett Lake in British Columbia. The gold-rush prospectors had built boats at the lake and sailed on to the gold fields around Dawson. From Skagway, the trip was about 600 miles.
(And an adventure it is, too. On June 22, 2001, the Park Service reported that the trail had fresh snow at the top and that bears were reported all along the route.)
The border is reached at Chilkoot Pass, 17 miles from Skagway at 3,550 feet. The Chilkoot Trail was the shortest of three used by the stampeders, but it was the most difficult.
A trail permit is free on the U.S. side, but there's a charge on the Canadian side. Parks Canada also limits the number of hikers to 50 a day to reduce wear on the trail and to enhance visitor experience, the National Park Service says. The fee, in Canadian dollars, is $35 per adult and $17.50 for each child age 6 to 15.
More on this topic
 Sitka National Historical Park
Katmai National Park and Preserve
Lake Clark National Park
Gates of the Arctic National Park
Kobuk Valley National Park
Alaska's national monuments
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