Skagway

I recently returned from an Alaskan cruise and managed to play pickup basketball in four different places, a cruise ship, Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. 

This is Part 3 of 4. 

For those curious about my day trip in Skagway, minus the basketball obsession, scroll down to the bottom!

Up to this point on the Alaskan cruise, I had only managed to shoot around or play a game of 1 on 1 basketball. What I was really craving was some full court 5x5 basketball, and Skagway felt like my next shot at it. On paper, though, the odds didn’t look too promising.

When researching where to play pickup basketball in Skagway, I quickly realized there was only one opportunity to do so since the entire city had just one public basketball court. With a population of just over 1200, Skagway is so small you could walk across town in under 10 minutes the short way, or about 30 minutes the long way. 

The cruise was docked at port from 7:00am to 7:30pm, which meant we had almost a full day to experience what Skagway had to offer. Knowing that the city was small and likely easy to explore on our own, we booked our first Alaskan excursion, the White Pass Rail & Yukon Expedition, which took us into the famed Yukon for about eight hours. For those more interested in the excursion itself, feel free to scroll down to the bottom for more details.

Our excursion ran from 9:00am to 5:00pm, which meant I had two chances to play pickup basketball in Skagway, two hours before and two hours after. Similar to the Juneau stop, I got off the boat as soon as it docked to maximize time on land. Once our ship docked at 7:00, I made my way straight to the Skagway Recreational Center to look for some pickup basketball. 

After a quick 20 minute walk, I found myself at the Skagway Recreation Center outdoor basketball courts. As expected, no one was there this early in the morning, but there was a public basketball sitting in a crate for anyone to use. After shooting around for a few minutes, I walked past the outdoor pickleball court and then headed into the recreational center. Fortunately, it had been open since 6:00am but unfortunately, the only other person inside was the front desk employee. 

Not wanting to only half experience basketball in Skagway, I just had to shoot indoors as well. I asked about a day pass ($10), and shoutout to the nice employee at the front desk who quickly signed me up and let me in. Since he probably had nothing else to do that morning, he gave me a tour of the recreational center, which was essentially a large basketball court with smaller side rooms for locker rooms, workout spaces, and other multipurpose areas.

Since I was already there, I decided to shoot around just in case anybody showed up early. Basketball did seem to be popular there, as there was a full rack of solid indoor balls to pick from (mostly Wilson Evolutions). I shot for about 30 minutes before I had to make my way back for my 9:00am excursion. Before leaving, I chatted with the front desk employee, and he showed me the schedule for the day. Luckily, there was open gym basketball from 5:30pm to 8:00pm. Other times during the week were mostly reserved for pickleball or volleyball.

Knowing that my excursion would end at 5:00pm and not wanting to miss any chance of playing pickup basketball, I just had to come back to the recreational center a second time later that afternoon. I expected this would probably be my best and potentially only chance to play full court 5x5 basketball during my time in Alaska.

To save you some time, I spent the next eight hours on the White Pass Rail & Yukon Expedition, taking a scenic railway ride through nature while exploring the Yukon railway. To read more about the excursion (without basketball), feel free to scroll down for more info.

Our excursion ended right on time, and I excitedly walked ran back to the Skagway Recreation Center for some pickup basketball. Since I had already signed up that morning, all I had to do was check in on the computer and head into the gymnasium. This time, there was definitely more life in the building, with people all over the recreational center using almost every space, from working out, lifting weights to shooting hoops on the basketball court. If I had to guess, this center probably plays a vital role in the Skagway community, offering so many indoor activities to its small population, especially during the colder winter months. 

Note: I did notice the staff kicking out people who most likely had not paid, so they were keeping track of who had a membership and who did not. Make sure you check in first! 

When I arrived, there was no full court basketball just yet, but I could feel it was about to happen as more and more players showed up to shoot around. Once we reached six people, we played a quick 3x3 game, and before I knew it, there were over 10 players and we were on our way to full court basketball.

Games were played to 15 (or was it 21…my memory is fading), and scoring was by 2’s and 3’s. Basketball analytics had even made it to Alaska, as almost all shots were either three pointers or attempts in the paint. I don’t remember seeing a single two point jump shot. Everyone was extremely welcoming, and as long as you waited, you got the next (or next) game. I was able to play three games before having to leave to make sure I did not miss my cruise. On my way out, I quickly chatted with one of the players and asked when people usually play basketball. He mentioned that they play every Tuesday and Thursday.

Conclusion

If you are looking to play pickup basketball in Skagway, Alaska, you really only have one option. While I never saw anyone playing on the outdoor courts, the indoor courts are where it happens. Come during the open gym times on the schedule on their website, which is presumably Tuesday and Thursday starting at 5:30pm, and you will find a really fun session with plenty of competition.

Satisfied with finally playing full court pickup basketball in Alaska, I made my way back to the cruise, hungry and ready to enjoy the unlimited buffet, knowing that the next day would be another full day on the boat before my last chance to play basketball two days later in Ketchikan.

Holland America Koningsdam Alaskan Cruise 7-day Roundtrip from Vancouver in August 

Skagway - Day 4 - White Pass Rail & Yukon Expedition

As I mentioned in my previous posts, I am somewhat becoming a pretty big deal in the travel blogger world (editor’s note: still false haha), and many people have started asking me how they can make the most of their time in Skagway. I will be honest though, Skagway is a pretty small city, and while I could have probably put together a one day plan, we ended up signing up for the White Pass Rail & Yukon Expedition. I would definitely recommend doing some type of excursion during the Skagway port stop, as the city itself is too small to fill twelve hours of activities. 

I actually had a hard time writing this section of the blog because most of it was about the excursion rather than a self planned day trip. As I was putting it together, I realized this part of the post will really only be useful for people taking the cruise and booking the same excursion. So all in all, the section below is basically my Tripadvisor style review of the White Pass Rail & Yukon Expedition.

Note: This excursion requires you to bring your passport as you’ll be traveling between USA and Canada. 

Let me start by sharing the excursion description as it was advertised, so you can judge how it matches up with what I experienced.

Our cruise docked at 7:00am, and the excursion wasn’t until 9:00am. I got off the boat right away, but the town was practically asleep. A couple of shops were open, like a souvenir store and the welcome center, but the jewelry shops weren’t ready just yet. If you’re planning to wander around town, I’d say wait until later when everything’s open. 

I’ll be honest, I booked the White Pass Rail & Yukon Expedition excursion months before the trip and had completely forgotten what it was about by the time we hit Skagway. At that point, I was so deep in vacation mode that I wasn’t thinking about anything other than relaxing (and basketball). From the name alone, I figured we’d be taking a long train ride into the Yukon Trail, panning for gold and not dying from dysentery (Editors note: My editors are making me add this note because they didn’t think my readers would get the joke. It’s actually a reference to the once popular Yukon Trail game, although it probably should have been to the Oregon Trail game.) 

Instead, the first thing we did was board a deluxe motor coach. I thought it was strange since the train and railroad were right there, with people already riding into the Yukon. Only once we were on this definitely not deluxe bus did I learn that this would be a three hour bus ride through different towns, and we would only be taking the train on the way back to Skagway.

Honestly, the ride is only as entertaining as your driver, and ours was incredible. He was hands down the best guide we had on any excursion in Alaska. I’m not just saying that either, we had a couple of other guides from other activities and this guy was by far the best. Great job, Mr. Guide!

Along the way, we stopped at a couple of the bluest lakes I’ve ever seen. Each stop was about 15 minutes, just enough time to stretch, snap some photos, and get back on the road. I couldn’t tell you the names of the lakes, but they were stunning.

After about three hours, we reached our first big stop at Wild Adventure Yukon. We had 90 minutes here to explore, and to my surprise, again I should have reread the description, lunch was included. I can’t say if it’s always the same, but we had BBQ chicken, sides, and donuts. It was all you can eat so definitely fill up on food here.

Aside from the food, there was a museum on the area’s history, a taxidermy collection, and a farm where you could feed and pet animals. There was also an area for dog sledding, though I never actually saw the dogs pull anyone, so I’m not sure how that worked. Overall, the place felt very much like it was built for cruise ship tourists on this excursion. I honestly can’t imagine who else would ever come here.

After Wild Adventure Yukon, we got back onto our not deluxe bus and headed to the small town of Carcross. We had about 30 minutes to explore, which wasn’t much at all. You could walk down to the lake and maybe visit one store before it was time to board again. 

From there, it was about an hour ride back toward Skagway to finally hop on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway. This was the highlight of the entire trip. The breathtaking views of valleys, glaciers, and mountains made the ride worth it on their own. It’s wild to think about how this railway was built back in the day and how much people relied on it during the gold rush. Be sure to take plenty of pictures both inside and outside the train as it moves. 

After about two hours, we choo choo’d back into Skagway where our amazing bus guide was waiting to ensure we made it safely back to the cruise port. This excursion was worth it for two reasons: 1. riding the White Pass Rail & Yukon Expedition, and 2. having an awesome bus guide. I said it before and I’ll say it again, the bus rides are long, and while the views are nice, a great guide makes the entire experience infinitely better. 

Since the excursion ended just before 5:00pm, we still had a little over two hours to explore Skagway before departure. That is plenty of time to walk across the entire city and take in the full Skagway experience. Be sure to check out downtown, grab some souvenirs, and of course swing by the jewelry stores for those free giveaways. Jewelers hate us.

Once back on the ship, enjoy another buffet to recharge, because the next day is a full day at sea cruising through Glacier Bay!