Some people complain that visiting the last frontier can be prohibitively expensive. But that cannot be further from the truth. If you find a good deal on a flight or cruise, you can visit various cities in Alaska and have a great time without breaking the bank! 

If you are taking a cruise along the Inside Passage, it will most likely stop in the town of Skagway, Alaska, a small but storied place full of history, nature, and tons of free or inexpensive activities that you will enjoy. 

Below is a list of the top 7 free things in Skagway Alaska, written by a Skagway local. This is a big deal since there are only about 800 year-round residents (depending on the time of year) who call Skagway home.

Visit Yakutania Point and Smuggles Cove. 

The hike starts on First Avenue heading west and will take anywhere from 30 min to 1 hour, depending on your pace. This is a short (approx. 2 miles round trip) and easy trail with a breathtaking view at the end called Yakutania Point. Once you reach Yakutania Point you can admire the picturesque Lynn Canal. 

If you want to keep going, you can walk to Smugglers Cove, where you will see even more amazing views!  

Smell the Many Beautiful Wildflowers in Alaska's Garden City

If you are a flower lover, you are in the right place. Skagway, AKA The Garden City of Alaska, is known for its beautiful flowers and strong gardening culture. You can pay a small fee to visit Jewell Gardens and see unique flowers, but you can also explore Skagway's surroundings, with many beautiful wildflowers growing along the trails, like fireweed, wild iris’, and our ever-present Devil’s Club. These include Yakutania Point and Smugglers Cove (see above), Lower and Upper Dewey Lake Trail, and Sturgull's Landing trail.  

A short drive out to Dyea (Skagway’s sister city located about 8 miles out of town) will introduce you to fields of beautiful flowers, especially by the Dyea Flats. If you are more into the culinary tradition, you can also stop at the Historic Skagway Inn’s culinary garden on 7th & Broadway to see the variety of seasonal vegetables that grow in the area, from rhubarb plants and raspberry bushes to carrots, radishes, beets, snap peas, tomatoes, and apples! 

Photograph the McCabe Building. 

The McCabe building, or McCabe College, located at Seventh Avenue and Spring Street, is a beautiful stone building erected in 1899 that currently houses the Skagway Museum and City Hall. 

Originally built as a school by the Methodist Church, the building was acquired by the Federal Government, serving as a US courthouse and jail until 1956, when the city of Skagway purchased the building. Since 1961 it has served as City Hall and is home to the Skagway Museum, where you will find a collection of artifacts, photographs, and historical records. A must for any history buff! 

Situated next to the McCabe Building is a historic WP&YR locomotive train. Here, you can get up close and even jump into one of the train cars, a perfect and fun way to photograph your time in Skagway. 

Explore The Historic Dyea Townsite

During the Klondike gold rush of 1897-98, Dyea, a town 9 miles west of Skagway, was a boomtown with over 150 businesses at the start of the famous Chilkoot Trial. Thousands of gold prospectors passed through the town on their way to the gold fields, but in 1898 a massive snow slide killed over 70 people, and coupled with the construction of the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad, the town started to lose relevance. By 1903 the city was a complete ghost town.  

Today, what is left of Dyea is a National Historic Landmark that you can explore on foot and admire the vegetation and flowers that have taken over the former townsite. Dyea is an excellent example of forest succession at work. Dyea is accessible by car or bike and if you want to rent a bike for the day, you can do so with our partners, Sockeye Cycle (electric and road bikes available.) 

Visit the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitor Center

You can see there is a theme starting to emerge here. In Skagway, The Klondike Gold Rush was a huge deal! This event put Skagway on the map, and the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitor Center is the best place to begin your exploration of Skagway's rich gold rush heritage.

This museum, managed by the National Park Service, is located in the White Pass & Yukon Route depot, a historical building on the southeast corner of 2nd Avenue & Broadway. In it, you can listen to presentations by NPS rangers on various topics, see the 25-minute film "Gold Fever Race to the Klondike," and enjoy one of the many interactive exhibits next door at the Visitor Center Museum. This is the place to go if you want to learn more about the Klondike Gold Rush and talk to an expert.  

Swimming in Lower Dewey Lake

I know this might sound crazy, but you can swim in a lake in Alaska, of course, you can only do this in the summer. The water is around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, so a swim will most likely consist of just jumping into the water and getting out, but how many people can say they've swam in Alaska? 

You will not walk 1.5 miles to the lake just for a 1-minute swim. Once on the shores of Lower Dewey Lake, you should sit down for a picnic, enjoy the view, and get away from the thousands of cruise ship passengers that take over Skagway on the busy summer days. 

Have you been to Skagway recently? Are there any other free activities we missed that you would like to add to the list?