A beginners guide to visiting Skagway by cruise ship

Skagway is a tiny town with a larger-than-life history.Nestled at the northern end of Lynn Canal, a 2,000-foot-deep fjord that extends for 90 miles through Alaska's Inside Passage, Skagway was thrust onto the world stage during the frantic Klondike Gold Rush of 1898.Tens of thousands of stampeders arrived here from Seattle and beyond using what was then a remote outpost as the jumping-off point for the arduous journey into Canada's Yukon. Almost overnight, Skagway transformed from a patch of forest into a rough-and-ready boomtown of saloons, gaming parlors and brothels, with a population topping 20,000.The frenzy was short lived. By the summer of 1899, the boom had ended, and most fortune seekers moved on to Nome and other areas or returned home, leaving behind a town of just 700 residents.More than a century later, Skagway still only has about 1,100 current residents. But its popularity as an Alaska cruise port has never been greater. The compact historic center is lined with brightly painted heritage buildings that house galleries, souvenir shops, restaurants and bars — all within easy walking distance of the harborfrontToday, Skagway blends colorful Gold Rush history with specta...