Skagway’s Most Famous Landmarks

Soapy’s Skull is one of Skagway’s most famous landmarks. Graffiti is cool when it’s historic.

Those of us that live in Skagway think our landmarks are famous. That’s why it’s such a surprise when tourists know absolutely nothing about them. Heck, many tourists aren’t even aware that they’re in Skagway, Alaska, or even the United States of America. We are going to change all of that with today’s blog, which is dedicated to Skagway’s most famous landmarks.

What makes a Skagway landmark famous?

For something to be truly famous, a wide variety of people need to know about it. Right now, you may not know anything about the AB Hall or Golden North Hotel in Skagway but that’s about to change. I am going to tell you all about Skagway’s most famous landmarks, thereby making them famous. Were it not for this blog, Skagway’s most famous landmarks would not be famous, rendering the blog entirely useless. Now that we are all confused, let’s dive in!

A stroll down Broadway

Broadway is Skagway’s most famous street so it’s fitting that we begin this blog with it’s most famous landmarks. 

The Golden North Hotel – This famous building has a giant golden dome on the roof, which is probably why it’s so famous. There is also a ghost named Mary that lives in the Hotel and she is the most famous ghost in Alaska. When you see the Golden North Hotel, you’re going to say, “Wow! There is that famous building with the famous Alaska ghost!” That’s going to be a wonderful future memory.

The AB Hall – This building is named after the first two letters of the English alphabet, A and B. This building is famous because it is covered in driftwood. Imagine collecting about 10,000 pieces of driftwood and nailing them to a building. It sure seems like a lot of work to me. Those Gold Rush stampeders were nutty and obviously had a lot of free time. The AB Hall is so famous, it’s the most photographed building in all of Alaska. Take that, other Alaskan buildings!

Weird graffiti

Skagway people have always loved graffiti. Since the Klondike Gold Rush, giving a Skagway resident a can of spray paint meant they were going to go hog wild and paint anything and everything. If you walked in front of someone painting their name on a rock, they would paint right over you. Graffiti is just something we love to do. Here is some of the most famous Skagway graffiti.

Soapy’s Skull – Located on the Railroad Dock, this is some quality graffiti. Everyone likes skulls so it makes sense someone would spraypaint a giant skull on a pristine Alaskan mountainside. 

“Jesus Loves You” Graffiti – While it seems obvious that Jesus loves you, every now and then it’s nice to receive a reminder. There are few things the creator loves more than spraypainting on his natural wonders, which is why this piece of graffiti exists. 

Kirmse’s Clock – Arguably Skagway’s most prominent landmark is a giant piece of graffiti in the shape of a clock. It’s ironic that someone would advertise their watch business by spraypainting a motionless clock high above Skagway on a mountainside but that’s exactly what happened. 

Reminder: You are not allowed to spray graffiti on Skagway’s mountains. Everyone else apparently can, but not you.

Natural landmarks

Some of the landmarkiest landmarks are Skagway’s prominent natural wonders. 

Face Mountain – This mountain looks like a face in profile, which is why so many people call it Face Mountain. The mountains real name is Parson’s Peak but that’s a dumb name because it looks nothing like a Parson. 

Twin Dewey Peaks – These prominent mountain peaks are just east of Skagway and dominate the local skyline. These peaks are not exactly alike, so I’m guessing they’re fraternal twin peaks and not identical twin peaks. 

Heart Mountain – Sometimes the snow melts a certain way and this mountain kind of looks like a heart. I think it looks like something else but I can’t say because this is a family blog. 

Harding Glacier – Last but not least, we have Harding Glacier, which is just across the fjord. It’s nice to have a visible glacier so close to downtown Skagway but it’s melting very fast and probably won’t be visible in another 5 years. Enjoy it while it lasts!