The Best of Skagway – Skagway’s Newest Trail

The Best of Skagway – This is the start of both Smuggler’s Loop and Skagway’s newest trail. We get to see this vista every day. Aren’t you jealous?

Hiking is super fun. Here in Skagway, we do a lot of hiking because there aren’t any movie theaters or shopping malls. That’s why we are so healthy and attractive. There are a bunch of trails around Skagway that are easily accessible. You can walk to the trail, which is kind of like hiking two trails. There are also a few loop trails which are great because you can hike one direction one day, and the other direction another day.

Skagway’s newest trail should be completed by the start of the 2020 season but I am going to give you a preview. Be warned! This article is chock full of trail spoilers. If you’re looking for the best of Skagway, you can hike a trail, drink some beer, or take a tour. Heck, why not do all three!

Half of the hike is on the Smuggler’s Loop Trail

Smuggler’s Loop is a popular trail that begins at the Airport Bridge and winds through lush temperate rainforest and coastal environments. It also passes a Pet Cemetery and leads to Smuggler’s Cove, which is a lovely spot out of the wind featuring a fire pit and covered picnic area. Smuggler’s Cove is the halfway point of this 1.34-mile trail.

The Smuggler’s Loop trail qualifies as the best of Skagway because it takes less than a half-hour to walk my dogs around the entire loop. Add five minutes and it’s possible to walk to Yakutania Point to look for wildlife like seals, whales, and seagulls. If I don’t take my dogs for a walk every day, they get pretty angry at me. The chihuahua gets downright weird(er). I can’t handle that so I take them for a walk but doing the same trail every day gets a little old.

But now we have a brand-spanking-new trail!

Well, half of a new trail because the other half is the beginning and end of Smuggler’s Loop Trail. The new trail still passes by the Pet Cemetery but does not go to Smuggler’s Cove. About halfway to the cove, the trail crosses a service road and then drops down back into the woods. There are trees and ground and whatnot. It’s a new trail, so I don’t know if there are berries and mushrooms in the fall but I’m guessing there are. There are probably other things too. Time will tell.

The new trail reconnects to the old Smuggler’s Loop Trail a few hundred feet from the Yakutania Point cutoff. If you travel clockwise around the loop, the entire trail loop is 1.25 miles long. If you travel counterclockwise the entire trail loop is 1.24 miles long. Hey! Why does it take longer to hike clockwise? Ohhhh, probably because when you hike counterclockwise, you’re traveling back in time.

If you got fat during the holidays and need some exercise, you could hike Smuggler’s Loop and then connect to the new trail near Yakutania Point and then hike back around toward the Pet Cemetery. I’m guessing that would make your hike about 2 miles long.

There is also a service road walk you could add to that hike. Instead of hiking back to the Pet Cemetery, hike down the service road and out to Yakutania Point and then back to the Airport Bridge. If you follow that path, you will have seen everything and hiked around 2.5 miles. Look at you go! You’ll have that holiday cookie weight off in no time!

What are some of the other highlights of the trail?

Well, let me think. You start the hike by crossing the Skagway River with incredible views of the Lynn Canal. The airport runway faces the other direction so you can stand there, watch seals, and wait for a plane to buzz overhead.

Many Skagway locals walk their dogs on this trail, so you will probably see some dogs. Who doesn’t like dogs? If you see my dogs, you will adore one of them but it won’t be that weird chihuahua. He’s a mess.

I saw a goshawk flying around between trees in the woods last year. That was pretty neat. I’ve seen some woodpeckers, brown creepers, and lots of chickadees. I saw a dead least weasel two years ago. I took the carcass home and now I have the skull. I’ve seen lots of bear poop around that area. If you’re visiting Alaska, you should be bear-aware. What does that mean? It means that if you see fresh bear poop, you should hike somewhere else.

So, what should the Municipality of Skagway name the new trail?

Our local trails are managed by the MOS so that you can enjoy every minute of your visit. They are free to use so go hog wild and hike everything. This new trail needs a name to qualify it as the best of skagway. I don’t know who names trails but maybe it could be you.

So, tell me, what would you name the new trail? I’m going to go with Chihuahua Cutoff Trail.