07/03/2026
Another one in the books. Alaska was unbelievable. We did a land & sea trip and the weather could not have been better. We were originally concerned about rain and the temperature, but 40 to 50° was a welcome change from our typical Florida temperatures.
Land option first included arriving in Anchorage, bus to Princess McKinley Lodge, bus to Princess Denali Lodge, and finally the 9 hour train back to Whittier to board the Princess Grand.
Then we first visited Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay National Park.
First port was Skagway where we rented a car to drive the South Klondike Hwy to Emerald Lake, approximately 68 miles. The drive out of Skagway started by passing the US-Canadian border at White Pass Summit. Then on to the Tormented Valley, which features a frozen, moon-like tundra landscape, characterized by the twisted, ancient trees of the subalpine zone and smooth, glacier-polished rock.
The drive continued along Tutshi Lake, a stunning, 22-mile-long glacial lake in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Absolutely beautiful!
Then we stopped at a very small town just off the highway named Carcross. It was originally named Caribou Crossing because the junction point between Bennett and Nares Lakes was a natural crossing for caribou herds during their seasonal migrations. The Yukon’s oldest operating store, Matthew Watson’s General Store, is there.
We continued on with our journey and came across Carcross Desert. A very strange geological formation. Some call it ‘The World’s Smallest Desert”, even though it’s not a real desert. The sand and silt was deposited into the ancient Lake Watson 10,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age. Once the glaciers disappeared, so did Lake Watson, leaving behind huge amounts of finely ground sand.
Just a couple more miles down the road we reached our final destination Emerald Lake, the “Jewel of the Yukon.” Its turquoise waters are the result of light reflecting off layers of marl (a mixture of calcium carbonate and clay) at the bottom of the lake.
At this point, we turned around and headed back to Skagway and our visit would not have been complete without a stop at the Skagway Fish Company restaurant.
Back on the ship, and our next port was Juneau. We had time to walk around and enjoy the sites and of course enjoy some king crab legs at Tracey‘s King Crab Shack.
Next port was Ketchikan and our Deadliest Catch excursion. We were treated to some incredibly adventurous stories by the crew and were able to learn a lot about the crabbing industry. There was also a stop to feed dozens of bald eagles.
We ended our trip in Vancouver and stayed near Coal Harbour and the West End. We spent the next day walking Stanley Park and enjoying all the sites.
It was a long trip but one we will never forget and well worth the time and effort.
