Campground
Dyea Campground
NPS campground 9 miles from Skagway and half a mile from the Chilkoot trailhead: 22 first-come sites at $10 a night.
0.4 mi
Ghost town
Dyea Townsite
Gold rush rival to Skagway at the foot of the Chilkoot Trail, now a quiet NPS site with cemeteries, wharf pilings and wild iris.
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park · NPS
- Era
- Klondike Gold Rush, 1897 to 1903
- Why abandoned
- The White Pass & Yukon Route railroad bought the Chilkoot tramways in 1899 and shut them down; later railroad and townsite schemes failed and residents drifted away.
- Remaining structures
- Building foundations, wharf pilings and three cemeteries, including the Slide Cemetery.
- Access modes
- Road
Road
Dyea, about 9 to 10 miles (a 25-minute drive) from Skagway, takes its name from Dayéi, a Tlingit word associated with packing. A trading post opened here in the mid-1880s, and in the winter of 1897 to 1898 Dyea boomed to more than 150 businesses as stampeders started up the Chilkoot. Once the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad took the traffic, it emptied fast: about 250 people in March 1900, the post office closed in June 1902, and fewer than half a dozen remained by 1903. Today self-guided hard-surface trails lead past building remains, three cemeteries and the old wharf pilings; wild iris bloom in late June. Leashed pets are allowed. Watch for bears, bald eagles and harbor seals on the flats.
Location
In pictures
Wildlife viewing · Birding · Cultural tours · Photography
Sources
- DyeaNational Park Service, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park · Accessed 2026-11-11
- Chilkoot Trail and DyeaNational Park Service, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park · Accessed 2026-11-11
- Explore the Dyea TownsiteNational Park Service, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park · Accessed 2026-11-11
- Skagway Wildlife Viewing: DyeaAlaska Department of Fish and Game · Accessed 2026-11-11
- Dyea, AlaskaWikipedia · Accessed 2026-11-11
Last updated 2026-11-12
Nearby within 25 miles
Campgrounds
Campground
Finnegan's Point Campground (Chilkoot Trail)
First Chilkoot Trail campground, 4.8 miles from the trailhead, with six tent sites and Irene Glacier views.
5.1 mi
Campground
Canyon City Campground (Chilkoot Trail)
Chilkoot Trail camp at mile 7.7 with 11 sites, a warming cabin and the Canyon City townsite half a mile away.
7.3 mi
Campground
Pleasant Camp Campground (Chilkoot Trail)
Quiet Chilkoot Trail camp at mile 10.7 with 11 sites; the least-used campground on the US side.
9.6 mi
Campground
Sheep Camp Campground (Chilkoot Trail)
Last US campground before Chilkoot Pass, at mile 13, with 27 tent sites and nightly ranger briefings.
11.3 mi
Campground
Haines Hitch-Up RV Park
Private full-hookup RV park on Main Street, walking distance to downtown; open May 1 to September 15.
18.9 mi
Rivers
Airports
Airport
Skagway Airport (SGY)
State airport at the edge of town with a 3,550-foot paved runway; Alaska Seaplanes is the only scheduled airline.
3.3 mi
Airport
Haines Airport (HNS)
State airport on the Haines Highway about 3 miles from town, with a 4,000 ft paved runway and commuter flights to Juneau.
18.9 mi
Cultural sites
Cultural site
Skagway Historic District
Almost 100 gold rush buildings along Broadway and the boardwalks, the heart of Klondike Gold Rush NHP.
3.7 mi
Cultural site
Fort William H. Seward National Historic Landmark
Alaska's only pre-war Army post, built 1902 to 1904 at Portage Cove; its homes and parade ground are an easy walk from downtown.
19.4 mi
Museums
Museum
Jeff. Smiths Parlor Museum
Soapy Smith's gold rush saloon, a roadside museum since 1935, reopened by NPS in 2016; free timed tickets.
3.7 mi
Museum
Moore House and Cabin
The home of Skagway's founding Moore family at 5th and Spring, with Captain William Moore's 1887 cabin.
3.7 mi
Museum
Mascot Saloon Museum
A Broadway saloon built in 1898, closed by prohibition in 1916 and restored by NPS to its 1904 look.
3.7 mi
Museum
Klondike Gold Rush NHP Visitor Center (Train Depot)
The park visitor center in the 1898 White Pass & Yukon Route depot at 2nd and Broadway: exhibits, ranger talks and a film.
3.7 mi
Public use cabins
Public-use cabin
Denver Caboose Cabin
Retired WP&YR caboose turned Forest Service cabin, 5.5 miles north of Skagway beside the railway; sleeps six.
4.5 mi
Public-use cabin
Laughton Glacier Cabin
Forest Service cabin sleeping six below Laughton Glacier, reached by the WP&YR train to mile 14 and a 1.5-mile trail.
9.9 mi
