Skagway Float Tours
Skagway Float Tours
5
River Rafting & TubingBoat ToursSightseeing ToursHiking & Camping ToursNature & Wildlife Tours
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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About
Enjoy nature and rafting in Skagway with a Scenic River Float or Active Hike & Float on the Chilkoot Trail in Dyea, Alaska near Skagway. Get away from the crowds and out into nature!
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Skagway Float Tours
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(38 reviews)
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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5.0
498 reviews
Excellent
464
Very good
25
Average
4
Poor
5
Terrible
0
Rebeca V
7 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
When I say an experience was life-changing, I don't say it lightly, and that's the only way I can describe our hike and float tour with our guide, Bob. While the scenery was gorgeous, our favorite part was learning about Skagway, the Chilkoot trail, and the Yukon through Bob's lifetime of experience. He has seen and lived it all, and his reverence for the natural beauty of Alaska was so apparent during our trip. He was an incredible guide, putting safety at the forefront as we navigated some challenging, wet terrain in the rainforest. It doesn't matter what level of hiker you are. Bob will make sure you feel safe and comfortable the whole way. I was a bit apprehensive about the float, but he taught us how to best board the raft and made sure we had a smooth ride. We saw so many different types of mushrooms, plants, and some bald eagles! Bob really lives a beautiful life in Alaska. It was an honor to be able to learn about the land through him and to exchange energies with him. Can't recommend this tour enough!
Written September 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emergency Underwear
3 contributions
Jun 2023 • Friends
I didn’t float with Skagway Float Tours but was rescued by them which is where this review comes from.
My group was on another raft that ended up getting stuck during our float. The Skagway Float Tours team provided support to us and helped get us transferred from the stuck raft to a new one.
Will, Chris, and two others whose names I didn’t get did a great job in teaming up with our primary company to get us transferred safely. They made sure that both rafts were securely anchored before moving us over. There were enough team members to ensure we had 3 points of contact while we navigated from one raft to the other. My group felt safe making the transfer and we all made it over without incident.
Overall Skagway Float Tours did a great job in helping a competitor out of a sticky situation. They’re a great team and I wouldn’t hesitate to join them on a future excursion.
My group was on another raft that ended up getting stuck during our float. The Skagway Float Tours team provided support to us and helped get us transferred from the stuck raft to a new one.
Will, Chris, and two others whose names I didn’t get did a great job in teaming up with our primary company to get us transferred safely. They made sure that both rafts were securely anchored before moving us over. There were enough team members to ensure we had 3 points of contact while we navigated from one raft to the other. My group felt safe making the transfer and we all made it over without incident.
Overall Skagway Float Tours did a great job in helping a competitor out of a sticky situation. They’re a great team and I wouldn’t hesitate to join them on a future excursion.
Written June 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeff_Frazier
Louisville, KY67 contributions
Bob took us on a two mile hike and a two mile rafting experience. He was knowledgeable and gave us a lot of information on our four hour tour
Written June 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert L
New Orleans, LA11 contributions
Jul 2012 • Family
Our float trip started out with no one there at the dock to pick us up. We had a short SUV ride to the put in. our guide Ian was friendly, curtious, and knowledgable. The equipment was old but adequate. The trip float was very short. There was not much to see on the float trip so overall I thought it was expensive.
Written August 1, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review. It has been a few years since your feed back, however we wanted to advise we have updated all our equipment with new lifejackets and rafts. The Float averages about 40 minutes, but during warm weather and if we have had heavy rain recently, it can be shorter timing due to higher water levels. During early May and September when water levels are lower, it can be 45 min. to almost 1 hour duration. Water levels also vary year to year depending on snowpack in the mountains and rate of melt off. Most people find the area of Dyea peaceful and scenic with occasional wildlife sightings, which seems like you unfortunately did not see. The tour is also is a nice way to get away from the crowds on the ships and in the little downtown of Skagway, and to see some of the natural beauty of Alaska up close. We are sorry the tour did not meet your expectations.
Written September 14, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
DelawarianFemale
Delaware, US42 contributions
May 2012 • Family
We went on the hike and float tour with Bob. We started with a short van ride with a stop at a beautiful view where we all took photos. We then drove by Dyea to the trailhead which has restrooms (although after that, you can use the forest). The hike really was a wonderful experience. I have a graduate degree in botany...and yet had a lot to learn from him. He told us that he had only graduated from high school, but he is obviously a voracious reader and a naturalist at heart. You can tell that he has a very diverse background and is endlessly questioning and looking up information. I hesitate to guess his age...60's maybe? But old enough to be wise. And I think we were all comforted that he was breathing heavily along with us on the upward climb, so we all knew he wouldn't push too hard. Bob was also very safety conscious, stopping frequently to point out tricky areas on the path. In fact, he had obviously traveled the path so many times that he had many interesting sites to point out that you would most likely miss if you were hiking alone (like salmon bones and claw scars left by bears). Someone asked him what he might choose to eat if he was stranded in the woods, and for the next 30 minutes, he had us tasting all sorts of plants. We also had an infant with us who rode on his dad's back - although Bob provided a car seat for use in the van. I was very impressed with his ability to power the raft by himself (with 10 passengers!). He provided rubber boots in our shoe size and packed our hiking boots/shoes in a waterproof bag during the float. We all sat on the rim of the raft, but there really was only the drippings from our boots on the floor (no one got wet). The trip was the perfect length...and I forgot to mention how beautiful it was....incredibly steep rock faces with moss, lichen, ferns and huge trees growing on them. It was so green and lush. I felt like it was the perfect way to immerse yourself in a true Alaskan rain forest (and to get a tiny glimpse into what it might have been like to hike the Chilcoot trail during the Alaskan Gold Rush) .
Written June 1, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carolina C
Montevideo, Uruguay11 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
We hiked the Chilkoot trail with Bob and he was extremely kind and knowledgeable of the flora and fauna of the place. He took his time to guide us in terms of security tips and he was really entertaining. It was great to do this excursion with him!
Written May 17, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tracyPa
PA13 contributions
Jun 2016 • Couples
My husband and I took the Hike/Float tour (booked direct) while in Skagway recently on a cruise. When we arrived, the group included 2 small children, which is fine, however our guide catered mostly to the kids and we just basically followed along ...at a snail's pace ...frustrated at the amount of $ we paid for this tour. The tour is fine if you are looking for a leisurely walk in the woods while the guide points out different type of flora /fauna, stopping every 2 minutes. However, if you are looking to hike the Chilkoot trail at at anything more than a strolling pace, best to look for a different tour operator or do on your own. The river float ...just ok , lasted about 20 minutes. Not worth it in our opinion. I think the company needs to have separate tours that are geared to families with children or advertise differently.
Written June 22, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rocketleech
Houston, Texas170 contributions
Aug 2019 • Couples
The hike is short, may be 2 miles. It is also steep and arduous, trying to fit my feet between tree roots. Nowhere was this hike advertised as strenuous. One person in my party couldn't climb it. She essentially ended up skipping the hike part of the tour. The riverfloat was nice and refreshing.
The tour compan y and Tripadvisor should be more transparent in advicing customers of the difficulties of the hike, way before being at the trailhead. We would have definitely chosen a different tour. Shame.
BTW,the tour duration is way short of 4 hours. Hmmmm....whatever happened to truth in advertising?
The tour compan y and Tripadvisor should be more transparent in advicing customers of the difficulties of the hike, way before being at the trailhead. We would have definitely chosen a different tour. Shame.
BTW,the tour duration is way short of 4 hours. Hmmmm....whatever happened to truth in advertising?
Written August 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your comments on the tour. The Level of Difficulty on the tour is described by Viator/TripAdvisor as "Travelers should have a strong physical fitness level". Also, the voucher provided specifically states "Please be in good physical condition for the 1.5-2 hour moderate-strenuous hike. Wear sturdy walking shoes with good traction. If you have knee, ankle, back, balance or other health issues, please consider your participation in this tour. We do have an alternate easier walk in place of the Chilkoot trail hike available and you will meet up for the float portion. Please advise us in the Special Requirements section when booking if you may need this service. Due to safety reasons and keeping our tour schedule, our guides will strongly advise you to do this alternate route if they feel your participation in the Chilkoot trail hike to be too strenuous for your ability level."
We have tried to be as specific as possible that people taking this tour should be in good physical condition for an active moderate/strenuous activity. As noted on the voucher, we do have a backup option for those not able to do the hike for cases in which this is needed, as it was for your party.
We actually have many reviews that comment that the hike is Easy and some that are not happy that it is described as strenuous as they expected a more challenging hike and were disappointed that it was too easy and slow of a pace. For experienced and fit hikers the trail is not difficult. It really depends on a person's fitness level and comfort with hiking how they perceive this hike. There are Traveler photos on TripAdvisor showing the terrain of the trail so you can know what to expect. We are not trying to mislead anyone.
The tour time is approximately 4 hours. It can vary due to pace of hiking group, higher water levels on the river (happens in warm weather and after heavy rains), group size, and how busy it is at the put in when we arrive to suit up for the raft portion (if there are other groups to wait for). If it was under 4 hours it could have been for any of these various reasons. Sometimes the tour can go a bit over 4 hours if the group is hiking slower than normal expected pace (we never try to rush groups and go at the pace of the slowest hiker) and if the river level is lower than normal water levels (this mostly happens in earlier May and September).
There are many reviews that comment on how enjoyable and beautiful this hike is. We are sorry this activity was not the right fit for your group.
Written August 2, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
waterdance
McAllen, TX616 contributions
May 2019 • Solo
I've been to skayway a few times and taken the train and bus exursions. The train is a must for first timers. However, since I've been here a few times. I decided to try this inexpensive excursion. You take a 30 min drive to the river where you float down. The ride was scenic and the tour guide was very informative. There were around 10 people in the raft and 1 guy doing all the rowing. No wild animals but was scenic and you hear a lot of stories. At the end, they provide you with snacks (fruit juice, granola bars, salmon jerkey and tillamook cheese. Great way to kill some time in skayway.
Written June 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nancy s
Denville, NJ2,289 contributions
Jul 2014 • Family
We booked the WHITE PASS COMBO with Skagway Float tours. The morning was a small van taking us up to the White Pass. Candy, our guide, met us where the cruise ship docked. The tour included touring Skagway, the cemetery, and then going up into the mountains to White Pass. The scenery was incredible and Candy stopped many times throughout the trip up to White Pass. This tour seems much more interesting than just taking the train up to White Pass because our guide gave us history of the area as well as stopped throughout the tour. Afternoon, Joe met us at the dock to take us on a hike on the Chilkoot Trail that ends with a raft taking us back down the river. The hike was difficult but not impossible for older people and they have an option for an easy hike for those who can't do the whole hike. But, with 3 12 year olds, we had to do the challenging hike. Our guide showed us lots of interesting things along the trail. He didn't push us too fast to allow the older members of the group to catch their breath as we were climbing. The rafting part was exciting. Loved the whole day!!!!
Written September 4, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our ship docks in Haines. Do we need to book the ferry to Skagway separately?
skagwayfloat
Skagway, AK
If you are thinking about doing our tour from Haines you do have to take the Haines Skagway Fast Ferry to get to Skagway and return back. You need to have confirmed in advance tickets with them as day of tickets are often sold out. You can contact us directly to find out which departure time for our tours would work with your potential ferry schedule. You would need at least one hour buffer time from when our tour ends and your ferry ride back in case of any unexpected delays. We cannot be responsible for any transport to or from Haines or any complications with that travel. Thank you
colleenlh
Sydney, Australia69 contributions
Thinking of doing this tour but not really fit, so can I take my time on the hike as I am slow going up & down steps
and would hate to hold everyone up .What age is suitable as I am in my late 60's. Should I just do the float tour?
skagwayfloat
Skagway, AK
Hi, Thank you for your question.
The hike is somewhat strenuous for those not in good fitness or anyone with health issues or joint problems (bad knees, back, ankles, etc) and should not be advised for them. Also, if you have trouble going up normal flights of stairs (either with balance or getting very winded) then the hike might be too hard. We don't want anyone to overexert themselves as the tour is meant to be fun and not feel like they are really taxing themselves to complete it. That being said, the pace is not fast and we do stop for breaks quite a bit on the hilly portion. If you find the hike too difficult when looking up at the first bit up at the beginning then we also usually have a back up guide available that can spend time with you while the others hike and then you can meet up for the Float portion. If you'd like to discuss your particular date you are in port we see what the options are and can make a note of that for you. Please email us to discuss if you would like. Also there are some video clips on the Hike and Float page.
Thanks again!
Cris, Owner
Simba435
Boulder, CO
We have a son who is 22 months old. Would he be allowed to join the float?
skagwayfloat
Skagway, AK
Hi, Thank you for your email. We do allow small children on the Scenic River Float and have lifejackets to fit them. Thank you for considering our tour! Cris Siegel, Owner
melinda a
Chapel Hill, NC22 contributions
Our family of 5 will be in skagway in July 2015 with another family of 5. All teenagers. All physically fit and active.
We would like to hike and float or hike and kayak. Can you advise me with options
skagwayfloat
Skagway, AK
Hi, we offer the Hike and Float tour which is a moderate tour (will not seem too strenuous if you are all fit). It is nice as you hike in on the trail and don't back track and see the same scenery. Then end the tour with the river float. With the float, the guide rows the raft so is not active for yourselves. We ourselves don't do Kayaking and there is no sea kayaking in Skagway due to the windy conditions most days and steep coastline so best suited to more advanced kayakers (which most tourists aren't so not much market for it).
The only kayak tour from Skagway involves a train ride one way to a mountain lake for the kayaking portion. That is through Packer expeditions if you wanted to check it out. They also have some more strenuous hikes that might appeal to you.
We would love to take you on our tour and it is family friendly-we have fun guides and can take you even a bit farther up the trail in the same amount of time if you are fit (though the trail is flat for a while past our rafting point so not more strenuous-you could cover more ground though for variety).
Hope that helps you out and thanks for writing to us through Trip Advisor! Katie and Cris
Skagway Float Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Skagway Float Tours Information
Excellent Reviews | 206 |
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Skagway Float Tours Photos | 199 |