Upper Dewey Lake, Alaska, United States

5Dizzygizmo 5:00 PM Sep 4, 2010

What's a Pleasant Surprise! Short Hiking to Upper Dewey Lake, Skagway, Alaska.
After returning from White Pass Scenic,Railway train ride, I stopped over at Skagway Fish Company right next to my Celebrity Millenium Cruise Ship. I was dying for fish & Chips. Halibut fish & chips was sizzling, and very delicious. After the lunch, I wanted to go to Chilkoot Trail Hiking shore excursion, but did not have enough time to make it. Later, I found out about the Upper Dewey Lake Hiking Trail, and left my cruiseship around five in the afternoon. The trail entry sign is right after the train track by the ship, and very easy to spot. When I arrived at the entrance of the trail, elderly gentleman handed me his cane made out of the tree branch. The local woman I met earlier told me that the trail is only half a mile, and takes only about 15 minutes. In reality, the trail was very steep, and felt like several miles. Thanks to the cane & the good hiking shoes. About half a way up, I saw young Indian couple, and they told me not to give up because the lake is so beautiful. There were few women hiking alone. I was told the trail is very safe, because many hikers there. I saw animal feces resembling the bear's, but no sign of any animals. I made sure not to pack any snacks, just incase of the bear. There are two lakes, Lower and Upper Dewey Lakes, so make sure to go pass the first lake to the next lake. When I arrived at the Upper Lake, the lake was so calm and beautiful, just like a mirror reflecting the mountains and trees. It was very rewarding to made it to all the way to the lake, and the hike route was not as bad as I thought. I met some more single female hikers on the way back, some with dogs. Hiking took approximately one and half hour up, and thirty minutes back. If I ever go back to Skagway, I would definately try this again. Also, there are many hiking route all over Alaska, so next time, I would choose to hike rather than spending hundred of dollars on shore excursions, or buying cheap jewelry at the gift shops.

5Suzanne2609 5:00 PM Jul 9, 2012

Get Away From The Tourist Trap City!
Skagway is a cute little town, but not much to do. We had all ready taken the train from Anchorage to Whittier, so we were not interested in taking that again. (We did love the train) We walked into the Forest Service office, and they gave us a map of hikes we could take. We hiked up to Upper Dewey Lake. Beautiful views, and definitely better than hanging out in the town where they are trying to sell you diamonds! Get out and work off some of that cruise food and see some of the natural beauty of Alaska!