June 17, 2024.
6.8 mi. | 2900′ ele. gain | 7 hr.
The previous night, we met up with a Yukon local who had listed his place on Boondocker’s Welcome. After discussing our route for the next few days he said, you gotta drive to Skagway. It was a 2 hour detour, each way, to go there so it was not on my radar. But he was adamant about it being one of the prettiest drives there is and it puts you right in the mountains. We got up early the next day and began the drive.
On the way, we listened to a podcast about traveling to Skagway. The guest gushed about the challenging but gorgeous hike up A-B Mountain. It was settled, we were going hiking.
The drive there exceeded our very high expectations, so we were off to a good start. Before heading into the actual town, we turned on a back road to get us to the tiny A-B Mountain trailhead. We made an early lunch in the van, then started walking.
Alaska ratings
I rarely do a hike without researching it first and this was no exception. I memorized the route description I found online: “The elevation gain is very gradual for the first 3.5 km and then the trail starts to really climb, becoming much steeper and more overgrown.” Perfect, I thought, we’ll have a mile or so of a warm up hike and then things will get going.
Very gradual, eh? Maybe the 10 steps across the gravel road to the trailhead was. The trail immediately began climbing uphill, which made me wonder what we were really in for. Reading hike description distances in kilometers and elevation gain in meters lures you into a false sense of ease until you do the math. What is a meter, anyways? No one knows. It doesn’t sound that bad. How bad could it be?
Despite being in a wonderfully lush and shady mixed deciduous forest, it was HOT. The Alaska sun is no joke. The heat penetrated through the trees and made us stop several times to breathe and cool down. Along the way I enjoyed the bunchberry flowers blooming in a huge profusion as well as Devil’s club, pyrola, Jacob’s ladder and starflower.
Now the steep part
Once we reached the rock slab with the rope on it, our path became more of a route than a trail. It was obviously used but not so much maintained. At least the rope was in decent condition. It was helpful to get up the smooth rock face and then we were back in the thick brush, only now it was extremely steep and muddy. Sometimes the foliage obscured our footing, so we proceeded even more slowly up this section. I knew we had options to go as far as we wanted on this ridge, but this is when I officially wrote off any attempt at the summit. It was just too far away.
We trudged ahead to the first good viewpoint and took a snack break under the paltry shade of a stunted conifer. Then, we climbed a little higher to find a spot to rest and paint.
And what a spot it was! From our high perch we could see the small port town of Skagway with multiple ferry ships in the water. Three bodies of water converged here, all colored in brilliant blues, greens and tans. Sunlight made the water sparkle. It was so quiet and peaceful, we both wanted to spend the rest of our day there.
Back to town
But one thing remained on our to-do list: fish and chips. I knew the restaurants weren’t open too late and it was already getting on in the day. Reluctantly, we packed up and gave our quads a pep talk before retreating down the trail. Miraculously, we made it all the way down the mountain without one slip. Somehow it felt like the trail got a little longer on the way out, but I think that was the anticipation of fresh seafood talking.
We got back to the van at 7 pm. We quickly cleaned ourselves up, changed our smelly clothes and raced into Skagway. By this time in the evening, it is a ghost town. Nearly all the businesses were closed and there were only a few stragglers walking around. Considering there were FOUR cruise ships in town, we were shocked. We found a free public parking lot near the dock and walked as quickly as our hamstrings would let us to the Skagway Fish Company. Much to our delight, there was plenty of availability and the service was very fast.
I washed down a delicious plate of fish and chips with an equally delicious brew and my body began to feel more like normal again. But, we still needed to find a place for the night. We drove back up the scenic highway to a small lakeside pullout I scouted on the way in. We had it to ourselves for the night.
Recommendations
Would I do this again? Heck yes! If I happen to be in Skagway again, I’ll plan a little differently. I’d definitely arrive in town at least a day in advance so I could get an early start. Not only did we need to drive in from the main road, we also had to cross an international border. Nothing was quick about getting on the trail.
I would like to explore further up the trail, too, as I think the views get more and more amazing the further you go. We simply ran out of time (and to be honest, out of energy).
Having a blue sky day was a perk, but the heat was soul-sucking. It might be better on a slightly cooler or even cloudier day. I appreciated the big views but not the temperatures. I also enjoyed the wildflowers we saw on this hike, although I think there was still plenty of season left to see blooms well into the summer. We didn’t go high enough to get into the alpine, which I can only imagine has gorgeous color from summer flowers as well as autumn foliage.
Having enough time, water, snacks and breaks are all essential for making the most of this hike. Not to mention you’ll likely have the place to yourself! We saw two other hikers who turned around at the rope and one more couple who made it maybe a quarter mile up the trail. For solitude, scenery and convenience to town it can’t be beat.
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