Cruise Spotlight: Skagway, Alaska

Ah, Skagway.  The day my mother decided to fly through the forest on a rope.

Let’s back up: Skagway is a small, seasonal town in Southeastern Alaska with a rich gold rush mining history.  The morning we pulled in, we woke up to the beautiful, sweeping mountains to which we had grown accustomed, and set out to the end of our dock.

We met our group shuttle, where we gathered with a dozen or so other people.  Our very kind, very knowledgeable driver took us on the 45-minute drive out of Skagway and up to Grizzly Falls in the mountains.  When we stepped out of the mini-bus, we were greeted with a beautiful, flower-filled meadow surrounded by extraordinary mountains.

We walked up into the woods, took a bumpy ride up the mountain, and met with our ziplining instructors. Because yes, my mother decided she wanted to try out ziplining. So we did!  We booked a Grizzly Falls Ziplining expedition with Alaska Excursions.

Given that my only other ziplining experience was in Costa Rica, the instruction and gear that I received was much…safer.  All that I had to do was relax and have fun, which was great!  Throughout the few hours we were on the mountain, we ziplined across both upper and lower Grizzly Falls.  We joked, laughed, made friends with our companions in our five-person group.  I did a flip off of a platform! (Intentionally!)  It was so beautiful and so much fun.

Crazy as it may seem, the whole experience at Grizzly Falls was relaxing.  Was it fun and exhilarating? Yes.  But it was also so nice to have them take care of everything – all I had to worry about was enjoying the scenery and the ride.

The staff, transportation, and information we received was all top-notch.  Everyone was kind, professional, and lighthearted, but we were completely safe at every turn.  I would absolutely recommend this to a friend.

After we were transported back to town, we did some shopping and stopped at Skagway Brewing Company, which was a bit overpriced, but tasty nonetheless.  Then, we meandered back to our ship, and enjoyed the evening!