Train Depot/Visitor Center

The original train depot for the White Pass & Yukon Route now serves as the park visitor center.

NPS Photo/A. Rogers

Quick Facts

Location:

Skagway, AK

Significance:

Built in 1898 as the original train depot for the White Pass & Yukon Route 

Designation:

NHP and part of an NHL

Amenities

19 listed

Accessible Sites, Assistive Listening Systems, Assistive Listening Systems - T-Coil Compatible, Audio Description, Automated External Defibrillator (AED), Baby Changing Station, Benches/Seating, Braille, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information - Maps Available, Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Junior Ranger Activity, Junior Ranger Booklet Available, Restroom - Accessible, Restroom - Seasonal, Tactile Exhibit, Theater/Auditorium, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Water - Bottle-Filling Station

During the gold rush, this corner would have been bustling with activity as crowds of people waited for their train. This building was built in 1898 as the original train depot for the White Pass & Yukon Route. Back in these days, the railroad tracks curved around the building and ran straight up the center of Broadway. Notice the pop-out window on the west side of the building – the dispatcher would have sat here, monitoring the trains as they came and went.   

The White Pass & Yukon Route vacated the building in 1969 and constructed a new train depot at the end of the block. The historic depot came into the hands of the park service a few years later and was eventually restored to its 1908-1915 appearance. Today, it serves as Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park’s Visitor Center. Stop in during the summer season to chat with a ranger or check out program offerings!