Laughton Glacier

The Laughton Glacier trail is absolutely breathtaking. The hike itself is not very difficult and you are able to get fairly close to the glacier with minimal effort. If you are the more adventurous sort, you can walk right up to the glacier and explore many of the nooks and crannies. It is worth noting, however, that if you don't have the proper footwear you may have trouble walking on the ice. If you aren't going to be taking a flight-seeing trip, Laughton is the best way to get up close and personal to a glacier.

Directions (As listed on nps.gov website) : The trail begins from the flag stop at mile 14 of the WP&YR railroad. The trail parallels the south bank of the river upstream to Warm Pass. After passing through a tall grass meadow the trail enters a spruce and hemlock forest where river and trail continue in close proximity to a point where the river narrows and runs through a rock cleft. Some of the small streams that are crossed have slippery logs as bridges; also, windfalls cause occasional interruptions in what is otherwise smooth traveling. The USFS cabin, which sleeps six, is located about 1,000 feet below the glacier, and about one mile from it near where the glacial outwash enters the Skagway River. The wood stove is for heating only, bring your own cook stove, and never cut living trees. Use extreme caution in venturing out on the glacier, especially during spring and summer thaws and fresh snow that may conceal crevasses.

The Denver and Laughton Glacier trails are located out of town 5.8 and 14 miles up the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad. The railroad offers flagstop service May-September; purchase tickets in advance (at depot on 2nd Ave., 1-800-343-7373, or www.wpyr.com). The U.S. Forest Service maintains cabins on both trails call 1-877-444-6777