After having reached Haines I took the ferry to Skagway which is around a 1 hour trip. This was the historic starting point for the hopeful prospectors in the Klondike Gold Rush. The usual route taken was to climb either the Chilkoot Pass or White Pass, then by boat across Lake Bennett to reach the Yukon River which was then followed until Dawson City. The White Pass was an easier route to Lake Bennett than the Chilkoot Trail, but it was controlled by criminals that preyed on the cheechakos (newcomers to the Klondike). The trail ended at Lake Bennett, where prospectors built or purchased rafts or boats to float down the Yukon River to the Klondike gold fields near Dawson City.

Today the Klondike Highway begins in Skagway and climbs the steady grade up over White Pass offering splendid views of the coastal mountain ranges and forested terrain. Parallel with the road runs the White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad which offers scenic tours from Skagway.
I bicycled up over the pass which is a relatively easy climb and continued north east to eventually join the Alaska Highway again.