Southeast Alaska and the Yukon are neighbors, but fear of being stuck between causes trip cancellations

Alaskans and Canadians are canceling their cross-border trips due to fear of being detained, but Canadian passengers aboard cruise ships are still arriving in Southeast Alaska.

Jaime Bricker, tourism director for the City and Borough of Skagway, said the season is progressing as expected, despite concerns about national-level tourism cancellations.

“We are basically on par for what we projected this year, which is great,” she said. “We had 206,000 cruise passengers. Last year, for May, we had 211,000.”

In Juneau, capacity is sitting at exactly 100% for the cruise season, “if there is an impact so far, it’s negligible,” said Alexandra Pierce, tourism manager for the City and Borough of Juneau.

Bricker said cruise ship passengers are less likely to cancel trips they may have booked at least a year in advance.

“It’s really hard to say,” she said. “To say there are uncertainties is true of every year. I’m not seeing any major shift in what our expectations were for this year, or any major alarm bells going off compared to last year. I’m looking out on Broadway (Street) right now, and people seem happy and the sunshine’s out.”

The Skagway Marathon is scheduled for June 28, and registration is still open until Wednesday. A “Yukoner’s Special” encourages Canadian runners to join. Celsee Kaldor, race coordinator, said tension between the U.S. and Canada has had a significant impact on registration — participation is down about 30% from last year.

“I have gotten lots of correspondence from past racers saying that they aren’t going to be able to participate this year just because of the relations between the countries right now, which is kind of disappointing,” Kaldor said. “But we also have a lot of people reaching out and letting us know that running is about running, and that we have a special relationship between our community and the Whitehorse community, and that they want to maintain that.”

Skagway has other cross-border events, such as the Klondike Road Relay on Sept. 5, which is sold out. Bricker said she plans to run in it again this year.

“Sports has a way of transcending political discourse,” she said.

The Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay takes place this Saturday from Haines Junction, Yukon, to Haines. Some bike relay teams and riders have chosen not to enter the United States, according to a press release. Monika Kozlerova, the race coordinator, said registration is also slightly lower — 935 riders, instead of the usual 1,200. A ferry cancellation is also expected to affect travel plans for participants.

Rebecca Hylton, director of tourism for the Haines Borough, said Haines relies heavily on the bike relay and Beerfest, which also saw a 20% decrease this year.

“We have a very diverse tourism economy here,” Hylton said. “It’s not just one industry. And so those events are very important to our community, because people come for days, and it’s a nice financial boom for our community.”

Hylton said recreational vehicle park reservations have yet to be fully booked, but this is the time of year when they begin to pick up. She said she will know in the next two weeks if road traffic will be significantly impacted this summer. Skagway recreational vehicle park reservations in May were below those in May 2024, but Bricker said this could be due to colder weather.

Other upcoming events in Haines and Skagway include the Fourth of July and Canada Day celebrations. Bricker said Mr. and Mrs. Yukon will be honorary guests in Skagway’s Independence Day parade, and the Whitehorse Midnight Sun Pipe Band will play. Skagway also hosts two international softball tournaments, and Haines is planning for the Southeast Alaska State Fair, which takes place the last week of July.

“It’s just such a quaint little fair,” Hylton said. “In town, it’s vibrant with live music out at night, and there are still places to roam here too, where you can still be on a trail by yourself or paddle on a lake.”

Shaan Tláa Nikki Welin, coordinator for this year’s Haa Ḵusteeyí (“Our Way”) cultural celebration in Carcross, said she has received one cancellation notice from the U.S. and anticipates more. However, among the three inland Tlingit communities, she expects roughly 3,000 people to attend the event, which aims to “bring culture and language to the forefront.” Like Juneau, Carcross is a central hub for tourists, and on July 26, it will host the 125th Golden Spike celebration.

“They finished completion of the White Pass Yukon Railroad here with a golden spike ceremony, when they connected Whitehorse to Skagway,” Welin said. “So that should also bring more people in.”

The Teslin Tlingit Council hosted the event from 2009 to 2019 before Carcross and Atlin joined the cultural event. Since then, Haa Ḵusteeyí has rotated between the three communities. This year, it will be held from July 24 to 27 at the Haa Shagóon Hídi (Carcross Learning Centre). General admission is free, although activities have a fee to offset material costs. A nightly feast featuring each community’s game and fish meat will be free: Carcross has the specialty of sheep, Teslin moose, and Atlin salmon or herring eggs.

“It’s been really interesting, just to see the differences of what the communities uphold for theirs,” Welin said. “Like in Teslin, it’s an easy gathering and it’s down at their Heritage Centre. And then Atlin was very focused on the healing aspects. Carcross is just like, ‘Let’s throw everything at it.’ It’s really exciting.”

Wooshkhindeinda.aat Lily Hope, a Chilkat and Ravenstail weaver based in Juneau, has decided not to attend Haa Ḵusteeyí this year, but her former student Donedin Jackson, who is Canadian, will be going in her place to support the continuation of Chilkat and Ravenstail weaving.

“Am I pausing to go across the border because I’m concerned about getting back safely for my five children? Yes, I’m the primary breadwinner for my children,” Hope said. “Maybe a very, very slight chance of not making it back across, but not worth the risk. The amount of media coverage around known Americans having a difficult time getting back into America, and being unnecessarily detained — if I was a single person with no dependents, maybe I would have gone.”

She has attended twice before and has also taught workshops at the Adäka Cultural Festival in Whitehorse.

“I love being there,” Hope said. “I love connecting with the Canadian weavers. They are my mother’s students, my students. Just all around, very positive experience.”

Welin said the Carcross event aims to revive some of the traditions the town no longer upholds, including a blanket dance, as well as seal skin moccasins, tufting, moose side stretching, and other workshops. A last call, issued by Welin on Friday, invites other performers, workshops, demonstrations, vendors, and other activities. Those interested can contact her at nicole.welin@ctfn.ca or the Haa Ḵusteeyí 2025 Facebook group.

Welin and Carcross/Tagish First Nation Council Clerk Adri Lera also invited Indigenous people from Juneau to join a tug-of-war at Haa Ḵusteeyí. It will take place with a giant rope across the Nares River in Carcross. Welin said she has received confirmation that people across Southeast Alaska are coming, and said they are always welcome because Indigenous people know no borders.

“We need enough people for a coastal Tlingit team,” Welin and Lera chimed in unison.

• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz.garrett@juneauempire.com or (907) 723-9356.