Yakutania point which means “place to pack a canoe” in Tinglit can be easily accessed by the Skagway Footbridge off the helicopter pad visible from the cruise ship terminal.
After crossing the footbridge there’s a trail map. I did the loop going left, following yellow signs to Yakutania point, then red signs to Smuggler’s cove. From there go uphill on a gravel road. There you have a choice of going to Alberta mountain (green sign) or pet cemetery (blue sign), Skagway or squirrel lane. Go left to the pet cemetery and go downhill. After that keep right and you will see Skagway River and the footbridge completing the loop.
I took my time to admire the scenery, imagining life in historical times and took pictures which added up to 2 hours. If you were just walking with a little time to enjoy the scene perhaps schedule for 1.5 hours.
Trails are very well done, with lots of signs and interpretative boards. Thanks to the land and water conservation fund. The skies were clear the day I went in August but the forested trails kept us cool. Along the trail, there’s lots of mushrooms, berries, devil’s claw, moss, lichen, red squirrels and birds singing. Beautiful view of the majestic mountains and the Chilkoot inlet.
Enjoy! God’s creation is for you!