The Chilkoot Trail was replaced by the White Pass and Yukon Railway in 1900. By the end of the year Dyea ceased to exist. The wood from the buildings was taken away to construct another town. Today, the trail is a mecca for hikers from around the world and a living museum of the Gold Rush era. Thousands of people walk the trail each year, to experience a scenic and historical adventure.
Transportation is available from the Canadian end of the trail, for the return trip to Skagway.
A narrow wedge of land pushes from the Lynn Canal into the mountains, leading to the White Pass. Skagway was the transition point for over 20,000 Gold Rush stampeders in 1897 and 1898, and it was the most uncontrolled and lawless town in North America. A notorious con man from Colorado, Soapy Smith was shot and killed by Frank Reid, the surveyor who laid out the Skagway town site. Their graves are in the Gold Rush Cemetery. Soapy Smith's grave is marked by a simple wooden slab.