Page 53 - Skagway Virtual Guide
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   NOW A PLACE OF BEAUTY
  many years. A few braved the Chilkoot Trail, even scouting it for a film in the 1920s. But what was left of the old gold rush buildings gradually crumbled into busted foundations by the middle of the century.
Dyea became a destination again after the valley was connected by an eight-mile-long coastal road from Skagway in 1947. It became
a favorite recreation area for residents, and a few more residents built cabins.
In the late 1970s, much of the Taiya River valley was absorbed into the Dyea-Chilkoot Unit of the new Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The historic trail was restored, as were some trails through the woods where the Dyea town site once stood.
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DYEA TODAY
Today visitors can take a walking tour through the old town site and to the Slide Cemetery, where many of the 1898 avalanche victims were buried. There also are a limited number of commercial tours operating in the valley, but for the most part, Dyea is there for the independent traveler to explore.
Wild irises bloom in mid-June on the Dyea Tide Flats, and fireweed join them in July and August. Currants and cranberries are found as well, when in season, and blueberries at higher elevations on the Chilkoot and Lost Lake trails or up West Creek Road (remote old logging road, 4WD vehicles only).
Birding is very popular on the Flats, especially when the eulachon or hooligan (a tiny smelt) run in the Taiya in May and during the arrival of pink salmon in Nelson’s Slough and other valley streams in August. Eagles, great blue heron and other birds seek the spawning fish along with the occasional grizzly and black bear, but keep your distance from them and pack your bear spray if you go on a hike. Also, be mindful of the changing tides, which can catch an unobservant hiker or parked vehicle off guard on the Flats if you are not watchful.
 TRAVEL
 























































































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