Skagway's downtown still holds roughly 100 buildings from the 1897-1900 Klondike Gold Rush era, set in a historic district along Broadway Avenue. Many of these wood-frame homes and storefronts were built to frontier-period standards, which often means narrow, steep interior stairs and raised entries.
The town sits in a narrow glaciated valley at the head of Taiya Inlet, about 90 miles northwest of Juneau, with steep coastal mountains on every side. That setting shapes almost every part of a stair lift project here, from how the stairs were built to when a crew can actually get to your door.
Stairs in older Skagway homes were built to period standards, not modern accessibility codes. A narrow, steep staircase is the first thing an installer will measure, because it decides how much room the seat, footrest and rail take up and whether someone else can still walk past.
A single straight run is usually the simpler job. If the stairs turn at a landing or wind around a corner, a curved rail built to fit that staircase is the usual answer, and it takes more planning.
Raised entries are common on buildings of this vintage, too. Getting from the yard to the front door may call for an outdoor lift or, for someone using a wheelchair, a platform or wheelchair lift rather than a seat.
Housing in Skagway Borough includes single-family homes, detached houses, townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings. A townhouse or detached house with a straight inside staircase is often the most direct fit for a standard stair lift.
Walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings raise a different question: who owns the stairs. About 61.8 percent of residents are homeowners, so many people can decide for themselves, but renters will need the owner's permission before anything is bolted to a shared staircase.
Skagway is one of only three Southeast Alaska communities with road access, by way of the Klondike Highway completed in 1978. Beyond that road, the town relies on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system and small aircraft, and winter isolation makes specialized contractors and equipment harder to reach.
The local economy also runs on the summer season, when roughly one million visitors come through, about three-quarters of them by cruise ship. Skilled trades are busiest then and scarcer the rest of the year, so it helps to start the conversation early and ask a vendor how they schedule visits to Skagway.
Winters can be severe. The recorded low is -24 F on February 2, 1947, which is worth raising with any installer if you are thinking about an outdoor lift on a raised entry.
For older homeowners staying in a historic house, a lift on a steep staircase can be the change that keeps the upstairs bedroom usable.
Veterans should check federal grant options before paying out of pocket. There is no VA facility listed for Skagway, so the phone calls below are the practical starting point.
Neither of the two statewide vendors below lists a public price. Both work project by project, so the cost depends on your stairs, and you will need a quote for your home.
Alaska Stairlift and Elevator, LLC says it accepts VA, Medicaid, Medicare, worker's comp, other insurance, private pay and commercial funding. Accessible Homes Inc. says it is knowledgeable of grant programs and can help you look for funding.
For a first call, Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL) serves Haines, Klukwan and Skagway and can route you to what is available regionally. Statewide program names you may hear include the Alaskans Living Independently (ALI) Waiver, AHFC Senior Access Program (SAP), HomeMAP – Home Modifications for Aging in Place, VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), Alaska Medicaid Personal Care Services (PCS) and the Alaska Senior Benefits Program. Our information does not say whether each one pays for stair lifts, so ask SAIL or the Alaska Commission on Aging / Senior & Disabilities Services at (907) 465-3250.
An Anchorage-based company serving all of Alaska that sells and installs stair lifts, wheelchair lifts and vehicle lifts, and accepts VA, Medicaid, Medicare, insurance and private pay. Call (907) 245-5438.
A statewide, Anchorage-based contractor that installs stair lifts, ramps and aging-in-place remodels and says it is knowledgeable of grant programs. Call (907) 562-2327.
Federal grants for veterans with specific service-connected disabilities: SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 (FY2026 figures), with TRA up to $50,961 or $9,100. The VA source does not mention stair lifts by name; call (800) 698-2411.
A statewide nonprofit that makes home accessibility modifications for low-income senior homeowners, with priority for the elderly; the source does not mention stair lifts, and Skagway eligibility is not certain. Call (907) 279-2511 to confirm.
A state office that keeps a list of senior housing and runs energy and weatherization loan-subsidy programs; the source does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Use it for information and referral at (907) 330-8436.
The Aging & Disability Resource Center for Skagway, offering free information, referral, advocacy and assistive-technology services for disabled Alaskans of all ages; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (888) 471-1332 as a first step.
Skagway's senior center at the Skagway Presbyterian Church, providing meals, Wednesday transportation, shopping help and referrals; it does not fund equipment and the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (907) 713-7045.
Older adults
550 W. 7th Avenue, Suite 1600, Anchorage, 99501
Veterans
4600 DeBarr Rd, Suite 180, Anchorage, 99508
Many gold-rush-era homes have narrow, steep stairs built to period standards, so the staircase has to be measured first. A straight run is the simpler fit, while a turning staircase usually needs a curved rail.
Alaska Stairlift and Elevator, LLC at (907) 245-5438 and Accessible Homes Inc. at (907) 562-2327 are both Anchorage-based and list a statewide service area. Ask each one how they schedule work in Skagway, especially outside summer.
The SAH and SHA grants fund home modifications for veterans with specific service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 and $25,350. The VA page does not name stair lifts, so call (800) 698-2411 or the Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs at (907) 334-0874 to ask.
SAIL's Haines/Klukwan/Skagway office at (888) 471-1332 is the designated resource center for Skagway. Skagway Senior Services at (907) 713-7045 can also point you to regional home-modification help.
The Alaskans Living Independently (ALI) Waiver appears on statewide program lists, but our information does not say whether it pays for stair lifts. Alaska Stairlift and Elevator, LLC says it accepts Medicaid, so ask them and Senior & Disabilities Services at (907) 465-3250.
Summer is when Skagway's trades are busiest because of the tourist season, and winter brings isolation and severe cold. Starting early and asking the vendor about travel timing is the practical approach.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
