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The Taiya Inlet 
The main watersheds of the Taiya Inlet extend from tidewater to nearly 6,000’ elevation, and contain important passes into the Interior in this part of Alaska—the White Pass (2,900’) and the Chilkoot Pass (3,525’). Most of the land is very steep and mountainous, carved by glaciers and dissected by the Skagway and Taiya Rivers and many streams. The towns of Skagway and Dyea are primarily found on the small areas of flat land at the Skagway and Taiya river deltas.
Life zones are generally described as coastal rainforest, subalpine forest, alpine tundra, and boreal forest. Within these zones, varied habitats support assemblages  of vegetation and wildlife more diverse than typical southeast Alaska environments. Our rich biodiversity springs from the unusual combination of close proximity to the interior and a relatively dry climate.
The lower reaches of the Skagway River, the Taiya River, and many of their tributary creeks are cataloged as anadromous fish streams and contain valuable spawning and rearing habitat for chum, pink, and Coho salmon. Spawning salmon, especially late runs of ch um and Coho salmon, are an important fall food source for the area's bald eagles and black and brown bears.
The river and bay waters also support locallly valuable aquatic organisms such as Dolly Varden, halibut, crabs, shrimp and eulachon. These, in turn, attract marine mammals such as seals and sea lions, and thousands of migrating ducks, gulls and other waterfowl to our area. They are also appreciated by the people of Skagway as important subsistence and recreational resource.
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