Alaska Bound

[Blackrock]

DW and I are north bound the end of May for a summer in Alaska. Getting my hands on all the info out there and reading up on all we want to see and do. Hope to stretch this out to about three months and just take or time.

Anybody here that has done that trip feel free to pitch in with some advice if you want to.

[spock123]

We plan to be in Yellowstone the first of June and stop in Glacier and leave from there about the middle of June for a three month trip to Alaska. We plan to drive one day and camp three days, take our time. This may be a good time to go, diesel is cheap and the Canadian dollar is cheap. I plan to take from USA $2000.00 Canadian dollars from my bank. I have a 100gl extra fuel tank and I plan on having it full when I cross the border. I was stationed at Ft Greely in 1972 and now I get the chance to go back


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[rbq]

Be sure and get the Milepost which is the best Alaska travel info out there. It is published new each year. Beginning at the end of May there is a great outdoor market in Anchorage on the weekends, be sure & visit it. Lots of fun booths with things to buy or eat. Plenty of out of the way places to go & visit. Went to Hope when we were there. Quaint little town that is the remnant of the gold rush years. Loved Seward. Visit the Alaska Sea life center. You'll have great time there. Many friendly, helpful people.

[R&J Silverback]

we are planning the same from Portland,Or, 3mo should make for one heck of a trip. hope to see more from others that have made the trip.

[JLeising]

Went to Alaska from the San Fran Bay Area in May 2013. Crossed to Canada outside of Bellingham WA - less crowded than Seattle/Vancouver border crossings. Went Hope - Prince Rupert, then ferry to Haines. Joined Alcan at Haines Junction. South from Tok past Wrangel-St Elias NP, then to Kenai peninsula and Kenai Fyords NP (boat tour - great!). Up to Denali State Park (nice and uncrowded) and Denali NP. Across Alaska past Fairbanks to pick up Alcan - took Alcan to Dawson Creek, then went back Hope / Bellingham.
Great trip and May through early June was good timing that year. Heard of flooding along the Alcan while we were going up on the ferry, all clear on our return trip (saw some mud on the road).
Possible to take the ferry from Seattle/ Vancouver, but a quite long leg before Prince Rupert and the dog had to stay alone in the Motorhome while the ferry was underway. Starting at Prince Rupert kept his maximum alone time to six or seven hours (took him out for a walk at every ferry stop).
Great Trip - lots of animal life, both sea and land. Whales, Orcas, Sea Lions, bears (grizzly and black), big horn sheep, dal sheep, moose, caribou, ... Also Great scenery. Campgrounds were not crowded - only had reservation at Denali NP. I carried five gallons of spare diesel but didn't use it (got close once).

[ColoradoRick]

We lived in Anchorage from 90-95 (military) and I was a civilian contractor working at Fort Greely (Delta Junction) in 2008. Delta Junction is the end of the old Alaska highway but the road goes all the way up to Fairbanks. (And even up to the North Slope, called Prudea Bay which is what I drove up while there...got bored on a hot day in July and the fish weren't biting...it's a LONG drive.)

We've never taken our camper up but it's definitely on the TODO list when we are finally retired. (I recommend extra tires and a few extra 5-gallon tanks of gas.)

[Blackrock]

I have the Milepost magazine and Android app plus two other books. We have seen all points of interest between here and the Canadian border so it will be a banzai run all the way to Montana where we will stop in and visit my brother in Hardin,Mt. From there on up to Great Falls crossing the border at Sweetgrass, Mt.
Not planning on Bannf or Jasper on the way up.
After Calgary I might jog west and pick up rt22 it is supposed to be pretty scenic.
I would like to get down into the Copper River area and maybe Valdez.
Planning on a boat tour out of Whittier, just a fast pass down through Homer and then Denali and Fairbanks and then head south.
On the way back I plan on taking the Cassair highway down through central B.C.

[V-Lite Fun]

We did this trip in 2011 and might go again this year with the lower fuel prices.
We crossed the border north of Shelby on I-15. At Calgary we diverted to Banff and Jasper NPs. Very beautiful area and worth a couple of days at least. Leaving Jasper we took Rt 16 to Rt 40 to Grande Prairie. This was a very quiet route with lots of wildlife along the way. We saw many bears, moose and buffalo.

Make a sign ahead of time for the sign post forest in Watson Lake. Stop at the Northern Lights Center also.

In May, the Alcan will be very rough between Destruction Bay and Beaver Creek in the Yukon. My advice is to go very slow. It is like driving in a washed out creek bed. Later in the summer this will all be repaired. Break up makes a mess out of this section. It is the only dirt stretch on the highway. We saw people later in Tok at Willard's RV repair with all kinds of damage. Bent hitches, bent rims, broken springs, punchured radiators etc. Go slow for this 80 mile stretch and avoid all this.
I wouldn't even consider the Dawson City to Top of the World route this early. It can be very treacherous in spring. Again, later in the season things are usually much better.

In Alaaka we made a grand circle to Fairbanks, Denali, Anchorage, Kenai pennisula where we sent most of the summer. I like to fish. We hit the red salmon run at Soldotna on the Kenai River. Super. Then we did some Halibut fishing in Homer. We had lots of fish shipped home. There are many interesting side trips all along the way. We had no specific plans. Just followed our noses. One very quiet and beautiful state park was Captain Cook SP north of Kenai village. We were camped next to a very high cliff overlooking Cook Inlet. The view was spectacular. This is dry camping. In fact, we were only hooked up to services 3 or 4 times the whole time in Alaska. We like the remote primaitve camping.

We also spent a week on the beach campground at Seward. Another great place for fishing and sightseeing boats. There is a very nice seaquarium there also that is a must see. Be sure to drive up to Exit Glacier. You can walk right up close.

We drove through the tunnel to Whittier. Not a lot there but a nice place to visit.

Valdez is another great little village. Nice museum there. Great fishing and sightseeing boats. The pink salmon were running there. We camped opposite the village past the fish hatchery where we had a super view of the harbor and the fishing boats and sea lions feeding on salmon. We did see some brown bears fishing near the hatchery.

After Valdez we drove to Chitina and made a loop through Copper Center. Historical buildings and such.

Back in Tok we stayed at the Sourdough Campground. You will enjoy this place. They have nightly entertainment outside with a large campfire. A highlight is the pancake toss. Winners get free flapjacks for breakfast. A real fun place to stop and a good jumping off place for the trip back south.

We took the Cassiar Highway back south. Very remote but worth the trip. Stop at Jade City. Lots of bears along the highway. Many good overnight boondock sites. Gas up when leaving the Alcan. Only one or two gas stops in 400 miles when they are open. If you have time skip on over to Stewart to watch the brown bears feeding on salmon.

I could go on and on. It is the greatest RV adventure in my mind. There is so much to see and do. You will have a blast. We took four months from start to finish on this trip. Spent about two months of it in Alaska. Have rain gear and layered type clothing. The weather is real fickle.

Have fun. Maybe we will run into each other.

[CAT-RN]

I agree there not much in Whittier. We did the Phillips 26 glacier boat tour there. I think about 5 hour boat trip. They will show you 26 different glacier. They take the boat up real close to the glaciers. An awesome tour. Very well worth whatever it cost !!

Russell

[spock123]

Did you spend about what you thought or more


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[CAT-RN]

Originally Posted by spock123

Did you spend about what you thought or more


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If your talking to me--I just don't remember what it cost. I sure it wasn't too bad. Can google it. Phillips Glacier Cruise.

Russell

[Blackrock]

Here is the site - already got it saved in my files for the trip.
https://www.phillipscruises.com/index.htm

[spock123]

Originally Posted by Blackrock

Here is the site - already got it saved in my files for the trip.
https://www.phillipscruises.com/index.htm

Thanks


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[Gio96xj]

I have done the Alan twice. My best advice is make sure all tires are up to par and bring a spare for the spare. The roads are rough in tires. Make sure you are comfortable changing your own because you'll be waiting a hot minute for AAA. Also you might have to drive a little bit on a flat. Slow of course. Be mindful of pull offs. There are few and far in between. Good luck. Best drive I've ever done with the family!

[ColoradoRick]

Ya'll are really making me miss Alaska!

A super-fun trip out of Anchorage is to ride the scenic train trip to Seward then hop on one of the small ships for a day trip out to the Kenai Fjord glaciers. We saw grizzlies, puffins, killer whales, sea otters, sea lions and too many majestic bald eagles to count!

One negative thing about the Alaska wilderness is the mosquitoes which are the biggest and meanest I've ever seen...and, YES they really can bite right through a pair of jeans!! (I always fished while smoking a big cigar...they hate the smoke.)

[ColoradoRick]

Funny story about Alaska...when we were riding the scenic train ride from Anchorage to Seward, a big section is right along the Cook Inlet and they have a rare beluga whale in those waters. When we started the trip, the tour guide encouraged everyone to keep their eyes open for wildlife and to yell out loud if they saw something so everyone can get up to look. We had many yelling out eagles and we saw a few grizzly bear. Then, my wife thought she saw a whale in the inlet so yelled out, "WHALE!" Everyone jumped up and then she sheepishly said, "Oh, sorry, I think it's just a log in the water!"

[Windjammin]

We went to Alaska in 2014, leaving Florida in early May and returning in early September. Had a great time. We did basically what V-Lite Fun said in post #8. We did go to Dawson City using the Top of the World Highway but left the trailer in the RV park in Tok and took the truck by itself. The road was a little bad in spots but was OK if you took it slow.

One other suggestion. We bought a book called Alaska Toursaver. It has a couple hundred coupons (mostly two for one) for all kinds of things. We saved well over $1000 using the coupons in the book. It costs about $100 and was well worth it.

[High Country]

I'm jealous Blackrock, come by Flagstaff and pick me up on the way. I was down your way last week on the Devil's Hwy, was surprised to see some snow.

Went to Alaska last year, my only tip is if you really want to see Denali Nat Park go in the fall and put in for the "Road Lottery". You apply in May and if you draw a permit you can access the park in your vehicle rather than ride in the Park service's school buses. Permit cost $10 to put in, and $25 park entrance fee if you draw it. The permit is good for the last week that the part is open in Sept.

Have fun and don't forget to feed the bears, they love how tourists taste!

[R&J Silverback]

To all that have posted on this thread, thanks so much. this stuff helps as I am a kind of a fly by the seat of my pants kind a guy

[Ddubya]

We will be going to Alaska August 1st. Decided not to pull the fiver from Texas. Instead we will fly into anchorage and rent a RV.
Has anyone done this?


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