Alaskan Tour with Mercedes Sprinter MBS

[SSmbs]

Just returned from a 11,000+ mile 3.5 week round trip tour from Minnesota to Alaska. Odometer went from 8500 to 19800. The trip through Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon was just as great as Alaska. No malfunctions with the Sunseeker MBS. Not many rock chips but the windshield did get a couple of chips. Mostly dry camping and only 3 nights with hookups. The longest we stayed in one location was 2 nights. Highly recommended trip.

[tamdle]

Originally Posted by SSmbs

Just returned from a 11,000+ mile 3.5 week round trip tour from Minnesota to Alaska. Odometer went from 8500 to 19800. The trip through Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon was just as great as Alaska. No malfunctions with the Sunseeker MBS. Not many rock chips but the windshield did get a couple of chips. Mostly dry camping and only 3 nights with hookups. The longest we stayed in one location was 2 nights. Highly recommended trip.

Wow! That is my "bucket list/dream" trip currently set for 2018. You must be early in the season, therefore, more dry camping spots for you. If you are with the Sunseeker MBS, your dry camping fluid tanks must be small, Alaska must have many places for you to dump your tanks, right?

Could you elaborate a little more about your adventure experience, like how was the road, the gas availability, gas price in Canada as well as in Alaska, were many dry camping spots readily available? etc... I am sure many of us would like to have your share of experience for our future plan.

Many thanks in advance.

[SSmbs]

Seldom paid for camping. Yukon has great public campgrounds for $12cdn. Stayed at wayside rests(no one hassles you),Fred Meyers(alaskan store) and walmarts. No problem with fuel-just don't pass a station below .5 tank. Paved roads except where there is construction but paved doesn't always mean smooth! The cost of the trip was 90% fuel.

[cajunAWACS]

We just did Seattle-BC-Yukon-Anchorage. 2013 Solera (MBS chassis). We did RV campgrounds to stay closer to the highway. Most had water and power hook-up, mostly 15A but not a problem for us.

Diesel was never a problem, but concur... Never pass a stop if you're under a half tank. Didn't track prices, but one helpful owner mentioned BC has a 22c/liter tax on diesel that Yukon and​Alberta don't.

Roads were mostly 2 lane, 100km/h (62mph) max most places. Some summer construction, be prepared for delays and rough rides at times but overall no biggie. I gets boring in places, but then you'll turn a corner and the view gets amazing.

Biggest advice is to have a great copilot and a copy of The Milepost.

[cajunAWACS]

Oh, and dump stations were plentiful along the entire route. Lots of parking rest areas to dry camp if you want.

[FFred]

If you listen to the radio, don't expect to in many parts of Alaska.

The local stations are maybe 5,000W and go a few miles.

The Am or FM radio can go 8 hours scanning and never find a station.

[SSmbs]

We activated the sirius xm for the trip but found that it rarely worked in the northern part of the state. The GPS was also malfunctioning. The locals said it was not a terrain issue but a too far north issue.

[Robertpaul]

Originally Posted by SSmbs

Just returned from a 11,000+ mile 3.5 week round trip tour from Minnesota to Alaska. Odometer went from 8500 to 19800. The trip through Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon was just as great as Alaska. No malfunctions with the Sunseeker MBS. Not many rock chips but the windshield did get a couple of chips. Mostly dry camping and only 3 nights with hookups. The longest we stayed in one location was 2 nights. Highly recommended trip.

Hope you stopped at Watson Lake in the Yukon and sure hope you know the history. It is very significant for folks from USA.

[pastime]

book "MILEPOST" will take guesswork out of what lies ahead. it will tell you what is ahead mile by mile. fuel camping, food etc. the milepost is the best travel book i have used.

[SSmbs]

Only stopped at Watson Lake on the way up for fuel. We took the Cassiar Highway on the way back. Just noticed the signpost forest there.

Yes, the milepost is a must have but not for continuous use-gets old if you read every entry.

[lucky55616]

We did the Alaska trip from Minnesota last summer, it is definitely a fantastic trip I agree that the journey through northern Canada along the Alaskan highway in the Yukon is a very enjoyble part of the trip. 1500 miles of wilderness with very few cities or services of any kind along the way but you see so much wildlife alongside the road and sometimes even crossing the road right in front of you. We encountered about 150 miles of construction gravel road in each direction and gas was running about $1.30 per liter or sometimes up to $1.60 per liter in Canada. The gas price dropped back down to about $2.60 per gallon as soon as we crossed the border into Alaska.

[bob5560g]

We're headed up from Oregon three weeks from now. Got the Milepost. My brother lives in Juneau. I asked "where should we go?" He talked about a nice hot springs he had been to once. I asked where it was. He said "Just go to Fairbanks and turn right" so that's the plan! (I highly recommend retirement....)

Of course we do have the Milepost, will be visiting Denali, towing a Suzuki Sidekick 4 x 4, behind our 2015 Forester MBS, etc.

[dahagen]

I found out two things on my Alaska trip a few years ago. Never pass up a gas station, and remember that BC means 'bring cash'. Gas went from $1.00 a liter in Alberta to $1.33 in BC. Oh...and #3...get the current Milepost book.

[zucicciu]

Just back from a 3-week drive (Las Vegas to Fairbanks and back = 7,300 miles). 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee towing a 2015 Forest River Rockwood A194HW (A-Frame).

A life-long bucket list item worth doing ... again and again. There is so much to see.

Not all RV camps are worth bragging about, but, they served the purpose while we kept moving day after day.

Roads are generally 2-lane with max speed of 90 Km/H (sometime 100).

Problems we encountered:

Lots of road construction (no issue) can cause massive dust clouds (issue) and flying gravel (big issue). Alternatively, if its raining while they smooth the gravel and spray oil on it, that wet stuff sticks to the TV and TT like concrete ... and probably weighs as much (big, big issue). Wash off ASAP!!

Lots of 'frost heaves' where the permafrost is/has melting/melted, consequently there is an abundance of these pesky [nearly stealthy] dips that could potentially damage your equipment if you take them too quickly. Keep an eye on the fog line (white line on the right side of the road for the tell-tale distortion and slow down.

Some potholes put the Grand Canyon to shame. We were surprised by a cluster of them at the top of a rise and, despite fast maneuvering, we still managed to hit one that, I later discovered, caused our trailer's spare tire and its mount to break off and vanish. (I'm disappointed FR used very cheap and thin bolts to hold up a heavy spare and its mount. All four snapped in one shot!)

From Fort Nelson to Watson Lake we saw many black bears, bison, elk, mountain sheep, wolves, foxes. From Whitehorse to Dawson City we saw only a grizzly.

We did the Top of the World Highway from Dawson City, YT to Tok, AK. The Canada side is gravel but very well maintained (we saw a huge porcupine and Mama and Baby moose). The US side fools you with a newly paved 5 miles of beautifully smooth road, but then ... oh, crap! The rest of the ride to Chicken, AK is NOT for the faint of heart. I would highly suggest you don't take an expensive RV on that road; In fact, I would suggest you would be a fool to do so. The Chicken, AK folks make a fortune every year going up and recovering rigs that go off and tumble down the sides or just simply breakdown (at $10-15K a pop!!) It is true bush road driving and can be devastating on your equipment (saw one black bear).

We left our home town on May 24 and hit the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek on May 30. Driving up to Alaska felt very lonely; very little traffic except for semis and other industrial transports. We came back from Fairbanks pretty much the same way about a week later and the northbound RV traffic was already insane. And we kept being told that schools were not out, yet! Driving this adventure requires immense patience. Picking the right dates can be tricky.

My personal appeal to ALL RVers. When driving on 2-lane roads, keep in mind the 2, 3, 10, 20 vehicles stuck behind you include folks who are actually working and need to make their deliveries or go provide whatever service to their customers. Be considerate and monitor the traffic behind you and anytime you have a chance to pullout (and there are hundreds of these on the AlCan), please let everyone by. You'll enjoy your leisurely pace while scanning for wildlife, while the others will be grateful you were so considerate. thank you!

[SidecarFlip]

Originally Posted by SSmbs

Just returned from a 11,000+ mile 3.5 week round trip tour from Minnesota to Alaska. Odometer went from 8500 to 19800. The trip through Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon was just as great as Alaska. No malfunctions with the Sunseeker MBS. Not many rock chips but the windshield did get a couple of chips. Mostly dry camping and only 3 nights with hookups. The longest we stayed in one location was 2 nights. Highly recommended trip.

11K miles in less than a month? You on a road race or what? If I was going to Alaska, I'd take a couple months at least and enjoy all the sights and things to do.

Actually, we have friends there right now with their RV. They are doing a 4 month trip. Just received a package of fresh Halibut from Valdez, Alaska we were sent. Our friends did a fishing charter trip out of Valdez. This week they are in Homer on the Homer Spit, salmon fishing. By the 4th they will be in Denali National Park.

3 weeks is way too short. You saw basically nothing and put on a ton of miles. I'm not about to do that. It's 'vacation' not a road race.

[DaveJordan]

Originally Posted by SidecarFlip

3 weeks is way too short. You saw basically nothing and put on a ton of miles. I'm not about to do that. It's 'vacation' not a road race.

Having driven to Alaska and back, and having spent over a month touring around Alaska while I was there... Alaska was fine, it was ok. But the drive up and back? Absolutely spectacular. And you don't need to spend three months doing it.

So everyone has their own ideas about what constitutes a vacation.

Dave

[CAT-RN]

I d be on the side of that's a lot of miles in a short period of time. 448 miles a day average for 24 days is lots of seat time.

But it wasn't my seat time. Everyone has different views as to how to see the country.

Russell

[zucicciu]

Sadly, not everyone is in a position to leave behind their responsibilities for a multi-month vacation, as desirable as that may be. Our strategy was to reconnoiter and pick future vacation destinations. For example: I'd rather fly up to Alaska, rent a Jeep or an RV and spend a few weeks exploring just Alaska; another plan is to identify 2 or 3 spots in Western Canada where we can establish a base for a week or two and explore the surrounding areas and activities ... and escape the scorching Las Vegas heat in the Summer. I don't hunt, fish, canoe, hike, ski, climb ... but I love experiencing the wildlife and the scenery, let alone the solitude! What's there not to love when you and a bear are staring at each other!?

[raptor]

but I love experiencing the wildlife and the scenery, let alone the solitude! What's there not to love when you and a bear are staring at each other!?

It calls next day bear poops!!!!!!!! Please I am joking.

[SSmbs]

We have always been sightseers that keep moving after we have checked an area out. For us it is more about exploring and the trip. The sights in Banff, Jasper, and the Yukon are as great or greater than Alaska. We saw more wildlife in BC and the Yukon than Alaska. If you plan on taking part in the typical tourist activities bring a thick wallet- $400 for fishing, $250 for a 30 minute ride on a helicopter to a glacier, etc. We did do a great tour out of Valdez. $130 for a 10 hour boat tour on the LuLu Belle to view a glacier and see ocean wildlife.
It suppose it all depends on where you live. I have all the fishing,camping,lakes,and trees I need right here in northern Minnesota.