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Old 07-22-2016, 07:08 AM   #1
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North to Alaska

In 2017, my wife and I are planning on driving our GMC Sierra 5.3 to Alaska pulling our 2012 Rockwood Mini Lite 2304. We'll be leaving from SW Michigan as soon as weather permits, likely around May 1st. Our tentative plans are to head to Glacier NP, visit a couple of days, head North and do the same at Banff and Jasper, then head over towards Skagway enroute to Fairbanks; then work our way around the state.
We're looking for tips, ideas, don't miss stops and out of the way treats.
Your help will be appreciated.
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Old 07-22-2016, 07:21 AM   #2
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In 2017, my wife and I are planning on driving our GMC Sierra 5.3 to Alaska pulling our 2012 Rockwood Mini Lite 2304. We'll be leaving from SW Michigan as soon as weather permits, likely around May 1st. Our tentative plans are to head to Glacier NP, visit a couple of days, head North and do the same at Banff and Jasper, then head over towards Skagway enroute to Fairbanks; then work our way around the state.
We're looking for tips, ideas, don't miss stops and out of the way treats.
Your help will be appreciated.
We are planning a Caravan in 2018 - too bad you are a year early

Check out this thread for some info:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...8-a-84973.html
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Old 07-22-2016, 01:20 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by bdalejack51 View Post
In 2017, my wife and I are planning on driving our GMC Sierra 5.3 to Alaska pulling our 2012 Rockwood Mini Lite 2304. We'll be leaving from SW Michigan as soon as weather permits, likely around May 1st. Our tentative plans are to head to Glacier NP, visit a couple of days, head North and do the same at Banff and Jasper, then head over towards Skagway enroute to Fairbanks; then work our way around the state.

We're looking for tips, ideas, don't miss stops and out of the way treats.

Your help will be appreciated.

I am planning on leaving North Carolina May the first in 17. Glacier National Park is a pretty place, we went there this year. We were planning on going to Alaska this year but we got to Glacier and then came back home. We had problems with reservations, that will not happen next year. At all the stops there will be reservations made already, all I'll to do is get there


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Old 09-11-2016, 01:51 PM   #4
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my Wife and I will be heading north to Alaska for a 2 month trip starting 6 June in our Coachman Mirada 35BH. Leaving from Dallas TX and heading up to Glacier national Park. We will be joined by our friends from Arkansas in Glacier and then start the trip north. Have used RV trip wizard to do the planning, and reading as many blogs and forums to ensure a smooth trip. My only concern so far is that we may be a bit early and not get to see what we want in Glacier before heading north. Happy to share our trip route and definitely open to and advice and sugestions.
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Old 09-11-2016, 02:50 PM   #5
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Glacier is a awesome place, that's one thing I hate is getting there to early to drive Going In The Sun highway. But I want to go early and maybe I can get back in time for the rally in Goshen. Any way maybe by going early I'll get to see some snow.


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Old 09-11-2016, 08:09 PM   #6
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We hope to do this trip someday, too. Bucket list item.
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Old 09-11-2016, 08:15 PM   #7
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Went up in 2012. Get Milepost, great guide for the ALCAN and provides information on what to see, campgounds etc. also, don't go too early, when they say the campgounds open in May, they mean the end of May. We packed alot of dry goods and restocked when we got to AK since the price of grocerys is high along the ALCAN. We went without any resveration and didn't have a problem finding a place to stop, but did have resveration in AK.
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Old 09-12-2016, 06:48 AM   #8
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Did the trip this year but bypassed Glacier, Banff and Jasper. Didn't hit Haines or Skagway either. Mainly wanted to GET TO Alaska and see all I could of that great state. My route was Tok to Fairbanks down to Valdez back out and over to McCarthy then back out to Glennallen. On down the Glenn Highway and zoomed right through Anchorage to the Kenai country where I spent 3 weeks visiting friends, sightseeing and fishing.
From the Kenai back up through Anchorage to Denali where I stayed in Cantwell and did a flightseeing trip of McKinley and drove up past Denali on the Parks hwy for a ways. Back to Cantwell and across to Paxson on the Old Denali Highway, on back to Tok where I resupplied and then hammered it back down to the border in 5 days.

Be sure to stock up in Grand Prairie AB going up as prices start escalating on up through BC and YT. Prices in Tok are high but reasonable but only one good grocery store. Fairbanks has Sam Club, Wal Mart and Fred Meyers. Valdez has a nice Safeway store. Glennallen doesn't have much. Anchorage has a Costco, Soldotna and Kenai have lots of major stores and decent prices. Nothing much in Homer or Seward but they do have the basics.

Avoid Pink Mountain BC, do plan a stop at Toad River BC. Watson Lake YT prices are sky high, Whitehorse is nice but congested. Cottenwood CG on Kluane Lake is nice but 30a only and wifi only at the office area.

Beautiful scenery the way the roads e generally pretty good all the up to Whitehorse.
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Old 09-12-2016, 07:26 AM   #9
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bdale,
As Spock alludes, it is likely the Going to the Sun road in Glacier NP will be closed when you are there (if memory serves, we once drove it on July 2, the first day it opened that year). It is worth doing if open on your return, but you cannot take the trailer over. You can drive around to 'the other side' of the park, be aware it is a bit of a hike. And you can always go back another year.

for your trip.
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Old 09-14-2016, 08:47 AM   #10
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As suggested, get the Milepost before doing any more planning. It is the best Alaska trip planning guide money can buy, but the 2017 edition won't be out until next March (borrow or buy an older edition to get started). Then go to Alaska Travel Deals | Coupons for Alaska tours & travel discounts and buy the Alaska TourSaver coupon book. It may seem expensive, but you will more than pay for it by taking one glacier cruise tour in Whittier or Valdez. You might also get on rv.net and read their "Roll Call Alaska 2017" thread and their Alaska "stickies" for a wealth of trip info and a chance to get together with like-minded Alaska travelers while you are on the road.

I worked off and on in Alaska since 1972 and have been as far from the highways as you can get by air. But my favorite parts of the state are still Valdez and Sitka, one reachable by road and one by AMHS ferry via Juneau. Seward used to be one of my favorites and is still beautiful, but like Skagway is now overrun by cruise ship passengers. A cruise to Kenai Fjords NP is still worthwhile, even without the benefit of a TourSaver discount, due to the amount of wildlife you will see (I have been on that cruise 3 times over a 20-year period and it never gets old).

So, if you take the ferry from or to Bellingham, WA, or you drive to Skagway or Haines, try to schedule a side trip by ferry to Sitka (maybe even without the RV). And even if you have to skip spending time in Anchorage to fit it into your schedule, don't miss Valdez. You won't regret either decision!

For the OP--We took our 2012 Mini Lite 2109S on our 2013 Alaska trip and enjoyed its small size in lots of campgrounds. But it got a little too small after a couple of months of 24/7 living! And that's why we now have a 5th wheel.
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Old 09-14-2016, 09:08 AM   #11
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Just the drive to Valdez is jaw dropping. From the top of Thompson Pass on down have your cameras out. Get a local map because there are more roads and trails than you can imagine in this little town.
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Old 09-14-2016, 09:52 AM   #12
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Avoid Pink Mountain BC, do plan a stop at Toad River BC. Watson Lake YT prices are sky high, Whitehorse is nice but congested. Cottenwood CG on Kluane Lake is nice but 30a only and wifi only at the office area.
Agree completely! Pink Mountain and nearby Sikani Chief campgrounds are the pits. Toad River was our favorite campground for the entire Alaska trip and Haines Hitch-Up was a not-so-close second (no views at Haines--or nearly anywhere else--to match Toad River's!).

Junction 37 was old and poorly maintained and had no WiFi, but it did have long, FHU, pull-through sites with some privacy. It was the only reasonably priced campground in Watson Lake, so we stayed there going and coming on our Alaska trip. Hi Country RV Park in Whitehorse also had a little privacy between pretty narrow sites and good WiFi only at the office. It had much better upkeep than Junction 37, but it was also more expensive.

We also stayed at Cottonwood, but most campgrounds in YT and Alaska are only 30A. Many are generator-powered (no power lines), so that was one reason for taking a 30A-only RV. For those needing 50A power, you will often have to either generate it yourself or do without one AC unit. You shouldn't need AC most of the trip anyway once you leave the US and Alberta. You also shouldn't expect good WiFi in any campground on an Alaska trip and you won't even have cell service along much of the route.

"Privacy" between sites is relative in Alaska and YT because many (most?) private RV parks are just gravel parking lots with hookups. Provincial and state campgrounds generally have larger (but not necessarily longer) campsites with more space between RVs and more scenic views. But few public campgrounds have hookups and many have no water (too cold for exposed hydrants) or sanidumps (permafrost, shallow bedrock, or nearby waterways prevent leachfield construction). Probably the nicest public campground we stayed in on the entire trip was at Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park on the Alaska Highway in BC. And a dip in the hot springs pool was wonderful!

BTW, overnighting in pull-outs along highways is legal in most of Alaska and YT unless posted. So, if your RV is equipped for boondocking, you don't always have to find a campground if you are just "travelin'" and not sightseeing.
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Old 09-14-2016, 10:36 AM   #13
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Surprisingly McCarthy had good cell power and with my Verizon hot spot internet was fast. Since it is pretty much all private property all you get is a parking spot for $20 a night but a location and view out of this world.
That is if you are brave enough to drive that washboard pot holed road all the way in and back out. I did and survived ok.
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Old 09-14-2016, 11:08 AM   #14
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That is if you are brave enough to drive that washboard pot holed road all the way in and back out. I did and survived ok.
Yea, we took the van shuttle from the Kenny Lake Campground and had two flat tires on the trip to McCarthy. Fortunately, the van service has repaired tires on spare wheels stashed along the route and a tire repair shop in McCarthy fixed the second one while we were visiting Kennecott. I am glad we decided not to take our truck and, especially, our trailer to McCarthy!

We stayed at Kenny Lake twice, once to go to visit Kennecott and then head down to Valdez and once on our way back from Valdez going to Palmer. We never stayed in Anchorage, but used RV parks in Palmer and Wasilla and a state park in Eagle River on our way through it.
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