Alaska - can it be done?

obiwancanoli wrote:
.... how best to organize such an adventure?

This is surprisingly a very easy trip to plan because there are not many road choices. Your choices will be made in lower Canada. To Alaska most take the Alaskan Hwy. . . returning many choose the Cassier Hwy. Some do the same highway both directions.

It looks like you're in California. If so, head straight up and cross in Washington at the Sumas border crossing - less congested that some others. Plan to spend your first night in nearby Hope, B.C. and regroup. Go grocery shopping, if needed. Go to the bank and exchange some currency if you want to use the great Canadian Provincial campgrounds. Some just have a drop box for your nightly fee. Hope is a neat little town with huge beautiful wood carvings lining the street. Wild Rose RV would be a nice first-night stop.

Purchase the Milepost which is excellent for history and individual area maps. Purchase Mike and Terri Church's book 'Alaskan Camping' which includes Canada and the Yukon. Purchase the TourSaver 2/1 coupon book. All these can be done online.

Then you're ready to go! Plan on spending the whole summer on this trip if you can. How often would you do it? See all you can the first time. You can always return to your favorite places.

The secret to the roads is to not think you'll be traveling at interstate speeds. In many places you'll be going slow but that's o.k. You'll be able to spot the animals easier. You'll have lots of company as you travel and you'll meet up with some of the same people off and on. They're all going to the same places.

You'll see all kinds of RVs and all sizes. There are plenty of campgrounds, RV parks or beautiful boondocking spots. They're all listed in Church's book.

Don't treat your trip as one big trip. Think of it as multiple small ones and you won't become discouraged by the mileage. On this forum is a Canada/Alaska section. Go there for additional reading. I hope you can take this awesome trip! You won't regret it.

"I live in California, and have heard the roads getting around there (Alaska), aren't really good"

You a Californian, as I am, are critizing Alaskan roads from "what you have heard?" They are better than California's roads!

It's a great trip and you should have no problems. After all you will have the "Italian Force" with you!!!! :B

.DP

Actually its probably better for the OP to take US97 north from Weed. This bypasses all the I5 fiascos including SeaTac. It also puts him east of the Cascades which if he used I5 would have to cross in Canada to get to 97 anyhow. Then its a straight shot north.

When people see the Alaska plates on my DP, they always ask about the roads. I then ask them is they've driven in California on the cement roads. If they have, and survived, they can certainly survive the trip to Alaska. Just slow down some in northern where the frost heaves are. You aren't in a race to get to Alaska - Canada has just as nice scenery.

Bill

Wow, great info., thanks to all. I plan many extended trips, will probably retire 2 years, then 2-3 months on the road at a time, so, AK's on the calendar, huge bucket list planned.... the books are great suggestions, too...

:) Hi, yes it can and should be done. We went several years ago. We left our home on July 1st. We were gone for 50 days. I made mud flaps for my tow vehicle and bubble wrapped the front of my trailer. I still got rock dings on my trailer, a broken window protector, and a chipped windshield. On the way up in July, the roads were all being repaired with gravel. On the way back in September, the roads were all finished and nice. This is a must do trip, but I recommend not doing it with brand new vehicles because they will get dinged. If there is a way to tell if they are done fixing the roads before you go, it might be easier on you and your vehicles. But it also might be too late in the season to drive there.

if you see red flags or red cones on the side of the road slow down, frost heaves, most of them are marked.freshly graded gravel roads can be bad I put a rock thru a tire,graders shear off rocks leaving sharp pieces in the road.

My aunt and uncle moved to the Kenai in the 1960s. I have had other relatives that moved up in the 1930s. The roads are much better now. Alaska Bob has made the drive 10 times. My aunt recently drove up last summer in an old Crown Victoria. She is 85.

I have driven a rental car from the end of the ferry line at Haines to the Kenai Peninsula through the Yukon for about 650 miles. That was a great trip, but it is awful far to drive up from Los Angeles.