Alaska RV trip loop routes/planning resources
Planning a trip with our 3 boys who will be 17, 14, 8, to Alaska, Mid July 2020 for 3 weeks. We don't have time to drive there with our TT, so will fly, into Anchorage and hire a Motorhome. Prob spe...
Forum Discussion
"I sure as he!! wouldn't let it deter me from running to Mc Carthy or the Denali Hwy. The risk is that you're on your own for a tow or repairs if you break down on one of those roads.
Of course one pays a premium to use someone else's equipment. It's a convenience for the user that comes at a cost. How much of AK do you want to see? and how much do you want to pay?
For the OP, in good weather, the MCarthy Road and Denali highway are 100% passable, easily with most any RV and not risky (to me anyway)."
GritDog raises some good points. Some things to consider:
- Even if otherwise allowed, travel on the McCarthy Road or the Denali Highway may put recovery on your own nickel...read the fine print, but sometimes there's a towing exclusion for those areas as they are outside of the range of many Los Anchorage, Mat-Su, or Fbks based wreckers. Case-by-case thing, so can't say for sure.
- I've "only" made one trip per year on the McCarthy Road the past 3 years ('16, '17, '18) and only one trip ('17) on the Denali highway recently. Surprisingly, no flats on any of those trips....but both roads (either due to sharp rocks or otherwise) can be tough on tires. Have a spare at least; ideally a plug / patch kit and a portable compressor.
- Personal opinion only: FWIW, despite having driven per above, I don't like to drive the McCarthy Road...it's generally slow, the best scenery is at the end of the road, and McCarthy is (IMNSHO) becoming a destination point for outdoor hipsters...and, although it's still a 4-hour jaunt, I can fly to McCarthy pretty easily in the ol PA-12.
- Also opinion; in anything except late fall drizzle and fog (i.e. rainy, foggy, 35 degrees) the Denali Highway is the most scenic drive in Alaska. My preference is to drive East from Cantwell to Paxson since the Paxson to Los Anchorage leg is more scenic than the Los Anchorage - Cantwell leg, although not by much.
- Barring early or late season travel (i.e. before the road dries out in the spring or while it is getting snow but not enough to plow), both Denali and the McCarthy road are good roads. Denali shuts down in the winter and McCarthy is "shut down" only during transition periods....although I'm not sure what Alaska's recent budget gyrations will do to road maintenance efforts on the McCarthy Road.
All that being said, were I renting a car, just for myself, I'd be somewhat reluctant to drive to McCarthy...particularly since there are quite a few other options (fly-in, bus lines, etc) that take one from Chitina to McCarthy. There are very limited alternatives for seeing the Denali Highway other than driving oneself...so I'd be a bit quicker to "break the rules" if need be to drive the Denali.
Of course one pays a premium to use someone else's equipment. It's a convenience for the user that comes at a cost. How much of AK do you want to see? and how much do you want to pay?
For the OP, in good weather, the MCarthy Road and Denali highway are 100% passable, easily with most any RV and not risky (to me anyway)."
GritDog raises some good points. Some things to consider:
- Even if otherwise allowed, travel on the McCarthy Road or the Denali Highway may put recovery on your own nickel...read the fine print, but sometimes there's a towing exclusion for those areas as they are outside of the range of many Los Anchorage, Mat-Su, or Fbks based wreckers. Case-by-case thing, so can't say for sure.
- I've "only" made one trip per year on the McCarthy Road the past 3 years ('16, '17, '18) and only one trip ('17) on the Denali highway recently. Surprisingly, no flats on any of those trips....but both roads (either due to sharp rocks or otherwise) can be tough on tires. Have a spare at least; ideally a plug / patch kit and a portable compressor.
- Personal opinion only: FWIW, despite having driven per above, I don't like to drive the McCarthy Road...it's generally slow, the best scenery is at the end of the road, and McCarthy is (IMNSHO) becoming a destination point for outdoor hipsters...and, although it's still a 4-hour jaunt, I can fly to McCarthy pretty easily in the ol PA-12.
- Also opinion; in anything except late fall drizzle and fog (i.e. rainy, foggy, 35 degrees) the Denali Highway is the most scenic drive in Alaska. My preference is to drive East from Cantwell to Paxson since the Paxson to Los Anchorage leg is more scenic than the Los Anchorage - Cantwell leg, although not by much.
- Barring early or late season travel (i.e. before the road dries out in the spring or while it is getting snow but not enough to plow), both Denali and the McCarthy road are good roads. Denali shuts down in the winter and McCarthy is "shut down" only during transition periods....although I'm not sure what Alaska's recent budget gyrations will do to road maintenance efforts on the McCarthy Road.
All that being said, were I renting a car, just for myself, I'd be somewhat reluctant to drive to McCarthy...particularly since there are quite a few other options (fly-in, bus lines, etc) that take one from Chitina to McCarthy. There are very limited alternatives for seeing the Denali Highway other than driving oneself...so I'd be a bit quicker to "break the rules" if need be to drive the Denali.
