Alaska???

Sure do app. All the good advice. Really looking forward to spring

We tend to run to Alaska out of south Florida every two or three years. Not having any time restrictions on your trip, I think you will enjoy having the extra room of your TT. People that have lots of time seem to stay parked in one spot longer and day trip out of that location. Visitors with a more restrictive time line have to keep moving along so often enjoy a smaller rig. Our last four round trips have been with a truck camper, but the most round trips we have made were in a mid sized Class C bunk model. Have also used a pop up tent trailer, a Class A and a fifth wheel once. I have never found that the vehicle I am driving has much to do with the amount of pleasure I have received on the trip. On a normal summer trip, whatever that is, the truck camper works fine, but if it is a rainy summer, the TC gets smaller as the trip goes on. LOL

If you are comfortable towing your trailer here in the lower 48, you will do fine in Canada and Alaska with it. On our next trip north, we have talked about taking our fifth wheel with us, just to be more comfortable. Not really anyplace in our TC very comfortable to sit around in the evenings.

With any tow behind, make sure you have good tires, a couple of spares, don't have to be mounted, and that your axle bearings are properly lubricated. Also watch your overall load. Trailers seem to have more running gear problems than the self powered units. Builders are getting better at putting proper sized tires on trailers than they used to do. I have never pulled a TT to/from Alaska, but only because I have never owned one. We just take what we have at the time of the trip.

I pull a 33' TT with Dodge 2500 diesel. Total length 65 feet. No problems.

Leave early, I left Jan from South AL follow the Gulf Coast to Big Bend NP, Turned north and follow the snow to Yellowstone etc. Left AK mid-Sept. I carry 20 gl extra fuel in the back of my pickup -- at 10MPG I did not want to run short. AK is ideal for dry camping on the side of the road.

Check your credit cards some charge an extra charge in CA. Some (Chase ?) do not. In any case let the Credit Card company know you will be out of state otherwise they may place a hold on your card. You will need a passport.

I did it in a 'C', pulling a Jeep Wrangler Toad. Visited a friend from here in Cincinnati, OH that had a summer cabin in Cooper Landing, AK. on the Kenai Peninsula. Then I continued north past Denali National Park (Mt. McKinley) to Fairbanks, then headed back home. The round trip took about 4 months, but I was in no hurry. Trip of a lifetime. The northern parts of Canada seemed more remote to me than Alaska. No problem finding gas, but I refilled at half a tank. There were a couple of days when I didn't see another vehicle coming or going the entire day.
If you go, do your customs homework before you head north. And get some Canadian money before you leave home. American Express will do it for you. Don't expect people 50 miles or more north to know the current exchange rates.

Well it's not like your going to a foreign country - Ooh... that's right Canada is a foreign country. :R

Generally the 2 lane paved roads are OK except in the frost heave areas.

No, your rig is not to big for the main roads. You will want to day trip in tow vehicle for some locales and routes.

We drove up there three times in a 41' motorhome if that helps.

Ed Headington

Thanks. I need advice on if anybody thinks the rig will be to big.

There is an Alaska Forum on .Net....well, it's a shared Forum...shared with Canada. Anyway, lots of folks post on there with questions and so on.


Gary Haupt