Best place to turn north?

Harvey51 wrote:

On the other hand, before you get to Dawson Creek, you get views like this.
click
:B

Nice! Anyone know where that is? My first thought was the Azuzetta Lake valley in the Rocky Mountain Trench an hour or so west and south of Chetwynd but it isn't quite right.

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That is Bow lake (Banff N.P.) alomg the Ice Fields parkway. In the background - and the probable subject of his picture -is Crowfoot Glacier. The bottom 'toe' of the Crowfoot fell off in the early 50s or late 40s. My folks had old black and white pictures of the whole 'foot'!
Credential - ex Park Warden , Banff N.P.
John

Having taken 20+ RT's on the Alcan (I'll call it that as that's what I heard on my 1st trip in either 74 or 76, can't recall)...

- Any increased expense in Canada is miniscule compared to the overall cost of the trip;
- I've been bit by the exchange rate a time or two; I've benefitted from the exchange rate a time or two..no big deal either way;
- I really enjoyed spending a week in Vancouver a few years back...overall it was no more expensive than a similar week in Seattle or LA. Couldn't get my head around Loonies and Toonies, so used the CC quite a bit.
- I'm a die-hard Alaska fan (see my posts since 2004)...but much of BC (including before DC) as well as the whole Kluane / Destruction Bay area is as scenic as any road-scenery in AK.

fulltimedaniel wrote:
As many have said virtually everything is unnecessarily expensive in Canada especially Gas-fuel, food and beer-wine.

I would avoid as much of Canada as Possible. Having said that I would head north through Alberta which has much cheaper fuel that BC. BC has a punitive Carbon Tax. Enter into Dawson Creek through Alberta.

It is really after Dawson Creek that the scenery gets better and better so you really wont miss too much.

And don't be fooled by the strength of the dollar. Even though the exchange is in our favor the costs will still be significantly higher than here in the US. This is why Canadians continue to flock to the Border Wal Marts and other stores despite their currency being worth-less.

----2 quotes out of your post

" everything is unnecessarily expensive in Canada"

"despite their currency being worth-less."

OK Daniel,
Can you explain what you mean by "unnecessarily"
I just wonder why you used the word?
Do you have a suggestion how we make everything cheaper up here since its "unnecessarily" expensive. I always thought its just expensive.:h

And are you saying our currency is worthless, OR worth "less" ?
Your use of a hyphen in there is also confusing and could be construed as kinda disrespectful if you mean worthless.

I have spent about $10,000 worth-less Canadian dollars in Florida each of the last 4 years and they seem to like them just fine.
The only things consistently cheaper here in FL after conversion of money is the two necessities, gas and alcohol. The non-necessities like groceries and rent are actually more expensive.
Anyway, you enjoy your travels wherever you amy go eh..:B

You could use a boat to freight your RV to Alaska if you truly want to avoid Canada that badly you know. :W

If you click the arrow on the top LH corner of either a Photo Sphere or a Streetview, it will take you back to the overhead view. This is Bow Lake, but taken either before or after the big pull out that most of the views are taken from.

On the other hand, before you get to Dawson Creek, you get views like this.
click
:B

Nice! Anyone know where that is? My first thought was the Azuzetta Lake valley in the Rocky Mountain Trench an hour or so west and south of Chetwynd but it isn't quite right.

I do not have a suggestion but wanted to post so that this goes into my posts so I have your amazing ideas handy when we make this trip in a couple years. Sorry!

Orion wrote:

It is really after Dawson Creek that the scenery gets better and better so you really wont miss too much.

Um, well, I'm not sure about that. Here is a random view from Google maps, quite a few miles north of Dawson Creek.

Click

On the other hand, before you get to Dawson Creek, you get views like this.

click

:B

What Orion said

romore wrote:
That is an incredibly scenic route. After you enter Canada take highway 3 then 22 north, it is much more interesting than 2 and you miss Calgary which IMHO is just another large city.
From Jasper go west on 16 then north on 37 to the Yukon, return by the Alaska and Yellowhead highways to Winnipeg. It will be an unforgettable trip. Oh, and have LOTS of room on the camera card.

I've been on all the roads mentioned and I'd vary this route a bit. I would take US 2 west all the way to Washington State, then head north on Hwy 97 from Oroville, Washington to Prince George, BC. That way you can hit the absolutely gorgeous lakes and vineyard/orchard-covered hillsides of the Okanagan Valley, one of our favorite places in western Canada. Then come back south from Dawson Creek to Jasper and Banff NPs and Trans-Canada 1 to Winnipeg. If you haven't been there before, I would even extend the Trans-Canada portion of the route east to include Lake of the Woods, another gorgeous part of Canada.

garyhaupt wrote:

fulltimedaniel wrote:
As many have said virtually everything is unnecessarily expensive in Canada especially Gas-fuel, food and beer-wine.

I would avoid as much of Canada as Possible. Having said that I would head north through Alberta which has much cheaper fuel that BC. BC has a punitive Carbon Tax. Enter into Dawson Creek through Alberta.

It is really after Dawson Creek that the scenery gets better and better so you really wont miss too much.

And don't be fooled by the strength of the dollar. Even though the exchange is in our favor the costs will still be significantly higher than here in the US. This is why Canadians continue to flock to the Border Wal Marts and other stores despite their currency being worth-less.

Well...I shall take exception to your comment about the scenery gets better after Dawson. If a person heads west on 16 to Kitwanga..the Cassiar..and turns north, they will not be disappointed. Best is south to north...the mountains are amazing.

Then I will drift off into the rest of your text. And yep,you are right...it does cost more in Canada and more yet in BC. If that is the sole reason to not see as much as one can, people are better off flying up and renting an RV. Faster too. We do pay huge taxes and shelf costs to live here. We are pretty darned proud of our country and province too...so...please, just be aware of that when you cross over the border.


Gary Haupt

Well I agree that there are great things to see along the Cassiar. But you have to ask yourself, unless you have endless funds, what your goal is.

If your goal it to see Alaska then it seems reasonable to take the shortest most economical and fastest route there and spend the majority of your time...and money in Alaska. That is what I did. Don't get me wrong We enjoyed the scenery and animals along the Hwy and some of the great campgrounds but our goal was Alaska.

After my experience traveling through Canada this last time I have to sadly say that if I could get my RV to Alaska without having to get through Canada for the same cost as driving I'd do it.

It is really after Dawson Creek that the scenery gets better and better so you really wont miss too much.

Um, well, I'm not sure about that. Here is a random view from Google maps, quite a few miles north of Dawson Creek.

Click

On the other hand, before you get to Dawson Creek, you get views like this.

click

:B