I am planning a trip from Victoria BC to Alaska and was wondering if I need a GPS Navigation unit for use in Alaska? or is it map friendly enough.thanks

Alaska really only has three basic roads so it's not like you can get lost. That being said, I use my GPS for things like telling me when a pull out will be coming up. When you come around a corner you can't stop a large RV on a dime, so it's nice to know when you're close to a place that you want to stop. They're easier and quicker to use when trying to figure out how far you are from something or still have to drive to your destination.Buy the Mile Post, worth every penny for the first trip. Buy it now and read through it.GPS Necessary - No, Nice - YesBill

Our experience on the road indicates the following:GPS - Nice to have and usefulMilepost - Mandatory and necessary

I'm a newbie when it comes to Alaska, having only made one round trip drive... but I'm an a-hole, so I'll throw in my 2 cents anyway ;)In my humble opinion The Milepost is overrated... it's like a phone book filled with advertisements, that you have to pay for (phone books are free right?)If you're in the mood to drive 60-100 miles a day and stop every 10 minutes, the Milepost is your guideIf you're interested in where to camp and a few highlights along the way, get the Church's book "Traveler's Guide to Alaskan Camping"I don't know what you're driving or how adventurous you plan to drive it... there are tons of roads in Alaska, most of them dirt and full of chuck holes. Down these roads are AMAZING scenery and fewer tourists. Some of them are on GPS, some of them are not. I purchased a USGS topographical map of Alaska for my GPS, and those surveyors include every trail and road they come across... it was very handy.You don't need a $1000 RV GPS, anything in the $100-150 range will work - don't rely on it as if its word were gospel - use paper maps too and double check the GPS now and then.

Our experience on the road indicates the following:GPS - Nice to have and usefulMilepost - Mandatory and necessaryTwo visits there, wouldn't do it any other way. There's too much to Alaska for just "where to camp and a few highlights" IMHO.

GPS are handy for a lot of things. Looking for the turn off to a previously visited fishing spot, to identifying where photos are take with lat-Lon settings. I have both a permanent setup GPS in my truck and a portable one I can play with in the RV at night. Plus I carry a small portable GPS in my pocket when fishing. The Alaska fishing regs are the most complicated of any place I have fished in North America. Plus after wandering along a stream all day, when time to head back to the RV, a GPS can often show you a shorter route back, not always but sometimes. Sometimes the signals or the mapping get messed up. I had one GPS, on a trip years back that showed Valdez on the wrong side of the bay. But overal they are another good tool to have with you. While GPS coverage is claimed to be even around the world, in practice I haven't found that to be true.

Do I need a GPS in Alaska? | Good Sam Community

22 Replies

rag-ftw
Explorer
Jan 13, 2015
Our experience on the road indicates the following:
GPS - Nice to have and useful
Milepost - Mandatory and necessary
Trackrig
Explorer II
Jan 13, 2015
Alaska really only has three basic roads so it's not like you can get lost. That being said, I use my GPS for things like telling me when a pull out will be coming up. When you come around a corner you can't stop a large RV on a dime, so it's nice to know when you're close to a place that you want to stop. They're easier and quicker to use when trying to figure out how far you are from something or still have to drive to your destination.

Buy the Mile Post, worth every penny for the first trip. Buy it now and read through it.

GPS Necessary - No, Nice - Yes

Bill

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Do I need a GPS in Alaska?

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