Do I need a GPS in Alaska?

3 trips to Alaska and every Province in Canada. WOULD NOT LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT.

FWIW...

I used a Garmin 495 in the -12. Probably use about 30-50% of it's capabilities in the air. It also has Marine capability (I use 5% of that) and auto capability (0% since I tend to know the roads in AK). However, the 495 (as posted by Sue) is very useful for following Forest Service Trails, seeing where the stream goes, deciding to walk on the ridge or in the valley, etc. When I fly somewhere and don't want to take anything else, I simply pop the 495 out of the dock and use it as a handheld...world's most expensive handheld GPS.

I also have a Garmin 62 something that I use when driving or going somewhere where it is either not convenient or too risky to take the 495. I have no interest in points of interest, but I've downloaded most of the available Alaska topos and other maps and having the GPS is handy to sense check all of the above and/or some general guidance in certain towns in Alaska.

The GPS maps for the north are typically out-of-date. But then so are the print maps, if you're a stickler for accuracy. It isn't uncommon to have the GPS demonstrating that you're driving cross country, far from the highway. And there are few POIs for the north; apparently just not a priority for the GPS map developers.

But then we don't use our GPS to find our way on the highway. Because we do a lot of backroads and goat trails, the GPS is most useful for the topography. If we're rattling along a trail, I can tell how far it is to the lake's edge and how much elevation we'll be losing on the way there.

When we explore on foot, the GPS is also handy. Came in handy while kayaking an obscure lake in Northern BC too, we were able to get some folks pointed back in the right direction after they became disoriented.

If you plan to stick to the highways and main roads, print maps will do the job just fine and be more accurate than the GPS mapping.

For Northern BC, get yourself the applicable Backroad Mapbook. It is accurate. Their GPS mapping is also very good. I know...I used it when it first came out and then let them know corrections. They took the data, updated, and released a new GPS map SDHC card. They also gave me a lifelong subscription to updates. The rumour mill tells me they're working on a similar edition for the Yukon. Looking forward to it!

Howdy!

I use our GPS constantly to find RV/campgrounds, Walmart,etc... We had a emergency with one of our pets and glad we had the GPS to find the veterinarian. Many uses for a GPS.

"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon

X3 on Church's book. As for GPS blind spots we have not encountered that problem and have driven from Tok to Deadhorse to Homer to Valdez and back to Tok via McCarthy. Our Garmin was setting on the dash of the motorhome with no external antenna! Probably 90% of the Cubs and Super Cubs use GPS as their primary means of navigating in Alaska. Now if you want to talk about DirecTV that is another kettle of fish altogether. I don't believe our satellite dish worked anywhere in Alaska! That's where the Southern horizon and mountains come into play. The satellites are approximately 10 degrees off the horizon and blocked by mountains or trees in Alaska from reception with the smaller rv dish. (It was kind of nice not having tv for most of 5 months!). Sirius radio worked occasionally until we got North of Wasilla, then nothing.

GordonThree wrote:
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 guide

If 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.

X2 on Church's book. There are lots of blind spots for the GPS in Alaska. Any mountain close and south of you will block the signals.

Most GPS units allow you to download Points-Of-Interest (POIs) and the Discovery Owners RV Web site has a lot of these files for RVers. I've downloaded the POI files that list things like dump stations, National State/Provincial Parks, most RV parks, etc. It can be handy when you're looking for a place to stop for the night to pull up one of these lists, select a park to stop at and have the GPS navigate you there.

Unfortunately on my trip to Alaska last summer I screwed up the files and they weren't usable for me in the RV GPS. Luckily I had a smart phone with a lot of the campground information loaded. Luckier still, since I was headed back to my childhood home, I have a good friend with an RV spot on a lake in his backyard. He even had power waiting for me.

Discovery Owners POI files

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.

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

Two 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.

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 guide

If 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.