Do the Stewart/Cassiar highway to or from AK?
We are making the Alaska adventure happen during 2015 for about five months. We plan to cross the US/Canada border somewhere close to early May or later and will be in no hurry. We will head north to...
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The Cassiar won't be showing any issues until spring thaw is well-underway. Give it until early June. Most of the water that floods the highway comes down from higher elevations so the flooding can go well into June and even July.
It is also spring thaw that creates the many potholes and pavement breaks. The Alaska Highway is usually better maintained as it is a major transportation route to Alaska.
The road to Salmon Glacier takes a bit longer to open in spring, also because it is in the higher elevations of the mountains.
In late summer the southern portion of the Alaska Highway (Fort Nelson to Dawson Creek) is very busy with commercial vehicles. The gas field companies have trucks going both directions too fast, in a race to wrap up their drilling seasons before the snow flies. We often felt like we were in an Indy race with the semi-trucks; they don't seem to appreciate RVs slowing them down.
For some reason, I feel the Cassiar is more scenic southbound. Not sure why, but it seems so. Maybe because as the passenger I get to look out the window at the coastal mountains, rather than across the truck and out the driver side.
It is also spring thaw that creates the many potholes and pavement breaks. The Alaska Highway is usually better maintained as it is a major transportation route to Alaska.
The road to Salmon Glacier takes a bit longer to open in spring, also because it is in the higher elevations of the mountains.
In late summer the southern portion of the Alaska Highway (Fort Nelson to Dawson Creek) is very busy with commercial vehicles. The gas field companies have trucks going both directions too fast, in a race to wrap up their drilling seasons before the snow flies. We often felt like we were in an Indy race with the semi-trucks; they don't seem to appreciate RVs slowing them down.
For some reason, I feel the Cassiar is more scenic southbound. Not sure why, but it seems so. Maybe because as the passenger I get to look out the window at the coastal mountains, rather than across the truck and out the driver side.
