Edmonton and Calgary bypass???

netjam wrote:
About 20 miles before Edmonton is a big sign “Edmonton Bypass” which is highway 19. Take 19 west to highway 60 then north on 60 to highway 16 which is the route to Alaska.

Good route for sure! Highway 19 goes west along the north edge of Edmonton International Airport to highway 60 north through Devon. 19 gets busy at rush hours. If you turn too soon and find yourself in the airport (fill up with the lowest cost fuel in the area), consult your GPS - it will guide you to highway 19 on a back road without going back to highway 2. North of Devon across the river you will have a westward choice of 16A (4 lanes with all services in Spruce Grove and Stoney Plain) or 16 (6 lanes, no services). On a camping trip to Alaska, I would continue on highway 16 west to Hinton and take highway 40 north to Grande Prairie and Dawson Creek. Lots of good camping including safe boondocking places.

Another thought is to take the Henday bypass (highway 216) west around to the northwest corner of Edmonton. You’ll find highway 2 there, continuing north to Athabaska and Great Slave Lake through a land of lakes with many campgrounds. This route has fewer hills and less traffic than the highway 43 route. Don’t miss the big provincial park on the east end of Slave Lake with campsite on top of the sand dunes. From Slave Lake there are less heavily travelled highways west to Dawson Creek.

netjam wrote:
To go around Calgary, take 201 ( Stoney Trail ) to get to highway 2 towards Edmonton. About 20 miles before Edmonton is a big sign “Edmonton Bypass” which is highway 19. Take 19 west to highway 60 then north on 60 to highway 16 which is the route to Alaska. The 201 is a ring road around the east side of Calgary with no lights.

X2. Did this last year. Painless for the most part.

Although 22 in Alberta shorter, the highway is not the greatest with rough sections and it wanders around a bit. Nice drive, but I'm not sure that it will save any time over the above route.

pirlbeck wrote:

cruiserjs wrote:
Seems like a lot of confusion above.
Try this - take I 15 and cross at Sweetgrass/Coutts. At Canada 3 go west to Pimcher Creek, Plus 2 miles west - junction of 22. Take 22 north until it hits Trans Canada Highway - #1(near Cochrane).Continue thru Cochrane to #1A and turn west for a short distance to junction of 40. Go north on 40 through Hinto and Grande Cache to Grande Prairie and #43. West to Dawson Creek and mile0 of the Alaska Highway. Amd away you go!!
Enjoy my home province without the hassle of the cities!!
John

Thanks, sounds like a great plan!

We got on the road this afternoon and have 350 miles down.

Thanks to everyone for the help!

Better check on highway 40 from 1A to Hinton. I believe some of it is still highway 734 and gravel. From Hinton on it is paved & OK.
You could go up to #16 on #22 then west to #40

hedge wrote:
I sure would not recommend taking hwy 40 just west of Cochrane through Waiperous. That's a twisty narrow, mostly gravel road. It doesn't really get much better until Hinton.

Maybe that wasn't what was meant above but those directions sure sound like it. You can take hwy 22 all the way north to hwy 16 and then go west to grande cache. Hwy 22 jogs west a few times during the route.

Highway #22 is an excellent choice.

lundbreck falls are quite near you--a small detour. Also Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump.

I sure would not recommend taking hwy 40 just west of Cochrane through Waiperous. That's a twisty narrow, mostly gravel road. It doesn't really get much better until Hinton.

Maybe that wasn't what was meant above but those directions sure sound like it. You can take hwy 22 all the way north to hwy 16 and then go west to Hinton. Hwy 22 jogs west a few times during the route.

In Pincher Creek having lunch now. Border crossings was very fast and easy. Information center a few miles north of the crossing has some printed tips sheet on this route. They call it the Cowboy route or also the pink route. Roads so far have been very good.

cruiserjs wrote:
Seems like a lot of confusion above.
Try this - take I 15 and cross at Sweetgrass/Coutts. At Canada 3 go west to Pimcher Creek, Plus 2 miles west - junction of 22. Take 22 north until it hits Trans Canada Highway - #1(near Cochrane).Continue thru Cochrane to #1A and turn west for a short distance to junction of 40. Go north on 40 through Hinto and Grande Cache to Grande Prairie and #43. West to Dawson Creek and mile0 of the Alaska Highway. Amd away you go!!
Enjoy my home province without the hassle of the cities!!
John

Thanks, sounds like a great plan!

We got on the road this afternoon and have 350 miles down.

Thanks to everyone for the help!

Darryl&Rita wrote:
Best speed, but worst sightseeing, stay on Hwy 4/3/2 from Coutts/Sweetgrass. Calgary ring road is # 201, but it doesn't seem to be appreciably faster than staying on Deerfoot Trail. Edmonton, jump onto the Anthony Henday westbound. Its well signed, so follow instructions. The Henday will take you from the South side to the West end. Here you will jump on Hwy 16 west, then 43 North.

All going well Deerfoot may be just as quick but traffic is much heavier and chances of delays greater. 201 is more relaxing

That is an extremely busy port. Long line ups are more than possible--I've had to wait 2.5 hours.

MDKMDK wrote:
west to Minot, ND, and crossed at Portal.