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olygene's avatar
olygene
Explorer
May 18, 2014

Is there Organic Fresh Food on the Alaska Hwy

We are planning to leave June 7 for 2 months between Seattle - Anchorage and return. I am on a fairly strict dietary regimen due to bladder cancer and insulin dependent diabetes which requires mostly organic food (fruits and vegetable). We are travelling by Class C with limited storage so will need to regularly stop and restock our food supply.

Are there grocery stores along the Alaska Hwy that stock organic foods? Are they in most towns along the hwy? Can you remember exactly which towns have these stores? I would really appreciate any input since I have not found any forum that discusses the availability of organic foods on the Alaska Hwy. Thank You.

25 Replies

  • The Three Bears grocery in Tok is a good stop for us, whether we are taking the Cutoff south or the Richardson on to Fairbanks. Fairbanks has a farmers market at the fair grounds on certain days

    Frozen foods are easier to cross with than fresh. When we get close to the border we will hard boil any eggs, cook and freeze any root crops such as potatoes , carrots, etc. we have never lost any cooked or frozen stuff, yet. LOL
  • In Whitehorse, check out the farmers market, fireweed community market. My cousin is a procucer.
  • For travel time planning, here are the 350 mile +/- legs:
    Ft St John to Toad River
    Toad River to Teslin
    Teslin to Whitehorse is around 125 miles, Teslin to Tok just under 500 miles.

    If the fruit is a medical issue best have a detailed letter/prescription from your Dr and call and discuss with Canadian and US Customs. We have sometimes been asked but have not lost anything yet. Others have lost a bunch.

    If you cross at Sumas, there is a Costco about a mile and a half north of Customs, on the left, if you lose stuff at the border. There is a traffic light for the left turn. Canada 1 is another mile and a half up the road. Enjoy the trip.
  • Groceries are a challenge in the north.
    Dawson Creek, Ft St John and Fort Nelson have good stores.

    Watson Lake has one grocery store (Super A), which is a decent store but not for organic or fresh/fresh stuff. It is also expensive. I usually stocked up here though as we were heading south. Northward I would wait for Whitehorse.

    Nothing decent in Teslin.

    Whitehorse has numerous grocery stores and organic and fresh foods are more common. Fortunately, the selections for organic and gluten-free are improving at Extra Foods, this being the best store for organic produce.

    The Great Canadian Superstore has a great deal of food and drygoods, but seems to have a problem keeping their store free of varmints. Their selection of organic is limited.

    The Super A food outlets are also good, but not too much organic selection. Best meats at Super A though. The meat at Extra Foods and the Superstore have an odd smell when being cooked and also an odd taste, for me anyway.

    Walmart has a decent selection of canned goods, dry goods, diary and breads. Most reasonably priced store in Whitehorse too.

    There is also a great farmer's market in Whitehorse on Thursday afternoon/evenings. Very good stuff there.

    So, when I go into "town" to shop, it is Walmart first for the basics. Then on to Extra Foods for the produce and items not available at Walmart. Then on to Super A for meats.

    After leaving Whitehorse, there is nothing along the Alaska Highway until Tok AK. Nothing decent along the Klondike Highway to Dawson City either. Some of the gas stations have limited canned goods, frozen breads, etc.

    In Dawson City there is one small grocery store, but don't count on getting good produce there. Stuff needs to be trucked all the way to get there.

    The grocery store in Tok is bigger but still limited. I feel it is dirty as well, so don't enjoy stopping there for food stuff.

    There is a wonderful Overwaitea in Delta Junction. Great produce. Good deli in the store too.

    Then Fairbanks or Anchorage are your next good stops. Fred Meyers, Safeway, etc. I noticed in Anchorage at the Fred Meyer in March 2014 that they have improved their organic selection.

    Best option is to take as much non-perishables with you that you can. I used to pack every nook & cranny with food when we headed north simply because the selections aren't that good here.

    Fresh produce is trucked up the highway and then stored until put out to buy, so "fresh" isn't always fresh-fresh. For dairy products and other dated items, check expiry dates closely. It isn't uncommon to see expired meats and products out for sale.

    Hope that helps.
  • I suspect that you'll find it to be a function of size of town. Where we live (pop a little over a thousand), you'd starve to death trying to find organic produce at the local grocery. Thankfully, sort-of nearby Taos (pop over 8K) provides several places with organics.
    Lynn