Minimum Time to Visit AK from San Francisco?
I'm going to read everything in here, but thought I would just ask a quick question. What's the minimum amount of time I would need to make a trip to Alaska and back, starting in San Francisco? And ...
Forum Discussion
San Francisco to Fairbanks is approx. 2,960 miles - one way - via the Cassiar Highway.
By my style of driving that's 10 days on the road to Alaska and 10 days back
925 miles to the Canadian border near Abbotsford BC, 1,185 more miles to the Yukon Territories border at Upper Laird where you would join the Alaska Highway (2,110 total), 555 more miles to the Alaska border (2,665 total) and 295 more miles to Fairbanks.
Via the Alaska Highway / Dawson Creek, BC - the distance is 3,080 miles one way.
925 to Canada - 690 to Dawson Creek - 595 to Yukon near Watson Lake - 650 to the Alaska border - 295 to Fairbanks.
Up via the Alaska Highway - Fairbanks - Anchorage - Homer - Valdez - home via the Cassiar is a round trip of 7,200 miles. Averaging 350 miles per day - 20 days of driving and only sight seeing out the windshield. Average speeds will be 40-45 mph for much of the drive up north - 7 - 8 hours behind the wheel every day.
The good news is that days are LOOOOOONG in the summer up north. Starting out at 5-6 am is easy in full daylight.
Frankly with only four weeks, I'd fly up to Anchorage - rent an RV and take my time actually in Alaska. The cost of fuel alone is going to run $4,000-5,000 (diesel). Say 3/4 of that just getting to Alaska and getting home - that can pay a lot toward plane tickets and RV rental.
By my style of driving that's 10 days on the road to Alaska and 10 days back
925 miles to the Canadian border near Abbotsford BC, 1,185 more miles to the Yukon Territories border at Upper Laird where you would join the Alaska Highway (2,110 total), 555 more miles to the Alaska border (2,665 total) and 295 more miles to Fairbanks.
Via the Alaska Highway / Dawson Creek, BC - the distance is 3,080 miles one way.
925 to Canada - 690 to Dawson Creek - 595 to Yukon near Watson Lake - 650 to the Alaska border - 295 to Fairbanks.
Up via the Alaska Highway - Fairbanks - Anchorage - Homer - Valdez - home via the Cassiar is a round trip of 7,200 miles. Averaging 350 miles per day - 20 days of driving and only sight seeing out the windshield. Average speeds will be 40-45 mph for much of the drive up north - 7 - 8 hours behind the wheel every day.
The good news is that days are LOOOOOONG in the summer up north. Starting out at 5-6 am is easy in full daylight.
Frankly with only four weeks, I'd fly up to Anchorage - rent an RV and take my time actually in Alaska. The cost of fuel alone is going to run $4,000-5,000 (diesel). Say 3/4 of that just getting to Alaska and getting home - that can pay a lot toward plane tickets and RV rental.
