thomasw wrote:
Do you think it would be better to put the TOW on the end of our trip (late July early Aug) rather than now? Seems we could do it either way with out substantially altering plans.
Sue covered all the bases upon this question, as I will add a few more perspective points :
With all the hard rain interior Alaska got hit with this month, the more rain that keeps arriving between now and the end of summer, the Taylor Hwy and Boundary Spur Rd. could very well become a crapshoot upon road conditions for the rest of the summer.
As long as the roads remain fully open as they are right now, I'd say go when it is time you want to go - unless it is-was raining hard the majority of the day, then I would wait it out if possible providing you have a flexible travel schedule.
After the raining hard days had gone past, I would time it a day or two business days before projected travelling on the Alaska side of the Taylor and Boundary Spur Rd. (between Chicken and the border), so that you will 'more likely' miss the Alaska DOT road crews from being present during regrading and resurfacing the roadways in which it gets nerve racking for me having to go around heavy machinery on a narrow no shoulder road without the best of vision ahead while running over a foot high mound of dirt mixed with large rocks.
Boundary Spur Rd. (mile 96 Taylor Hwy. to the border - 14 miles total) is the of the farther points for Alaska DOT to resurface as the maintenance camp is located at mile 74 on the Taylor Hwy. near South Fork River, so don't count on any real smooth surfaces too often on this stretch.
I travelled the Taylor Hwy. 7 times total, (6 times to Dawson in 1992, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012) - 2003 to Eagle, as with the exception of 1992 all other trips were driven in my camper rig.
In 1992 the entire Taylor Hwy and Top of the World Hwy. was not paved at all and was a typical backroads type roadway that was adventurous with it's share of moments....much of the Taylor Hwy stretches from mile 0 thru Mosquito Creek at mile 64 was a banked road surface back then.
In 1998 I was surprised to see much of the Taylor Hwy paved between mile 0 thru Mosquito Creek at mile 64 which was real nice in itself, as Chicken to the border stretch was still unchanged....however once you crossed into Canada, the Top of the World Hwy all of a sudden was sooooo smooth with fine gravel and a substantial improvement in itself, as the entire Top of the World Hwy. portion (border to Dawson) has been generally nice ever since.
In 2006 there was not much change to the Taylor Hwy. but still very doable, however the Canadian side was like 70 pct. paved all of a sudden and was the best condition I had ever seen it to date, however the Top of the World Hwy. ever since has not been as great as 2006 as far as road condition goes the times I travelled on it, however the Top of the World Hwy. is still a very nice stretch overall other than dodging a few potholes on the what's left paved portions but still way better than Boundary Spur Rd. and the Taylor Hwy. road surfaces between Chicken and Jack Wade Jct. (mile 96).
In 2008, interior Alaska had record rainfall and rained almost daily throughout the summer thru the first week of August as when I started the roadtrip, the Taylor Hwy. was pretty rough between Chicken (mile 66) and the border....had to stop at Walker Fork (mile 82) for an overnighter just to calm myself down rather than continuing to attempt crossing the border in time before closing hour which was the only time I felt I had to delay travel on the Taylor Hwy., as I was refreshed to tackle on the next 28 miles of potential rough intermittent surfaces the following day ending at the border, however despite the record rainfall in 2008 the Taylor Hwy never closed nor washed out anywhere....The Top of the World Hwy. portion was fine, no problems.
Upon travelling on the Campbell Hwy, the east portion past Canol Rd. Jct. was so rough on my rig I turned around and headed back to Carmacks which cost me 250 miles and a day and a half setback, but it was a good thing in comparison to getting stuck in the 'fair' condition stretch that was posted on the Yukon road conditions which I found out later in reality was more like you might get thru there if you have 4wd, which my rig doesn't have.
In 2010, interior Alaska got drenched with a lot of rain starting the third week of June, as I made my way on the Taylor Hwy. at the end of June, however the stretch from South Fork River to Jack Wade Jct. was so saturated with water some surfaces felt like you were driving on jello, as the remaining unpaved portions between Chicken and the border was just pure rough, the worst conditions I ever seen on the Taylor Hwy. as I was accused of being a drama queen when I posted, but still made it thru as the Canadian side you had to dodge a few potholes here and there but was by far tolerable in comparison....which the time I passed thru was 10 days before the four major washouts occurred on the closure of the Taylor Hwy. at Chicken as no one other than essential vehicles were permitted to cross into Alaska out of Canada from the Top of the World Hwy.
The frost heaves stretch on the Alaska Hwy. in 2010 between Destruction Bay and Beaver Creek was the worst I have seen it also upon heading home, in a 25 year span.
In 2012, it was my first September travel on the Taylor Hwy. as I covered months May thru August in the past travels and wondering how improved they reconditioned the roadway problem areas, as I was surprised how well the Taylor Hwy. was between South Fork River to Jack Wade Jct, as it was the smoothest I ever seen it and the best conditioned - like night and day comparison...Boundary Spur Rd. was the same though and took my time covering the 14 miles in an hour when I reached the border.
To me, driving the Taylor Hwy westbound (Dawson to Tok) isn't nearly as bad as you are going downhill more often than uphill between Chicken and the border....Mile 0 thru mile 64 generally has some form of wideness and shoulder in most spots with a good portion of turnouts and pulloffs here and there, compared to the stretches between Chicken and the border where most spots is not the place you want to be stranded or broke down at.
Sounds like the recent posts of travelers state the roadway conditions are pretty much back to normal.
Just watch out for the few speedy fuel delivery trucks and the impatient motorcoaches that are in a hurry.
