RV size

You will be fine. We did no planning at all and made few reservations, Denali being one. Our 5th wheel is 37' and we stayed in a wide variety of campgrounds including public ones and did some dry camping. We had a great time and we are returning in 2017. A generator will be very helpful.

We have taken a 28' TT, a 31"TT and a 40' FW for the last 5 years. The provincial and State campgrounds can be a bit short, lots of places to boondock, lots of campgrounds with ample room. Just take it and go.

I think it is dependent on how long you are planning to be on your trip and whether you plan to do a lot of boondocking. If you are going to spend the entire summer getting to Alaska and back, take the most comfortable RV you can find. And, if you plan to stay along the side of the road on most nights, you may want a generator. So, take the RV that will best provide for the type of overnights you plan.

We went to Alaska in a very dry summer, so we were able to be outside or travel just about every day. But you may be spending several days at a time in your trailer if the weather turns very wet. Three months in an RV can be a looooong time, so you also want enough room to stay indoors without getting each each other's nerves.

As far as the roads are concerned, the entire route up and back in Canada is paved and no different than driving on 2-lane, paved roads in the Lower 48. And most of the roads that you will likely travel in Alaska are also paved, with the exception of the Top of the World, Dalton, Edgerton-McCarthy, and Denali Highways. I personally wouldn't take my 5th wheel on any of those 4 except the TOTW. In fact, we used the van shuttle on the McCarthy Road to get to Kennecott and even that commercial van had two flats on the trip!

That doesn't mean you won't have long stretches of gravel-covered roads due to construction along every paved road and you will undoubtedly travel long stretches of frost heaved pavement. But, if you reduce your speed appropriately, a long 5th wheel shouldn't present any more problems than a short travel trailer.

There's no need to pre-plan the trip to Alaska with a big rig. It's just like the lower 48 - there are campgrounds for small rigs and for big rigs.

You can even drive Top of the World Highway (not in the rain) and put your rig on the ferry at Dawson City. Semi trucks even get on that ferry.

Purchase Mike and Terri Church's book 'Alaskan Camping'. It includes Canada and the Yukon, also. It will tell you places for big rigs.

You'll see plenty of them on the trip. The RV parks are not like some in the lower 48. They are mainly just big gravel parking lots.

Relax, take the rig you have now, and enjoy the trip. You don't need reservations except for perhaps July 4 weekend and if staying in Denali Nat'l Park. We only made those about 3 weeks prior while we were traveling when we could better judge when we'd be there.

To me a 40 footer is about 10 ft. too big anywhere except carefully researched and pre-selected campsites and roads. I think your concern is warranted but honestly haven't been to Alaska.

Summer of 2014 we took our dually crew cab and 39' fiver to Alaska and had no problems.

Dave & Lu wrote:
We are planning a trip to Alaska for 2017. My question is, we have a 40ft 5th wheel and I'm concerned that it's just to big for a trip like this. I'm concerned about finding camp sites big enough, pull offs, and just generally tearing up the trailer on the roads. Any voice of experience or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. We really want to go.

Dave

On our 2015 Summer journey to Alaska we saw all sizes and type of Rv's, if your the type that like organize campgrounds there are plenty of them. Pick up a copy of the Milepost, it's an excellent resource of information for going into Canada and Alaska. I have a ongoing trip reports about our 2015 journey into Canada and Alaska in the Truck Camper forum.

Start planning, you'll have no problem finding sites. Most of the pull offs are spacious and at most overnight parking is allowed unless otherwise posted. Many of the campgrounds are just big marked off parking lots.
Roads vary year to year, on out trip last year I was concerned due to much I had read about frost heaves but the truth is they're not as bad as some folks report. I think those reports are from Floridians that never left the south till they headed to Alaska. The speed limits are appropriate for the road conditions and most of the frost heaves are marked with flags or cones and for annual reoccurring ones signage. You really don't want to speed, there is so much to see sometimes it's right on the road in front of you. Have the navigator keep the camera ready.
We are planning on a return trip in 18.

We have made the trip 3 times. All 3 trips in a motorhome towing a pickup. First trip in a 36' MH and the next 2 in a 40' MH. No problems with the roads, campgrounds, or dry camping spots on the side of the road.

You can probably save money with smaller, but larger is sure more comfortable.

You can see my trip logs in the Website in my signature.

I'm 73 now but thinking about a 4th trip in 2018.

We had the same concerns and more about pulling our 36ft TT to Alaska.
After much thought and research as to what others did, we brought a 2002 Lance TC. Made the trip (3 mths and 12000 miles) and sold the TC for $500 more than I paid for it. My gas millage was twice what it is pulling the TT. Saved a LOT of money!!
We stayed at Wal-Marts 90% of the time and pull offs 5% and parks 5%. Saved A LOT more money.It was just the two of us - my wife(75) and me(71).
Go for it !!!!!!
It was the adventure of a life time !!!!!!

PS: Being retired military, you can handle anything!!!
THANK you for your service!!