Taking my ATV to Alaska? Is it worth it?

I've not heard of any "street legal" areas in Alaska. However they are allowed on streets in remote bush villages and places like McCarthy (but not on the road to McCarthy). You can drive them in the ditches along rural highways, the Denali highway, and pretty much any back road without issues.

OK, interesting discussion. So my RZR 900 side by side is fully licensed, equipt and insured for street use in Arizona (street and off road plate). In Arizona I can drive it on most all streets and roads except freeways. So would that be accepted in most Canada and Alaska areas where street legal vehicles can drive?

As said, not a ton of riding areas on the Kenai Pen. I'd say no to Skilak road but that's pretty much a highway anyway. However barring this, once you get out of Los Anchorage it's pretty much game on everywhere for atvs.
You can ride to the knik glacier, trails out of Sutton, Hatchers pass, chickaloon around Eklutna lake jus to name a few within an hour or Anc.
Petersville, Denali hwy, Mc Carthy road, Eureka are a couple more.
Imo if you enjoy atving, leaving it at home on a trip to AK would be a travesty. More atving in AK than possibly anywhere else.
Couple pieces of advice, have some good mud tires, a lift if you can afford it and snorkel up the intake and all vents. Oh and bring a pair of chest waders. It's not if you'll want them, it's when!
Also spare oil and filter with you so you can make it out if you drown your rig!
I leaned the hard way also once it's Injested a couple gal of river water, DONT open the oil fill plug to see what's inside. All the oil shoots out and leaves your crankcase full of river. If you sink it you can kind of save your oil by letting it settle for a bit and then pull the drain plug. You'll dump the water first and when you strike oil put the plug back in!
Atving in AK is second to none!

Good point!

Merci

Kidoo, the other advantage of an SUV is that it has hard sides to protect you from bears when you are out in remote areas. ;)

Bonne chance!

In Quebec we must have the ATV registered and insured to take it on any trail or to cross the road. I live in a rural area, near a town, and many people are using their ATV to get from one point to another on the rural roads and never get bothered, it is not legal as per the law but, since you are allowed to "cross" the road you can "strech" the crossing, nobody gets arrested by the police unless you ride like an idiot.

There are places up in the wood where the gravel roads system is actually to get to lumber cutting or to your cottage. These places are no problem to ride your ATV. They are public access roads but are used by ATV, snowmobile, trucks and normal vehicle. There are thousand of miles of trails and roads connected one to another and I actually don't know where it really ends all over northern Quebec.

For example on the Kenai to go to Skilak lake, there is a gravel road to get there. Could you use your ATV to ride around? I am tinking or roads like on the west side of the Kenai or around Summit lake area where there are some trails.

Maybe my best bet would be to have just a normal 4x4 little SUV and go where my MH does not go.

It would depend where you plan on going in Alaska. They are not street legal along the road system, but are allowed in the ditches in most areas of central Alaska. I ride ATV's most weekends all summer along the Glenn and Denali Highways where there are 100's of miles of trails. But like has been said earlier, the Kenai Peninsula is pretty much closed to ATV's with one exception in the Caribou Hills but access is limited. I think Valdez is also closed to ATV's.

At least what I can say around Interior Alaska, many people and a small handful of reckless idiots do ride their ATV's all over many trails and off the shoulder of side roads around here.

Insurance and registration would be an issue and must be presented when stopped (some remote towns and villages without a connecting road system have an exemption).

If riding along any side of a roadway (or if caught riding on a roadway), you must be a licensed driver as they will ask you for a driver license.

If one happens to enjoy drinking alcoholic beverages on occasion, I would say no it is not worth taking an ATV in case one wants to operate on a off road trail that is not designated private property, the state of Alaska recognizes an ATV as a motorized vehicle and subject to DUI charges and incarceration if one gets caught operating an ATV impaired.

I would say it is sure worth bringing an ATV to Alaska as it is not hard to find places to ride off road in Interior Alaska, as long as there are no motorized vehicles prohibited or private property signs posted - you are fine.....No one will bother stopping you if you happen to be just putting around and not driving recklessly.

A little different story as the Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage and some Southcentral Alaska areas have a little less tolerance on ATV riding in specific areas, in my perspective you just have to know 'where the loose enforcement places to ride are'.

Some Alaska state parks have permitted ATV or off road trails to ride on as well.

Denali Highway area would especially be nice to have an ATV to buzz around in while boondocking the RV.

In Yukon you cannot drive on roads or highway right of way unless your vehicle is licensed appropriately. They tell you that even unloading in a rest area before heading off on a trail is not legal.

To ride within Whitehorse, people need a special licence issued by the city - must pass a test first. And there are specific trails that must be used within the city limits. This is due to the number of complaints and problems they were having with off-road vehicles in the city.

To ride in a campground, you must also be licenced and insured.

Renting is normally pricey and can only be rented near towns.