Traveling in AK, BC, and AB in September

Travelling in Alberta during September should not be a big problem. Temperatures can dip below freezing at night, but not so much so to be of concern. Campgrounds in any major centre will still be open, so again no big concern. Enjoy your trip!

2011 year was bad enough on the Alaska Highway when I travelled on it in early to mid September due to the increased traffic when the Cassiar Highway was closed in two places, with the typical increase of Alaska southbound traffic with people leaving before winter arrival along with the increased commercial traffic of oversize loads escorted by pilot car to deal with in Central BC area of the Alaska Highway roughly between Wonowon and Fort St. John hauling lots of drilling and gas rig equipment around before winter.

However returning northbound in late September is always nice and light traffic once you get past north of the Pink Mountain area.

Compared to June thru August with the increased daylight and the much warmer temperatures, I enjoy that much more than vacationing in the month of September with the colder overnight temperatures and the increased darkness for sure despite the fall colors and the lesser biting bugs.

The last two years the boss would only permit me three weeks off in the month of September as the line of work I do, no one gets any time off during the summer months which is the most demanding and busiest time of the year, in addition of keeping the position it's either full time or no time, so for the last two years on vacation in September I been touring parts of Banff, Yoho, Kootenay and Jasper National Parks.

The month of September does get cold at night within the Alaska Interior, Yukon Territory, and northern BC but not so bad in Southcentral Alaska and Central BC in most cases with the overnight low temperatures and much more tolerable providing it is not raining of course, thank god for the furnace to stay somewhat in confort in the other cooler and colder parts, which my RV battery has held up without breaking out my portable generator so far the past two RV trips in September.

By all means camping and RV'ing in September is very doable and most of the time the daytime temps are well above freezing, I do bring my light winter gear with me and a few more clothing garments to rotate while breaking out the premium raingear in order to keep fully dry which is the key to staying in comfort.

Early September 2012 it was cold in the Yukon Territory with overnight temps in Dawson at 34 F and in Whitehorse it got down to 38 F overnight with constant rain while threatening to snow....returning to the Yukon in late September I got lucky with a warm trend to where I didn't kick on the furnace when the overnight lows were around mid to upper 40's F.

As pointed out, some commercial campgrounds and more remote businesses do close following Labor Day Weekend as other seasonal places will extend upon thru the end of September as you will always find many boondocking opps and a ready spot available at any campground.

September weather in the far north can be a hit and miss, so dont be surprised to see snowfall in a few spots which generally it is not much of a concern for any road hazards as the ground will stay well above freezing and not stick snow for long at all.

The higher elevations and short passes can be a different story depending on the type of weather fronts that will occur.

Early October is generally the average timeframe snow will stick long enough in the Fairbanks Area and by mid October the ground will freeze solid, which means it's over.

Mid September travels you should be fine anywhere in Alaska with the exception of the area north of Coldfoot.

primetimerver wrote:
Thanks Sue. I wasn't planning on bringing a generator, but maybe I should. What do you think? I would have to buy one which is expensive.

depending on the rig you have, and you probably will not need A/C anyway, a Honda EU2000I is the best. it runs our 5th wheel, but not with the A/C on.

You won't have any problems getting into government campground sin BC after the first week in September. September is often one of the nicest months in BC.

Thanks all for your input and suggestions. Most appreciated. Any suggestions on generators to buy? Honda is very expensive.

One another question - Is there any "winterizing" we need to do if we are traveling in AK and Canada during the month of September? Do we need to be concerned about our pipelines in our TT freezing and breaking?

You may want to consider a generator if dry camping in a location for more than a couple of nights at a time. In Alberta, by mid-Sept it is getting dark earlier (meaning using lights by 6 PM) and night temps are typically at or near freezing (32F) so your furnace will be your biggest battery drain. Taking extra blankets to reduce your furnace use would be my suggestion.

I guess for electricity. Not really necessary, I guess, but allows for more options in camp.

We drycamp without a generator. Just means changing your expectations or routines.

What specifically needs a generator?

Thanks Sue. I wasn't planning on bringing a generator, but maybe I should. What do you think? I would have to buy one which is expensive.

September is our favorite month for travel in the north. The fall colours are spectacular! The highway is quieter too. And usually road repairs are complete and forest fire season is over so fewer delays.

There is the possibility of snow anytime in September. Usually it melts quickly, but be prepared to spend a day or two waiting it out. One mid-September trip southward we hit an ice storm at Fort Nelson that made the Alaska Highway slick and thick. Icycles were hanging from the truck mirrors!

Many commercial RV parks close after Labor Day. You'll find some open though. Be prepared to drycamp though, just in case.