Wifi - Cell Service while traveling to Alaska

Any cell service in Canada can be expensive, wifi is outrageously expensive. Your best to add canada plan to your cell US cell phone, turn off its data plan until your back in the US.

Roaming charges when close to the borders are very expensive. We turn OFF our cell phones when we get in range of both Canada and Mexico borders...

Roy Ken

Do you mean wifi or do you mean cellular data?

I see lots of sources advertising free wifi in Canada.

Moved to RVing in Canada

When I went last summer I had Canada added to my plan - Verizon, about $30 for 250 minutes. I didn't use wifi except where it was free, like at visitor centers and McDonalds. The Canada plan was well worth it, though there were lots of stretches with no service.

Next time I go I will add Canada to my Verizon plan. Alaska coverage is very sparse except in the populated areas. Don't expect to get a signal anywhere else.

Made that trip 4 yrs ago. On way to Tok, we activated our canadian access, we have verizon. It was about $10 per month. Found out that except in large towns, no service. Used wifi at campgounds or in towns were it was available. Not the best but we could send and receive email. Skype was not usable because we were 3 time zones different and generally times were not worth it.

Alaska, no cell or wifi issues except while traveling between cities. Cell spotty.

We were in and out of canada 3 times on the trip. Did not activate canadian access on 2d and 3d time. Only a few days were not worth it especially if we had email via wifi.

As noted the phones & data are very expensive. The further north you go the more unreliable the cell service anyway.

We got along without a phone. Used CG WIFI if available or found the local library or visitor imformation center for WIFI to touch base whenever we could.

Somehow everyone managed to continue their lives without us being in contact everyday. For a true emergency somebody at home had a rough itinerary & description of us so that we could be found.

Jacaroo45 wrote:
Planning trip to Alaska this summer. Thinking of crossing at Portal, ND and heading to Dawson City, BC and than on to Tok, AK. Looking for info on wifi/cell phone service. Any feedback or input would be appreciated.

Dawson City is in Yukon.
Dawson Creek is Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway, in British Columbia.

From Whitehorse in Yukon, you can go to Tok via Dawson City (Klondike Hwy & Top of the World Hwy) or the Alaska Highway.

Along the Alaska Highway in British Columbia and Yukon, the main communities have cell service.

Many of the campgrounds offer wifi, but it can be unreliable and slow.

We turn our US cell phones off (AT&T) when we cross into Canada due to the costs. However, we will buy a prepaid telephone card from one of the big box stores to use with pay phones. In many locations in Canada, pay phones are still available but as others mentioned. we tend to use WiFi to send emails to the family to communicate. Many years ago, the Canadian government put in Internet service to most all communities in Canada, no matter how small. Free service is usually available at the town hall, the local library, etc. often usable in the parking lot.

There is a fiber optic cable running along side much of the Alaska Hwy in Canada but I have been told it is privately owned and very pricey to connect to it. Many of the business connect their credit card readers/gas pumps, etc. to the line when available.

I made my first 9 round trips by RV over the Alaska Hwy prior the days of cell phones and TV. Believe it or not, it is possible to do and probably why I enjoy so much turning my phone off in Canada. I am addicted to my cell phone as anyone else may be. on a couple of instate trips here in Florida where I forgot my phone, my wife threatened she was going to Wal Mart, and buy me a burner phone, just so I would have something to hold and carry. LOL