Beaver Creek/Alcan border crossing & other questions

[MamaGoose]

This could be the second of many questions we'll probably come up with...:)

Hubby and I are planning our RV trip into Alaska. We'll be there late August into the first half of September. We'll be in a Class A motorhome towing a 4wd Dodge Ram 1500. (With spare tires in the back!)

We plan to cross from Canada into Alaska at the Beaver Creek border. One concern I have is groceries. I know meat won't be permitted, nor will most fresh produce. So where is a good place to shop for these things once we cross, as early as possible?

Also, how fussy are the officials about rice? We like those Uncle Ben's rice side dishes that come already cooked, you just tear the corner of the bag and microwave them for 90 seconds. Very handy and even moreso when traveling.

We've heard that food is expensive in Alaska, so we want to have enough non perishables to tide us over if we can manage it.

We have a dog who is on a special prescription, low protein diet. We'll have a sealed bag of his prescription food with us when we cross over. He's a finicky eater sometimes because of his medical condition and one thing we can always count on to jog his appetite is plain rice cakes. Again the rice thing...is this going to be a problem?

And can anyone recommend good guide books? I've seen "The Milepost 2016" by Kris Valencia, but the looming postal strike is going to make this difficult to get. Is it worth taking some extra measures to try to obtain this book? I see an e-version can also be purchased through an iOS app for about the same price as the printed version. Does anyone have any experience with this to know if it's worthwhile?

[MamaGoose]

We've got a looming country wide postal strike, so I've arranged to have my copy of Milepost delivered to the nearest affiliated bookstore. Really looking forward to receiving it!

c.traveler2, thank you for the information. 🙂 I'm pleasantly surprised by the number of RV parks in the area. We are really looking forward to our trip.

We've never 'lived' in the RV for more than about 12 days at a time, so this is going to be interesting as well. We also didn't expect to be making this trek this year, but things ended up working out so we could go after all. 🙂

[nevadanick]

I bought a Milepost from Amazon and had it in a couple days.

[2gypsies1]

I'd try to get the Milepost before your trip so you can use it. It's very informative as you travel for history and maps. Are you near a bookstore, major Visitor Center or does your library have it to loan out?

[c_traveler2]

We enter into Alaska at the Beaver Creek port in June 2015, All we were asked was how much money we had in US currency and Canadian, any pets, any root plants(?) what meats we had and any guns. A total of 8 minutes and into Alaska we when.

Another poster pointed out 3 Bear store, we found it to be reasonable.
In getting fuel in Tok there is a fuel station that if you fill up there you can use their car wash for free. As far as RV parks goes Tundra RV ParkTundra is the better park than Tok RV Park.Tundra has true free WiFi, but it's in the office and it is unlimited use and very good.

In Fairbanks you can most likely pick up a copy of the Milepost at the sporting goods store. Barnes and Noble is the best place for internet and you have many stores near them including a Fred Meyers, get their customer service card if you don't have one it will help some on the food bill.

If you have any further questions you can contact me using the PM system.

[joe_b_]

Three Bears supermarket in Tok is a good stop for us. Cooked and/or frozen items are usually less of a concern than fresh items. I have crossed at times when fresh eggs are not allowed but hard boiled, peeled ones in the fridge were OK to take across.

I lived in rural Alaska for 25+ years and never thought the prices in Alaska were any real difference than in northern Canada. We often stock up in Whitehorse due to them having several nice supermarkets, with good selections. This and a stop for needed items in Tok, will get us to Fairbanks or Anchorage.
Depending on many factors, such as where you live, your work history, etc, food questions may not even come up in their questioning. I have a bit of law enforcement type work history in my past, and once that info pops up on their, either side of the border, computers, that is all they want to talk about.

Normally the day before we cross the border, I try to get online to see what is on the prohibited list. Then we will make meal plans to use up those items. I will cook meat products I purchased in Canada, and freeze them before crossing into Alaska. Never had a problem with that method. As long as a person is honest, they may have to give up some food item, or pay some extra duty on the item, such as booze, there just isn't any serious repercussions, unless you have firearms or illegal drugs not declared.

[Rvpapa]

Should be able to get the Milepost at Chapters or Indigo.
Art.

[MamaGoose]

Coming back into Canada, food has never been an issue. When we went to the U.S. last December, crossing into Montana, they took away my grapefruit. I thought grapefruit would be OK, since they were grown in Texas, but I was told once they leave the U.S., they can't come back. I listed off everything we had that was fresh and country of origin was Canada or the U.S. But citrus is a big no-no.
We weren't questioned about the dog at all.
I think we will try for the Milepost book, but that's going to be tricky to get if our postal union takes strike action. We're not close to any book stores that stock it.
Tok...I'll keep that in mind.
Thanks for your replies. 🙂

[sue_t]

The only thing we've ever been asked about at the crossing into Alaska is oranges. Hubby was asked about his Moose Drool t-shirt once - the American agent wanted to know where he got it because he liked that beer. At one crossing as we were heading to Haines, I admitted to having oranges that I'd forgotten about that morning (or we would have ate them). The agent asked me if we planned to eat them in Alaska. I told him no. He let me keep them as long as I promised to bring the peels back to Canada if we did happen to eat them in Haines.

They aren't as fussy about produce or meat in the north, because farming isn't a big thing up here so there is less threat to those industries. I think they also appreciate that it is more difficult to get food - many people in Beaver Creek shop in Tok and take their groceries back to Canada. We usually don't even think about the food we have, but do prepare a list of alcohol because we're often asked about that.

[MORSNOW]

Tok will have your first real grocery store after the boarder crossing. Three Bears has many products from Costco, so prices are pretty reasonable. Lots of farmers markets are open now, so you can score on some great veggies once you get up here.

[Tarheel_2]

We crossed the border from Alaska to Canada yesterday and from Canada into Alaska today going to Haines. In both these two crossings and our two crossings a month ago, we were not asked about food, pet papers, or even alcohol. Each asked for our passports and I volunteered I had a couple long guns and they asked to see my papers on them, and that was it. Easiest crossings we've ever had.

[stickdog]

Last year we were only asked about apples.

[enblethen]

Fruits and vegetables can be issue.

[pigman1]

The only thing I've ever been asked about was eggs and the US customs confiscated 3 of these. I understand dog food may be an issue but I don't have any pets, so wouldn't know. You'll have more issues entering Canada with food than entering the US. You can shop at Three Bears in Tok for food you need. Prices will be higher than in the US but cheaper than trying to stock up in Canada. If you get food in Canada it must be declared. We spend every other summer in Alaska and although food is more expensive it's not crippling. Read the Internet info on what you can and cannot bring. If your pet needs special medication or a special diet, I'm sure a prescription or letter from your vet will suffice. Milepost should be available at a good book store, or at a Camping World or Amazon with expedited delivery. An old copy will also work, as we replace ours evey 3 or 4 years.