Best itinerary for Alaska

[speediq99]

We had a whole summer repeat trip planned for Oregon and now wife seems to have decided to go to Alaska instead.

We have July, August and Sept.
Can someone guide me in a few campsite stops, best route from Banff and must visit places?

Thinking

Valdez
Anchorage
Seward
Homer
Anchorage
Denali
Fairbanks

Traveling with 44ft 5th wheel.
I have no clue where to stay and best places to stop for how long. The stretch from Banff to Valdez will require 2-3 stops but I have no idea where to begin.

We did a lot of research for Oregon but starting at zero with this trip. This is what happens when wife gets the adventure bug.

Thank you

[speediq99]

Thank you.
These is very good advise.
I appreciate it.

MC

[ppine]

You can drive all of the paved roads in the State easily in less than a week.
There are so many places to camp it is hard to pick one.
You will have a lot of daylight.
It is easy, just get out and wander around.
Plan to be self sufficient.
Meet the people. I like road houses.

[Wadcutter]

All good advice. My advice to add. Don't speed thru Canada nor Alaska. I don't recall ever driving over 35 mph. Keep the speed down for 2 reasons.
1) Frost heaves. We found that generally they'll mark frost heaves. Maybe an orange cone, maybe a stick with orange tape. Or maybe they won't get a frost heave marked. Some of these can be quite pronounced. We saw an empty flat bed semi go all wheels airborne hitting an unmarked frost heave. Came across 2 cars on their tops in the bush at frost heaves, probably as a result of those frost heaves.
2) An important reason for keeping the speed down - critters. Slow down and you'll likely see all kinds of critters. And hopefully slow enough you can stop when that moose or bear decides to cross the roadway just as you're in the same spot. Keeping the speed down gives you a better chance of stopping before being stopped by a large moose. A full grown moose is a big critter. You will not win in a bumper contest with a moose. Law of superior tonnage. We came across a Dodge pickup right after he had hit a small young moose. Buckled the front frame of the pickup where the engine was shoved back to the firewall, the front tires were even with the front of the door and the dash was moved back several inches into the cab area. The moose didn't fare well either. We had a big female and calf come out of the brush straight for the side of my pickup while on the Dalton Highway. She was close enough I could have almost touched her. Her head was taller than the cab of my F-350 4X4. The people behind us thought she had hit us.
Canada and Alaska are trips to be enjoyed. Slow down and enjoy the scenery and critters. Rushing and you'll miss it.

[sue_t]

I share thousands of photos of Yukon and Alaska taken during our touring. Includes photos of some campgrounds http://suethomas.ca/2010AugSept.html

Sue

[Veebyes]

Basically you can do Alaska either in a clockwise direction or an anti clockwise direction. besides a few side roads there really are very few choices to make.

Same with getting there & coming back. You can do the Alaska Hwy up & the Cassiar back or do it the other way round.

As far as speed goes, well, it depends. You can get very long stretches where 50mph can be done quite comfortably. Alaskan highways are very good & often 60mph can be the norm. You can also get stretches where work is being done & a convoy leader will take you through. No telling what speeds will be for those sections. Sometimes the wait is long enough to get out & get to know who is infront & who is behind you.

If you think that you can blast through & do in three weeks what needs months, think again. Alaska is not that big. Canada is. Canada is much bigger than most think. Canada also has some of the best sights to see.

Also, those side trips to places like Seward, Homer, Wittier, Haines, Hyder & others, take time

[speediq99]

I have been in contact with a couple of friends that are driving to Alaska now in similar rigs. Just before Tok, one experienced damage to the rig, and a bent frame. The other one had broken leaf springs and 2 blown tires. Roads are a mess in certain areas.

Thank you for all the great information shared here. It sounds like we are going to rethink this year's trip and either fly next year or rent a smaller rig. I am not sure I can drive 30mph for 1000s of miles.
These big rigs take a beating even in our relatively well paved highways.

Thank you again

MC

[SideHillSoup]

PA12DRVR wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
Op's burnin daylight here. (Or trying to esplain to his wife why taking their brand new 44' 5ver to AK and back is going to be a pain in the ___!)

Once again, this forum needs a "like" button.

:B

[PA12DRVR]

Grit dog wrote:
Op's burnin daylight here. (Or trying to esplain to his wife why taking their brand new 44' 5ver to AK and back is going to be a pain in the ___!)

Once again, this forum needs a "like" button.

[Grit_dog]

Op's burnin daylight here. (Or trying to esplain to his wife why taking their brand new 44' 5ver to AK and back is going to be a pain in the ___!)

[PA12DRVR]

Some thoughts:

- the guys that do it for a living haul 40' (and frequent doubles) trailers from Seattle / Montana year round in a matter of days. Don't even attempt to emulate them with your 44' 5th wheel. It will be a slow and steady trip from Banff or wherever.
- Pull-off spots are likely going to be available without problem. Identified CG spots for a 44' trailer, not so much. As Grit suggested, plan on basing in an area for several days and using your truck as the way to get out and see the sights.
- Alaska is expensive to enjoy if you want to do anything other than drive and hike. Incredible fishing, great sights, spectacular flightseeing, but it all takes $$.
- With few exceptions, the RV-tourist stuff is locked up tight by mid-September. You should plan on being well on your way back by then.
- You've hit the high spots for visiting. If you can handle it, meaning dealing with the bumps and the necessarily slow going, considering driving the Denali Highway from Paxson to Cantwell. That stretch, IMNSHO, is in the running for the most scenic road drive in AK.
- I probably am misinterpreting, but I wouldn't plan on going from Banff to Valdez to make Valdez your starting point. Banff - (whitehorse, etc) - Tok- Delta - Fairbanks - Cantwell - Paxson-Glenallen-Anchorage- Seward-Homer-Anchorage-Talkeetna-Wasilla-Palmer-Glenallen-valdez-Tok-Whitehorse etc is sort of how I'd do it if I had 3 months...some backtracking but that's almost a given if you try to see a lot of the road system.
- Expect pretty high fuel prices......

[Grit_dog]

It will be quite the trip.
Can’t recommend where to stay with your rig. But along the way thru Canada and AK, there are generally no lack of pull outs to stop and spend the night at as needed.
And don’t know what you’re into so hard to recommend the sights. But you’ve hit on all the popular spots. Idk about getting reservations for camping, this late and with your requirements.
And not to get off topic, or suggestive, but that is a long trip and thousands of miles of bad roads and slow going with a big 5ver like that. Totally do able. Many haul trailers up and back, but having made the route a couple times and lived up there for a while, I wouldn’t haul our big toyhauler up there (a lot smaller than your 5ver). I would want a much smaller trailer, or another option.
But we prefer out of the way locations and exploring, which is imo, the majority of the adventure to be had when the majority of the territory you’re traveling through is uninhabited.
You’ll want to plan base camps so to speak, to set up for a period of time at and then do whatever you plan to in that particular area.
Just my 2c. Awesome trip either way!

[Williebago]

OK - The first thing you need to do is quit thinking about Alaska being a destination and begin thinking about planning a voyage. Milepost is a must. Starting in Arizona, think about things to see and stops to make in the lower 48 as well. For instance, much of the drive will be mountainous so we planned ours by starting in New Mexico and driving the Rockies from there to where you drive out of them 3,000 miles to the north when you hit the Yukon. Used a different route back than the way up so we could see even more of BC and western US national parks etc.

Plan on no more than 250 to 300 miles per day and that leaves some time for stopping along the way since many sites are really take only an hour or two then time to move on. Twelve weeks is a good time frame for this type of journey. We have done it twice, in 2013 and 2019.

Denali starts going into fall coloration the last week in August and you can drive the fall coloration line all the way back to the US. The northern birch trees are just as beautiful as our aspens. Do plan on heading home from Fairbanks by Sept. 1 as many campgrounds that can handle a rig your size are seasonal and start closing down mid September.

Have fun planning and enjoy the trip (voyage).

[jsummers72]

Pls pls pls buy a Milepost. It’s a soft bound , magazine type book that is the BEST source of info on the drive. You must have it. It’s a Mile by Mile historical, & current record of the road & places on every road you can travel. You won’t be sorry.

[Scottiemom]

In addition to the Milepost, pick up a copy of Mike and Terri Church's Alaska Camping Mike is an Alaska native and Terri moved there after college. They have put together the most comprehensive guide I have ever seen. I read the entire book and put tabs on the pages for quick access. They give you routes and times/miles/stops, etc. Even phone numbers of campgrounds.

They update the guide every few years plus they have the latest info on their website.

My DH could not go over 6,000 feet due to a heart condition and that was never a problem in all of Alaska and Canada.

Dale

[SideHillSoup]

From Banff to Valdez is longer drive than you think especially pulling a 44ft 5th wheel in the mountains.
Banff to Jasper alone is 4hrs no stopping in a car, and with all the sites to see you pushing it to make it in 5 days let alone 2 to 3.
Get yourself a MilePost travel magazine which is the size of a large phone book. They have every campsite, points of interest along the route and small maps on pages that show the area your traveling in.
Amazon sells them
If your using Google to give you how long it takes to get from point a to point b, they are never correct in the mountains especially pulling a 44ft 5th wheel.
Banff to Jasper to Dawson Creek to Whitehorse is 5 days pulling my old 23ft 5th wheel.
In my opinion from driving my 5th wheels ( largest was a 35ft) with a diesel truck your looking at least a week Banff to Valdez even that is pushing it with little site seeing in Alberta, BC & Yukon.
You will also need to fill out a ArriveCan Application ( App) fir entry into Canada.
ArriveCAN Info

Hope this helps a bit.
Soup.