Making the plunge

That is the best way to travel! No plans means you won't be rushed to make a certain location on a certain date, you may enjoy where you are at. Gotta get there, gotta get there, gotta get there, is no way to see Alaska, slow down and enjoy the trip.

I think you're doing it right. Many times no plans = a fantastic trip!

A couple things though - get yourself the Milepost book. It's great for history as you drive and maps. Also Mike and Terri Church's 'Alaskan Camping' book is great. It includes Canada and the Yukon also and describes not only RV parks, but all public parks and boondocking spots. Lots of good information. Lastly, order the TourSaver 2/1 coupon book. One glacier cruise will pay for the trip and you'll want to do at least one.

Lastly, the only reservations we made for the whole summer was the July 4 weekend (Alaskans like to camp, too) and for your stay IN Denali National Park. We only made those reservations about 3 weeks prior when we could better judge when we'd be there.

Otherwise, just start driving and stop when you see something interesting. Sometimes we only drove 50 miles and stopped for a few days of exploring a fantastic area. Having no deadlines is an awesome way to travel. You'll do just fine. Enjoy!

MORSNOW wrote:
That is the best way to travel! No plans means you won't be rushed to make a certain location on a certain date, you may enjoy where you are at. Gotta get there, gotta get there, gotta get there, is no way to see Alaska, slow down and enjoy the trip.

It's the best way to travel anywhere. When possible, stay off the Interstate. Use side roads and US Highways. Take your time and enjoy the trip.

I like to use Roadside America when traveling. Maybe you can find something interesting.

We made NO plans last summer for our trip to Alaska, did just fine. Don't sweat it. Have a great time, you'll run out of words to describe how beautiful Alaska is...........

Were leaving the middle of July and have budgeted 2 months time. No plans or reservations.

Record numbers of Americans traveling this summer, so keep that in mind especially 4th July and if in Canada, 1 July.

What is this "reservation" thing you speak of? We have made 11 trips in the last 10 years, and just stop when it is time, and have never been turned away. Go and enjoy it.

I just came up the highway and virtually all of the Parks and RV parks have been nearly empty. We havnt made a reservations anywhere. Including such popular stops as Skagway...which by the Way DONT MISS and Valdez...even more scenic than Skagway.

While I see the number of RV's increasing slowly as we get towards June. I wouldnt worry.

I would make the trip as fast as you can at least until you enter the Yukon. But even as beautiful as the Yukon can be it pales in comparison to Alaska.

The drive is EASY. The road is good. Be prepared for incredibly high fuel prices in BC and some parts of the Yukon...needlessly high. Fuel is much cheaper once you get to Alaska.

We made reservations on the Alaska Ferry system, of course, (Prince Rupert -> Haines, 5 layovers). With work, we got the most civilized schedule (times-wise) you could imagine.

We reserved our 4 nights in Teklanika. You can't just boondock it in Denali NP.

That was it.

EEWally wrote:

We reserved our 4 nights in Teklanika. You can't just boondock it in Denali NP.

I agree, if you want to stay in Teklanika in Denali which is the farthest campground you can drive, you need reservations. We only made them 3 weeks prior to our planned arrival when we could better judge when we'd be there. We stayed 5 nights there.

However, we got to the area a little early so on a whim we boondocked just north of Telkeetna at a lovely spot. The next morning we drove into Denali and easily secured a spot in Denali's front campground, Riley Creek for an additional 5 nights without a reservation. There were plenty of spots available and we got a huge one for our 40' motorhome.

In all, spending 10 nights in Denali our days were full and we saw THE mountain 7 of 10 days and every one of the big animals living there. Staying IN Denali is the very best!