On the Road with "Roll Call Alaska 2013"......

[JANETRUPP]

Okay all my Alaska family...Here it is...
As requested I am starting a new thread for all you "Roll Call Alaska 2013" travelers to blog all your adventures.
This may help others traveling behind us or those going next year. Any news on roads, gas, what to see or miss. Anything.... just blog and tell of your adventures on one of our most memorable trips.

We start out tomorrow (only as far as Vegas..:C) but will be slowly heading up and away on our trip.

So start Bloging and lets keep in touch.

Travel safe and smart!!!!
Janet

[JANETRUPP]

For those of you that recently did the Cassiar Hwy, is there places to get diesel on the way or should I top off here in Watson Lake?
Don't really need it but don't want to have to need it.
Thanks,
Janet

[CA_Traveler]

Church's has the coordinates for each campground for our GPS setup.

Finding places in Canada/Alaska often seems to require local knowledge and not just for CGs. Entering coordinates on my Garmin is relatively easy and takes me to the location.

Although it can be interesting and fun to travel without the local knowledge.

[sue_t]

jandjhawk wrote:
We stayed at the Provincial park just before you turn toward Stewart and it was a very nice, pretty park with several big rig sites.

You enjoyed the Meziadin Lake Provincial Park ... as you continue north, you may wish to stop at Congdon Creek Yukon Gov't Campground on the shores of Kluane Lake near km 1666 on the Alaska Highway.

Many big rig sites there including some very nice pull-thrus on the loop. Very scenic. As with all Yukon gov't campgrounds, only $12 for the night. See why it is our favourite spot in Yukon http://suethomas.ca/KluaneLake.html

If you head to Dawson City first, there are numerous lakeside gov't campgrounds along the Klondike Highway:
- Fox Lake
- Twin Lakes
- Tatchun Lake

At Dawson City, the Yukon River gov't campground on the west side of the river is a lovely spot too. There are many river front campsites here. Much quieter than any of the commercial campgrounds in Dawson.

[sue_t]

There's only one bookstore in Whitehorse, that being Mac's Fireweed Books on Main Street between 2nd & 3rd. I've never seen Church's book there though.

You can check their inventory online at either:

http://www.yukonbooks.com
or
http://www.macsbooks.ca/

[pasco1215]

Jandjhawk-
1st of all - welcome or the forum and RC Alaska 2013. We are also from Alabama. But we are heading south out of Canada. Had a wonderful time in Alaska since May 20th. We are in Stewart,BC for the next few days.
You want to find the Church's camping book? Since you are in Whitehorse try the book stores there. Whitehorse is the biggest city you will visit other than Fairbanks and Anchorage. "Alaska Camping" by the Mike &Terri Church has been a big help throughout our journey. Also, a "Big Rigs" campgrounds directory has been used a lot. Church's has the coordinates for each campground for our GPS setup.
Enjoy your trip and take plenty of time to see the beauty of Alaska and Canada. We hate that our travels are heading south. Wish we could have met you along the road.

[jandjhawk]

I have been following the post to RC 2013 since we began thinking of heading to AK a couple of weeks ago. We were in LaPine OR and decided we were as close as we would ever be to AK from Alabama! We left Sumas Tuesday AM and arrived in Whitehorse today. We are at Pioneer RV as some of you suggested in your post.
We traveled the Cassier Hwy and I have to say it wasn't as bad as I had expected! There were some unpaved sections and narrow but not the horror I was thinking. It sounds like we may have rough roads ahead of us before we get to Tok.
We stayed at the Provincial park just before you turn toward Stewart and it was a very nice, pretty park with several big rig sites. Unfortunately we were a few days early to see the bears at the boardwalk. The salmon had just started.
We also stayed at Ksan CG in Hazelton. They had a native dance at the historical village. It was a very nice stay. They are doing construction work on the bridge so there is a slight delay but not bad.
I do have a question. Does anyone know where I can purchase the Church's Campground book locally?
Thanks for all the good information posted here!

[lapinebob]

GordonThree: My wife and I returned from our Alaska excursion last week. We left Central Oregon 6/10 and spent 6 weeks on the road. Bend OR-Dawson City-Tok-Seward-Denali-Fairbanks-Watson Lake to Prince George via Cassiar and home. We took our time and had an enjoyable trip. I just want to mention many days we were only able to average 40 mph. for the day. Some places 25 mph. was to fast as we incurred damage to our 5th wheel. Just don't plan on 60 mph average days every day. I don't want to throw cold water on your plans and I hope you have a great time, we did.

[sue_t]

Gosh, don't see Valdez on your first map either.

[sue_t]

How about just heading into Canada around Osoyoos and then north through the Okanagan on Hwy 97?

Or up through Creston to Nakusp to Revelstoke and across Hwy 1 to Hwy 97N?

You're bypassing Dawson City in Yukon?

[phxkayaker]

For me, the Dalton, especially north of Atigun, has been the highlight of the trip. Well worth a couple nights sleeping in the tow.

[GordonThree]

phxkayaker wrote:
I'd think twice about dragging the trailer to Coldfoot. I did it with the pickup and I'd do it with the trailer IF I'm planning to spend some time on the slope, but otherwise... My Dalton report is on our blog.

I'll probably just take my TV for that leg of the journey, and park the trailer at the airport or a CG in Fairbanks. I haven't 100% talked myself into the Dalton yet :?

[GordonThree]

If I cut out the "western" states, crossing into Canada through North Dakota, the computer claims I save almost five days and 1300 miles.



The new part of the route is going through Saskatoon and Edmonton, cutting through Jasper and up to Prince George.

I don't know if trading the short visits at Badlands and Glacier are worth the savings or not. I do tend to get carried away adding placees to see when I plan a route, I rationalize it with the excuse I'm already driving all these miles, might as well see this or that.

[phxkayaker]

I'd think twice about dragging the trailer to Coldfoot. I did it with the pickup and I'd do it with the trailer IF I'm planning to spend some time on the slope, but otherwise... My Dalton report is on our blog.

[GordonThree]

sljohnson1938 wrote:
Have you considered leaving out the plains-state part and just go up to AK. Forty days for AK only is still a very short time.

I live in Michigan, so I have to drive through the plains-states whichever way I go. Experimenting with different routes, cutting out Glacier, Badlands, Washington, Vancouver, etc only saves five days at the most.

For me, the trip is the drive more so than the destination. I'm bringing the trailer along so I have a motel room that is setup the way I like it, is pet friendly and never sold out. Towing the trailer somewhere and parking it for weeks isn't something I could do, my attention span is too short to stay put like that.

[sue_t]

You could cut many miles by not doing the Sea-to-Sky highway north of Vancouver. Compared to the Cassiar Hwy, Yukon and Alaska, the Sea-to-Sky is not all that exciting.
Pemberton to Lillooet is interesting ... narrow with steep grades. Make sure your brakes and coolant are up to snuff.
Lillooet to Hwy 97N is average.