Roll Call Alaska 2015

[trcgolf]

I know its early but we have been planning for the past 3 months. I know its another 15 months at least till we leave but we are just going crazy...
So here is our very rough plan overview. Leave mid June from western NY; travel west up through Ill., Wis., Min., ND, into Canada.
Diagonally across Saskatch. and Alberta, BC, and YT...
Our first destination is Fairbanks, via Top of the World Highway... thinking of doing the Dempster to the Arctic Circle. I know there will many stops... some short, some long but all will be great.
Fairbanks to Homer with the obligatory Denali stop for a few days.
Homer to Portland Or; Oregon to San Fran; San Fran to home via the Northern US.

We have so much planning yet to do but reading all the Roll Call posts in 2013, and 2014 just keeps us going. Started to plan finances which brings us to the first major question.
I have heard all the diesel advantages and draw backs of the gas engines. We invested in a 32' fifth wheel and 2013 GMC 2500 HD with 6.0L Crew 4x4. The fiver weighs about 8K empty, I would guess 10,500 loaded. ( I will get that checked for sure)Brand new to Rving

The truck is my every dayer.... need the 4 wheel drive here in winter. The decision with gas was pure economics. A Cummins diesel and matching tranny was $9500 more. Doing the math it was going to take a bunch of miles to save enough in mileage to pay for the increase in price. About 100000 mile by my calculation. We not going to be full timers; one long trip a year to Florida.
Traveling around NY and Pa and maybe Florida, that all makes sense but going on a trip like this, I am not so sure gas was the way to go. So I am asking for those who used a truck like mine to haul a fifth wheel through Canada...Alaska...et al... What kind of mileage can I expect? Sorry for the novelette...I will get better at this.

Edited to add 'Alaska' within the title.

[sue_t]

A quick heads up tonight...the Parks Highway north of Anchorage (to Fairbanks) is CLOSED at mile 71 to mile 77 due to a wildfire. It has burned 500 acres and possibly up to 1,000 acres. It jumped the highway.

If you're planning to head from Anchorage to Fairbanks tomorrow (Monday, June 15), maybe rethink that plan.

If you're on facebook, keep up-to-date here Matanuska-Susitna Borough facebook page.

You can also check in with the Alaska State Troopers.

I expect this might put a crunch on the RV parks in the area too as many residents are having to evacuate.

[dahkota]

Stayed at Williwaw Sunday through Thursday. The campground is beautiful, the sites are far apart and paved. My only advice is to check the weather for the days you will be there. If there will be wind or rain, consider other options. We even had to pull our living slide in - the gusts in the valley were over 50MPH while outside the valley winds only got up to 20 or so.

[fullmoonoversal]

2gypsies wrote:

FloridaKash wrote:


Fair warning, Anchorage RV parks are not very nice. We stayed in nearby Eagle to do a couple things in Anchorage.

Hoping to be able to squeeze our rig into some of the US Forest/Alaska campgrounds on the peninsula.

Williwaw national forest campground down the Kenai is a #1 campground. All paved, spacious sites in a beautiful setting.

Quartz Creek Campground in Cooper Landing is beautiful. Really nice sites, clean.

[Chiefelectusn]

Weather beautiful in Haines. Went on a charter flight seeing with Mountain Flying Service all I can say is WOW! Beautiful! Amy and Paul are the best.
Staying at Haines Hitch-Up Rv Park, great place, great hosts.
Headed to Haines Jct. in the AM then the part I am not looking forward to, Haines Jct to Beaver Creek.

[2gypsies1]

FloridaKash wrote:


Fair warning, Anchorage RV parks are not very nice. We stayed in nearby Eagle to do a couple things in Anchorage.

Hoping to be able to squeeze our rig into some of the US Forest/Alaska campgrounds on the peninsula.

Williwaw national forest campground down the Kenai is a #1 campground. All paved, spacious sites in a beautiful setting.

[FloridaKash]

We are in Alaska for the summer. Ordinarily from here so we will be bouncing around from Fairbanks, Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. Lucky for us, we have a friend with property in Anchorage that we can camp at, same with Fairbanks.

Road from Haines Junction to Beaver Creek is aweful. Not looking forward to driving back across that stretch of road.

Fair warning, Anchorage RV parks are not very nice. We stayed at The Rivers Edge park in Fairbanks before moving to stay with family. It was very nice and we will visit that park again.

Hoping to be able to squeeze our rig into some of the US Forest/Alaska campgrounds on the peninsula. We'll be down there in a week or so. Likely stay at an RV park for a night or two and scout out some campgrounds/sites with the TOAD.

[Chiefelectusn]

We are in Haines and the sun is peeking out and the wind has finally calmed down. Been blowing 20+ mph for 4 days.
Going rafting looking for Eagles today.

[hjeaton65]

Thought I might mention two parks we stayed at, and one we did not. The Discovery Yukon good Sam park about 20 miles before Beaver Creek, Yukon was an interesting stay. Lots of collections on display throughout the park, of "stuff" including vehicles from the 1942 time. Main bldg was officers quarters. Worth staying even though there was no fuel there.

We also drove the next day almost to North Pole--within 50 miles-- and stayed at the 'C' Lazy Moose rv. Again, no fuel or restaurant, but ice cream is good. Owners friendly. Don't be alarmed you can't see the rigs....there is a hill to go down behind to sites. Easy to blow by it so you have to be watching for it. Not a good Sam, but ask for the good Sam discount.. She offered it.

We did NOT stay in Delta Junction. Call us snobby if you want, but there was a sign for an RV park before you got there that we drive in....park in poor shape and no 30 amp...just regular house plug ins. The Good Sam park in the other edge of town is closed. That's why we ended up several miles on down at the "C" Lazy Moose.
Could have gone the extra hour to River's Edge but we're ready to sit down. River's edge at Fairbanks is nice and close to Fred Meyer store.

[sue_t]

This afternoon I followed a >35' fifth wheel travelling about 40 mph on the good paved sections of the Alaska Highway north of Whitehorse, and maybe 15 mph on the rougher sections, slowing to 5 mph for the flagged sections.

Didn't blame him BUT was also relieved to finally be able to make the pass after 5 kilometers of watching his bumper bounce along.

It will be a long haul for him north of Burwash Landing BUT we usually take four hours between Burwash and Beaver Creek when we're towing the fifth wheel.

[2lazy4U]

Seems to me the worst was after Destruction Bay. But I'm not pulling or driving a big rig. Some of those big Class A's with toads were going mighty slow, and for good reason.

[hjeaton65]

We are in Fairbanks right now, weds. June 10. Warning...rough roads and construction from Whitehorse north. The gravel is better driving, and no slower then the pavement! Safe travels!

[DaveKirby]

we are heading out from Pensacola florida on june 14th and will be heading to North Dakota, then on to Alaska. have you left yet?

[sue_t]

I shall take the bonuses on behalf of everybody and distribute appropriately... :B

[PA12DRVR]

Sue,

If I ask when all of the Alaska/Canada Forum Members on RV.net will receive their bonus, will that happen two days later? 🙂

This part of the excerpt (" These stretches of the highway will become more and more challenging to maintain") probably could have been written 35+ years ago.

[sue_t]

PA12DRVR wrote:
Some sort of climatology study interfaced with a geology report about that area would be very interesting.

Ask and you shall receive! Some results from the three study they've been conducting south of Beaver Creek were released on June 8, 2015
yukoncollege.yk.ca/research/permafrost_analysis_completed_for_north_alaska_highway

Excerpts:

They have found that over eighty percent of the permafrost that lies beneath the highway between Burwash Landing and Beaver Creek is moderately or highly vulnerable to thaw in a changing climate.

The research has identified long stretches of warm, ice rich, and thick permafrost. As the climate changes, some of this permafrost will thaw, leading to settlement of the highway. These stretches of the highway will become more and more challenging to maintain.