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Roll call Alaska 2017

colliehauler
Explorer III
Explorer III
I will try to get to Alaska next year, dreamed about it for years.

Anyone else planing a trip for next year?
191 REPLIES 191

HollardawgUSMC
Explorer
Explorer
We have been planning our 3rd Alaska trip for the last 4 years, and something always comes up to nix it. But, this year looks pretty good. Mainly because it is our last chance. We are both in our 70's now, so time isn't on our side. We are getting tired, and the rig is getting tired. So, after 10 years of full-time RV'ing, the keys are looking for a hook to hang on.

I am a huge planner. Therefore I have our "Trip #3" planned right down to the penny, the mile, and the day/date. Also, since we aren't as young as we were on previous trips, we have many many more stops than most of you will will make. Also, since we have been there before, we will be omitting a few places that are "one shot visits".

With that said, if anyone is interested in a copy of our itinerary, email me privately at hollardawg@yahoo.com, and you are welcome to a copy. Since we will be on the road quite awhile before we head North, I have reduced it to just the Canadian and Alaska portions of the trip.

Everyone, travel safely, and remember.....you don't visit Northern Canada and Alaska, you experience it.

TxGearhead
Explorer II
Explorer II
^^^good one lol
I went halibut fishing yesterday. Well, Texas Halibut: southern flounder. Still hot here, up in the 80's. Need a cool front to drop water temps and get the halibut, uhh flounder moving.
2018 Ram 3500 CC LB DRW 4X4 Cummins Aisin Laramie Pearl White
2018 Landmark Oshkosh
2008 Bigfoot 25C9.4
2014 NauticStar 21 ShallowBay 150HP Yamaha
2016 GoDevil 18X44 35HP Surface Drive

MORSNOW
Navigator II
Navigator II
TxGearhead wrote:
....back to studying maps. ๐Ÿ™‚


Drive north from "Howdy" up to "Eh" and keep going until the road ends on the Homer spit. There will be fresh halibut and a frosty mug there to reward you on a safe trip!
2014 Wolf Creek 850SB
2012 GMC Sierra SLT 2500HD 7,220# Truck/10,400# Camper Fully Loaded

TxGearhead
Explorer II
Explorer II
All great info and it is much appreciated.
Now....back to studying maps. ๐Ÿ™‚
2018 Ram 3500 CC LB DRW 4X4 Cummins Aisin Laramie Pearl White
2018 Landmark Oshkosh
2008 Bigfoot 25C9.4
2014 NauticStar 21 ShallowBay 150HP Yamaha
2016 GoDevil 18X44 35HP Surface Drive

explorenorth
Explorer
Explorer
Carrera glider wrote:
Stay in the provincial camp grounds rather than down town gravel parking lots, the one on the North side is close and you can foot traffic on the ferry to town.
Or stay out by the airport quiet after 9 P.M. but you will have to drive back to town, both are good.


The Yukon River campground across the river from Dawson is very nice, and big-rig friendly. The one by the airport is old and neither very nice nor big-rig friendly.
Murray

Whitehorse, Yukon
http://ExploreNorth.com/
and blogging at http://ExploreNorthBlog.com/
I live to travel, and travel to really live

SBradley
Explorer
Explorer
I see one post mentioning a trip to the Arctic Circle on the Dalton Hwy, I would advise against the Dalton. A better choice is the Dempster access just south of Dawson City,
the road is in better shape, less 18 wheeler traffic and you get to go thru Tomestone park, great hiking, fantastic scenery. Stay over night in Tomestone park right behind the visitors center.

Go to Dawson City on the way up or back, our favorite little town in the Yukon.
Stay in the provincial camp grounds rather than down town gravel parking lots, the one on the North side is close and you can foot traffic on the ferry to town.
Or stay out by the airport quiet after 9 P.M. but you will have to drive back to town, both are good.
S Bradley
Navion IQ 24V

sue_t
Explorer
Explorer
TxGearhead wrote:
Or just take HWY4 from Watson Lake to Carmacks and on to Dawson.

The Campbell Highway between Watson Lake and Faro can be VERY rough and muddy. Most of it is not paved. It has been under construction for a few years, and those construction zones are ugly.

Fuel is available in Watson Lake, Ross River and Faro. The one gas station in Ross River is sometimes out of fuel and the one gas station in Faro is an unmanned station (credit or debit card only) and if the computer is having a hissy fit, then the pumps don't work. So if you do this route, plan to have enough fuel to get you from Watson Lake to Carmacks (at the Klondike Highway) just in case.

There is only one campground with services, in Faro. There are four government campgrounds along the way, with no services. The gov't campgrounds are nice - three of them are lakeside.

http://yukonsights.ca/CampbellHwy.html

A typical construction zone - Sept 2015
sue t.
Pictures from our many RV Adventures to Yukon & Alaska from Vancouver Island. Now we live in Yukon!

cbigham
Explorer III
Explorer III


We are interested in going as well, just picked this up, starflyte 21 ft, this king of some combo ferry and road back from CA. Much much more convenient than our 40 footer. Wife has dreams of fishing!

Thanks

Cbig

SBradley
Explorer
Explorer
TxGearhead wrote:
Yeah, I'm wanting to go 2017. I passed on caravanning with a friend this year. I asked the wife if she wanted to go....in the cabover. NO. Well maybe.
I need advice on routes. Is there any reason to get on HWY2 at Whitehorse and go to Dawson and on to Tok and Fairbanks, other than avoiding seeing the same scenary twice on HWY1 from Whitehorse to Tetlin Junction on the way back? Or just take HWY4 from Watson Lake to Carmacks and on to Dawson. Then south on HWY3 to Wasilla and back to Tok. Is the HWY37 loop to Prince George BC, then Kamloops and into Washington good stuff? I wouldn't mind seeing coastal Washington and Oregon.
It'll be a bunch of miles from Houston.


If you are an adventurous sol those are good plans but be prepared to take care of yourself most services are limited at best to fuel and the fuel may not always be available. The road conditions vary even more than the main routes.
S Bradley
Navion IQ 24V

fanrgs
Explorer
Explorer
thedavidzoo wrote:
We are also heading up to AK the summer of 2017!
We'll be driving all the way from the Washington DC area via all the typical routes - Banff & Alaskan Hwy up, Cassair down...at least this first time.
Leaving 3rd week of June (as soon as kids' school lets out) and returning 3rd week of August. Wish we could make it longer.
Sounds like a good plan and you will have time to see most of the major scenic attractions in that length of time, especially if you have 3 drivers for your truck. With your solar panels, you should be able to dry camp along the highway, especially in northwest Canada and Alaska where it is legal except where posted. In some states, like Idaho, nearly every town has a free or low-cost RV dump, so you won't need a campground even when you are dry camping.

Not having to find campgrounds or RV parks along your route and spend time hooking up for just an 8-hour rest stop should save considerable time as well. And once you get west, many Indian casinos have RV hookups for a very reasonable price. These are normally near major highways, so you can get in and out in a short time.

HAve a great trip!
"Retirement is the best job I ever had!"
2015 RAM 2500 4x4 crewcab 6.7L CTD; 2016 Rockwood Signature UltraLite 5th wheel

Kidoo
Explorer
Explorer
TxGearhead wrote:
Yeah, I'm wanting to go 2017. I passed on caravanning with a friend this year. I asked the wife if she wanted to go....in the cabover. NO. Well maybe.
I need advice on routes. Is there any reason to get on HWY2 at Whitehorse and go to Dawson and on to Tok and Fairbanks, other than avoiding seeing the same scenary twice on HWY1 from Whitehorse to Tetlin Junction on the way back? Or just take HWY4 from Watson Lake to Carmacks and on to Dawson. Then south on HWY3 to Wasilla and back to Tok. Is the HWY37 loop to Prince George BC, then Kamloops and into Washington good stuff? I wouldn't mind seeing coastal Washington and Oregon.
It'll be a bunch of miles from Houston.



On the way up, I would recommend highway 97 through Fort Nelson, some very nice views on this road and you should see many wildlife. A stop at Liard River hot spring is a delight.

I never been on highway 4 from Watson to Carmacks because the recommendations where not the best. Highway 2 from Whitehorse to Dawson is better I think, it is not the most impressive but it has some nice lookout of the Yukon River.

Dawson is a nice little place to see and it has a lot of history, you can spend a few days there. Then you can go to Chicken by the "Top of the world road", it has some very nice scenery. Chicken is a place to see once, go to the bar for a beer or two, you might meet some interesting folks. Then to Tok and to Faibanks. Fairbanks is a good place to refill with Food and stuff and it has some nice tourist attractions. If you want to go to the Artic cirlce and to the Artic Ocean, this is where the road starts, asphalte for the first strech then gravel, it is a long drive, around 500 miles. I have been twice and do not regret. The Tundra is something to see.

If you prefer not to go to the Artic, you might want to head down to Anchorage through Denali Park, this is The place to see the highest Peak in North America and the park is a wonder.

I would not miss Valdez. If you go around the 18 of July, you should see some bears and Sea lions feeding on Salmon, and the boat tours to the Glacier is spectacular.

On you way back you can take the other route from Tok to Haines Junction then to Haines. It has some spectacular scenery. You will not miss much between Haines junction and Whitehorse. Haines is a nice little town by the bay and it has some good Rockfish. Depending on when you go, you will see many Eagles on the way down. From there you can take the boat to Skagway with your RV, it is a very nice boat ride and not very exensive, spend a few days then go to Carcross then you probably want to go back to Whitehorse for grocery before you head back, there is not many big stores between Whitehorse and BC.

On the way down to Prince George by the Cassiar highway, you do not want to miss Hyder AK/ Stewart BC, the Glacier Highway to get there is very nice, you will see big water fall from glaciers and once you get to Hyder, you could see some black bears and Grysley in town and at the bear lookout platform where they feed just below your feet, best time is around end of July / August I beleive. Then you can go on top of the Salmon Glacier, the drive to get up there is again, spectacular and unique, you have the Glacier below your feet.

Then you want to drive, and stop, on the Icefield parkway in BC, from Jasper to banff, again, Spectacular.

In other words, take the most of what you can in the days you have. I see that you have a Bigfoot, my two trips where with a Bigfoot. You could sleep right there on top of the Salmon Glacier, not at the lookout but further up the road a little, be aware that the road is riding along a cliff. There are so many nice places to explore with a TC. Another scenic road, if you are not afraid of hights and gravel scenic roads, would be to go from Willow to Wasilla.
Monaco Cayman 34 2003, Cummins 300HP
Bigfoot 2008, 10.4, F350, 2006, Diesel 6.0, Black, 4x4, long box, Air lift, Rancho 9000, Rear sway bar.

thedavidzoo
Explorer II
Explorer II
My boys are still in school (8th and 11th grade), but we would not feel comfortable with leaving them alone the last crazy school days/weeks and having them fly out. It is definitely doable in later years.
We would certainly like to spend more than 64ish days on this trip, but it is our last summer together before my oldest heads to college, we sell our house, and move across the country somewhere warmer with fewer people. ALaska is a must do for us now. The 4 of us have traveled the US extensively each of the past 6 summers, so this is our last "hurrah" together.
When my youngest is out of the house, we will definitely be on the road more, and I am sure we will revisit AK and Canada (and lots of other great places) and take our time...
2014 Ram 3500 CrewCab Diesel DRW 4x4 4.10 Aisin, Torklift Fastguns, Upper Stableloads, Timbrens
2017 Northstar 12' STC
640W solar, 400Ah lithium LiFeMnPO4 batteries

PghBob
Explorer
Explorer
thedavidzoo wrote:
We are also heading up to AK the summer of 2017!
We'll be driving all the way from the Washington DC area via all the typical routes - Banff & Alaskan Hwy up, Cassair down...at least this first time.
Leaving 3rd week of June (as soon as kids' school lets out) and returning 3rd week of August. Wish we could make it longer.


Are you kids old enough to fly together? Our "kids" are teachers, and we ran into the same problem with their school year end when we made our trip in 2015. Our solution was to head out before the end of school and had them fly to Calgary to meet us on the way. We saved a number of days doing this rather than waiting for the end of the school year.

2gypsies1
Explorer II
Explorer II
Golferdave78 wrote:
We are looking at doing Alaska from Atlanta in 2018.
I assume we won't have any issues navigating our 2015 Dutch Star through Canada and Alaska.
Hopefully by then we'll be towing a jeep
Any advice??
I am trying to read as much as I can and get as much input before we make the trip


You will have absolutely no problems on any of the roads with your Dutch Star. There are no low tunnels to worry about. Semis travel the roads all the time.

Get Mike and Terry Church's book 'Alaskan Camping' which includes Canada, also. It's all you need to plan your trip. It will give you RV parks, public campgrounds and great boondocking spots and the sizes of the sites.

Also get the Milepost which is great for the history and maps. We kept both books open all day. We took turns driving and reading the history to each other. ๐Ÿ™‚

The only reservations we made were for the July 4 weekend (Alaskans like to camp, too) and for 5 nights in Denali's Teklanika campground. For those we only made them a few weeks prior when we could better judge when we'd get there. As it turned out we were early for Denali so on a whim we boondocked nearby at a beautiful spot and pulled into the park early morning. We easily secured a spot in Riley Creek campground without a reservation. We spent 10 nights in Denali and saw 'the' mountain 7 of 10 days and every one of the big five critters in the park - more than once. We were in Denali mid-August - colors starting and the firewood at its peak - beautiful!

It really is an easy trip - just long. Don't think of it in terms of the total mileage. Break it into a day at a time and it won't seem so bad. It shouldn't be a rushed trip. Take it nice and slow and explore Canada and the Yukon, too. Some places are just as lovely as Alaska.

Have fun planning!
Full-Timed for 16 Years
.... Back in S&B Again
Traveled 8 yr in a 40' 2004 Newmar Dutch Star Motorhome
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

Tee_Jay
Explorer
Explorer
TxGearhead wrote:
Yeah, I'm wanting to go 2017. I passed on caravanning with a friend this year. I asked the wife if she wanted to go....in the cabover. NO. Well maybe.
I need advice on routes. Is there any reason to get on HWY2 at Whitehorse and go to Dawson and on to Tok and Fairbanks, other than avoiding seeing the same scenary twice on HWY1 from Whitehorse to Tetlin Junction on the way back? Or just take HWY4 from Watson Lake to Carmacks and on to Dawson. Then south on HWY3 to Wasilla and back to Tok. Is the HWY37 loop to Prince George BC, then Kamloops and into Washington good stuff? I wouldn't mind seeing coastal Washington and Oregon.
It'll be a bunch of miles from Houston.


If you want to do the Coast, get on 101 in California around Napa and Vallejo. That will get you the Redwwods as well. I prefer the Coast going north as the sun glare going south is brutal.

Some western parks such as Glacier do not fully open until July due to snow, so schedule them for the trip home.

The basic trip is Dawson Creek, Watson Lake, Whitehorse, Tok and then decide Valdez first of Fairbanks first. If the weather is nice in Valdez, go there first. The side trips to Dawson and Carmacks and Haines are optional. The Cassiar (Hwy 37) is popular, as is the side trip to Hyder to see bears in August. If you do that, stay on 16 thru Prince George and go to Jasper, then take 93, Icefields Parkway, south to Banff and Lake Loiuse, see them and continue south on 93 to Radium Hot Springs and on south toward Missoula. That will get you to Glacier and Yellowstone without hitting any major population areas and staying in the mountains on good roads.