Route from FL?

[DocData3D]

I'm just starting to work on our route to Alaska next summer. We will start from Williston, FL and going to Dawson Creek, BC initially.

I was using Google Maps and then used GoodSam to print out a route. I was surprised to see they use radically different routes. Google goes up through Wisconsin, Minnesota and into Saskatchewan. GoodSam goes up through SD, WY and MT into Alberta?

Is there an advantage to one over the other?

,,,and while I'm on this, I saw the mileage was different between the 2! The first day I was considering stopping in Cartersville, GA. Google says its 385 miles but Sam says it is 417. They are both using the same route. Thats a 10% difference! What that heck is that about?

Thanks
Dave

[Hjudge49]

We just got back and basically took the route that Streets and trips maps out, with changes to visit specific sites. Coming home, we were in a hurry and took the most direct route, Dawson Creek-Edmonton-Calgary-Coutts/Sweetgrass, Great Falls-Sturgis-Sioux Falls-Kansas City-St. Louis-Chattanoga-Atlanta-St.Augustine. I drove pretty hard for long days and made it in 9 days 4 hours. The route thru Saskatchewan is a little shorter, but would entail another fuel stop in Canada with the higher prices.

[2gypsies1]

Another suggestion, ditch the mapping programs and go the way YOU want to go and what you want to see along the way. You've got a lot of miles to travel so you might as well enjoy the sites along the way. There are so many areas to cross into Canada no ONE area is the correct one. Also, the longer you stay in the lower 48 the less fuel will cost. Have fun planning - that's a fun part of the whole trip. Get the Milepost, Mike and Terri Church's Alaskan Camping book (includes some of Canada and the Yukon) and the TourSaver 2/1 coupon book...all online. Enjoy!

[PA12DRVR]

I'd suggest giving some non-internet aided thought to what you want to see, both in the Continental U.S. and in Canada: is it historical places to stop? Scenic vistas? As many miles as you can travel in a day? Endles fields of grain? Mountains?

Once you've got a sense of your "wants to see", that might help determine your route. In 2009, although I didn't drive the Alcan, I was in the midst of moving and drove from Ewe-stun to Seattle where I put my P/U on AVT and flew to Los Anchorage.

That 2009 trip was after living in the Houston area for 7? 8? years and I was desparate for vertical relief so my route to Seattle was: Ewe-stun - Albuqurque - Durango CO - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff - Idaho - Oregon - Cascades - Seattle....long and very indirect but it got me my mountain fix.

Determine what parts of the country you want to see and then plan your route. I'd suggest (whether you use Google maps, Mapquest, etc) that you only use the software to plan any given leg and that you define the overall route based on your preferences.

...and as stated above, take the driving times listed with a grain of salt.

[paulj]

I prefer Google Maps. It usually gives 3 route suggestions, with distance and time estimates. It is also easy to 'grab' a route and move it around, passing through different towns or using different highways. With a distance like FL to AK there must be dozens of alternatives that differ by by only 100 miles or so. With a month or more of travel those kinds of distance differences are minor.

Also take travel times with a big grain-of-salt. They are based on speed estimates, estimates that might based something as simple as the typical speed limit for that type of highway.

Between FL and northern Alberta/BC there are all kinds of alternatives, since most of the area is flat with lots of towns and highways. After that there are few choices - the Alaska Hwy or Cassiar to Yukon, and a couple beyond that. Get something like Mileposts to read about those highways.

[lizzie]

Although we live in NC, we started our Alaska trip from Tallahassee FL in early May. Weather plays a big part in trip planning and if you leave early,(April-May) you may want to follow Joe's suggestion and use I-10 while keeping yourself informed of what is going on north of you. I-90, I-80, I-70, and even I-40 can have snow delays well into June. Tornado's and/or strong winds are also a concern when traveling in the spring. This is not be discouraging about your trip, just keep in mind that you may not be able to follow the exact route that you have planned. lizzie

[DocData3D]

sdianel wrote:
I prefer Mapquest.com for routing. You can add stops and rearrange them easily. Never had a problem with the miles or hours. Mapquest gives 3 different routing options. From Williston, I would go up US19 to I-10, up US 231 through Dothan AL, Memphis TN. We stick with US Highways except through major cities. We make just as good time and lots less stress.
If you have plenty of time, I would go the SD, MT and WY route into Alberta. Glacier National Park, Banff and Lake Louise is worth stopping for.

Is there some way to get Mapquest to remember a map I am working on? It seems to remember a map name but not the stops. This is something I will have to work on over a long period of time so it would be nice if I didn't have to recreate the map every time I wanted to add to it.

Thanks,
Dave

[joe_b_]

Over the last 51 years of driving to/from Alaska we have used most of the popular routes. The one Lonny suggests is a good one. I would decide what I wanted to see between Florida and Alaska and let that be my guide. Most trips we like to run up the mountain west area, as we often go to Colorado and head north out of there, crossing at Coutts/Sweetgrass and into Canada. We have gone up to the Boston area and crossed into Canada in New York and then west across Canada. This route will give a traveler a good taste of how big Canada is from east to west.

Our last two trips we have stayed south because of weather in the central plains. Taking Interstate 10 east to LA, pick up I 49 to Shreveport, I 20 to Dallas/Ft Worth, Hwy 287 to Amarillo, cut across to Raton NM, and then I 25 north to the border. This route is a few hundred miles farther than crossing in ND or Minn. but we prefer the mountains and avoids the heavy traffic of the upper Midwest .

Not really a bad way to go, IMHO. Lots to do on any of the different routes. I figure on about 10 driving days from south Florida to Fairbanks. Throw in a few layover days and it will normally be two to three weeks total to get there or back home. The places we want to see between Florida and the Canadian Border, we go back on other summers to visit. We try to alternate summers between Alaska and western Colorado. This summer we ran a second consecutive trip to Colordo. The route from Florida to Colorado involved going through South Dakota to Montana (Missoula area) and then south to Colorado. We are currently in the process of wandering back home from Colorado on our two month trip.

Our plan is to head back to Alaska next summer also. It is a great trip, a trip of a lifetime, that a person can do as often as they wish and all works out for them.

[iawoody2]

sdianel wrote:
I prefer Mapquest.com for routing. You can add stops and rearrange them easily. Never had a problem with the miles or hours. Mapquest gives 3 different routing options. From Williston, I would go up US19 to I-10, up US 231 through Dothan AL, Memphis TN. We stick with US Highways except through major cities. We make just as good time and lots less stress.
If you have plenty of time, I would go the SD, MT and WY route into Alberta. Glacier National Park, Banff and Lake Louise is worth stopping for.

This would be my choice. Also, the more time in Canada the more in cost, fuel is very costly, and in 2010 when we went we paid as high as high$8.31 for a gallon of milk.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

I prefer Mapquest.com for routing. You can add stops and rearrange them easily. Never had a problem with the miles or hours. Mapquest gives 3 different routing options. From Williston, I would go up US19 to I-10, up US 231 through Dothan AL, Memphis TN. We stick with US Highways except through major cities. We make just as good time and lots less stress.
If you have plenty of time, I would go the SD, MT and WY route into Alberta. Glacier National Park, Banff and Lake Louise is worth stopping for.