rv to alaska----- campground reservations

Don't make them. Call that day. Most of the time CGs are not full, unless it's a holiday weekend.

It depends on when you're planning on making the trip. Early in the season, like May and first part of June you shouldn't have any problems getting into almost anywhere. Later though it depends on where you are. If you're on the Kenai in July and August you'll be competing with all the sports fishermen and reservations will probably be needed.

If you have specific places you want to stay on specific dates, then make them. What most people will say is they don't make reservations very far ahead, but often do make them. Seems to be the same thing to me but to some it is obviously different. The salmon runs are somewhat predictable based upon historic runs. If I know I am going to fish the Valdez pink salmon run, the week or two after the 4th of July, I will call and make reservations a week or two ahead, same with the Kenai as Bob mentioned. Seward on the 4th, you will need them.

With all that verbiage, I have yet to talk to anyone that didn't find some place to park for a night, even though it may be box store pavement parking. I personally don't overnite at the big box stores, except in emergencies. Once in Alaska your cell phone will often work so I don't see it as a big deal to call a few days head to reserve a spot, especially in places like Fairbanks, Valdez, Homer, Seward as I know where we want to stay. Will at times turn my cell phone on in Canada to call for a place in Whitehorse or Dawson. This is all based upon what the RVers is comfortable with so far as a place to park. If you love parking at Wal Marts or Fred Meyer stores, then don't call as neither accept reservations that I am aware of. LOL

10 days to where in Alaska? Hyder? (part of British Columbia, not part of main-land Alaska)

It took me 11 days from Michigan to Hyder, and another 3 days from there to Valdez... and that included some 16+ hour days of driving to cover the "flyover states"

As I crossed the Yukon in May, most of the private campgrounds had not opened yet or were permanently out of business. The public campgrounds were open; they require exact change in Canadian currency or pre-paid permits that you buy ahead of time.

The roads in the Yukon and British Columbia are like nothing we have here in the lower 48. The only vehicles that survive driving them at posted speed are semi-trucks.

When we were young we never make reservations, and I mean never. But things are different now. Now I guess we just like the sense of security knowing we have a place to stay because we have a reservation. We have driven to Alaska twice and made reservations for each and every place along the way. That was difficult because many times the campgrounds were closed for the winter. But we were persistent with emails and phone calls and got it done. There was only once that we did not stay at a campground we had reserved but found a much better one nearby. As mentioned above you can get away without reservations most of the time, but not at Denali National Park or on the Kenai Peninsula during salmon runs.

10 days from Texas wow I am looking at 2 weeks to get to Dawson creek from NH. Slow down and enjoy the view.:E

Were there for six weeks summer of 2014. Didn't have reservations on the way thru Canada, in Alaska, or on the way back down. We saw way too many people driving just "to get there" because we have reservations.

10 days from Houston to Alaska? Driving? Suggest taking 9 days to drive to Seattle then fly up!

Just kidding....Have made the trip 2 - 3 times from Houston and 2 - 3 other times from near Dallas. The Dallas based trips were 20? 30? years ago and involved lots of hours behind the wheel and little sleeping time. Shortest IIRC was 6-7 days...and that was tag team driving with a college buddy. Most recent trip was at least 7 - 8 years ago and in the winter but IIRC it was a somewhat leisurely 7 days to Seattle (yes.....kind of sightseeing on the way) then 90 - 100 hours pushing pretty hard to Los Anchorage....all those trips were in everything except an RV.

In an RV if it's meant to be vacation, I'd suggest 2 weeks at a minimum and would not recommend any reservations unless you're going to be at a popular spot on a holiday....but full disclosure, other than a few weekend trips, I've not driven an RV much around Alaska.

It is 4000 miles from Houston to Tok, Alaska. Tok is the first town you will come to after you enter the state. If you traveled 500 miles per day you could get there in 8 days. Traveling 500 miles per day is not realistic on the roads you will encounter. 300 is more realistic and this can be a long day. Also, there are things to see along the way and these stops might limit you to 200 miles a day. A trip to Alaska is not about the destination, it is about the sights along the way up and back. Take your time and enjoy the trip of a lifetime. I never had a reservation during my 12,000 mile trip and never had trouble finding a place to camp. However we stayed in very few campgrounds and those that we did were public campgrounds. There are limitless pull off's along the route through Canada and Alaska that one can stay the night.

In our 8 weeks (mid-May to mid-July), we only found one campground or RV park that was full. It was the one near downtown Talkeetna, a pretty popular RV park. We went to the very nice Susitna Landing State Park and enjoyed watching 2 guys spey casting for jack king salmon instead.

Our trip 2014.