We are in .anybody want make suggestion

IMO, use the early part of your trip in SE AK and hit the interior and northern stuff in the heat of the summer for weather related considerations.

Since you indicated you are interested in hiking and beach combing:

- There are dozens of hikes available in/from the Anchorage area in and around Chugach state park. For visitors, not much else to recommend in Anchorage, but the Chugach is fantastic if one is in Anchorage anyway;
- Similarly, there are quite a few designated hikes/trails from the road on the way down to Slo-dotna and Kenai.
- Captain Cook Recreation Area (Kenai Peninsula) has hiking and beach combing.
- Of course, the mother lode of hiking on the road system is McKinley / Denali. Take the bus, hop off, hike, get back on.

If time permits a side trip to Haines is nice. There is a state rec area about 15 minutes past Haines. Beautiful! Reminds us of Lake Louise.

Here's a subtle consideration (which is especially important to my wife, not me). When the road gets tight and if there is an opposing RV, are you on the uphill side of the road or hanging out over the abyss? My wife prefers the uphill side. Our trip over TOW was from Chicken to Dawson City. We had no competition for lane width in the 1 or 2 tight places but I did notice that our direction would give us the uphill side.

That's probably not a big consideration on the TOW but for the Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National Park, she insists on east-to-west and not the reverse!

BTW, being in Dawson City for June 21 is a fun thing. The locals do a good job of celebrating the longest day...

pigman1 wrote:
If TOW is closed, I think the ferry over the Yukon River may also not be running.

The ferry operation isn't tied to the ToW being open - the many folks who live in West Dawson rely on it.

In Denali in August, the Grizzlies are out feeding for winter. We saw a bunch of them on our bus tour of the park.

Plan your route depending on any fires in the area, especially Fairbanks. The smoke might dictate which way you go. Denali is very nice in August but it appears you'll be back home by then. Can't you stay longer? :)

When you get to Whitehorse, drop in to the Visitor Centre and check the road conditions and weather forecast for Dawson City and/or the Alaska Hwy route. Make your decision which way to go and then plan to go the other way on your way home.

When you arrive in Tok AK, do the same. Check the weather to the southwest, around Valdez. If it is looking good, go that way first (when it rains in Valdez, it RAINS) so you can enjoy the good weather. Then carry on clockwise.

If the weather isn't looking so good at Valdez and the coast, head to Fairbanks and then carry on counter-clockwise & hope for better weather when you get to the coast.

The ferry over the Yukon River at Dawson City will run once the river ice is clear, regardless of the Top of the World Highway status. There are many people who live on the west side of the Yukon River and they rely on the ferry so it runs as long as it safe to do so on the river.

The stats for the start of the Yukon River ferry are here: http://www.hpw.gov.yk.ca/trans/maintenance/george_black_ferry_stats.html
Mid-May is typical, with 2013's start of May 24 being one of the latest starts, other than 1967 when it didn't get going until June.

I think you will get lots of responses here. If not, move it to the Roll Call. Also, don't forget to sign up on the List. lizzie