Wisconsin to Alaska

[FFWIFE50]

We had a last minute offer to volunteer at a park near Homer Alaska. We love the idea but have done absolutely no pre planning for a trip to Alaska.

We would need to start our gig on August 2 and we have a wedding in town on July 23rd.

Mapquest says this is a 60 hour or 3,500 mile trip. Has anyone made the trip in 8 days? Ideas on the best routes and places to stay long the way would be very,very helpful.

Sightseeing on the way out isn't a option, just places to park the rig for the night.

The sightseeing and fun part will occur on our way home.

Thanks in advance for helping us put together this last minute adventure!!

[answerswillvary]

Please reply to this post in the RVing in Canada forum. Here is the link

[2gypsies1]

You'll have no time for siteseeing and just plan on very long days. As stated, many sections are very slow-going.

[romore]

I agree, the days of 16 hour kamikaze runs are behind me. That is a pretty ambitious plan but doable with two drivers. I would cross at Pembina and pick up the Trans Canada highway west of Winnipeg. At Portage take 16 Yellowhead highway to west of Edmonton then 43 and 2 to Dawson Creek. Winnipeg and Edmonton have ring roads which avoid the congestion and traffic lights.

[TBammer]

"Now folks that like to hug their pillows till 9 or 10 AM and then stop to have a "little wine" at 2 PM are going to take quite a bit longer to make the trip."

Now that's the way to travel. Just saying. :B

[joe_b_]

From Wisconsin, I would get on Interstate 94 west bound, to I 90 then turn north on I 15 to cross the border at Coutts/Sweatgrass into Canada. Running the interstates in the US I find by getting an early morning start, I can make 600 miles a day, realizing I will make fewer miles the farther north I go. The multi-lane roads in Canada are not any real difference than the interstates in the Lower 48. Make the miles when you can and then slow down when you need to.

If both of you are going to be driving, then doing the trip in 8 days won't be a big problem that I see. Or if you can drive 15-16 hours a day then a 6 day trip is very doable, when need be.

I am an early riser and by noon, I will often have traveled 250 or more miles. Now folks that like to hug their pillows till 9 or 10 AM and then stop to have a "little wine" at 2 PM are going to take quite a bit longer to make the trip. So how long is very personal and how many miles a day are you willing to put in on the road is the key. What type vehicle are you using, etc. Lots of pull offs, especially once you get into Canada. I tend to avoid going through both Calgary and Edmonton, but at times it is necessary to do both as they are large urban areas. Good roads and all but just lots of traffic, especially during going to work/home hours.

Once you get through Edmonton, just head on over to Dawson Creek and get on the Alaska Hwy till your reach Alaska. Make a right hand turn in Haines Junction and turn left in Tok to head south to Glennallen, to Anchorage and on south to Homer. The farther north a person gets the less choices of roads you will have. I have taken Hwy 2 across to the Great Falls Montana area but I 95 is mucho faster for us. Great trip, slow or fast. You see the same scenery and can plan you stops on the way back.

[FFWIFE50]

What is the best route?

[joe_b_]

I find from south Florida to Fairbanks takes us roughly 10 driving days as making 450 miles a day isn't a problem for us. A lot depends on a RVers age, health, enjoyment of driving, etc, as to how many days it takes. My BIL and his family, when living in Anderson Alaska, normally figured on about 50 hours to Bellingham Washington, which with 3 drivers, they would leave Anderson after work on a Friday and driving straight through would arrive in Bellingham on Sunday evening. Not my preferred way of travel but it worked for them. For many residents, going to/from Alaska by vehicle, they see the Alaska Hwy as just a long road to drive to get where they want to be, which is Outside in the Lower 48.

The quickest I have ever made the trip was Anchorage to the Houston Texas area in 6 days, averaging 800 miles a day approximately. I was solo in a car and driving 16 hours a day. When I got tired, I would pull over and sleep in the car for a few hours and hit the road again. No desire to ever do that again but was necessary that one time.

So if a person has multiple drivers, the trip can be made somewhat quickly. My wife doesn't care to drive on most trips but has driven the Alaska Hwy with our two pre-teen age daughters in our class C motorhome one trip. I flew down and met them in Colorado that summer after I got the work issues settled down to where I could leave

[dahkota]

Just an FYI - mapquest is wrong in their time estimation. 3,500 miles in 60 hours works out to 58 MPH. There is no way, on some of the roads you encounter, you will do 58 MPH. On some, you will do closer to 30 MPH though it won't be for great distances. You will need to drive about 10 hours per day for the entire 8 days to get there on time. But it is doable.