Wisconsin to Alaska

Agree 60 windshield hours is optimistic between summer rv traffic and the roads on the alcan on up.
8 days is pretty easily doable imo. My trip up from Seattle said 42 hours and I was around 50 hours, driving by myself with minimal rest stops and meal stops.
Advice is, make as much time as you can the first 1500 miles or so until the roads start getting nasty. After that you'll get to slow down and see the sights.....and the orange cones every 200 yards!
Sounds like an awesome trip. Will you be able to stay a while in the fall after your gig and tour more of the state?

We've run the drive to AK from Delaware in 06, 07, 09, 11, 13, and 15. We visit with friends in Duluth and then go without sightseeing. We plan 10 driving days total, 5000+ miles from Delaware, but last year we started late so we pushed and made Tok in 7 drive days. Our route after Duluth is US 2 to I-15 (Shelby MT) north to a bypass around Edmonton, northwest to Grand Prairie, AB, then Dawson Creek BC and the Alaska Highway to Tok, AK. We do not stop at any RV parks but boondock all the way. We do refuel at the larger cities as the out of town fuel stops are expensive. We can easily run 600-650 miles a day until we start to get north of Whitehorse where the frost heaves and road repairs begin to slow us down. Be sure you get a copy of the MILEPOST. Just about every turnout and wide spot in the road is in there, so overnights are easy to select. As someone mentioned some turnouts are posted NO OVERNIGHTS, but we've never been told to move on. However, we don't pick the scenic or developed ones. When you hit Tok you may want to stop in a park to get the rig washed and do clothes washing. The northern end of the Alaska highway can be dirty or muddy (construction) and a cleanup is advised. From Tok take the Tok cutoff over to the Richardson Highway, then the Glenn highway from Glennallen to Anchorage. I'd plan to stop north or south of Anchorage as the Kenai run may have heavy traffic if the salmon are running in the Kenai and Russian rivers.

Once past Edmonton, a number of towns have free dunp sites and free water. You need to ask when refueling or check closely in the Milepost.

If you decide to run this route or close to it and need more info on things like overnight sites in Red Deer, the bypass around Edmonton or overnighting in Grand Prairie, just ask.

On my trip out to Glacier last summer. I took the scenic route cutting from 94 up to the east entrance. One of the worst roads I've ever been on. Very slow going pulling a camper. Wish I could remember the highway so be careful out there.

Two thoughts.
Cross in ND near Minot?
Also would you save any time by bombing across 90 or 94 and crossing the border in WA?

I want to comment on the planning part. Take loads of mosquito stuff. But..in reality..you don't need to pack the kitchen sink. There is no shortage of food and liquor to buy, clothes, etc. Do have an Emergency Road Service plan, a cel phone plan that works for you in Alaska..don't worry about Canada, you are just passing thru. Have passports for all aboard and rabies certs for any pets. No weapons aboard. If you do carry, have it shipped to Alaska. If anyone aboard has a criminal record in the US they will not be allowed into Canada (the answer to that is to fly them to Anchorage and pick them up)..and yes, that is even that teeeny tiny roach charge back in 1970. And ensure your health insurance is good for Canada.

You don't need to pack all the tools but you do want to have a spare aboard if you can.



Gary Haupt

Several years ago my husband and two of his friends drove from central Idaho to Soldotna AK towing a horse trailer filled with construction supplies. With three drivers, they only needed to stop for food, as having three drivers meant that one could sleep while the others drove. It took them 72 hours total, with the only stop longer than a food stop was at the Sign Post Forest to post their own sign.

FFWIFE50 wrote:
Are there many places to pull over and sleep or bml land along the way

I can't speak for the US section. Once into Alberta you will have opportunities in any city to utilize a box store parking lot. Here is an Alberta list of Rest Areas. The locations are on left side of page.

http://www.allstays.com/c/rest-stop-alberta-locationshttp://www.th.gov.bc.ca/restareas/?zoom=5&loc=-126.600000%2C54.589121.htm

Here is the BC Rest Area list.

http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/restareas/?zoom=5&loc=-126.600000%2C54.589121

BC has lots of pull offs. You will see some that are marked No Camping or No Overnighting. You can ignore the signs. No one has ever been asked to not catch sleep.

This will be a haul A$$ trip for you. I hope you have two drivers. And yes, the roads up north are 'good'..but that doesn't mean fast. You can easily find yourself in gravel zones which will slow you right down. There are huge issues to overcome, driving Yukon and Alaska..one of them being frost heaves. The trick there is to go SLOW..that or you'll bust something. Read this years Alaska thread on here...learn.


Gary Haupt

my mapping program shows -

since I do not know where in WI you live I mapped starting at Green Bay.
program shows 7 days at 10 hours per day driving. or 63 hours.
starting at Green Bay go North to US2, then West on US2
Into ND to Minot and then North on US52. cross border at North Portal, SK
Go North to Saskatoon, then West to Dawson Creek then Alaska Hwy.
The roads in Canada should be good with no problems, depending on road construction, etc.
Same with the Alaska hwy, traveling in late July the roads should be ok.
Go for it. With no unexpected problem should be not a problem.

Are there many places to pull over and sleep or bml land along the way

I've never done that trip. It seems like, at best, you would be cutting it close.

Can you contact the park and explain your situation? Maybe if you're a couple days late someone can cover for you.

A flat tire or minor break down can put you behind schedule.

I hope it works out for you, enjoy the trip.

Well....the best suggestion I could make..is leave the 24th and be prepared for a long-ish drive. This is not an Interstate. It may saaaaaay 60 hours, but once you get going, you'll soon understand that that is way optimistic.

Cut across the US to Sweetgrass, Montana on the Interstate (94) and turn right...north....and away you go. You will get there in time, but not by much.

Once in Alberta Canada..Highway 2, 16, then BC 97.


Gary Haupt