CANADA & ALASKA TRAVEL TIPS

[TARDIS_TIME_TRA]

CANADA & ALASKA TRAVEL PLANNER TIPS
PRESENTATION AT THE 2018 TIGER RALLY
HOPE IT HELPS WITH YOU NEXT TRAVEL PREPERATIONS

NOTES FOR CANADA & ALASKA TRAVEL
(Don’t do this trip alone in a Lance Camper) ha ha.

BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME

1-Passport (Must have) (Could take as long as 2 months to get) You
can get full size & driver’s license size – we got both and keep
full size in a lock box on board the Tardis
2-Tiger serviced (Have you’re Tiger fully serviced prior to
leaving home.)
3-Tires & spare (Have good tires and spare or two.)
4-Emergency Contact (Have an emergency phone contact card in your
wallet and glove compartment in case of a road emergency, or
major problem to allow Police , Mounties and EMT to get in
contact with family back home.)
5-Medical cards (Have Medicare & other medical insurance cards
with your Tiger)
6-Prescriptions (We have all our prescriptions at Walmart. They
are in all major cities in Canada & Alaska.)
7-First aid (Be prepared to take care of yourself while traveling)
(Along the roads you will see EMT trucks parked at intervals to
take care of miners, road construction crews, etc., I would
think that in an emergency they would be willing to help)
8-Seniors pass (Free admission into US National Parks & ½ price
camping in the park.
9-Fire arms into Canada (Need papers to enter Canada at border
crossing (3 copies) (Most handguns not allowed) (You can carry
some handguns thru Canada with the right papers & a fee but you
must drive straight thru – no sightseeing)
(Rifles or shotguns OK in Canada with proper papers) (Carry no
ammo for any other weapons)
10-Fire arms back into the US (Need US papers to bring rifle or
shotguns back into the US at border crossing.)
11-Pets (Need all up to date shots and papers from vet within 30
days of entering Canada)(They were not ask for when we crossed
but you might need to show them.)
12-Travel plans Contact your Bank or Credit Card Company (Give
them your approx. travel plans.
13-Credit cards (Have a backup credit card Your bank will do the
exchange rate calculation US to Canada) (In 2017 Canadian Dollar
was equal to 0.75 cents US)
14-Cell phone problems (Have your cell phone provider to include
Canada for your service plan for 2-4 months.) (also you may want
to increase cell data storageso you can download & use internet)
(Lots of dead space out of tower range thru out Canada & Alaska.
(Example RT-4 Yukon)
15-GPS (Works well thru out Canada & Alaska including roads less
traveled)
16-Internet services (Available at most visitor centers,
library’s, Walmart’s, Starbucks)
17-SPOT (Spot is a location device( (One of our safety items we
carry at all times is “SPOT” Satellite GPS Messenger.) (It
transmits the GPS location of exactly where we are located to
our family & friends – up to 20 ) (We send it every night via
satellite giving the Latitude & Longitude so the know exactly
where we are) (No cell towers needed)
18-Sign Post Forest (Make up a sign for the Sign Post Forest at
Watson Lake Yukon to remember your travel) (not required but a
fun thing to do)

THINGS TO HAVE WITH YOU WHILE TRAVELING

19-Allstays App (Great for finding camp grounds, dump sites, fuel,
propane, etc.
20-CB Radio (Great for emergency’s . We keep ours tuned to weather
channel.)
(Always pay attention to the weather and local conditions, flash
floods, fires Etc.)
21-Road maps (Obtain copies from AAA for Canada & Alaska)
22-Milepost (Covers Canada & Alaska) (lots of good travel info)
23-Camera (With battery charger an extra memory cards.)
24-Cell phone (With charger)
25-Extra provisions (Nice to have (chipped windshield repair kit –
duct tape – oil – normal tool kit, fuses)

CROSSING THE BORDER INTO CANADA
(THIS WILL HAPPEN MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE TRAVELING)

26-Passport (Have it ready to present along with your Driver’s
license )
27-Pet papers ( Have them ready if they ask for them) (Keep the
pet food labels showing formula)
28-Fire arms papers (You will be ask do you have any firearms or
weapons) (Have the paperwork ready if you are carrying a weapon)
(Don’t hide the fact that you have a weapon) (DO NOT have any
ammo for any weapon other than the ones you are declaring) (They
can strip search your vehicle if they suspect otherwise)
29-Fruits & vegetables (Some are not allowed to cross the border
into Canada) (They will ask about this and may confiscate them
if they wish) (Comply as requested) (You may be able to keep
them if they are packaged)
30-Pet food (Pet food not in its original container may be
confiscated) (I believe it was lamb based products not allowed)
31-Canadian National Parks (If you plan on visiting Canadas
National Parks you can purchase a one year pass for all the
Canadian parks) (About $80.00??) (In 2017, their 150 anniversary
they were free to everyone including US citizens)
32-Time changes (The time changes every time you cross the border)

THINGS TO WATCH FOR WHILE DRIVING THRU CANADA & ALASKA

33-Wildlife (Everywhere, on the road, beside the road, in the
water) (Grizzly with cubs, Black bear, Moose, Bison, Fox,
Pronghorn, Deer, Elk, Wolves, Coyotes, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain
Goats, Stone sheep, Dall Sheep Ducks, Geese, Eagles, Ospreys,
Ravens, Owls, Marmot, Sea Lions, Seals and of course Big Foot)
34-Flowers (Don’t forget to stop along the way to smell the
flowers) (Stop on the way to or from the Arctic Circle at Fox
Alaska to see a wonderful flower & vegetable garden)
35-Waterfalls & Glaciers (They are everywhere)

ON THE ROAD IN CANADA & ALASKA

36-Take your time (There is something new around every curve in
the road) (My brother Don thought we would be in Canada for 3-4
days) (We actually spent 16 days on the way north & 10 days on
our return heading south) (There is a lot to see in Canada)
37-Fuel locations (Watch your fuel gage, start looking for gas
station when you get to ½ Tank) (You can drive a hundred miles
and not see a house much less a gas station)
38-Fueling problems (While traveling thru Alberta & British
Columbia you have to take your credit card inside to the
attendant & pay for “X” amount of fuel in advance of pumping the
gas. US credit cards will not work at the pump. If you pay for
50 ltrs & only pump 30 ltrs. That’s all that is charged to your
card.) (The Yukon operated the way you would expect at home,
This could change)
39-Speed limit in Canada (The speed limit signs are in km/h while
driving in Canada)
40-Distance (Mile markers are in km not Miles) (Your GPS can be
left in miles)
41-Campgrounds (cost – about same as US except in big cities –
Skagway down town $40.00/night)
42-Boondocking opportunities (There are gravel pits located about
every 10 to 20 miles apart along most roadways) (Roadside rest
areas with parking dropping down to lakes & rivers)(LEAVE NO
TRACE so that others can enjoy the same spots)
43-Driving road conditions (Roads always under some kind of
construction) (Roads less traveled are dirt, gravel, pot holes,
washboard and long distances – some hundreds of miles long)
44-Route-4 Yukon (Leaving Dawson City Yukon to Watson Lake Yukon -
583 km or 360 miles, all dirt, gravel, , washboard , potholes,
no cell service, only gas at Ross River) (To stay on paved
roads, head from Dawson City To Whitehorse Yukon To Watson Lake
Yukon)
45-Top of the World Hwy (From Chicken Alaska to Dawson City Yukon
is mostly dirt/gravel with beautiful overlooks & lots of Gravel
pits for Boondocking)
46-Visitor centers (Internet, fresh water, dump stations, it
varies from center to center) (The visitor center at Williams
Lake BC on Hwy-97 is a must see)
47-Shower opportunities (Check at local visitor centers - local
recreation centers, some laundromats, and you can pay to get
showers at most campgrounds, price varies)
48-Food cost (Be prepared to pay more – everything has to be
shipped in to Alaska)
49-Fuel cost (Higher than the lower 48) (Fuel is in litters in
Canada) (May be as high as $^.00 on the way to Arctic Circle)
50-Tok Alaska (The Tesoro Gas Station north of Tok on Hwy-2 offers
free RV wash, refill fresh water tanks & dump station With Fuel
Fill-up) (You do the wash, dump, & FW tank fill)
51-Ferry from Skagway to Haines (The ferry, part of the Alaska
Marine Highway system runs each day) (Cost for my Tiger at 24
ft. was $146.00 one way) (Price is dependent on length of RV)
52-Ferry betweem Chicken Alaska & Dawson City Yukon (The ferry
crosses the Yukon River all day and has a limited vehicle
capacity) (It is a free Ferry)
53-Keep track of location (Keep a record of your GPS latitude ,
longitude & elevation of all of you overnight Boondocking Sites
so that others may find them on their next adventure)
54-Hyder Alaska (The most southern entrance into Alaska) (Nice
Gravel pit for boondocking, see handout) (No customs leaving
Canada at this site. However you go back thru Canadian customs
when leaving Hyder) (Eat at the bus, Great seafood) (Take the
drive from Hyder up to summit view point, it’s a dirt/gravel
road about 25 miles up to the mountain top, overlooking Salmon
Glacier

TRAVELING TO THE ARCTIC CIRCLE IN ALASKA

55-Arctic circle (Leaving Fairbanks driving north on Hwy-11, the
Dalton Hwy, mostly dirt & gravel, can be very muddy & messy if
raining)
56-Arctic circle (Fuel, leave Fairbanks with a full fuel tank)
(You must gas up at north side of Yukon river on way north, it
is the only gas station unless you want to drive an extra 60
miles north of the arctic circle to get enough gas to get back
to Fairbanks)
57-Arctic Circle Camping (There is a large campground just past
the Arctic Circle sign in the right side of the road) (Normally
almost empty , lots of good sites) (Free)
58-Truckers on Dalton Hwy (Give them a break & plenty of room)
(They are working and drive the dirt/gravel roads every day)
(Slow down and Move over so they can have plenty of room to pass
both coming towards you and coming up behind you)
59-Returning to Fairbanks (If you don’t do anything else after
returning get to a car wash and clean your Tiger) (It will cost
about $30 to 40 dollars to get the mud out from under the
vehicle) (Don’t put if off the mud will set up like concrete if
not cleaned off)

SPEED LIMITS IN CANADA km/hr
(We have this laminated and in stored in front of steering wheel)

KM/HR -----------------MLIES/HR

25----------------------------15
30----------------------------18
40----------------------------25
50----------------------------31
60----------------------------37
70----------------------------43
80----------------------------50
90----------------------------56
100---------------------------62
110---------------------------68
-

[Grit_dog]

allen8106 wrote:
Tardis, I've read there's gas and diesel available on the Dalton Highway at Cold Foot about 1/2 way to the arctic circle. Can you confirm?

Yes there is. Fbx, Coldfoot and Deadhorse are the only 3 fuel locations on or near the Dalton.
And there's only 1 retail fuel depot in Deadhorse.

[Kayteg1]

RECOMMENDED FUEL STOPS ON VANCOUVER ROUTE
I used gas buddy to plan my fuel stops and avoid paying the high prices, while not running dry on fuel shortages.
Canadians don't post prices very often, so took me return trip to fill the holes.
Those are the points that worked for me and the highest price I paid come to US$4.30 for a gallon of diesel.
Here is the chart that shows the city, distance from last one and local price.
Anchorage $2.69 Costco
Tok 313 $3.19
Haines Junction 290 $134 north cardlock
Whitehorse 95 $140
Dease Lake 405 $146
Hazelton 334 $125
Smithers 60 $131
Prince George 230 $122 Costco
Quesnel 75 $120
Williams Lake, BC 80 $113 Esso 5 km east
Gasoline prices have the same relation, so you can use the locations the same way.
My truck/camper makes 340 miles on its tank, so couple of cans helped on long stretches in Yukon.

[allen8106]

Tardis, I've read there's gas and diesel available on the Dalton Highway at Cold Foot about 1/2 way to the arctic circle. Can you confirm?

[Orion]

Kayteg1 wrote:
Enough of this fun.
Now for those who know Canada?
I want to cross the border on 4th of July weekend, that comes on Thursday.
Would Saturday be a low traffic day?
Do we expect any extra traffic on the 4th in Canada at all?

In Canada, July 4th is just the day between the 3rd and the 5th!
I suppose it could be a little busier with a few Americans crossing the border to eat poutine and drink real beer. However wouldn't most be wanting to stay at home and spend the day saluting the flag and eating hot dogs?

[justin34]

Go anywhere but make sure you're prepared enough.

[PA12DRVR]

For what it's worth, while the border crossing can be unexpectedly busy at the strangest times, the best way to avoid traffic while driving L48 to Alaska is to drive at night.

May or may not work for logistics, but having done 20+ round trips, the majority of which were meant to get from L48 to Alaska or back as quick as possible, I've found that driving at night could reduce the duration of that trip by circa 24 hours or more. Obviously, a greater effect if one drives 12 hours per "night" than if one drives 5-6 hours per night, but I've noticed the time savings on my trips regardless of "shift" duration.

[Kayteg1]

Thanks for the replies. I am in position, that staying at brother's 2 hr from the border I can choose day for crossing.
Maybe I am more worried about it, than I should, but last year my son went for European vacations and twice it happen to him to spend over 3 hr at border crossing or freeway accident. That made him cutting the route shorter and missing some destinations.
When I have time for my vacations, I don't enjoy spending it in traffic.

[garyhaupt]

Kayteg1 wrote:

Darryl&Rita wrote:
The fourth will be just another Thursday in Canada. Expect more traffic by Saturday, as that's weekend time.

That's what I was figuring out as well, but I wonder how many US campers will go to BC for long weekend.
When I plan to go against the weekend traffic, I know the road does have good semi trucks traffic as well.
For example going to Vegas from California, I figured out Saturday best day. Weekenders are already there, or going back, while semis usually start Sunday afternoon.

It can depend on which crossing you use. But really..once you are in line...there you are and nothing to be done about it.

Many US folks come into BC..for a variety of reasons..they get a 30%+ uptick on the dollar. Our beer is much better. We Canadians will say sorry for pretty much everything. I mean...what could go wrong? eh..


Gary Haupt

[Kayteg1]

Darryl&Rita wrote:
The fourth will be just another Thursday in Canada. Expect more traffic by Saturday, as that's weekend time.

That's what I was figuring out as well, but I wonder how many US campers will go to BC for long weekend.
When I plan to go against the weekend traffic, I know the road does have good semi trucks traffic as well.
For example going to Vegas from California, I figured out Saturday best day. Weekenders are already there, or going back, while semis usually start Sunday afternoon.

[Darryl_Rita]

The fourth will be just another Thursday in Canada. Expect more traffic by Saturday, as that's weekend time.

[Kayteg1]

Enough of this fun.
Now for those who know Canada?
I want to cross the border on 4th of July weekend, that comes on Thursday.
Would Saturday be a low traffic day?
Do we expect any extra traffic on the 4th in Canada at all?

[D_E_Bishop]

I like IMNTBHO, In my never to be humble opinion.

[DrewE]

cross21114 wrote:

PA12DRVR wrote:
It's a bit (IMNSHO and FWIW) of a conundrum

Stupid question - what do these acronyms mean?

In My Not So Humble Opinion

For What It's Worth

Sometimes you'll also see IMHO, and I trust you can now suss out what that stands for.

[cross21114]

PA12DRVR wrote:
It's a bit (IMNSHO and FWIW) of a conundrum

Stupid question - what do these acronyms mean?

Thanks