To Alaska and Back

[herewegotogether]

We are planning a trip to Anchorage Alaska and Denali NP. The route we are planing is going north from Seattle taking Rt 16 to 37 to 97 prince George than 1/97 into Anchorage. The return will be 1/97 to edmonton than into Montana.
Has anyone taken these routes? Are there plenty of fuel stations? what are the road conditions? What type if any issues can we expect at the borders pulling a 37 foot 5th wheel?

Thanks for sharing your experience.
Bill and Laurie

[Tom S.]

At the boarders: If you have pets, you need documentation on their shots. Canada does not allow handguns of any kind - period. You can take rifles/shotguns provided they aren't on the Canadian banned list and you have a license. For more info on this go here: http://www.canadianlawsite.ca/gunlaws.htm

Be prepared to pay a lot more for fuel and food. The more remote you get, the more costlier it will be. Carry ten extra gallons of fuel with you for insurance. When we went a different route a few years back, one of the gas stations I was planning on fueling at had burned to the ground.

Watch for wildlife - especially in the early morning, but you can see them at all times. We were stopped by a small herd of buffalo on the road in B.C. If you have a diesel TV, take an extra fuel filter, oil filter and external trans filter (if equipped).

[Icehouse]

Welcome to the forum Herewegotogether! The first piece of advice I have is to buy the Milepost. It will tell you mile by mile exactly what is available and is the best money you will spend on this trip. Please be prepared for delays as the summertime is our prime time for road construction.

Also, I'd recommend you take precautions to protect the front of your fifth wheel from rocks and other road debris. Several MOC'ers came up last summer and I know there were quite a few great ideas. Hopefully, some of them will chime in on what they did to protect their rig. I know one of them had trouble with the clothes rod breaking due to the bumpy roads.

Carrying extra fuel with you is a great idea. A 5 or 10 gallon fuel can would be good.

Tom S. (above) had some great information. Be sure you have your pet's paperwork in order. They may ask for it, they may not. Same goes with the RV. They may want to search it, they may not. I know folks who have had their RV turned inside out and I know others who have never had any inspections at the border.

Do not take a gun into Canada without a lot of research and all of the proper documentation.

And finally, be sure to let us know when you arrive. We live in Seward, about a 2 hour drive south of Anchorage. We'd love to meet you. If we can answer any questions about area specifics, please ask! Have a safe trip!
Tammy

[Art-n-Marge]

Additional items to consider:

o The roads are unpredictable since they can change from year to year, but 80% are in decent shape. The other 20% could be bumps in the road you don't see until you are RIGHT THERE. The roads are in constant improvement so expect single lane throughways with FlagPerson control.
o Some roads are gravel so use Mudflaps. The thing you can't avoid is the idiot on the oncoming lanes driving too fast kicking up gravel into you. You'll probably see your share of cracked windshields.
o Watch for large animals - Elk, deer, moose, large sheep/goats, bison and bear.
o The bears up there are not like in the lower 48. The bears up there like humans for meals. STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE. We have done four trips through there and four times there are radio broadcasts for 1 or more bear attacks, somewhere.
o The mosquitoes are HUGE, but it's the small females you need to worry about. There are other flying biters, too.
o Rain will occur at any time and usually when you get to the dirt parts of the road - go figure.
o Take your passports.
o Fuel is relatively plentiful but pricey - A current MILEPOST is highly recommended as others have mentioned.
o Besides fuel filter(s) and oil filters, take extra headlight lamps or bulbs (remember the rocks?) and wiper blades or refills.
o Headlights-on are required when you are moving.
o You are required to stop for disabled vehicles, but sometimes it's hard to tell. I think this is mostly in Winter.
o Take strong binoculars and lots of pictures. You will be astounded by the expanse and the majesty.
o Take a "sign" (about the size of a license plate) for the "signpost forest" in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada.
o Ordering ice tea in Canada is always sweet, but you might like it that way.
o Take cold and wet weather gear. The temperature and weather can surprise you quickly.
o Take sunglasses - the sun doesn't set much.
o Remove your clothing from the closet rods in transit or you might end up breaking the rods on rough roads.
o Take blackout covers for your bedroom or you'll be sleeping in daylight. And use an alarm to wake yourselves up.
o Take an extra jug of windshield washer fluid. You'll give up on washing your vehicles but you'll be cleaning your windshield often.
o If you end up driving in muddy conditions try and rinse off the undersides of your TV/RV as soon as you can so it doesn't dry on and cake.

DO NOT let this list scare you. I just don't want you to be surprised by anything. I would go again without hesitation!!!!

I am sure I jogged others' memories. Please add everything, big or small.

[adelmoll]

We did almost the same route in 2006 with our Montana except we crossed into Canada at Sumas, Washington.. It was a beautiful drive all the way. The Milepost is a must book to have.

We did not do anything special to our Montana and did not have any problems but I must admit that there were some places that we didn't drive much more than 10 or 15 MPH. It took us 8 hours to go 100 miles from Dawson City to Chicken, AK in the rain and 2 yrs getting the muck off the underside of our house but we wouldn;t have missed it for the world.

Denali was the only area we had trouble finding diesel and when we did find it, it cost way more than anywhere else.

You can read about our trip by clicking on our blog below and go to the entries in "The Beginning" journal. The dates were mid May to Sept 2006. It was wonderful.

[DHenry]

We did this same trip last year and all the above have given you great advise. Be sure your shackles are in good shape before you leave and also be sure your tires on the Montana and tow vehicle are able to take the miles you put on them. Tires in Canada are very expensive, I had to purchase two new ones for my TV and paid $200.00 more for them in Canada than I paid for the other two in Montana. Have a great trip and take lots of pictures.

[herewegotogether]

Thank you for sharing all of your experiences. We are really looking forward to travling to Alaska. We will be leaving next summer and figured to start planning now as it will be around a 10,000 mile adventure. Looking forward to others experiences so we can be well prepared.

[nkwist]

We bought some expensive things to have on our trip and glad we did.

Honda 2000i gen. There are many places to camp for a night or two along the side of a lake or in the boonies.
Good pair of Image Stabilizing binoculars, 8 or 10 power by Canon.
Video camera that takes 6meg stills.

We carried a 5 gal gas can and a 5 gal diesel can. Some of the fuel stops (off the beaten track) are few and far apart. One of our planned fuel stops (Boundary, AK) was closed. Glad we had the 5 gals.

The drive from Chicken to Dawson City is worth the dirt and time. (Free camping without hookups behind the fuel stop in Chicken. Glad we had the gen.)

You're gonna love it. It's the trip of a lifetime.

[alandaudrey]

We are sitting in Fairbanks, AK as I write this. All I can say is to consider all of the suggestions given so far by everyone repling to your post. The Alaskan Highway is better than I expected. The Klondike Highway from Whitehorse to Dawson City is worse than I expected. The "Top of the World Highway" is rough as a cob but the Monty took it well. The Taylor Highway isn't any better than Top of the World Highway. I can't comment of the Cassiar Highway (37) as I will come back to the lower 48 on that road in probably a month and a half from now.

Fuel (diesel) has been mostly available, sometimes very costly but available. As someone said, Canada is expensive and has high tax on top of the high prices. If you plan on bringing liquor bring enough and declare it at the border and pay the duty. Liquor in Canada is not only very expensive but you usually cannot find your brand.

I second the "do NOT bring a hand gun" into Canada. It's not worth the hassle.

Everything is a far way away. Plan on twice the time and twice the money.

The people in Canada and Alaska are friendly and will go out of their way to prove it. When in Whitehorse and Dawson City take in the stage shows. They are reasonable and well done.

If you enjoy certain brands of food or snacks bring them along. Canada doesn't have the same brands found in the USA however Alaska does have all the brands found at home.

Presently there are between 70 and 85 wildfires burning in Alaska and everything is hazy and smoky for pixs. I understand this is common in the summer.

Coming through Canada know your metric conversions especially that you need 4.5 meters clearance for your Monty (with front air)for underpasses and gas station canopies. Canada does not take Discover cards for the most part but everyone takes Visa or Master Card. The bank with adjust the exchange rate for you on your bill however I find that Visa will charge a fee for that service.

We are having a great time. I'm sure you will too.

[Tom S.]

Art, funny you should mention Sign Post City. Before retiring, my wife worked as an inspector for a fair sized city and was in charge of signs and code enforcement. When we got to Sign Post, I asked her if she wanted me to just leave her there and pick her up again on the way back. I won't bother to print her reply.