Alaska trip Questions?? - Montana Owners Club

sgtpp214 · 12-10-2005, 03:47 PM

Planning a trip from the shores of Lake Superior to Alaska this summer and i have a couple questions for you experienced RVers.

1)Any experience and opinions of Canada 93 from Lake Louise to Jasper

2)Would like to take the ferry from Skagway to Juneau without the Monty. Don't know exactly when we will be there, are advanced reservations a must and if so how far in advance

Thanks for all your help

jrgwdenner · 12-10-2005, 04:19 PM

Dave and Carla, we made the trip to Alaska this past summer and it was wonderful. We drove the entire trip (18,500 miles and five months long) from Alabama and back. Are you talking about the road that goes on the Icefields, through the National Park? We drove from Banff to Jasper and the road was fine. Saw lots of wildlife in July.

I've heard that reservations are necessary several months ahead of time if you're traveling with your Montana. If you're on foot and somewhat flexible, you can probably just sign up from the ferry when you're there, providing you can wait a couple of days if it's full.

Do you have your Milepost magazine? It's a must. Be sure to make a sign for the Watson Lake Sign Forrest. And have your camera ready on the seat of your car. You never know when the wildlife will appear.

sgtpp214 · 12-11-2005, 12:13 AM

Good Morning Judy, That's the road I am talking about. It starts in Banif and continues through Lake Louise to Jasper on I-16. Unfortunately our trip will not be as long and leisurely as yours was. Will not be heading out until after twin grandson's B-Day about June 10 and Carla wants to be back by the 3rd weekend of July for her 4 siblings annual campout.

Haven't gotten 'The Milepost' yet. I was about to order it when I discovered that a new one comes out in April, so will wait until the 2006 comes out.

Thanks for the info

jrgwdenner · 12-11-2005, 12:18 AM

Anytime spent in Alaska is time well spent. We were there for about seven weeks and that wasn't long enough. But I'd take whatever time I could get and go again. You won't have any trouble on that road. It's absolutely beautiful, probably as pretty as any in Alaska. You might want to travel around British Columbia during that short time frame and save Alaska for a more extended trip. British Columbia is a beautiful place and worthy of a visit all on it's own. You'll have to move a long pretty fast to see Alaska between June 10th (my birthday, too!) and July 20th or so.

adelmoll · 12-11-2005, 06:43 AM

I will add to Judy's experience and tell you of ours. The circle around Lake Superior (we went from Duluth) all the way to Winnipeg is real nice but the Canadian side from there to Calgary is about the most boring we have ever been on. We think the Hwy 2 on the US side is much better. Just our opinion, but once you get to Calgary it is spectacular. The route to Jasper is an easy one although it does have lots of curves and hills. We will be going to Alaska in June also but will be taking at least 3 months to travel the route. We will be doing the reverse from you. We will go in from British Columbia and return to Minnesota through the Canadian Rockies .

jrgwdenner · 12-11-2005, 07:37 AM

We've heard wonderful things about the drive on Hwy 2 through Montana, too. Something to look into.

Are you aware of the Canada/Alaska thread on RVNet.com? It was very helpful to read while gathering info before our trip.

virgil47 · 12-12-2005, 11:45 PM

We're also planning an Alaska trip for 2006. Thinking about being in Alaska mid-May through August. We'll leave N. Georgia mid-March making our way westward and hope to cross the border from Canada into Alaska in mid-May. Anyone think that is too early?

jrgwdenner · 12-13-2005, 12:51 AM

That's sounds like a wonderful trip. I think that mid-May might be a little early to get through the Yukon but it will probably depend on the weather at that time. As long as you can find a place to hole up if the roads are blocked, you'll be fine. The question is whether or not the campgrounds will be open. You might want to check out opening dates at Whitehorse, Tok, etc. If you have a generator, you can camp at the Walmart in Whitehorse, half the parking lot was full of rigs when we were there.

sgtpp214 · 12-15-2005, 01:12 AM

Thanks everybody for the information. We would like to take a longer trip and probably will in the future, but other commitments only give us a June 10 to July 23 window this year. DW wants to take her mother on a trip and mother chose AK. It's a family thingy. My plan is to take US 2 to Minot then head N. on 52 and 39 to Moose Jaw. The #1 West to Baniff, 93 to Jasper, #16 to 37 to Yukon 1 then 2 at Whitehorse to Skagway. Makes me tired just typing the route. If it looks like this may be too long would alter to stay on #16 to Prince Rupert and take ferry from there into AK.

I will map it out on Good Sam's and then with the estimated travel time and the actual drive dtime make the final route selection. Then again looking at the map maybe I'll stay on 2 and head North on I-15 to Calgary based on comments that 2 is a more scenic route than #1.

Oh well, 6 months to plan. That's what's nice about retirement.

Northstar · 12-15-2005, 05:12 AM

Dave, I think that by the middle of May the roads should be clear, however you should check the Milepost for openings of the rv parks along the Alcan. Merry Christmas.

jrgwdenner · 12-16-2005, 07:11 AM

I think you'll be okay with the weather, unless there is an unforeseen late storm. Since you're going only as far as Whitehorse before turning south to Skagway, you will miss much of the long, tedious, and bumpy road up to Tok. The road south to Skagway is ABSOLUTELY beautiful and you don't want to miss it. We stayed at a nice campground at Skagway with wireless. You need that so you can keep in touch with us!

A big part of going to Alaska is the drive so it will be a wonderful trip just for the scenery and animals along the way. Skagway is an interesting little town. You'll have a wonderful time. I think you'll be able to make a nice trip of it in that time frame.

sgtpp214 · 12-16-2005, 03:50 PM

Thanks for the kind words and info Judy. I am looking forward to the trip. Also enjoy your words of wisdom over on RV.net. Hopefully will be leaving for the Southwest about Dec 28 to return about Mar 20 and then to DC April 9. Really looking forward to the travels over the next 7 months.

jrgwdenner · 12-16-2005, 05:22 PM

Sounds like a wonderful agenda. If you have any more questions on Alaska, feel free to email me. I love to share our experiences and reminisce at the same time.

Northstar · 12-19-2005, 03:56 PM

I too offer my experience after living over twenty years in Alaska. Good luck on your plans. Merry Christmas

jrgwdenner · 12-20-2005, 12:02 AM

Believe me, that's better info and experience than I can offer! We just touched the tip of the iceberg on our short trip to Alaska but it was wonderful.

Northstar · 12-24-2005, 08:09 AM

Judy I followed your trip which you so well documented. I know you learned a great deal about the north country. And I know many people learned and enjoyed from your experience. Keep us posted on your travels. Merry Christmas

jrgwdenner · 12-24-2005, 08:38 AM

Thank you, Northstar. I enjoyed sharing our trip almost as much as I enjoyed taking the trip. We visited the State Fair at Palmer on a pleasant but slightly rainy day. It was fun to see the personality of an Alaskan fair. Thanks for your kind words.

Montana_4397 · 12-28-2005, 12:54 PM

Virgil, I don't think mid May is too early for your Alaskan arrival. It may be too early to enjoy much time in Northern Canada.

In 2004, we left East Tennessee on May 1st and pulled into Anchorage around 3:00PM May 9th. We had 4"-6" of fresh snow in Calgary. We were on the North side as the road got slippery, and it just happened that there was an RV Park at the next exit. Next morning, it was half melted and the roads were clear. From that point north, we had traces of snow and ice along the sides of the road. After crossing Sheep Mountain, we pulled off for a lunch break and another RV told us of a fifth wheel jack-knifing on Sheep Mountain. A few days later I met one of the 5th wheel drivers at the Ft. Rich RV Camp. He was in front and continued spinning his tires until he got down to pavement, while his partener put on his brakes and started sliding backwards. No damage of any amount. We got into another fresh snow south of Tok. Around 4"-6" again in the high ridges betwee Tok and Glenallen. It did not get slick, so we kept moving on. As we moved down into the Anchorage valley, trees were budding. You may very well hit some snow and ice, but as I have heard from the folks that have lived there a long time, just pull over and set it out. The first time I drove it, we left Anchorage on November 26, 1962. Had solid snow and ice all the way down the Alaskan Highway portion. A lot of Camp sites will not be open, but you should have no problem finding a place to rest. We did pull in with an empty fresh water tank.

Glen and Judy, I saw on one of your post on RV net that you stayed in Black Spruce, the Ft Rich RV park. How did you like it there? Mercy and I camp hosted there in '03 and '04 and really enjoyed it. We plan on going back up around mid May, but have no plans to camp host this year. They are working on a large expansion to the park, but the last time I talked with them, it seems like '07 at the earliest.

Best Regards, Ted

jrgwdenner · 12-28-2005, 01:29 PM

Ted, we really liked Fort Richardson. It's so nice to be near the military facilities. The restrooms/bathhouse needed some attention as far as being too small but, in typical military style, they were very clean. We had two short stays at Fort Richardson as we were in Anchorage before and after going to Homer. We returned to Fort Richardson because we liked the setting and the pullthrough sites. They did have a bear in the campground just before we returned for the second stay but that's pretty typical.

Montana_4397 · 12-29-2005, 02:05 AM

A new bath house and laundry room is in the addition (whenever). How did you like "free laundry"? I believe they are shooting for around 70 additional sites. I expect, that with luck, they will get 40-50 additional. The Elmendorf Famcamp has an excellent location, but has not been kept up at all. I'm retired Air Force and was really dissapointed with Elmendorf's Famcamp.

Best Regards, Tec

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