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Old 02-21-2022, 08:19 AM   #1
Chaseurs
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Travel to Alaska

We have a 2021 Model 3120RL
We live in south-west Idaho
Thinking about taking a trip this summer to Alaska.
Is that a reasonable thing to do with our Monty, or will it turn into a bucket of bolts due to bad roads?
Any advice on the best route, campgrounds, attractions, etc
We love this group and all the great tips and advice we get here.
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Old 02-21-2022, 08:23 AM   #2
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I know numerous folks have made it safely/easily - just dont expect to do 70 mph all the way up ... do check border requirements. heard to require amongst other this, proof of double vaccination with a ton of paperwork
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Old 02-21-2022, 12:33 PM   #3
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Doug,

The trip is worth it even if it turns your rig into a bucket of bolts.

As Les said, keep it slow. Last time we did it we left in mid May before much of the highway construction started. We ran into a few unmarked frost heaves that did some damage. A frost heave even at 20 mph will get your attention.
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Old 02-21-2022, 10:00 PM   #4
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Start with a milepost book. Has info about every little stop along the way. I wasn't sure about how far to go and where to stop on my first trip. I went to one of the organized travel group things. I just saw where they stopped and did the same on my own. Only problem with this was one stop I happened to be there the same day they arrived and there weren't many sites left, but I had called ahead.

When I got near the permafrost area, I started seeing the little orange flags along the side of the road denoting a heave. I slowed down to 25 or so, but it wasn't bad. So the next flag I only slowed to 40 and WOW that was rough. Hard to tell a slight heave from a big one. There were a few sections that was under construction for a few miles at a time. Some of the rv sites in AK are pretty tight and/or short.

It was worth it tho. Both trips there I wanted to go to the Kennecott mine in Wrangle-St Elias NP (largest NP in USA). It is back about 60 or 80 miles on a dirt road (once a railroad bed) to the mine. I wasn't going to drive it if there was any rain recently or forecast. So first time it was raining. Second trip it was raining going thru the area and also pouring rain when we left AK so I still haven't made it. Darn.
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Old 02-21-2022, 10:13 PM   #5
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The road to Wrangell-St. Elias was really no worse than many of the other AK roads. I believe it has been improved over the last few years. Wrangell-St. Elias is a must see - McCarthy is a neat spot as well as the mine tour and glacier. The camping in area is boondocking. Bring your DVDs also as most satellite systems will not work there.

In a perfect world the AK trip is more suited to a smaller rig than our Montanas.
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Old 02-23-2022, 06:20 AM   #6
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Went to Alaska in 2007 with our 2006 Monty. Best trip of our RV adventures for the past 16 years. You can see our trip at Mytripjournal.com/millingtontravel.
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Old 02-23-2022, 10:36 AM   #7
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The road to Wrangell-St. Elias was really no worse than many of the other AK roads. I believe it has been improved over the last few years. Wrangell-St. Elias is a must see - McCarthy is a neat spot as well as the mine tour and glacier. The camping in area is boondocking. Bring your DVDs also as most satellite systems will not work there.

In a perfect world the AK trip is more suited to a smaller rig than our Montanas.
Thanks for the info. I may break down and do another trip up north next year just to see it!!!
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Old 02-23-2022, 09:05 PM   #8
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I have been to McCarthy, but it was 40+ years ago so I can't comment on the road. I can say it is beautiful country and would be worth the trip. Maybe I'll get to make it again someday.
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Old 02-27-2022, 01:13 PM   #9
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Go do it before some day turnes into never! I'm from Alaska. Did the Alcan on a motorcycle twice. You want animals and wilderness, it's all there. Go see!!
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Old 02-27-2022, 01:26 PM   #10
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We did Alaska in 2013 and plan on 2023. I recommend IS, but you can do it without. Don’t short change yourself. Allow 3 months.
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Old 02-27-2022, 02:38 PM   #11
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We are also planning for 2023. At least as far as Dawson City; have not decided how far into Alaska. Probably departing mid July to see the bears in Hyder continuing into fall. Thinking about McCarthy now; it's been long enough.
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Old 02-27-2022, 02:52 PM   #12
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Just take time guys, don't be rushed. Plan accordingly, add at least a week to your time. You can always leave if you want. People always run out of time!
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Old 02-27-2022, 03:51 PM   #13
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We went to Alaska from Ohio in 2019. Made a 3 month trip out of it and should have made it longer. There's a lot of stuff to see on the way there and once you get there. Second the suggestion to get a Milepost as it is full of information on the Alaska highway and the Alaskan highways. We have a MHC 321 MK, 36 feet long and it did fine on the trip, with the exception of the factory Ranier tires. Well worth the trip and we want to do it again. Not sure how border crossings are right now, but all ours were on a Sunday, a coincidence and not planned, and went very quickly. Don't plan on high mileage days as the roads are slower, but we only had one road that was in really bad shape. Also ran into a heavy snow storm in BC in August, so be flexible with your plans. We camped in Tok, Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, Seward, Homer, Anchorage, Glacier View and Tok again. Worst campgrounds for space were Denali and Anchorage. If you go to Denali, the campground in town is the worst for space. The worst road was Glacier View to Tok, and we avoided the Tok bypass because they were working on it, so it might be the better option now. By all means go. You won't regret it. Like I said at the start, it is well worth it. Just don't be shocked when you refuel in Canada and convert liters to gallons and loonies to dollars. Diesel was more than $1.25 per gallon higher.
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Old 02-27-2022, 04:54 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by timandsusan View Post
Went to Alaska in 2007 with our 2006 Monty. Best trip of our RV adventures for the past 16 years. You can see our trip at Mytripjournal.com/millingtontravel.
We are currently researching a new camper purchase (22 foot) and hope to one day make the Alaska trip. Your flyover of the Eagle Ford Gas/Oil Area caught my attention. Being an amateur astronomer, am always interested in Light pollution. Check out the area from the perspective of the Light Pollution Map - https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#...FFFFFFFFFFFFFF
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Old 02-27-2022, 06:32 PM   #15
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Purchase the Milepost and do a little research. It will be a trip well worth taking we did it a couple of times. Had to make a few DIY repairs but for us it was all worth it.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=alaska+mi...l_87c2csp7l6_e
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Old 02-27-2022, 11:00 PM   #16
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We are also planning for 2023. At least as far as Dawson City; have not decided how far into Alaska. Probably departing mid July to see the bears in Hyder continuing into fall. Thinking about McCarthy now; it's been long enough.
We did the Dawson City into AK the last time -2016. Quite an adventure. The city was great as was the Dirty Gerty's dancers! Had one sit on my lap and as usual, my wife didn't take a pic!
The road after crossing the road on the ferry was pretty good to the border. Then into AK (USA!!) and was actually paved - for about 6 miles! Then NOT SO GOOD! Very narrow and dirt and rough. One place there was actually a boulder that the road went over - too big to bull doze out so they just have dirt covering some of it. Other places where the road was so narrow you could not pass oncoming traffic for maybe a quarter mile or longer. Fortunately we didn't meet hardly anyone as it is not heavily used. Probably averaged 20 or 25 mph on this stretch.

But Chicken was interesting (town). And there is a restaurant that serves - guess what - chicken!
I also found a kind of cool park in Kenai - Beluga Lookout. It is high on the shoreline (about 75-100 feet up) overlooking the river inlet. There is a trail down to the shore. However, our site was so narrow that with our steps down they were actually on the neighbors site.
Oh, and the bears at Hyder start around Aug 8. My first time we were earlier so skipped it (and the salmon were 7-14 days late which is what attracts the bears). They actually name the bears since they seem to wander thru every night or 2 and there were 2 different ones in two days.
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Old 02-28-2022, 10:36 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by cosninocanines View Post
Purchase the Milepost and do a little research. It will be a trip well worth taking we did it a couple of times. Had to make a few DIY repairs but for us it was all worth it.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=alaska+mi...l_87c2csp7l6_e
From experience, get the latest version of the milepost. We have made the trip many times and planned on our favorite places to stop. A couple of times the place was no longer there. One burned in a forest fire the other small place closed. These smaller places are in the upper Yukon Territory.
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Old 04-20-2022, 08:20 AM   #18
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Be sure to take your fishing gear and go to Homer! Nothing like a fresh caught halibut steaming on your plate!
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Old 04-20-2022, 12:56 PM   #19
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We also did a fly/drive from Fairbanks up to Coldfoot. It is about half way to Prudhoe Bay. Interesting drive back. Stopped to get a close up of the pipeline. Walked on the tundra - sort of. You can walk about 5 miles a day on Tundra. There are clumps of soil/vegetation about a foot wide and sticking up about 6-12 inches. These are spaced about 6-12 inches apart and are spongy. The surface is unfrozen for only about 6 inches. Our guide had a metal arrow and pushed it into the ground. Then when pulled out it was nice and icy! Also ate some wild blueberries that were growing there.

At the arctic circle there is a little stop over place. We have a picture of us straddling the line with a sign in the background. The road (which truckers drive and is on the tv show (Ice road truckers?) is actually really smooth. Just hard packed dirt. However, when you get about 15-20 miles from Fairbanks in to town, it is quite rough. I think they do this to discourage people from driving the road.
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Old 04-20-2022, 05:47 PM   #20
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No you will love it check out the post on trips in the past.
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