Alaska

[Creeker]

Wife and I are now fully retired and ready for more extended trips. Alaska is #1 on our list.
Tell us about your Alaska trip. What areas did you visit? What route did you take? Go alone or
with a group? Favorite places or camping areas? Favorite excursions? Any dry camping or boondocking? etc...

Anything you can think of that will help us plan our trip? Anyone going summer of 26?

Thanks for any info.

 

[scottz]

We have driven the Alaska highway a few times (many years ago when it was 1200 miles of gravel), the Cassiar highway several times recently and lived in Alaska for several years. I recommend traveling the Cassiar highway; it joins the Alaska highway near Watson Lake. The scenery is much nicer than the route through Fort Nelson and there are some nice provincial campgrounds along the way; I can recommend a few if you go this route. If you go in August, don't miss the bears in Hyder.

 

[twindman]

I second a slight detour to Hyder, AK near Stewart, BC. I was too early my first trip to AK, so the second time in 2016 I timed it to be there the first week in August. So grizzlies each of 3 nights there. There is a National Fish and Wildlife center on a small creek/river. It has a viewing center with a (supposed) 10 ft high 300 foot long viewing area. The bears are about 100 feet away while wading up stream. The fish just try to get away in water only about 6-8 inches deep! Attached are a couple of bear pics.
One problem with this side trip - it makes a long trip back north. Iskut has one rv park that is in bad shape but (maybe) 3 full hookup sites. Deese Lake has a better park, but it is almost 400 miles from Hyder/Stewart.

 

[twindman]

Another caution for this trip- frost heaves on the road. They usually mark themwith a little flag on the side of the road. First one I hit, I slowed to25 mph. Hardly felt the bump. So next one I went to 40 mph. WOW. I think the rig about fell apart!. So drive with caution.
Also, keep an eye out for the drunken trees!!! LOL That is what they are called. With permafrost only about 18 inches down, tree roots don't have much soil to root into. After a few years the trees lean over at maybe 60 degrees from level! Even phone line posts lean sometimes.

As for a route in alaska, I went to a tour company that organized trips for RVers. Then I just booked sites at the same places they stopped! That way I was sure there were parks open. One more big item, buy the book 'Mileposts'. It is re-issued every year, so get the latest one in the spring. Gas stations, restaurants, etc close with regularity (business bad, etc) from one year to the next. So the book at least gives what was open the year before.

 

[scottz]

Yes, there are not a lot of parks with hookups, if that is important to you. We spent several weeks in BC/Yukon and the only place we hooked up was Stewart (Hyder) for a few days. There are ample places to dump and fill the fresh water tank. Frost heaves are unavoidable; regardless which route you take; gravel roads were better.

 

[AZ Traveler]

Trip of a lifetime! Take plenty of time - we did 8 weeks from/to AZ and could have added a couple more. We went solo - had a plan but it changed often as we met folks and received good recommendations. Keep your drive days short and speed down to avoid wildlife and frost heaves.

Make sure and see Denali, Seward, Valdez, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park - the largest national park in the country.

Great places to see through Canada - Liard River Hotsprings, Smithers, Hyder/Stewart. Would do both Cassiar and AK highway - up one and down the other. Hyder bears might drive the order.

Only place that really needed reservations was Denali. Need to be equipped to do some boondocking - at least a genny. All the above recommendations are good - latest Milepost is a must have. No issues finding fuel, food or places to dump.

Brought a shotgun for wildlife defense but it never came out of the rig.

 

[twindman]

A note on Wrangell-St Elias: It involves a 60 or 80 mile drive on a dirt road (at least in 2016). It was an abandoned railroad track. Probably by now it has changed but back in my time there were occasional railroad spikes that work to the surface and don't like rubber tires! LOL So I never made it all the way back. I wasn't about to drive it when it is raining and 3 times I was going to try it, the rain was coming down. Still never made it.. One thing I would have liked to do.

 

[Creeker]

Thanks so much for the info guys. Its truly appreciated. We are well equipped for dry camping and often prefer it. Available water for filling tank and finding dump stations are important.

The Cassiar Highway is new info to me. I like the idea of taking one route up and the other down. I will definitely be researching the Cassiar. The bears in Hyder sounds excellent as well as all the places AZ Traveler mentioned. We love wildlife and scenery equally. We plan on taking around 3 months for the round trip from WV to Alaska and back. I've heard much about the frost heaves and plan to drive accordingly. I'll be getting the "Mileposts" book.

All the pics are beautiful and make us look forward to seeing it even more.

Please keep any and all info coming.

 

[scottz]

A note on Wrangell-St Elias: It involves a 60 or 80 mile drive on a dirt road (at least in 2016). It was an abandoned railroad track. Probably by now it has changed but back in my time there were occasional railroad spikes that work to the surface and don't like rubber tires! LOL So I never made it all the way back. I wasn't about to drive it when it is raining and 3 times I was going to try it, the rain was coming down. Still never made it.. One thing I would have liked to do.

I drove the road from Chitna to McCarthy in 1981; it was interesting. The ex-railroad bridge you are talking about, crosses the Kuskulana River. It is over 500' long with a 250' drop to the river. At the time, it was just a narrow, single lane railroad bridge that had two strips of planks laid where the rails used to be; no guard rails of any kind. Quite the white knuckle crossing; it would not have been pretty if a tire dropped off the plank. In 1988 it was re-decked and guard rails were added. I found these photos taken after the improvements. Still a fun experience and some of the most beautiful country you will ever see.

 

[scottz]

I was wondering if the bridge was still open; it is. Yes, you can take your rig across, but not sure I would. Here's a video of someone crossing in a class A. Skip to 10:46 for the fun part. Imagine it with two planks instead of full decking and no guard rails.

Crossing the Kuskulana

NPS info

 

[LeftOverParts]

We went in 2024 with Fantasy RV and 25 other rigs. 2 mos in CAN and AK. Great trip. Entire AlCan hwy up and back but in 2 sections. You can get an idea of itineraries on their website. Includes all the places mentioned above. We went with a group so the details as to roads, fuel, where to “camp”, and excursions were figured out for us.

Took a load of spares for the trailer, 2 spares for truck, 2 for the trailer. Took supplies for an oil and fuel filter change. From home in SoCal, 12K miles on the trailer, 14K on the truck. About 8K while in CAN and AK.

Cracked 2 spring hangers and had them rewelded in Haines. Did the oil change and fuel filters while the welder fixed the hangers. Got the broken hangers replaced and added V-clips in Bend, OR.

Excursions? Theres’s fishing in many places, atv rides, helicopter rides, plane ride/bear viewing at Kodiak Island, ice climbing, glacier hikes, dinner theaters, off road side trips, dog sledding, dog race kennels, wild life tours, and much more. We toured the Kilcher Homestrad in Homer and got an unexpected treat where Atz and Otto stopped by.

We did the later start in mid-July as it’s near the end of road repair season so the road are in better shape. However, there is roadwork still going on and there are known bad spots.

Towards late Aug/Sept you start to get some night for a chance to see meteor showers and the Northern Lights - we were fortunate and saw both.

Take your time, I wish we stayed longer. We’re committed to going again 3-4 yrs and will prob ferry one way with the trailer from. Bellingham amd start in Haines to have a different experience.

Watch out crossing the border. Check the rules for guns in CAN and they are serious about it.

Edit: I emphasized guns but lots of rules. Here’s a link to CAN rules for visitors:

What visitors can bring into Canada

Personal goods you can bring into Canada. Limits on quantities of alcohol, tobacco and vaping products. Travel with pets.

www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca

 

[twindman]

Last time I read about guns, is no pistols (not sure about rifles). You have to store a pistol in a locker at the border somehow.
Oh, I also just read the Denali road is closed for a year due to a rock slide or such.

 

[Rolyt]

I'd check out a few RV lifestyle Youtubers who have done the trip. Open Roading, Wild RV Life and HappilyEverHanks have recent Alaska RV trip playlists that I found really informative.

 

[ojo123]

We have driven the Alaska highway a few times (many years ago when it was 1200 miles of gravel), the Cassiar highway several times recently and lived in Alaska for several years. I recommend traveling the Cassiar highway; it joins the Alaska highway near Watson Lake. The scenery is much nicer than the route through Fort Nelson and there are some nice provincial campgrounds along the way; I can recommend a few if you go this route. If you go in August, don't miss the bears in Hyder.


View attachment 1954209

We have done the trip three times and enjoyed it every time.. We saw a different part of AK each time. There are many side trips that are very interesting so I guess my best advice is do not schedule yourself to tight in time as in Alaska anything can happen and some sights take longer to explore than you think. Two months is a good start if you travel the whole loop around Fairbanks and down through Denaili.

 

[JDNewman]

Everything above is great information. About fuel and spare tires. Did about 12k miles on our trip in 2023, no flats, nothing broken (except the truck windshield). Had the oil changed before I left, in Fairbanks and again after I got back. Fuel was never an issue. If you can driver 200-250 on a tank, then there's going to be fuel. As mentioned, watch for the frost heaves. Cell service is spotty, so if that's what you're depending on, don't count on it. We used Starlink and never had an issue with internet or wi-fi calling. Took a shotgun and after initial stop at Canadian Customs, never an issue again. If you take a weapon, be sure to stop at the US Customs office before crossing and get the "Optional Firearms" form, makes it easier crossing the US border in AK and back in the lower 48.

 

[Creeker]

Thanks for the info to everyone and please keep it coming. Ive been watching several Youtube trips. A couple have been very helpful. We have an auxiliary fuel tank and can comfortably go 650 miles between fill ups. We have Starlink for internet. We are still planning around 3 months for the round trip from WV. I certainly do not like the idea of traveling that far without a firearm. I need to look into all my options on that.

 

[AZ Traveler]

Scott,

Easy to bring a long gun. Shotgun with slugs are excellent dangerous game. Would also get bear spray.