Alaska

[Bruce H]

This summer my wife and I are planning a trip to Alaska from Arizona. We plan to take the Rocky Mountain Route going up and Coming back on the Inside Passage Route. If anyone has done the Inside Passage Route could you give me an estimate on the Ferry charges from Juneau to Vancouver I might expect to pay. We will be towing a 4-wheel Jeep with a 36 foot MH.
Thanks for your input,
Bruce & Marie

[mikelm48]

Do a search for Alaska on the site. Someone was just talking about the ferry costs about a month ago.

[dennis45]

Originally Posted by Bruce H

This summer my wife and I are planning a trip to Alaska from Arizona. We plan to take the Rocky Mountain Route going up and Coming back on the Inside Passage Route. If anyone has done the Inside Passage Route could you give me an estimate on the Ferry charges from Juneau to Vancouver I might expect to pay. We will be towing a 4-wheel Jeep with a 36 foot MH.
Thanks for your input,
Bruce & Marie

This might be of some help. Enjoy the ride. We are going from Dawson Creek, BC mid June.

Online Reservations, Mid and North Coast Routes | BC Ferries - British Columbia Ferry Services Inc.

[jackfish]

Alaska Marine Highway ferry: For Haines, AK to Bellingham, WA, I come up with $4,276 for two people in a two person cabin with a window, a 36 foot MH and a Jeep. That does not include meals and one can only gain access to the vehicles when the ferry is docked. Refrigeration in the RV is unlikely during the trip.

You can't drive to Juneau and you can't take the BC ferry to Juneau. Some Alaskan ferries stop in Prince Rupert.

[jackfish]

It looks like it would be much cheaper to go Haines to Prince Rupert. $1,900 for two people in a two berth cabin with a window, a 36 foot MH and a Jeep. You would still have 930 miles to drive to Vancouver.

[RV735]

In 2012 we traveled form Haines to Prince Rupert with a 39 foot MH, a Jeep Liberty, and a cabin for 2 of the night travel days. We did not make a reservation for the Ferry. When we arrived in Haines we went to the Ferry terminal and put our schedule together for the cities on the Ferry for the duration we wanted to stay. Our cost was $2200. I would not make reservation for the Ferry because you do not know if you will encounter delays on a trip of this length. We were delayed for 5 days in Watson Lake, Yukon because the Alaskan Highway washed out form rain. See our blog of our Alaskan trip starting in Haines:

RVGR8escape

Safe travels and THE JOY IS IN THE RIDE

[Mike Thomas]

I lived in Alaska for 18 years, and would make a suggestion that you do the inside passage on a cruise ship. It would be a lot cheaper and you would see almost everything with land tours at each stop. Then take your motorhome up the Alaskan Highway and see the rest of Alaska.

What most folks don't realize is that when you look at a map of the United States and they have Alaska and Hawaii off in the corner of the map, they had to use a different scale just to fit Alaska on the page. If they drew Alaska at the same scale as the rest of the map, it would stretch from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and New York to California. If you think of how diverse the Lower 48 is, well, apply that to Alaska. The coastal areas are not anything like the interior, and the Northern parts are nothing like the Southern parts.

So my suggestion of doing it both ways, would give you a much better idea of what Alaska is really like.

[dennis45]

Originally Posted by Mike Thomas

I lived in Alaska for 18 years, and would make a suggestion that you do the inside passage on a cruise ship. It would be a lot cheaper and you would see almost everything with land tours at each stop. Then take your motorhome up the Alaskan Highway and see the rest of Alaska.

What most folks don't realize is that when you look at a map of the United States and they have Alaska and Hawaii off in the corner of the map, they had to use a different scale just to fit Alaska on the page. If they drew Alaska at the same scale as the rest of the map, it would stretch from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and New York to California. If you think of how diverse the Lower 48 is, well, apply that to Alaska. The coastal areas are not anything like the interior, and the Northern parts are nothing like the Southern parts.

So my suggestion of doing it both ways, would give you a much better idea of what Alaska is really like.

Thank you for that. Just confirms our plan.
We have done the Cruise Ship and are taking the land Route this summer out of Dawson Creek mid June and back to Prince George mid August.

[homeless]

Is the ferry route for those of us that drive to Alaska and find we don't want to have to drive all the way back?

[Mike Thomas]

I don't know about ferries, but there are lots of barges, between Anchorage and Seattle. Most of Alaska's goods come out of Seattle, so the barges are going back nearly empty.

The other option is to fly to Alaska, and rent a motorhome. Sounds expensive, but the Alaskan Highway is a lot of miles that look an awfully lot alike. Fly into Anchorage or Fairbanks, rent a motorhome, and spend time seeing the really good stuff, instead of slogging along the highway through Canada and parts of Alaska.

[twogypsies]

Here's the official Alaskan Ferry site where you'll find all your up-to-date pricing information.

Alaska Marine Highway System :: Official Site :: Alaska DOT&PF

[Bruce H]

Thanks to all of you for your input. It was just the info I was looking for. I have a much better idea of the different possibilities and the costs associated.

[Dr4Film]

We have driven to Alaska and back twice so far, 2010 and 2012. We plan to return again next year, 2015.

The Alaskan Marine Highway costs are prohibitive for our rig. 41 foot coach and a 30 foot trailer.

I agree with Mike Thomas that when the time comes to see the Inside Passage, we will take a cruise ship for a relaxing trip and then a flight back.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

[Floatsflyer]

Have driven roundtrip between AZ & AK twice in last two years. If you elect to drive south rather than take the ferry, you will have multiple routing options after leaving Whitehorse, Yukon Territory - Alcan to Dawson Creek to Alberta to AZ, Alcan to Dawson Creek to Prince George to AZ, or Cassiar Highway to Prince George to AZ. Cassiar is not for everyone (rough road for northernmost 100 miles, often an hour or more between vehicles, few fuel stops all of which are expensive) but spectacular scenery much of the way. If you enjoy wine, plan on spending time in the Okanagan Valley in southern BC. 250+ wineries, most of them small operators following their passion. Many good wines at reasonable price points. A few grandiose winery facilities in Okanagan rival their Napa counterparts, but most are one room buildings staffed by the proprietors.

FYI - Cinnamon buns at Tetsa River Lodge (west of Fort Nelson) are definitely worth stopping for! Big & gooey plus proprietors are a hoot to talk with. Got trapped there for two days by 24" snowstorm in May 2012. Good folks.