Alaska

[Robert T]

Wife would like to go to Alaska maybe this summer. Questions

1) Should I wait till 2019 due to planning?
2) Special coach prep.
3) Campground recommendations.
4) Where to stop.
5) How long to stay at each stop.
6) Entering Canada.
7) Entering into Alaska.
Things not to bring across each border besides guns,such as food.
8) Travels with two cats.
Must see stops and those do not waste time on and how long to stay at each stop. Tourist traps etc.

Will would leave from Akron, Ohio mid June and have to be home no later than 9-20-18. But if I go in 2019 I would leave home mid May and return mid September.

My wife prefers not to do many back to back days driving and prefers to take it slow and enjoy the the area

[bfisher003]

We pulled our travel trailer from Florida to Alaska and back last summer. Other than planning the routes we would take we made no reservations or other plans more than a day and usually no more than a few hours ahead. We were gone two months, but three is better. Just make sure everything in your coach is in good shape. There are lots of campgrounds and most are good to very good, especially the provincial parks in Canada and the Yukon and Alaska. I suggest you by the latest edition of The Milepost. It is updated annually. A wealth of information once you figure out how to use it. Entering Canada is fairly easy. There are a number of websites that give tips on making it as smooth as possible. We had a shotgun with us and it was not a problem. Check the Canadian BP website for what you need to do and what foods, tobacco, liquor, etc., requirements are. It does change. Entering Alaska is easy. Show your passports and answer any questions as brief and honestly as possible. Same when entering Canada. The stops depend on what you like. Do some research. For your pets, we took our dog to our vet and obtained an international health certificate, as well as all information about rabies vaccinations. Again check the websites for details. I researched for months before our trip and it went very smooth. Expect some problems and go with the flow. Relax and enjoy. It is an awesome trip!

[Damion]

We're planning the summer of 2019 also!
Do a google search on here there are 100's of post on here cover Alaska!
https://www.google.com/search?q=Alas...earch=irv2.com

[jacwjames]

We had a different approach. I was in between jobs and was in the process of taking my parents from Florida to Wisconsin after the winter stay, it was late April or early May. On my way back home to TN I decided I wanted to go to Alaska. I called my wife and told her I was leaving June 1, with or without her, she could tell me when I got home. She decided to go.

We had no real plans but decided to visit Yellowstone, the Tetons, and then Glacier NP. then onto Alaska via the Canadian Rockies stopping along the way. Once we got to AK we didn't really have plans and didn't make firm reservations until a day or two ahead.

We did talk to a lot of people on the way there, all provided advice, some good some bad but we picked and choose. Also picked up travel literature which was also useful.

One result was we decided to drive the Cassiar Hwy back south and then detoured to Hyder Alaska to watch the bears. Then onto Washington, Oregon, California including Napa Valley Wine Country.

Ended up driving almost 15K miles and gone 3.5 months.

So long story short is you have plenty of time to plan the trip, just don't overthink it. It's an adventure.

[Terry Jay]

You are way over thinking this. Get your annual service. Have good tires. Have a decent road atlas. Fill with fuel and food and clothes for a temperature range from 35 to 90 and full rain to sun. Expect some mud on the road and around the campground. Head over to Toledo, north to the UP, west and pick up 94. Take it west to 90 and west to Missoula and take 93 north to Lake Loiuse and Banff. Continue on 93 (Icefields Parkway) to Jasper, then east toward Hinton, AB, then north to Grand Prairie, then on to Dawson Creek and Alaska. You may need reservations in the Canadian Rockies. Fuel in Hinton, and the first station you see on the left coming in to Grand Prairie. Then in Ft St John, Ft Nelson. Contact Creek Lodge before Watson Lake, Yukon Motel in Teslin, Otter Falls Cutoff before Haines Junction, and Tok. Customs is easy. Alcohol, tobacco, firearms, where are you going, how long will you be in Canada, are you seeing anyone in Canada, have a nice day. Oh, you have a pet, are the shots current? good.

The roads are good until you leave Kluane Lake, then the frost heaves and broken road and repairs start. Just slow down, watch for the red flags on the shoulder, and carry on.

At Tok, check the weather forecast for Valdez, If it looks nice for a few days, go there first, then back to Glenallen and Anchorage and the Kenai and Anchorage and Denali and Fairbanks and Tok and south. Otherwise, Fairbanks first.

There are Visitor Centers along the way with brochures and helpful people. Boondocking in northern BC, Yukon and AK is possible Most campgrounds are gravel.

It is a fun trip. The roads improve every year. Just point it that way and go.

[purrin along]

Originally Posted by Terry Jay

You are way over thinking this. Get your annual service. Have good tires. Have a decent road atlas. Fill with fuel and food and clothes for a temperature range from 35 to 90 and full rain to sun. Expect some mud on the road and around the campground. Head over to Toledo, north to the UP, west and pick up 94. Take it west to 90 and west to Missoula and take 93 north to Lake Loiuse and Banff. Continue on 93 (Icefields Parkway) to Jasper, then east toward Hinton, AB, then north to Grand Prairie, then on to Dawson Creek and Alaska. You may need reservations in the Canadian Rockies. Fuel in Hinton, and the first station you see on the left coming in to Grand Prairie. Then in Ft St John, Ft Nelson. Contact Creek Lodge before Watson Lake, Yukon Motel in Teslin, Otter Falls Cutoff before Haines Junction, and Tok. Customs is easy. Alcohol, tobacco, firearms, where are you going, how long will you be in Canada, are you seeing anyone in Canada, have a nice day. Oh, you have a pet, are the shots current? good.

The roads are good until you leave Kluane Lake, then the frost heaves and broken road and repairs start. Just slow down, watch for the red flags on the shoulder, and carry on.

At Tok, check the weather forecast for Valdez, If it looks nice for a few days, go there first, then back to Glenallen and Anchorage and the Kenai and Anchorage and Denali and Fairbanks and Tok and south. Otherwise, Fairbanks first.

There are Visitor Centers along the way with brochures and helpful people. Boondocking in northern BC, Yukon and AK is possible Most campgrounds are gravel.

It is a fun trip. The roads improve every year. Just point it that way and go.

That is a lot of great info, thank you very much.2019 is our plans to go.

[Wundertaker]

My wife and I are going in 2019 from cold water Michigan...staying 3-4 months...maybe see you on the road.

[twogypsies]

You've gotten good ideas so far. Purchase The Milepost for history and maps as you travel, Mike and Terri Church's book 'Alaskan Camping' which includes Canada & the Yukon ( the only reference you'll need as they lived in Fairbanks and traveled back and forth to the lower 48 all the time and really know the campground, RV parks and boondocking spots) and the TourSaver 2/1 Coupon Book - all available online. Those and your passports are all you really need.

Any of the paved primary roads are just fine as soon as you cross into Canada. There will be RVs of all sizes and you'll meet up with folks time after time because you're all going the same places. There really aren't many tourist traps - most are must-see attractions. This is a nature/history trip. It doesn't take a lot of planning because there are few roads to travel. Consider going up on the Alaskan Hwy. and returning on the Cassier Hwy.

Yes, you'll encounter sections of gravel construction - just like in the lower 48. Just drive slow. We didn't do anything to protect our vehicles and didn't get any damage. We did replace all the tires before going because they were coming up on the age limits anyway. We didn't carry a spare. Naturally, give the vehicles a thorough servicing. There will be places to have your oil changed and filters in the major cities.

We only made two reservations for the whole summer for our 40' motorhome towing the Jeep - one for the July 4 weekend (Alaskans like to camp, too) and the other for 5 nights in Denali Nat'l Park's Teklanika campground - the farthest you can drive in the park. For those we only made them about 2 weeks prior when we could better judge when we'd be in the areas. As it turned out we were early for Denali so on a whim we boondocked nearby at a beautiful spot and drove into the park early morning and easily secured an additional 5 nights in Denali's Riley Creek campground. We saw 'THE' mountain 7 of 10 days. Many never see it because of the weather. We had gorgeous days in mid-August.

Save the lower 48 siteseeing for your return otherwise you'll waste precious time and energy.

Border crossing is easy. Look online for regulations.

Above all don't think of it as one long trip from A to B. Break it up in small destination chunks of time - just like taking multiple small trips. Then it won't seem so overwhelming.

Canada and the Yukon are every bit as beautiful as Alaska and some places even more so. Don't rush through them!

[rarebear.nm]

I agree with all of the above posters. We are leaving in early May and expect to be gone for about five months. We plan to boondock where ever most nights, stopping at a few campgrounds here and there, wherever there is. You do not need to plan every stop and activity, way too much work. Make sure your paper work and pets info is all current. At the border crossings, have all papers ready at hand and answer question simple and with respect. The agents do not want or need jokes, just yes/no will do most of he time. Make sure guns are left at home. Check on the web at the Canadian border security site about current limitations. They change frequently. Keep in mind Canada and Alaska have real stores at reasonable distances. You don't really need to stock up very much in most areas. Always drive on the top half of your fuel tank. Make sure your RV/truck are in good repair and good tires all around.

Some of friends bought a new RV, their first, and left for Alaska the next day and got back home just fine with many stories. They just did the old OJT routine and did fine, mostly! There were a few learning opportunities with this approach.

Do get a current copy of Milepost, lots of great info. There's also an Alaskan coupon book we have that gives you many nice two price of one deals.

We have pretty well plotted our major routes and will fill-in the details when the turn comes up on the way. Most important thing is to pack a wide variety weather clothing and get going to enjoy it all.

[Triangle Drifter]

Go this year. Never know what might stop you next year, then the next, then the next.

Fully service the coach. If it looks like a maybe, replace it. Carry spares that might be hard to source up north. Things like a couple oil filters, a fuel filter, air filter.

Generally no reservations except popular locations, event weekends & such. Plan on & prepare for dry camping. The best northern CGs are the Canadian PPs & Alaskan SRAs.

Check official online sites for border requirements. Really no big deal.

There is an awful lot of Canada between the lower 48 & Alaska. Don't rush through it. Some of the most spectacular scenery is in Canada. Some of the best opportunities for animal viewing are in Canada.

The North is huge but not an area with many roads. Basically you do Alaska either clockwise or anticlockwise.

We are off on our 4th trip north this year. Total Alaska only time will be a little over a month again. Total trip time from the East Coast will be four months. We have a few hard dates when we need to be somewhere but the rest is left to flow loosely sort of.

[bfisher003]

Several great points above. Do some online research on frost heaves and slow way down for them. They typically are fairly bad from Destruction Bay to Tok. We broke a spring hanger on our trailer on them last summer when I didn’t slow down enough for a pretty severe frost heave. There is a RV repair shop called Willard’s RV Repair in Tok, just across the road from Fast Eddie’s restaurant (a must stop—good food). Willard’s stays pretty busy. Expect to have some problems and deal with them, but don’t stress out about it. Just go with the flow. We suffered a cracked windshield on our truck (on perfectly good paved roads in Canada), our trailer’s main LP regulator died (we found a new replacement at the Tesoro gas station in Tok), broken spring hanger that also gouged the LP line going to the rear QD so bad it had to be removed (I replaced it after getting back home), the truck battery had to be replaced and we replaced all four trailer tires in Whitehorse on our way back. I consider all these just another part of the cost of a totally awesome trip. The Yukon is beautiful. You will meet some great people on the trip. We met a wonderful couple from Australia, ended up traveling together for a good part of the trip and remain friends. Above all, slow down and take your time. There is so much to see and experience. You never know when a bear, moose or other wildlife is going to pop up for a photo opportunity. I second or third taking the full Alaska Highway up and the Cassiar back south. The bear viewing at Hyder is fantastic when the salmon are running. You will discover so many wonderful and unique places along the way. You will make memories that will last a lifetime. I would go back in a heartbeat if I could get my wife to leave our two youngest grandsons for 2-3 months again.

[Wundertaker]

I so appreciate everyone's input here as my wife and I will be going to Alaska in 2019 hopefully and can't wait!

[bfisher003]

Here is a link to a thread I created and updated almost daily during our trip last summer (2017) from Florida to Alaska and back, If you check it out you will see I had a lot of followers and received a lot of good suggestions and advice along the way. It's pretty long, but I believe you will get a fairly good sense of what the trip was like; at least for us, where we went, where we camped and there are a lot of pictures along the way.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f38/2017-...ip-346333.html

[bfisher003]

Originally Posted by bfisher003

Here is a link to a thread I created and updated almost daily during our trip last summer (2017) from Florida to Alaska and back, If you check it out you will see I had a lot of followers and received a lot of good suggestions and advice along the way. It's pretty long, but I believe you will get a fairly good sense of what the trip was like; at least for us, where we went, where we camped and there are a lot of pictures along the way.



http://www.irv2.com/forums/f38/2017-...ip-346333.html

To the Moderator: Why is this pulling up the wrong link in Tapatalk? It pulls up correctly on the web site.