Alaska Travel

[V8Square]

My wife and I are planning an Alaska reip next summer/fall. We want to do th Inside Passage. Has anyone ever taken this trip? We live in Missouri and want to pick anyone's brain for the most scenic, good road trip. Time is not important with us. We will in no hurry.

[Chickadee]

V8Square: G'morning from Florida!!

First, let me say that visiting Alaska will be one of the best trips you've taken.....it's FABULOUS. Have fun, and ENJOY IT!!

A number of questions come to mind when reading your post seeking suggestions for your upcoming Alaska trip. You mentioned wanting to do the inside passage. Does this mean you plan to load your rig onto one of the ferrys up around Seattle area and travel up the inside passage and getting off at places along the way..or..are ya storing your rig and sailing up and back ???

Also, let us know a little about what kind of rig you'll be using as this will affect suggestions that folks make.

Steve & Lynette

[CoastieSCPO]

We took the trip this past summer. Drove up thru the Dakotas, Montana then stopped for awhile in the Banff/Lake Louise area followed by a nice ride up the Icefields Parkway. The Canadian Rockies are wonderful. We then made our way to the start of the Alaska Highway where we did some rig maintenance. The trip up the AK Highway took about a week, then we stayed at the Famcamp at Ellmendorf AFB in Anchorage. Down to Seward and the Kenai then to Denali and Fairbanks where we stayed at another AirForce Famcamp for a few days. We had to wait for a part for the MH in Tok (3 days) then drove to Haines.

At Haines, I had originally planned to take the ferry to Skagway and then drive the Cassair, but instead and with the help of a very friendly ticket agent at the Haines Alaska Ferry terminal, we put together an itinerary to load our 33 foot MH and toad on the ferry. First stop was Juneau for 3 days, then the fast ferry to Sitka for three days. Boarded another ferry for an overnighter to Ketchikan for 2 nights and 3 days then the final leg, an overnighter to Prince Rupert, BC.

The ferry trip was not cheap but worth every penny of it. Sitka was the best. The nice part was that we went to the same places that the big cruise ships go, but we had our toad and were totally independent. And, by getting off in Prince Rupert, you get to see beautiful British Columbia. Rain and all! We have a dog and other than going down to the car deck in the middle of the overnighter to walk him, there was no problem. In total we were gone for over 10 weeks and drove nearly 11000 miles, not counting the ferry. Great trip.

Bob

[Chickadee]

CostieSCPO:

Hey, Chief!!!.......sure,,,,,, an ol Coastie WOULD select the water route! Beautiful, wasn't it?

Was Medical Corpsman in Coast Guard back in the late 60's, early 70's and was stationed for a year at Annette Is. Air Station (Ketchican). Later on, returned (to Juneau) on the Acushnet out of N. Pacific. Fell in love with Alaska then and their and returned in RV back in 07, and WILL head back again...SOON, I hope.

If ya visit again, and although the inside passage is nice, do consider visiting Skagway and driving down the Cassier next time. It's great...especially a visit to Stewart/Hyder.

Steve

[CoastieSCPO]

Chickadee;

Outstanding!. The water route was great. The ferries were nice and comfortable and everyone was laid back, doing their own thing. Best part was the freedom that we enjoyed at our "ports of Call" Sitka was the best. We camped at the Sportsman RV CG that was located very close to the ferry terminal. Checked out the CG Station on the island as well as all the usual places. For those who are military, the CG exchange at Ketchikan, while small, is a good place to stock up on stuff...especially if one needs to restock the bar.

You mentioned falling in love with Alaska while stationed there. During our trip and especially while camping at famcamps, we ran into at least 4 coasties who were enroute to new duty assignements, not in AK, and to the man, they were not happy about leaving, especially those leaving Kodiak. Say's something I would think.

I'm planning on following your good advice regarding the Cassair. We missed it this time and we'll do it next.

Bob

[RVDude]

Instead of taking your rig on the inside passage, one suggestion (far lower cost) is to park the rig in Haines (Skagway is way too a cruise ship town for me) and book a multi-day multi-stop ferry round trip w/o the rig. You can get on/off all you want so use hotels on one direction and return back using the ferry cabin. Get the best of both worlds (town and sea) for far less cost and really get to experience the towns and people.

[rodonwheels]

We spent 5 months in Alaska, Yukon, Northern BC and Northern Alberta. The Milepost is a must as previously stated. I did a blog of our trip which might be a help. RETIRED ON WHEELS Make sure you take in Hyder, Alaska and Stewart, BC after you get off the ferry in Prince Rupert. The drive up to Salmon Glacier from Hyder is spectacular. Enjoy your trip.

[rodonwheels]

We spent 5 months in Alaska, Yukon, Northern BC and Northern Alberta. The Milepost is a must as previously stated. I did a blog of our trip which might be a help. RETIRED ON WHEELS Check the posts from May 2009 to October 2009. Make sure you take in Hyder, Alaska and Stewart, BC after you get off the ferry in Prince Rupert. The drive up to Salmon Glacier from Hyder is spectacular. Enjoy your trip.

[chattacuda]

not to hi-jack this post but we are also making a trip to Alaska from Tennessee and leaving on 3 weeks. We are driving up thru St Louis, Denver, Salt Lake City, etc to Seattle and towing our Tahoe. We are parking the coach in a covered storage lot in Bellingham and taking the toad on the ferry and spending 5 weeks in Alaska. On the way back doing the northern return route and Yellowstone, Tetons, Black Hills, etc. I really like reading this post and all the input from you guys who have gone before. We are very excited about it.