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goffrobert · 01-16-2017, 02:14 PM

Planning trip to Seward Ak . Leaving NE Fl Mid May. Traveling to Mt Rushmore SD Yellowstone NP . Leaving Yellowstone's north entrance traveling Hwy 89 to I-90- to I-15 north to Canadian border to Calgary AB to Edmonton Ab to Dawson Creek BC and Alcan Hwy to TOK Ak then south to Seward Fam Camp.Looking at around 21 days of travel. Looking for information on road travel out of yellowstone going north.

dennis45 · 01-16-2017, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goffrobert

Planning trip to Seward Ak . Leaving NE Fl Mid May. Traveling to Mt Rushmore SD Yellowstone NP . Leaving Yellowstone's north entrance traveling Hwy 89 to I-90- to I-15 north to Canadian border to Calgary AB to Edmonton Ab to Dawson Creek BC and Alcan Hwy to TOK Ak then south to Seward Fam Camp.Looking at around 21 days of travel. Looking for information on road travel out of yellowstone going north.

I can see only one flaw in your plan. Not enough travel days. We did this trip from Dawson Creek, BC to AK and back to Prince George, BC in 50 days and there were days when we traveled every day for a week. It's a long trip, don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

twogypsies · 01-16-2017, 09:33 PM

Is 21 days going to be the whole trip from Florida to Alaska, including Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, etc. and back to Florida? You are going to be driving long days. Are you planning any other places in Alaska or just Seward? As long as you're up there you really should check out every area. How often will you return? Also, Canada and the Yukon are worth exploring, too! If you have the time, definitely take the whole summer for your trip.

Dennis4809 · 01-16-2017, 09:54 PM

Made the trip to AK last summer. Left Bellingham, WA on June 11 and returned end of August. When in Tok, took a day trip to Chicken. Several days in Fairbanks, couple at Denali, several days in Anchorage, few days in Seward, few days in Homer then back to Anchorage.

With only 21 days, I'd skip AK until I had more time. Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Glacier are a fun three week trip.

Your call but busy schedule.

jmcannonball · 01-16-2017, 10:33 PM

Tpo answer you question about road north out of Yellowstone, Hwy 89 is fine. Have done it a couple times or more.
Now, for your travel to Seward, if you haul a$$ you can make it in 21 days from NE FL. You wont be smelling many roses along the way, but if you are pressed for time, then I guess you gotta go for it. Hopefully, you will have time on your return trip to take time to at least smell the coffee :-))
I have made the Alaska trip from Seattle twice, once by motorcycle to the Arctic Circle in 1997 and again by RV in 2013. I'm hoping to do it again in a couple years cause I didn't get to see everything I wanted on the previous two trips!
Safe travels and enjoy the adventure!!!!!

wesjones412 · 01-18-2017, 10:09 AM

We are planning a similar trip this year as well. We plan to leave Mobile, AL mid to late April and returning in mid October. Definitely being back in the continental US by mid September. We are in the early planning stages utilizing the Good Sam trip planner. If I planned correctly, we only have a couple of days we travel 400+ miles. The remaining travel days will be 300 miles or less. We plan to go slow and see the sights. Being a newbie, I would appreciate any ideas/suggestions/insights into what we might expect along the way (fuel availability, maintenance, camp grounds, etc). We will have the MH serviced before we leave but I always been told to expect the unexpected. Our MH is a FRED, Tiffin Allegro Bay 37QDB. Thanks in advance for your input.

Wes Jones
Mobile, AL

goffrobert · 01-21-2017, 11:26 AM

Appreciate replies. Changing trip to Seward ,and going from there as needed in AK. Expect to be in AK around 2-3wks.then head to Washington then to Yellowstone NP. Being USN retired plan on staying at Seward Fam Camp,Elmendorf Fam Camp, Ft Richardson Fam Camp. Any inputs on fam camp availibility. Are reservations needed in early to mid June?

What is mh parts availibility, roadside assistance,tires and etc, Canada to Alaska and? in Alaska.

Dennis4809 · 01-21-2017, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goffrobert

Appreciate replies. Changing trip to Seward ,and going from there as needed in AK. Expect to be in AK around 2-3wks.then head to Washington then to Yellowstone NP. Being USN retired plan on staying at Seward Fam Camp,Elmendorf Fam Camp, Ft Richardson Fam Camp. Any inputs on fam camp availibility. Are reservations needed in early to mid June?

What is mh parts availibility, roadside assistance,tires and etc, Canada to Alaska and? in Alaska.

First thing is to get a Mile Post magazine. Shows everything on AK hwys plus all Canadian access routes. Either going or coming, take the Cassiar Hwy.

Stop in Tok for a side trip to Chicken.
In Anchorage, either Army or AF is fine. We stayed at both in July and August with no problems. AF is close to commissary and exchange but army has full hook ups. Drive your toad to the top of Sky Line Dr in Eagle River for a full view of the Anchorage bowl. Have a beer at the Bird House and call the ptarmigan while there. Check out the visitor center in the old federal building including a couple of the free movies on AK. On the way to Seward, along Turnigan Arm, watch for sheep in the rocks to your left and beluga whales in the water to your right. Stop at Alyaska and ride the chairlift to the top. Great view of Turnigan Arm and Cook Inlet. In Seward we stayed at the public campground along the waterfront rather than the famcamp 2-3 miles out of town.

In my opinion, salt water fishing is better in Valdez and Homer than Seward.
Famcamp at Ft Wainwright in Fairbanks is very small so reservations are needed. Call Becky or Jim and they'll set you up.

If you belong to the Elks, they have campgrounds in Fairbanks and Homer.
Fairbanks and Anchorage are both sizable cities and have everything RV you need. Other than that, small towns with limited parts until you get to Whitehorse. There is a lot of heavy truck traffic so tires and chassis type parts are more available.

PM me if you have additional questions that I might answer.

Enjoy your trip,
Dennis

Tony Lee · 01-22-2017, 05:28 PM

Or give the milepost a miss and your copilot can look at the scenery instead.

twogypsies · 01-22-2017, 08:03 PM

The Milepost is an excellent resource for maps and history along the way. We kept it open the whole trip and read to each other as we came to new and interesting things.

The TourSaver 2/1 coupon book is also worthwhile. One glacier tour will pay for the book and you'll want to do at least one.

I know you're planning on staying at FamCamps but you may be in a place that doesn't have one. Get Mike and Terri Church's book 'Alaskan Camping' which includes Canada and the Yukon, also. It's all you'll need for RV parks, campgrounds and great boondocking spots.

All three can be purchased online.

jpharley · 01-23-2017, 02:50 PM

We did not think the Seward FamCamp was a good place to stay. The sites are tight, paved but on a slope. We stayed at a commercial campground for about the same money. We stated at the FamCamp in Fairbanks. It was an overgrown mess and we had to trim our way into the site. Bring lots of mosquito spray for Fairbanks. The FamCamps in Anchorage were ok but we did not stay there opting to stay in Palmer instead. We also stayed at the military campground in Valdez (electric only) and it was fine but also open to the public. The best part for us was the availability of military commissaries. Really a great place to stock up on groceries. If you are eligible for the Access Pas or Senior Pass, remember to bring it since there are numerous federal campgrounds you can use it like at Denali Natl park. We found the Milepost, Church's camping book, and the TourSaver to be excellent sources especially the camping book since many campgrounds do not have traditional addresses and one must use GPS coordinates. The Milepost is very handy in locating pullouts for both overnight stops if you want to dry camp or for getting out of the way of faster moving traffic. We spent 58 nights in Alaska.

goffrobert · 01-25-2017, 01:53 PM

Thanks for all tips and recommendations. Looking to not reserve rv parks and and fam camps . Hoping to call ahead the day of arrival. Looking at late May to early June arriving AK. any problems seen.

twogypsies · 01-25-2017, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goffrobert

Thanks for all tips and recommendations. Looking to not reserve rv parks and and fam camps . Hoping to call ahead the day of arrival. Looking at late May to early June arriving AK. any problems seen.

The only reservations we made for the whole summer were the July 4 weekend and Teklanika campground in Denali Nat'l Park - the farthest one you can drive. If you pull into parks by 2pm you won't need reservations.

Your timing will be o.k. but take your time driving through Canada and the Yukon. Some of the places are more beautiful than Alaska. Enjoy the whole drive!

Edward Markl · 01-29-2017, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twogypsies

The only reservations we made for the whole summer were the July 4 weekend and Teklanika campground in Denali Nat'l Park - the farthest one you can drive. If you pull into parks by 2pm you won't need reservations.

Your timing will be o.k. but take your time driving through Canada and the Yukon. Some of the places are more beautiful than Alaska. Enjoy the whole drive!

I left anchorage on Jan 9th 17 and hwy at destruction bay was best ever in over 35 yrs. first day saw temps from +28 to -26. enjoy take your time