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brian-nicola · 10-29-2016, 09:09 AM

Hello!

Sounds like a great trip....Few sites for your reference

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wadders · 10-29-2016, 12:36 PM

We are from the UK and have just left the USA after doing 6 months there, traveling from Houston to San Diego, Via all the national parks in in Utah, Colorado etc.
We have left our rig in Wilderness lakes, Menifee, CA

We too are looking into heading up to Alaska in May 2017, i shall follow this thread carefully.

Terry

jpharley · 10-30-2016, 08:07 AM

Really not too much planning is needed. Decide what route you want to drive and then just head out. As long as you do not drive excessive amounts every day and arrive at campgrounds around 2:00, you will not have any problems. Really the only reservation we made was at Denali. There are lots of opportunities to dry camp and we found the campgrounds with no hook ups or limited hook ups were the nicest. After all, these units are designed to be self contained (a generator will be helpful though) and one does not need utilities every night. Once you are on the Alaska Highway, you will meet the same people over and over because everyone is going the same way. We plan to go again this year but the only thing we will do is make sure our rig is in tip top shape. By the way, we are not normally spontaneous travelers but we did travel that way on our trip to Alaska.

S Bradley · 10-30-2016, 05:18 PM

Plannig can be fun and over whelming, but the more you know about the trip the better. Don't rush thru Canada it can be a big part of the trip. Travel any time Middle May thru September.

We live in Alaska and travel Ak to states often. I have lists of my favorite routes & destinaions traveling Alaska and Canada.
To help with planning - Private Message me if I can help you find information.
I would put it up here but it would be pages. Provide a list of your interest and physical fitness level and I will narrow the scope of my suggestions.

The best souces are:

Traveler's Guide to Alaskan Camping, Mike & Terry Church
Mile Post, current year, even a year or two old are good
IRV2 forums
Sue Thomas, photo site (Main Page - Yukon Sights by Sue Thomas) Sue has some of the best pictures & information available especially BC and Yukon Canada. If nothing else it will increase your excitement. I check her site often for updates.

Have fun

Superslif · 10-31-2016, 07:10 PM

I'll 2nd that on Yukon sites....great website

All you need is the 2017 Milepost ( 700 pages) and I also found Mike and Terri Church's Alaskan Camping book( 500 pages) great for the campground selection.

Church's book will list 99% of all campsites in Alaska and 80% of the coverage area of the milepost in Canada. Even if it is a state forest campground with 2 sites, it will give a complete description. Listing things like the mile marker location of the entrance, how narrow the road into the campground is , how far off the main road, campsite length....Very important....If you pull in with a big rig can you turn around, size limits, water availability and so on. At private campgrounds it might list if it is a parking lot type of park, pull-thru's, tent sites....laundry available. charge for dumping....

They have no paid advertising, so if the place is "dated" they will say the place is "dated"...if the BLM campsite is "overgrown"... they will say it.

Spent 110 days this summer there. Yes, don't race thru Canada...so much to see. Slow down smell the roses....enjoy the view.

Plan to go back in 19'

Ramets · 11-04-2016, 06:22 AM

One other suggestion is to make sure the camera is always on the dashboard and ready to go. I second not overlooking Canada. Northern B.C., and the Yukon is where we saw the most critters, had to come to a quick stop for a herd of Caribou, and then near Liard we had to stop for a herd of Bison.

MCJones · 11-04-2016, 07:14 AM

We are thinking about the same trip in 2017 ourselves. Two questions for those that have experienced Alaska. Did you folks carry a spare tire on your trip? We don't normally but we haven't ventured outside the states here. My other concern is that I have heard from one RVer that said he would never do the Alaska thing again as it took such a toll on his rig because of the poor roads? Has me a bit concerned now. What is your experience? thanks, mark

c62250000210 · 11-04-2016, 07:33 AM

One important thing is to get the Milepost guide. It is a great mile by mile information source. It is your travel bible for the trip and planning.

The Bible of North Country Travel - The MILEPOST

OLYLEN · 11-04-2016, 09:03 AM

.MCJones. I put a new set of tires on the MH as mine were near ago g out and carried an uncounted spare just in case, never needed it. We did most of the paved roads in Alaska, found a few construction zones that needed care, but have found the same in the lower 48. Now if you used to freeway speed, ain't gonna happen. You will learn quickly what to look for, as far as frost heaves, cones, little flags, small sign on the side of the road or a strange squiggly stripe and slow down. We did the top of Top of the World guest, it was great but dirty. The only place driving that made me pucker a bit was the Ferry across the Yukon. Got up early to be first in line, then they loaded all the small rig first and me last, 40' pusher and car trailer 63' total. Litterly had 1" on the drivers side mirror and 2" on the right side trailer fender. They did have four guys watching and guiding me on but it was still pucker time. We had no damage or extra wear on the RV with the exception of wind screens witch had small chips and cracks and ended needing replaced after the trip, we did have a bra on that took care of below the wind screen and you will see those with out taping bubble wrap on to protect the expose fronts on RV's and tow along be it 5ver, trailer or towed. Go be a little cautious and enjoy a wonderful trip.

LEN

OLYLEN · 11-04-2016, 09:04 AM

.MCJones. I put a new set of tires on the MH as mine were near ago g out and carried an uncounted spare just in case, never needed it. We did most of the paved roads in Alaska, found a few construction zones that needed care, but have found the same in the lower 48. Now if you used to freeway speed, ain't gonna happen. You will learn quickly what to look for, as far as frost heaves, cones, little flags, small sign on the side of the road or a strange squiggly stripe and slow down. We did the top of Top of the World guest, it was great but dirty. The only place driving that made me pucker a bit was the Ferry across the Yukon. Got up early to be first in line, then they loaded all the small rig first and me last, 40' pusher and car trailer 63' total. Litterly had 1" on the drivers side mirror and 2" on the right side trailer fender. They did have four guys watching and guiding me on but it was still pucker time. We had no damage or extra wear on the RV with the exception of wind screens witch had small chips and cracks and ended needing replaced after the trip, we did have a bra on that took care of below the wind screen and you will see those with out taping bubble wrap on to protect the expose fronts on RV's and tow along be it 5ver, trailer or towed. Go be a little cautious and enjoy a wonderful trip.

LEN

Superslif · 11-04-2016, 03:52 PM

Quote:

We are thinking about the same trip in 2017 ourselves. Two questions for those that have experienced Alaska. Did you folks carry a spare tire on your trip? We don't normally but we haven't ventured outside the states here. My other concern is that I have heard from one RVer that said he would never do the Alaska thing again as it took such a toll on his rig because of the poor roads? Has me a bit concerned now. What is your experience? thanks, mark

I did put new tires on my 26' tt before my 110 day trip to AK. this summer. Did get two screws in my trucks rear tire which caused a slow leak. Was able to air it back up till I got to Fairbanks 3 days later. Happened on the US. side of the Top of the World section. The 20 -30 miles between Jack Wade Junction and Chicken AK. was fairly bad. I had a Toyota tire and rim warranty, so they gave me a new tire. Yes I also had a good spare for the trailer too, but never used it. The Maxxis tires on the trailer after 13.5k miles still look brand new.

Yes, as long as you take it easy (45-60 mph on the most of the Alcan paved sections) 25 mph in the gravel construction areas and pay attention to all the frost heave sections you should be fine. Some dips in a frost heave section you might want to slow down to 10 - 25mph others just letting off the gas and slow down a few mph does the trick.

We plan to go back in 19'. The only damage was in a construction zone ( Yes, in Destruction Bay Yukon) where a contractors vehicle going twice the 25mph speed limit flung a stone thru one of my RV trailers windows.

Did a complete detail of my RV and truck over the last 2 weeks. Found two small stone chips on my truck (3/16"). One on the hood and one on the door edge. No big deal. I did put on 3M's clear film on my headlight lens and "part" of my chrome grill and the leading 3" of my hood. I just pulled it all off with a hairdryer yesterday.

Your rig will get muddy....Let me repeat...It will get dirty period....If you like to keep a super shiny rig everyday, don't go to Alaska. One muddy construction / gravel zone will turn your white rig gray or brown head to tail, especially if it's raining. There are RV wash areas at some campgrounds, some gas stations...So take a bottle of carwash and bucket with you and your normal cleaning brushes. I always keep a good coat of wax on my RV and truck, so bugs and dirt came off easy.

If you have a mental problem of having to always drive 65-70mph because you must be the lead dog, don't go to AK. Slow down smell the roses, wildlife, views...Do the Alcan up and the Cassier going home...

We took 26 days to go from Ohio to Fairbanks AK. On the way home we took 12 days to return.

Here are 100 or so pictures and a few videos of our trip Facebook Jim

twogypsies · 11-04-2016, 06:00 PM

We also put a new set of tires on our motorhome in Oregon (no sales tax) before crossing into Canada. We didn't carry a spare. Our tires were 5 yr. old so getting time to replace anyway.

We had absolutely no damage to our motorhome or our Jeep. Those that have damage drive too fast. The roads are paved except for areas of summer construction - just like the lower 48.

I will say that when we stopped for the night in Whitehorse, Yukon, there were a couple folks taking off their stiff across-the-rear so-called 'rock guard'. We looked at their toads and there was a layer of 1/2" stones laying at the base of the toad's windshields. The 'rock guard' was throwing the rocks upward.

We just had stiff mud flaps behind the tires and nothing across the rear. We received no damage from driving the same construction area they did.

S Bradley · 11-05-2016, 01:50 PM

Taking a spare tire?
I have a spare for the Navion but usually if I have a problem I just use (Slime Tire Plugger Kit). No jack required just locale the puncture usually a nail or screw remove the offending object and plug it. I've even seen them used on large motor homes. It is a good temporary repair to get you down the road to some place that can fix it properly. Don't forget your pump that may be all you need to get down the road, or fill the tire after plugging it.

To help with cleaning the bugs off the front, smear Dawn dish soap directly from the bottle on exposed areas before traveling, when you wash and the bugs come off easily.

Don't forget you bug screen for the front or radiator. Near Bell II at dusk I thought it was raining I turned on the wipers only to smear thousands of bugs across the windshield.

As Superslif advises put the 3M clear film on the head lights and hood. You can buy it in bulk
or cut to fit, small areas are DIY but the larger areas are difficult but can be done. Here is a link to the web site. Protect your vehicle's paint with Scotchgard™ Pro Series Paint Protection Film

Gladie · 11-06-2016, 06:26 AM

We carry a spare with us but never have had to use it on our class C. Driving slow is the best advice you could get. You don't have to crawl, but driving a bit slower than usual may save you future repair headaches. We were 105 days on the road and no damage on rig or tow whatsoever. Two months were spent in Alaska. On another note, has anyone advised you to purchase the Alaskan Tour Saver book?