Seeking Alaska Information

[rk911]

We are in the very, very early planning stages for our first trip ever to Alaska during 2018 and most of that planning is deciding to start planning. .We'll be in a 39-ft gasser MH towing our 2010 Jeep Liberty accompanied by our 7-yr old beagle, Maggie.We are seasoned RVers with 31-years experience in all of the lower 48 states but this trip will be unlike anything we have attempted.Since we retired back in 2005 we've been RVing roughly 6-mos a year, 3-mos in the spring and 3-mos in the fall when the kids are in school and parks are not crowded and the pace of things is slower.

Our general idea is to leave our home in Chicago no later than mid February and head to Arizona for spring training baseball (go Cubs!). Leaving AZ early to mid-April and head to Alaska arriving there kinda sorta late May. Too early??Remain in Alaska till the end of July and arrive back home mid to late October.We're in no hurry to get there and no hurry to get back home… we tend to drive roughly 200-250 miles per day with multiple-night stops every few days…so lots of stops along the way.We think this allows for a leisurely trip up and back with time for whatever side trips might develop on the way up and back.Comments on that?

We've never traveled with an organized group or caravan tour but we're wondering if that might not be a bad idea for our first (and maybe only) trip there. We're not big fans of the 'if-it's-Tuesday-we-must-be-here' way to travel but as I see it the upside to a tour group is reduced planning in terms of overnight stops and the security the group provides should something go haywire along the way.

But the downside might be not being able to stay in Alaska for the amount of time we're planning or maybe not seeing what we want to see. I realize an organized RV tour is not prison and we can leave at any time but it seems silly to pay the fees and then drop out early.Do the tours have planned side-trip stops on both the trip up to Alaska and also on the way back to the lower 48?A tour group that simply heads back to the lower 48 without any planned side trips on the way back would be good as we'd just say buh-bye to them when they leave Alaska.We'll be contacting some of these companies but I'm wondering if any/some/most/all of them spend any kind of extended time in AK like we're planning or is it possible to go up to AK with one group and back to the lower 48 with another?My wife does not like boats so going one-way on the ferry is not in the cards.

I'd like to hear from those of you who have done both an organized tour to Alaska (and other places) and those who have done Alaska on your own...the pros and cons of both as well as referrals to specific tour companies. We have Verizon phones, Sirius/XM radio and DISH-TV.Comments, suggestions, places to see, places to avoid, stuff to bring with us and ideas are always welcome.

[BRex45]

There is another thread, fairly recent, already on this subject in the Camping,Travel section. And another one from earlier in the titled something like Alaska 2017? Might want to read those first as those two threads, with lots of pages, might answer your questions.

Good luck

[twogypsies]

Plan to cross the border from the lower 48 not any earlier than May 20-30. Most things will still be closed down any earlier and ice will be on the lakes - not as pretty.

This is not a hardship trip like it was 30 years ago or more. It's a very easy trip to do on your own. The tours don't go to any places that you can't do on your own. In fact, you can do more smaller things on your own because you're not in a big group. You definitely don't need a lot of advance reservations for anything except for Denali Nat'l Park.

We did make reservations for the July 4 weekend and for Denali but only a couple weeks prior when we could better judge when we'd be there. We made 5 nights in Teklanika campground - the farthest you can take your RV. As it was, we got into the area a little early so we boondocked nearby at a beautiful spot and drove into the park early morning. We easily secured an additional 5 nights without a reservation in Denali's front campground, Riley Creek, for our 40' motorhome. Our days were completely full with the 10 nights in Denali - lots to do in both areas. We saw 'the' mountain 7 of 10 days and every one of the big animals living there - more than once.

Get a copy of a tour's itinerary and make note of what they will do and you can then do the same on your own. There are limited roads to travel so everyone is going to the same places. In fact, you'll meet up with some of the same people as you travel.

Get the Milepost for excellent history and maps. We kept it open on our lap the whole trip and read to whomever was driving at the time. (We took turns each day driving so the other could experience the scenery.)

Get Mike and Terri Church's book 'Alaskan Camping' which includes Canada and the Yukon. It's the only reference you'll need for RV parks, public parks and great, easy boondocking areas.

As you get closer to takeoff get the 'TourSaver 2/1 Coupon Book'. One glacier tour will pay for the book and you'll want to do at least one.

You'll encounter some road construction just like you do in the lower 48 but they may be longer. Otherwise the main roads are paved.

Drive on the top 1/2 of your tank and don't try to wait for a better price. Stations are too far apart.

Don't rush through Canada and the Yukon. Some places are more beautiful than Alaska. If staying in the Provincial Parks have some Canadian money available for the drop-in pay box.

We crossed at Sumas, Washington a very easy spot and spent the first night in Hope, British Columbia at Wild Rose RV. It was a short drive. We then stocked up on meats and veggies and went to the bank for some money exchanged in various denominations. We got $300 because we love public campgrounds. We had about $20 left toward the end and spent it on a meal.

Discover or American Express are not widely accepted. Also, try to get a credit card that has no foreign exchange cost.

If you need to have any mail sent, don't have it sent to Canada. Pick a town in Alaska that you will be going through and have it sent c/o General Delivery. We got ours in 5 days time. Your XM and Dish probably won't work the farther north you go. Bring some books!


Don't rush back - stay through August if you can. It's a beautiful, less-crowded time to be there. Things start closing down in Sept.

[dix39]

A lot of good information from twogypsies. We had several (3 or 4) hundred dollars in Canadian money before starting the trip. We washed clothes at a laundromat in BC. I asked the girl who was taking care of the place how much it cost. She said two "Loonies". I said, what's a Loonie? After she explained that it was a coin with a Loon on the back, I asked her for some Loonies in exchange for Canadian dollars. Interesting.

We didn't have reservations anyplace except the ferry, including Denali, and that was not a problem for us. It would probably be better to have them though, just to be on the safe side. We did drive all the way to the campground at Denali before finding out that we were supposed to have picked up the permit to stay there about an hour or so back down the road. After driving back we just stayed there in the parking lot and bought a bus ticket the next day to see the park. The bus picked us up there. We never did stay in the campground.

I'm not sure why your wife doesn't like boats, but my wife is very prone to sea-sickness and the ferry rides from Prince Rupert to Skagway were no problem for her, she had a ball. It would be pretty expensive for your rig though. We had a 11.5' TC and the ferry trip for it was about $1500.00, but it was worth it. There are a number of places there that can only be reached by boat or plane, including Juneau and Glacier Bay.

I'm not fond of groups so we did the trip by ourselves. We poured over maps and books for months to decide what we would like to see and do, and I think it was worth it. We didn't plan any stops, but I bought a book with a listing of campgrounds that we used a few times. I don't remember the name of it. We didn't have any problem finding places to stay overnight throughout the whole trip. Our trip was planned to cover June and July, but for some reason they had the June weather in May and the May weather in June that year, so much of June was wet. Days are long and nights are short. There were no extreme temperatures, but I would bring heavy clothing as well as light and some sort of rain gear. There are mosquitoes, but I've seen worse in MN.

Some of the highlights of our trip in addition to the Inland Passage visits were; The Kennecott Copper Mine (amazing story), Valdez (pipeline terminus), Anchorage, Homer and the Kenai Peninsula (overnighted along Cook Inlet), Seward ( beginning of the Iditarod), Talkeetna (home of one of my aviation hero's, Don Sheldon. We stayed there 2 or 3 days), Denali (2 or 3 days and the Mtn was out, lots of animals), North Pole, Fairbanks, Chicken (gold panning 2 or 3 days), Dawson City, YT (2 or 3 days, history), Whitehorse, Hyder (to see bears catch salmon, but the salmon were late so we missed the action), then back to Vancouver for a look and down I-5 to Phoenix, OR (home).

We originally planned to come back through Banff, Kootenay, and Waterton Glacier BCNPs then come into the US at Glacier NP then home, but my wife's anxiety got the best of her and she started having chest pains so we cut the visit short and got back to a doctor as quickly as possible. After a number of tests they found nothing wrong, but in my mind it was something that needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. Perhaps we'll get to those parks another day.

It is truly a beautiful place, I think you will love it whether you go with a group or alone. I know we did.

Best of luck.

Steve

[pointrow]

All good advice above. We just followed one of the Mile Post routs and adapted it to our selves.
Couple of things we learned to do next time:
Dust intrusion. Seal all places where pipes and wires come up into the coach. We stopped in Fort Nelson 2 days to seal and clean because the dust was so bad.
Lower your glass deductible because it is likely you will lose a windshield or 2.

If you have a one piece mud flap across the back of the coach take it off. The amount of stones and debris on the toad went to zero after removing ours.

Carry spare belts and any other parts you can think of. They are all available up there but may take a long time to get.

Good luck
pointrow

[jpharley]

We went to Alaska in 2014 and did very little pre planning. We only made a couple of reservations (Denali was the exception reserving a couple weeks in advance) and stayed in a wide variety of campgrounds both private and public. We even stopped twice in pullouts to overnight. A couple of days in advance of a travel day, we would decide where we wanted to stay and just stop there. Never had any problems getting into our campground of choice. However, we only drove a couple hundred miles a day. The Milepost was handy as we used it to locate turnouts so we could get out of the way of faster traffic and the Churches' camping book was also helpful with campground locations especially the lat/long coordinates for or GPS since many campgrounds do not have traditional addresses. If you are comfortable with dry camping, we found those types of campgrounds to be the best even dry camping in private campgrounds (and much, much cheaper). Don't forget your Senior Pass if eligible because you can use it in federal campgrounds in Alaska. There is absolutely no issue traveling alone since once on the Alaska Highway, you will meet the same people over and over again as you all travel over the same roads. We loved every minute of our trip and plan to return in 2017.

[36PFT]

We chose the caravan route. We have only had our motorhome for 3 years with limited trips because we weren't retired. Our life style has been very hectic as we have owned our own business for the past 30 years and have had little time to vacation. Our feeling is that a caravan will force us to slow down and see the sights. The other reason was we do not have to worry about campgrounds in more popular locations. Our tour has all of the day trips planned and paid in advance. For us the tour is a great investment in a trip of a life time. We are going on the 2017 Holiday Rambler tour.

[Superslif]

Alaska this past summer on our own. 110 days Ohio and back. Left Ohio May 28th and took 28 days to get to North Pole AK. (sis-n-laws house). OH. to Calgary Alberta (2200 miles) we took 5-6 days, spent 5 nights in Banff and Jasper. Those you will have to make a reservation for by March.

If you travel thru Canada and AK. too early you will run into colder weather where the water has not been turned on yet. In AK. some campgrounds don't turn the water on till May 15th. Many of the visitor centers have water and some dump stations. On our trip there was a freak snowstorm the 28th of May near Fort Nelson toward Summit area of the Alcan where they had up to 24" snowfall. I planned my trip after Banff where some days we only traveled 30 miles, most days were 125 to 200 at the most.

Besides the Milepost I found the Mike and Terri Church's book about all the campgrounds more helpful.

[Stripe34]

Following! Hoping to get up there in the RV in 2018. Wouldn't do a formal tour group, but would like to meet and stay in loose touch with others on the road at the same time as us.

[Ron_H]

I have travelled the portions of Alaska Hwy many times and I've done two trips to Alaska, once by motorcycle and once with my DW in our 43 ft motorhome with a toad. Though I have looked at organized tours to events such as the Rose Bowl and an extended trip to Mexico I personally did not see any significant advantage in doing our Alaska RV trip in a group. We like to plan as we go and adjust our travel to the local attractions and the weather.

Have you planned your route yet? I would suggest going north on the Alcan to Whitehorse then north to Dawson City. From there take the Top of the World Highway to Chicken, Alaska and join up with the Alcan again near Tok, AK. Coming back, turn south on the Cassiar Hwy, just before Watson Lake, Yukon and stop-off in Hyder Alaska to see the bears feeding on Salmon.

Leaving AZ early to mid-April and head to Alaska arriving there kinda sorta late May. Too early??

You'll have to watch the weather. On our trip in 2015 we arrived in Dawson City on May 15th when it was 85F. The Top of the World Hwy border crossing (seasonal) did not open until May 18 so we spent the time touring working gold mines. The short ferry ride across the Yukon River was a great adventure that we'll never forget. Now, with that said, in 2008, the year after I did a solo Alaskan motorcycle trip, a friend had to park his bike at a motel for 3-days to wait out a late May snow storm.

Note that on our way north we did come across a limited number of RV parks that were still not open or had not turned on their water yet. This did not hinder our travel plans at all, we just had to be sure to carry a day's extra fresh water.

Remain in Alaska till the end of July and arrive back home mid to late October.

I think the timing is great and it would place you in Hyder to see the bears at the right time.

We're in no hurry to get there and no hurry to get back home… we tend to drive roughly 200-250 miles per day with multiple-night stops every few days…so lots of stops along the way.

That is similar to how we like to travel. Be sure to utilize the government operated campgrounds in the Yukon. They don't have services but charge only $12 (cash) per night and they supply free firewood. Their campsites provide long pull through sites sufficient for our 43 ft coach and toad (61 ft total).

A tour group that simply heads back to the lower 48 without any planned side trips on the way back would be good as we'd just say buh-bye to them when they leave Alaska.

At least one of the tours I had look at finished up in Fairbanks. Something like that would allow you to revisit interesting spots on the way back and enable you to experience the best of both worlds.

My wife does not like boats so going one-way on the ferry is not in the cards.

I hope she is comfortable with a 15 minute ferry ride as the Dawson City ferry is a must do experience.

We have Verizon phones, Sirius/XM radio and DISH-TV.

Remember that a good portion of your trip will be through Canada so check with your cellular provider on their coverage and roaming charges. Your sat likely will not work once you get much north of the 49th parallel.

It is a great trip that everyone should try to do at least once. It should also be noted that, other than during our time in Denali, the majority of our wildlife sightings were in Canada on the Cassiar Hwy and in the Yukon and northern BC.

Enjoy!!

[Terry Jay]

Originally Posted by rk911

We are in the very, very early planning stages for our first trip ever to Alaska during 2018 and most of that planning is deciding to start planning. .We'll be in a 39-ft gasser MH towing our 2010 Jeep Liberty accompanied by our 7-yr old beagle, Maggie.We are seasoned RVers with 31-years experience in all of the lower 48 states but this trip will be unlike anything we have attempted.Since we retired back in 2005 we've been RVing roughly 6-mos a year, 3-mos in the spring and 3-mos in the fall when the kids are in school and parks are not crowded and the pace of things is slower.

Our general idea is to leave our home in Chicago no later than mid February and head to Arizona for spring training baseball (go Cubs!). Leaving AZ early to mid-April and head to Alaska arriving there kinda sorta late May. Too early??Remain in Alaska till the end of July and arrive back home mid to late October.We're in no hurry to get there and no hurry to get back home… we tend to drive roughly 200-250 miles per day with multiple-night stops every few days…so lots of stops along the way.We think this allows for a leisurely trip up and back with time for whatever side trips might develop on the way up and back.Comments on that?

We've never traveled with an organized group or caravan tour but we're wondering if that might not be a bad idea for our first (and maybe only) trip there. We're not big fans of the 'if-it's-Tuesday-we-must-be-here' way to travel but as I see it the upside to a tour group is reduced planning in terms of overnight stops and the security the group provides should something go haywire along the way.

But the downside might be not being able to stay in Alaska for the amount of time we're planning or maybe not seeing what we want to see. I realize an organized RV tour is not prison and we can leave at any time but it seems silly to pay the fees and then drop out early.Do the tours have planned side-trip stops on both the trip up to Alaska and also on the way back to the lower 48?A tour group that simply heads back to the lower 48 without any planned side trips on the way back would be good as we'd just say buh-bye to them when they leave Alaska.We'll be contacting some of these companies but I'm wondering if any/some/most/all of them spend any kind of extended time in AK like we're planning or is it possible to go up to AK with one group and back to the lower 48 with another?My wife does not like boats so going one-way on the ferry is not in the cards.

I'd like to hear from those of you who have done both an organized tour to Alaska (and other places) and those who have done Alaska on your own...the pros and cons of both as well as referrals to specific tour companies. We have Verizon phones, Sirius/XM radio and DISH-TV.Comments, suggestions, places to see, places to avoid, stuff to bring with us and ideas are always welcome.

Verizon will work in Alaska and parts of Canada. Last I looked they had a $2/day plan for voice in Canada, not much on data, and everything works fine in Alaska. WiFi is usually available in commercial campgrounds. Sirius will work until about Tok going north, and sooner going south. I call them from Tok and just suspend service until we are ready to leave. Dish is a function of your antenna, most will not go low enough so you will lose service around Ft Nelson. You can check with Advanced Satellite in Junction City OR to see what works and won't. Our Alaska Dish is about 4' across and looks like it is aimed at the ground about 400 yards out, but we get all the stations.

Coming from the Cactus League, consider I-15 or 93 north. I like 93, especially north of Missoula. It will put you right into Banff and Lake Louise, and it continues north as the Icefields Parkway to Jasper. If you go east out of Jasper to Hinton, take 40 north to Grand Prairie, then on to Dawson Creek and the Alaska Hwy. It is also the right time of year to hit Death Valley, easy access from 95 north of Las Vegas.

What is this planning you talk about? Just turn the key in the ignition and go. It worked fine on my first trip in 1969 and all the trips since then, and we have spent the summer on the Kenai for the last 11 years.

Watch the weather in Canada in May. Some years everything is open by May 1 and some years they are still digging out on May 24. We usually go in early May but have encountered snow about half the time. The worst place will likely be the Steamboat and Summit Lake and Muncho Lake area between Ft Nelson and the Liard Hot Springs. If there is no traffic coming at you, expect a snow delay ahead. The road department is good at clearing the road and applying grit as needed, but it can take a while for them to get there. That leads to a party in the road as you all wait.

Fuel is available, you know the range on your coach, so use the Milepost to determine the distances. Fuel at Ft St John, Ft Nelson, Contact Creek Lodge, Teslin, Whitehorse (but it may be spendy), Otter Creek Falls, either Beaver Creek or Border City if you need it, then Tok. All mentioned have both gas and diesel.

Your schedule calls for 5 to 8 weeks between AZ and AK. That is a lot of time. Bear in mind the mountain west will still have a lot of snow, Glacier NP often does not fully open until July.

When traveling, do not leave any hoses out and connected overnight. They get very stiff and are miserable to handle. We run strictly off the water we carry and top off every day or two in the evening when we arrive. Staying for a few days, no problem. Expect overnight temps in the 40's.

Main Page - Yukon Sights by Sue Thomas is a photo and story site by Sue Thomas, who lives near Whitehorse.

The good part of traveling in May in the North is getting to see the mountains and lakes and rivers with ice and snow, and then seeing those places again in September as they go into fall colors.

Enjoy the trip. It is like traveling on State and county roads for thousands of miles.

[Superslif]

You can also go on YouTube and see video of travelers going north. I actually bumped into two of them while up there. You can also go to campgrounmdviews.com where there are pictures of campgrounds. Myself I posted about 15 reviews for Alaska campgrounds. They don't cover Canada.

[jpharley]

We reviewed every campground we stayed at in 2014. Our favorites were dry camping especially Williwaw near Whittier and Denali. Private campgrounds are cramped and basically just gravel parking lots. We do not need hook ups every day so dry camping was great for us.

[1ciderdog]

Lots of good advice in those messages. We've driven there three times. We carried a small propane heater and were able to place it under picnic tables when we were outside. Kept us warm at picnic tables but it does need to be smallish. Take a couple of winter coats - even though it is summer nights can be cold. We dry camped along side the highways without problem but did learn the real beautiful spot right next to a lake was not good unless you really like mosquitoes.