Question regarding Alaskan Route

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Question regarding Alaskan Route

August 31, 2014, 07:32:49 am

Bob and I are thinking about heading to Alaska next spring via Florida. Does anyone have route suggestions? We will be going to the Anchorage area for work and have heard the roads are pretty harsh. We would need to be there by the end of May. Thanks for your help in advance:) Faith

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #1 – August 31, 2014, 09:25:53 am

I known JD S just got back from the motorcade to Alaska so I am surprised he has not posted on your request. You might PM him.

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #2 – August 31, 2014, 09:59:28 am

Bob &Faith, it has been a few years but it's a trip to enjoy. Leaving in early May will be risky as far as weather is concerned. Please remember that the Canadians out there (BC) do not like for the main route to be called "The Alcan Highway", the prefer The Alaska Highway.

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #3 – August 31, 2014, 10:21:08 am

According to Google maps, there are two main ways to go. One is up through the Dakota's into Canada and the other one goes up through Montana. Both end on the same highway in Canada. Some questions I have are:
Are the roads dirt in some areas or are they paved
Do we need to have a spare tire with us
How bad are the condition of the roads as far as pot holes etc
How are the fuel prices
Thanks again

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #4 – August 31, 2014, 12:18:48 pm

Hi Faith,
We completed the trip with Adventure Caravans in 2012. We met in Great Falls, MT and traveled north from there. Including Motorhomes, 5th Wheels and 1 PU Truck and camper I counted 220 tires on the ground. No tire failures on the entire trip. I did not carry a spare and would not recommend it as long as your tires have been inspected. Roads are mostly paved. As long as you are not in a hurry you will not have any problems. In May they will be working on frost heaves. They are well marked. You should take extra precautions with the motorhome prior to the trip by adding extra screening to protect vulnerable areas under the coach. The Protect-A-Tow shield was adequate to proted the toad. Have a great trip!

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #5 – August 31, 2014, 01:43:31 pm

Quote from: djpauls – August 31, 2014, 12:18:48 pm

We completed the trip with Adventure Caravans in 2012. We met in Great Falls, MT and traveled north from there. Including Motorhomes, 5th Wheels and 1 PU Truck and camper I counted 220 tires on the ground. No tire failures on the entire trip. I did not carry a spare and would not recommend it as long as your tires have been inspected. Roads are mostly paved. As long as you are not in a hurry you will not have any problems. In May they will be working on frost heaves. They are well marked. You should take extra precautions with the motorhome prior to the trip by adding extra screening to protect vulnerable areas under the coach. The Protect-A-Tow shield was adequate to proted the toad. Have a great trip!

Very useful information! We hope to make the Alaska trip after retirement, and so I enjoy collecting this type of information for future reference.

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #6 – August 31, 2014, 03:28:01 pm

There will be lots of construction on the Alaska highway, biggest hazard is construction dump trucks, usually tandem rigs, occasionally triple trailers. They cruise at 70mph and throw up a lot of loose gravel. I found pulling over as far as possible and slowing down reduced the impact. I sustained one small chip in the fiberglass under my kitchen window.
I did carry a spare carcass because finding a tire my size might be difficult, did not have to use it and neither did our other companion coach. Do not believe I would do so again.
Sure hope you do not have to hurry, too beautiful a drive.

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #7 – August 31, 2014, 04:55:41 pm

If you need to be there by the end of May, maybe taking the ferry from Bellingham WA is an option. I have not done it, but a cousin did it, even stopped somewhere (Juneau I believe) for a week.
Alaska Marine Highway System :: Official Site :: Alaska DOT&PF

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #8 – August 31, 2014, 06:07:24 pm

Quote from: Jerry Whiteaker – August 31, 2014, 04:55:41 pm

If you need to be there by the end of May, maybe taking the ferry from Bellingham WA is an option.

If you take the ferry please provide a full report. We are seriously considering doing that after retirement, and would really appreciate a first-hand report.

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #9 – August 31, 2014, 06:14:27 pm

David,

What do you want to know.

The ferry is pretty expensive. If pets, it is an issue, as you can not go to the car deck while underway. Very interesting to get off and camp/boondock in the ports and continue with the next boat.

BTW, Dianne and I were married in Juneau and took the Malaspina (still in service BTW) south for our honeymoon.

M/V Malaspina, Alaska Marine Highway

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #10 – August 31, 2014, 06:47:54 pm

When we returned the last time our friends took the ferry down to Prince Rupert to meet us there. Every port was approached after midnight or so it seemed. At one port they did not want to visit but were awakened to move their coach so that the crew good get a commercial truck in front (or behind them) off the ferry. The tourist traps in every port were open, you betcha!

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #11 – August 31, 2014, 06:57:46 pm

Quote from: wolfe10 – August 31, 2014, 06:14:27 pm

David,

What do you want to know.

The ferry is pretty expensive. If pets, it is an issue, as you can not go to the car deck while underway. Very interesting to get off and camp/boondock in the ports and continue with the next boat.

BTW, Dianne and I were married in Juneau and took the Malaspina (still in service BTW) south for our honeymoon.

M/V Malaspina, Alaska Marine Highway

Sounds as if it was a neat honeymoon! How long ago?

Interesting to hear that it's possible to get off the boat and camp/boondock in the ports if desired.

One of my main questions is, "What are the cabins like?" Are there any individual cabins at all, or is everyone just in a common area? Are the boats' accommodations actually comfortable, or are they barely adequate?

Thanks!

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #12 – August 31, 2014, 07:18:25 pm

Looks like the ferry is just way too expensive. The cost of fuel will be high as well but not as expensive as the ferry. We hope to take 4 weeks to get up there so we can go easy and enjoy the scenery. Good thing we have plenty of time to research all of this as it looks like a lot of specifics to figure. We will keep you posted as to what we find out and appreciate all the information from those of you that have made the trip! Faith

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #13 – August 31, 2014, 08:46:34 pm

Honeymoon in 1975-- so, the ship is old. There were private cabins, but, do not think of this as a cruise ship. But, this was before there were cruise ships to Alaska. It is called the Alaska Marine Highway and that is what it was. Have not been on one other ships in decades, so could have changed, but doubt it.

4 weeks should be fine. We have driven it in a 1966 PU from Houston, TX to Haines, AK in 6 days. We are smarter now!

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #14 – August 31, 2014, 08:51:59 pm

Quote from: flite2010 – August 31, 2014, 07:18:25 pm

Looks like the ferry is just way too expensive. The cost of fuel will be high as well but not as expensive as the ferry.

If we took the ferry it would be for the unique adventure of seeing the sights available only while on the ferry. We will need to get a better idea of exactly what those sights are before any decision is made.

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #15 – August 31, 2014, 09:50:23 pm

Faith, Bob,

Marilyn and I recently completed the North to Alaska 2014 Motorcade. We left Bellville, TX, on May 29, and met the group in Dawson Creek, BC, on June 11. Weather was good all the way and roads were fair to Dawson Creek. We did not hurry on that part of the trip. We spent a few days visiting family and friends, did not take the shortest route, and saw areas we had never visited. Some pictures and narratives of our trip are at http://ak.stevens.com.

Unless there is something specific in Canada that you want to see, I recommend staying in the "lower 48" as long as you can. Our experience was that the roads are much better in the US than in Alaska. Also, fuel is much cheaper in the US than in Canada. At Watson Lake, YT, our campground manager suggested a fuel stop that saved us several dollars on a single fill. Other campground owners may help out, also.

If I were looking for the easiest, fastest route to Alaska from east of the Rocky Mountains, I would plan to go through Calgary and Edmonton, and then take the Alaska Highway. Get a Milepost book The MILEPOST: Alaska Travel Guide and Trip Planner to help plan your trip.

Be sure to prepare appropriately for crossing the borders into Canada and into the US. Carry passports, alternate ID cards, and vehicle registration information. If you have pets, carry appropriate evidence of their health and vaccinations.

We drove 11,360 miles on the trip and sustained no significant damage to the coach or the Subaru. We took no special precautions for "protection" of the vehicles. We don't use any kind of shield for the Subaru.

We did take a spare tire, and fortunately did not need it. One coach in our group had one flat. I will probably buy a spare wheel and mount our spare tire. We have space to carry it in our bay, and it could save a lot of problems if we had a tire failure. Carry other appropriate spare parts.

The hazards are not much different from your "lower 48" hazards if you are traveling in warm weather. Watch out for wildlife and people watching wildlife. Slow down for construction, gravel, and frost heaves. Avoid getting near the edge of a road with a steep grade beyond the edge. Understand that northern BC and all of YT are very sparsely populated. Fuel is expensive. Food is expensive. Cell phone service is spotty. Cell phone rates for international plans from a US provider are outrageously expensive. Scenery is magnificent.

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #16 – September 02, 2014, 01:18:15 am

Just made the trip from just inside AK to Whitehorse YT today. The roads in that section are consistently the worst of the whole trip and we still did 325 miles in about 9 hrs with several stops including lunch and scenery/wildlife viewing. There is new snow on most of the mountains--almost down to the 3000' level where we were in several places.

Canada has no incentive to maintain the last 75 miles of road to the AK border. In fact the USA is chipping in on the cost to do some upgrades. We had about 25 miles of mostly good gravel roads that were under repair today. Speeds were as low as 25-30mph and mostly at 55mph (the speed limit on most of the Alaska Hwy.)

The best and easiest route is what ever gets you to Dawson Creek (the start of the hwy) and then right on north from there. The Tok cutoff to Anchorage (in Alaska) also requires some care but all roads are easily passable at the appropriate speed.

If you see a flag by the side of the road--slow down! You'll learn quickly.

Fuel in Whitehorse is $1.46/Liter CDN$. You can do the conversion. The good news is that you can plan your fillups with the large tanks we have. Alberta and Yukon are cheaper (in general) than British Columbia. Alaska is cheaper still but still expensive. I paid $4.35/gal in Tok 4 days ago.

Rich

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #17 – September 02, 2014, 07:07:11 pm

After 14 trips, the only thing I would add would be 1/4 inch hard ware cloth around the underside of the engine, to keep the fan from putting a hole in the radiator.

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #18 – September 02, 2014, 10:19:54 pm

Quote from: George – September 02, 2014, 07:07:11 pm

1/4 inch hard ware cloth around the underside of the engine, to keep the fan from putting a hole in the radiator.

George,

I must be missing something. I do not understand how the wire under the engine protects the radiator from the fan. Unless you are trying to keep 1/4 inch pebbles from being sucked up by the fan?

Thanks,

Trent

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #19 – September 02, 2014, 11:13:44 pm

Trent,

The air flows from the outside in.

But, enough of the fan blades are exposed to the engine compartment that rocks can be thrown up, hit a fan blade and be slung into the radiator.

So, hardware cloth in the engine compartment protecting the fan blades is a good idea on extended gravel roads.

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #20 – September 03, 2014, 12:19:07 am

If you are going up and down to Alaska the Steward Cassiar Highway is an option as it will be totally different scenery. When I go that's what I will do

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #21 – September 03, 2014, 12:36:05 am

Hardware cloth kept us safe on our Alaska trip. We had it behind side outside radiator grill, which we still have in place. And under the engine from side to side from transmission to hitch. We also had it around the back of the radiator hydraulic fans completely enclosing the fans and radiator. We had sheets of Lowe's foam board on front of motorhome below the windshield, and they also covered every piece of glass on the Jeep including the sun roof. Duct tape was our friend on our Alaska trip.

But the other 20 Foretravels that Motorcaded with us, who had zero protection, also had no problems either.

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #22 – September 03, 2014, 06:04:35 am

Thanks for all the great advice

We will let you know how it all goes. Thanks!!

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #23 – September 03, 2014, 03:54:22 pm

I made the trip in July. I would (and did) steer clear of the Frasier River Canyon route suggested in the Milepost as it is very curvy, steep cliffs and lots of truck (from past experience in a Ford Expedition). From Whitehorse to Glenn Allen, the roads are by far the worst, non paved an lots of frost heaves. The worst I have ever seen. I found driving in the evening was the best for me regarding traffic and trucks so typically drove until 8 or 9 pm. MOST of the frost heaves are marked with flags or cones on the side of the road, but occasionally they are not. I had no trouble with flat tires or window chips, but did have issues with my front air bags deflating after hitting an unmarked frost heave (going to fast for it and headed into the sun in the evening). All four front airbags deflated out of Whitehorse and made for a miserable ride. The airbags did not burst but the mechanism for re-inflating somehow got bent. I was traveling to get home, and move my 85 year old mothers belongings so not necessarily to see the sights. I was pretty loaded down with weight which I am sure had some affect on the issue. I also traveled with a 1/2 full tank of water, (just in case) and half full fuel at the minimum. I did all the driving and averaged 500 miles a day. We crossed the border at Linden, WA, traveled toward Penticton then crossed west to Cache Creek (to avoid the Frasier River Canyon). From there we followed the Milepost route. We loved the overnight at Laird Hot Springs and enjoyed the springs. We saw lots of animals. In early May things may not be fully thawed, so am not sure if the camp grounds open until Memorial Day but there are lots of pull offs you can camp in if needed.

As for the Ferry. It is very expensive and I am not sure I would want to try to drive on. Depending on the tide you could have a very steep ramp. Also the ferry is not a cruise ship so your accommodations in your Foretravel are going to be much nicer than a stateroom, but you can't stay in the Foretravel. It is also cafeteria food, most of the time good food but not a cruise ship or a restaurant. Like previously posted Pets are an issue, as they will have to bathroom on the car deck of the ferry because you don't have the opportunity to get off on the Bellingham run for about 36 hours. You can go to your pet 3-4 times a day only when they allow it and walk them around the car deck.
Good Luck!

Re: Question regarding Alaskan Route

Reply #24 – September 05, 2014, 05:22:51 am

Thanks Lisa for the advice. We are continuing to gather information and ideas. It sounds like there are a lot of things to consider. Good thing we have time to plan!

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