Going to ak--options for travel

aatauses

Well-known member
Hi everyone,
We are planning a trip to ak in May 2011. What options do we have for travel and pro/cons of each---different routes include through Alberta vs BC??
We also thought of putting the BH on a barge--anyone ever do that?
currently in Joshua Tree NP
thanks
al
 

Willym

Well-known member
We went to Alaska this past summer. We basically followed the road route described in Mike & Terry Church's Guide to Alaska Camping. (Rolling Homes Press) It' along with The Milepost, are excellent resources. We drove the Alcan all the way from Dawson Creek to Delta Jct. The only really rough part was between Destruction Bay and the US border - it is awful, but manageable if you go slowly and drive around the heaves and holes. We intended to return via the Cassiar Hwy but forest fires in BC scuttled that plan. We also did not make all the way across the Top of the World (ToW) Hwy due to washouts on the Taylor Hwy. However we did go to Dawson City and we are glad we did. We covered most of the road accessible locations in AK. AK roads were fairly good in general. We'd like to go back and do the ToW, the Cassiar, and visit a few places we didn't get to. We were on a tight schedule this time and will allow more time next trip. We reserved only a few campgrounds, and although we were a group of 4 rigs, we only got turned away from one campground once. We found another quite easily.

Overall, we found the journey more rewarding than the destinations. Although the destinations are wonderful also. There is a lot of driving though!
 

beardedone

Beardedone
I did that trip 4 years ago. I live in Red Deer, Alberta, which is half way between Calgary (World's Best stampede) and Edmonton (Home of the West Edmonton Mall). The chances are great that on a journey from Florida to Alaska you will travel through Alberta at some point. You could work yourself northwest towards Great Falls, MT and either come north into Canada or go a little further west to Glacier National park and then turn north towards Canada. In Alberta we have Waterton National park which joins Glacier park, from there you can travel north on hwy 6 & 20 (Cowboy Highway) towards Banff and Lake Louise and then go north on the Columbia Ice Fields highway to Jasper. This route has stunning scenery. From Jasper you can go two ways. First, a little bit east and then north to Grande Prairie via Hwy 40 (little hilly and twisty) or second choice is to go west to Prince George, BC and then north towards Ft. St. John BC and then on to Dawson Creek and the Alaska highway. Or if you don't have that much time just go north from Great Falls and enter Canada on Hwy 4, Hwy 2 (through Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, etc) and from there up to Grande Prairie, which is all 4 lane and divided. IMPORTANT If staying in national parks you better have a reservation and get them early, google Parks Canada.
 

aatauses

Well-known member
thanks beardedone---appreciate you taking the time to give me a few options.
We are currently in Josjua Tree NP volunteering, so will leave from southern CA.
al
 

2010augusta

Well-known member
we have looked into "shipping" the trailer to AK, and the cost going TO AK is very high, but the return cost is much lower. So if you a pressed for time, or don't want to rack up as many miles, drive the roads to AK and then Ship it back to Seattle.
 

gmpoirier

George
Hi,
If you're still in planning mode, please take a look at http://alaska.mpandgp.com/.

In 2009, we went up from Colorado to Workamp in Cooper Landing on the Kenai Peninsula. We took the traditional route up - Calgary - Edmonton - Dawson Creek etc. We document the whole experience with photos, videos and journal entries in the above mentioned site.

The return trip route (they called it the Peace River Route) was the option Alaskans used consistently because they felt it was easier. It took us west of Banff/Jasper and makes a lot of sense if your travelling from California.

We loved our experience so much that we are returning again this year.

We also went up and back in 2004 before RVing and returned using Cassiar. It was spectacular but you had better check road conditions since there are lots of unpaved sections that can get challenging. We are hoping to be able to take this option in the spring but we'll remain flexible.
 
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