Trip to Alaska & Yukon

We are considering an RV trip to Alaska this summer (2012). Our tentative plans are to leave Ontario, travel through the prairies, then veer up to the Yukon over to Alaska. If you have made a similar journey or even if you just have information about camping in and exploring Alaska, we would love to get your input.

Check out this excellent thread: //heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/24960-Dave-amp-Julie-s-Alaska-Adventure?highlight=alaska

The Canadian and Alaska highways and byways are some of the most exciting areas to visit and see that I have ever been to. I am sure you will have a good time.

When are you planning on going to the last frontier? What roads are you going to use?

dave

Re: Trip to Alaska & Youkon

See the replies here: //heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/30261-Trip-to-Alaska-amp-Yukon
No need to double post

Re: Trip to Alaska & Youkon

bniergarth
When you log into the forum, click on the Active Topics button at the top of the screen. You will see several selections. Click on one and you will see all the post for:Since last visit, Last Day, Last Two Days, ect. This way you don't have to look in every forum to see the new posts and all the posts over the selected time period and you don't have to double post to get people to read your post. Give it a try.



BC

Re: Trip to Alaska & Youkon

We drover to Alaska last year from Florida and kept a blog. if you're interested, click the link below. Much of the blog covers the western USA. The Canada and Alaska portion can be seen by clicking June and July in the sidebar.

http://bigtrip11.blogspot.com/2011_06_01_archive.html

Re: Trip to Alaska & Youkon

Two years ago, we travelled to Alaska from Ontario, with a stopover in Calgary to see the Stampede. The threads mentioned above are excellent resources. We also found two books invaluable, "The Milepost", and The Guide to Alaskan Camping (I may have the title words not quite right) by Mike and Terri Church. The latter book gives great campground and route advice. One thing that we would do differently next time, is to allow more time! We only booked a few campgrounds, and rarely had a problem finding a space even though we travelled in a caravan of 4.

Re: Trip to Alaska & Youkon

My wife and I are going to the Yukon in August to visit my brother, who lives at Hains Jct. If anyone else is going at that time we would be glad to offer help or advice or even just share a few steaks on the BBQ.

Re: Trip to Alaska & Youkon

we made the trip in 2006 and had a great trip. A couple of favorites were Dawson City, Homer and Valdez. I strongly sugest you get the 'Milepost' book from the Motor Assoc. if still produced. Doug

Re: Trip to Alaska & Youkon

Our plans are to leave MY the third week of May and travel the "eastern route". then on to Kenai to workcamp for the summer at diamond M rv,
al

Re: Trip to Alaska & Youkon

Well we went to Alaska and back and our trailer managed the trip quite well. Construction on some of the highways ment ruff roads now and then but all in all the roads were far better than the last time I traveled them 30 years ago.

Re: Trip to Alaska & Youkon

Very interesting blog,have'nt read the whole thing yet, of particular interest is the part of your trip north of the 49th.
We are planning a similar tour Spring 2013 from Ontario Can. through the provinces.
How did you find the availability of fuel (gas, propane) in the more remote locations? I have a very small tank ( gas) in my pick-up and was wondering if it's a good idea to carry a reserve. I'm thinking my range will be 160_180 miles ( conservatively)
chris

Re: Trip to Alaska & Youkon

trailertrucker said:

Very interesting blog,have'nt read the whole thing yet, of particular interest is the part of your trip north of the 49th.
We are planning a similar tour Spring 2013 from Ontario Can. through the provinces.
How did you find the availability of fuel (gas, propane) in the more remote locations? I have a very small tank ( gas) in my pick-up and was wondering if it's a good idea to carry a reserve. I'm thinking my range will be 160_180 miles ( conservatively)
chris

Click to expand...

Gas stations come and go on the highway, some are open one year then closed the next, so carry some spare fuel in jerry cans. Also the price of gas North of Ft. St. John starts to get quite high. My wife and I chose to fill up at smaller stations rather than in bigger communities since the price was the same (or better) and the small places have higher expenses (most rely on generators for power) and if they don't get the business then they will not be there when you need them in the future. I would recommend that you fill in Ft. St. John and then top your tanks at Tetsa River (mile 375), then you can make Liard Hot Springs and if you fuel up there you should make it to Watson Lake. Gas past there to the Alaska border is cheaper and there are more communities that have gas. Bring lots of cash as credit cards and bank cards can be useless when the machines are down (quite often) and also make sure you have US dollars if you continue into Alaska since some places will not accept Canadian money. If you decide to take the Taylor Highway make sure you have extra gas, Chicken might have gas for sale or they might be out so don't count on buying gas on the Taylor highway. BTW the town of Chicken is worth the trip up the Taylor Highway and the Top Of The World highway has breathtaking scenery but the roads are rough and narrow and the tour busses won't get over for you.
Defiantly take the trip to Alaska as it is worth every mile of it but get a copy of "The Milepost" and with it you will get a password to their internet sight which gives you updates for fuel stations and other changes along the way. If you want to ask me any questions feel free to do so, as I said we just got back from driving the whole thing this summer. I have a brother at Haines Junction and my father drives there highway at least once a year so I can get you some updates if that will help.

Tim Dyck

Re: Trip to Alaska & Youkon

I lived in Alaska for MANY years and traveled the ALCAN more times than I would like to remember. First trip was all gravel and no other drivers and the last was in 1989 when I left it for good. Here is a $64,000.00 question that I bet none of you can answer: Why is the town of CHICKEN named that??? Lets see how many of you can figure it out. The next one is why is the town of TOK named that and what was it before and why did it change? Is it illegal to chip ice off of a glacier? Fun stuff.....go for it and I will answer it after 50 have tried to answer the questions.

Chicken is named after the state bird the Ptarmigan that looks alot like a chicken.

TOK was the site of the camp for the Alcan Highway the name was Toyko camp in the 40's it was later shorten to TOK.

I donot know about glacier ice.

dave

Re: Trip to Alaska & Youkon

rumaco said:

I lived in Alaska for MANY years and traveled the ALCAN more times than I would like to remember. First trip was all gravel and no other drivers and the last was in 1989 when I left it for good. Here is a $64,000.00 question that I bet none of you can answer: Why is the town of CHICKEN named that??? Lets see how many of you can figure it out. The next one is why is the town of TOK named that and what was it before and why did it change? Is it illegal to chip ice off of a glacier? Fun stuff.....go for it and I will answer it after 50 have tried to answer the questions.

Click to expand...

Chicken is named that because they couldn't decide on how to spell Ptarmigan and the native name of the place was Ptarmigan Creek. When I was a kid Tok was often called Tok Cut Off but I know of no other name it ever had. BTW Tok is native for "peaceful crossing" and was a native meeting place for centuries. I don't know about the last one I guess I could Google it but that would seem like cheating...