Travel to Alaska

[rock60]

i my self never been to alaska but have a brother inlaw went there a few years back. he got a broke windshield, a flat tire on 5th wheel and lost one wheel off the 5th wheel, he said it pasted him on the road.

[48Bob]

Check out Crawford Gene's trip report of their travels last summer from Colorado to Alaska and back. Very entertaining and informative reading.

[Bill M.]

One trailer on our trip had an axle failure. ruined the hub and the axle, so the spare bearings were of no use. He was darn lucky to find and recover the wheel and hub anyway. Days and days of travel at 30 mph on 3 wheels to get to Whitehorse. They fixed it there. One totaled trailer from a animal strike also. It can happen. Most dangerous thing is people stopping or slowing down in the road for animals or getting lost and having to turn a bunch of trailers around in the road. The truckers run hard up there.

[wrochdvm]

Bill M, I searched for the WB CCI caravan driver's manual. No luck. Any help in trying to find one. Ore could you cut and paste to this thread.

AirCamper: I too am concerned about rock damage. I think the foam sleeping bag pad is a good idea. I think it's worth the effort to take some time to protect the AS.

It's very exciting planning the trip. Google maps, when combined with satellite and street view are incredible tools. In one street view, I was even able to see that a gas station also had diesel fuel. Just received my North to Alaska tourist info in the mail.

[HowieE]

Diesel fuel is not a problem in the north. You have a large tank and fuel is readily available. All stations in Alaska are required to have water available, only found one the would not supply it. A lot of supermarkets have dump stations so you can deal with that while mom does the shopping.

[JamuJoe]

Great! I'll be staying tuned and taking notes from this thread. We're planning a two month Alaska tour for July & August 2011. We'll be in our new 2011 FC23FB, which will have had a few 'shakedown' trips (Chaco Canyon should rattle it a bit) and then CO to WA. A caravan might be of interest. Any equipment suggestions will be appreciated. I'm installing 2x135 watt Kyocera panels and a MPPT controller for solar power.

[masseyfarm]

Originally Posted by JamuJoe

Great! I'll be staying tuned and taking notes from this thread. We're planning a two month Alaska tour for July & August 2011. We'll be in our new 2011 FC23FB, which will have had a few 'shakedown' trips (Chaco Canyon should rattle it a bit) and then CO to WA. A caravan might be of interest. Any equipment suggestions will be appreciated. I'm installing 2x135 watt Kyocera panels and a MPPT controller for solar power.

The solar addon is a good deal on this trip as the sun shines about 18 hours/day in July.
Hope you have a great trip.
Dave

[NevadaGeo]

Take extra headlights, and the plastic bubble covers for headlights were a neccessity years ago. Get used to swatting at least 20 mosquitos on you each swat, hard not to breath them in. Probably a good idea to protect your radiator from rock hits too. Narrower rigs would be a plus, as the trucks take most of the road.

[masseyfarm]

Originally Posted by NevadaGeo

Take extra headlights, and the plastic bubble covers for headlights were a neccessity years ago. Get used to swatting at least 20 mosquitos on you each swat, hard not to breath them in. Probably a good idea to protect your radiator from rock hits too. Narrower rigs would be a plus, as the trucks take most of the road.

The road has been upgraded considerably in the last few years. But a lot of patches and repair are done with sealcoat, which leaves loose peagravel on the side of the traveled portion.
If you are meeting mine trucks or any vehicle for that matter, scan the road ahead, and if possible, slow down and move to the right.
The local traffic does not slow down, so it is up to you to protect yourself.
The bugs are not as bad in July Aug. as earlier.
Use a bug screen on the TV grill and that also helps with the small gravel.
It is a fact that you will probably have some type of rock damage on a trip this length, so carry glass insurnace and other as needed. Take along a small tool kit including a bit of wire and cutters.
Whitehorse, Yukon has everything you need if you have a problem. If going through Dawson City, the Gerties show is a must.
Viddler.com - Historic Dawson City - Yukon Territory, Canada - Uploaded by canadiantourism

The attached campground in downtown Dawson and you can walk anywhere in the city from here. GoldRush Campground - Index Page

This is a great trip that you will remember FOR LIFE.

I'll leave the US side to those who know it better as I have not been on it for a few years.
Dave

[pmclemore]

I'll second on the bugs, along with Dave. We went in July-Aug in 2006 and the only mosquito issue we had was at Liard Hot Springs. You didn't have to walk from the campground to the springs - they'd carry you. As for the roads, they were better than we expected (Top of the World highway excepted). But watch out for little flags on the side of the road ahead. They mean that the pavement is under repair and you'd better back down pretty quickly.

Rather than camp at the Springs, stay at Muncho Lake and day-trip. We dry-camped at the McDonald campground (provincial cg).

Pat

[munimula]

here is an excellent blog on how to wrap the front end of the trailer for travel to and from alaska...

The Wandering Jews go to Alaska...: June 2010

[masseyfarm]

The road has been upgraded considerably in the last few years. But a lot of patches and repair are done with sealcoat, which leaves loose peagravel on the side of the traveled portion.
If you are meeting mine trucks or any vehicle for that matter, scan the road ahead, and if possible, slow down and move to the right.
The local traffic does not slow down, so it is up to you to protect yourself.
The bugs are not as bad in July Aug. as earlier.
Use a bug screen on the TV grill and that also helps with the small gravel.
It is a fact that you will probably have some type of rock damage on a trip this length, so carry glass insurnace and other as needed. Take along a small tool kit including a bit of wire and cutters.

One other thing I failed to suggest is a FRESH ROLE OF DUCT TAPE.
This will secure glass on both sides so that you can continue to the repair shop.
It also will hold on trim etc. if required.

Dave

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by masseyfarm

The road has been upgraded considerably in the last few years. But a lot of patches and repair are done with sealcoat, which leaves loose peagravel on the side of the traveled portion.
If you are meeting mine trucks or any vehicle for that matter, scan the road ahead, and if possible, slow down and move to the right.
The local traffic does not slow down, so it is up to you to protect yourself.
The bugs are not as bad in July Aug. as earlier.
Use a bug screen on the TV grill and that also helps with the small gravel.
It is a fact that you will probably have some type of rock damage on a trip this length, so carry glass insurnace and other as needed. Take along a small tool kit including a bit of wire and cutters.

One other thing I failed to suggest is a FRESH ROLE OF DUCT TAPE.
This will secure glass on both sides so that you can continue to the repair shop.
It also will hold on trim etc. if required.

Dave

Hi, I carry duct tape, but I also have a roll of red Stucco Tape. I like the stucco tape because is sticks good and comes off clean. If and when I ever get to go to Alaska, my trailer will be protected, and the protection will be applied with red stucco Tape.

[sumsmug]

We did a 8 month trip a couple of years ago all around the north country (I dont think there is a road in AK or NW canada we havn't driven apart from some of ice roads ). We had a 1985 25', so its not really as big investment as your new rig, so I wasnt so worried about the stone damage. Here's just random jottings of things I learned about travel up north, a lot of it depends on what kind of trip your planning and what you want to get up to. We took just about every road, regardless of condition of the surface and spent almost every night boondocking off remote side roads, so the demands on the rig could be a bit more extreme (road to mccarthy would NOT be a good road for the whole rig). If however, you have limited time, the "main" roads still offer TONS to see and do, and even main roads up north can be a bit of an adventure.



Reading:

The Milepot is really really useful, buy the hard copy and leave it in the cab of the tv. Its pretty useful. Also GOOD maps, this is not becuase you'll get lost, after all there are only a couple of roads , but its very useful to help pick up land marks, guess where good boondocking sites are and plan hikes and other activities.

Gas/Diesel:

As somone above said, the Alaska hwy does have lots of open gas stations during the summer (less out of season). However, I would still say take two jerry cans (40gals) for extra diesel. This is becuase of two reasons: (a) some roads that you might venture up dont have lots of gas stations (e.g. dalton hwy, dont take the rig up that one) and the peace of mind is great (b) while lots of places do have stations , the prices can vary a lot, so when you find a cheap station (e.g. whitehorse) fill up everything .

Extra Tires:

In Northern Mn I went to a scrap yard and picked up an extra wheel and tire for my truck, so I had two fullsize good tires mounted, inflacted and ready to go. Lucly I never needed both, but I did meet people on the road that had got stranded (on the road to mcarthy for example) because they had two flats.

Stone damage:

Ahh yes, well I did fit mud flaps on the truck and a covered those expensive curved windows with cardboard . This "kinda worked", but trailer still had a lot of small stone dimples. Again I think it depends a lot on the roads you drive. I would say make sure you use very wide mud flaps, I think mine where a bit narrow.

Other Gear:

As others have said, there is plenty of camping on beaches in AK (homer and seward both have "official" boon docking on the beeches, other places you can just ask around and find quiet spots on the beech). BUT if you go to these less official spots bring a good shovel. I got the rig sunk up to its axles in soft sand near Anchor Point and I had to dig the whole thing out (!). Bring along the usual basic set of tools.


Specific Roads:

As others have said the AK hwy is in pretty good shape these days, so are many of the major routes. The only popular roads I would not take the rig on are "the mcCarthy road" or the dalton hwy (the road up to the north slope). Thats not to say you shouldn't go there at all. We had a great time doing both drives, but we left the rig at a campsite before setting off on them. Definely go up the dalton if you have time, you see some cool wildlife (hopefully), e.g. musk ox, caribou etc.. but also you see some of the wildest parts of alaska and traveling the route of the pipeline and seeing the north slope oil town of dead horse gives you a new prospective on the politics of north slope drilling. Word of warning about that drive, it will take you more than a day to do the 500 miles or so from fairbanks to deadhorse, be prepared to sleep in your truck. I did the trip back in one go, but it was a very very tiring trip. The road up to Chicken, AK is a bit dirty and some gravel, but its fine and fun drive.

Most importantly Don't worry:

Some books you read make the alcan and the north sound like the wild west. The north can be wild, but its really not that bad. Be sensible, know how you vehicle works, take it easy and enjoy. Even if some bad happens (truck breaks down etc...), I have always found the locals to be nothing other the most friendly, helpful bunch.

Wish I could go back next spring ... have an awesome time.

[halimer]

Dave recommended our blog we did on our 2010 trip to AK.
I highly recommended 90 mph tape(Brigade Quartermaster) and/or Gorilla Tape.


The Wandering Jews go to Alaska...: June 2010

Mark

[aircamper]

I started this thread with "We're considering a trip to Alaska". Thanks to all who have responded, our vision has changed. We're now planning to leave in late May or early June 2011 for a two to three month trip. Your suggestions, precautions and encouragement really tipped the scale for us.

We blog our trips so friends can follow along (and so we can remember what happened). I'll post our blog address later for those who may be interested.

Thanks again for sharing. Have a safe and happy holiday.

Dick & Carol

[masseyfarm]

Dick and Carol

I see you live close to OEM Jackson Center and assume you have been there. If not, make it your first stop and take the tour when you go by heading to the great north. The tour will give you confidence in the build quality of your unit.
Are you going north by the Mackinac Bridge, or what route have you in mind?
Generally, I believe it is best, from your location, to travel a counter clockwise route. Less frontal heavy winds going north west, in the green belt, and then the chance of tail winds coming back across the flat lands.
Others can add their opinion on this.

Have a great trip. We plan on heading south down I5 about the same time to explore the SW before it gets to hot.

Dave