Jasper to Dawson Creek

[jamieb1086]

Heading to Dawson Creek from Jasper this July for the start of The North to Alaska Caravan. Was wondering what is the fastest/smoothest route from Jasper to Dawson Creek? Would greatly appreciate the feedback!

[jcl]

East on the Yellowhead to Hinton
North on 40 through Grande Cache, to Grande Prairie
West to Dawson Creek, Mile Zero

We used to live in Grande Prairie many years ago, and used this route regularly. I would make sure to have sufficient fuel, but wouldn't drive further, such as the route through Whitecourt.

Jeff

[BigSxyWhtGuy]

That’s the easy part of the drive. Frost heaves don’t happen until destruction bay. Everything else is pretty straight forward. Safe travels!

[jcl]

Yes, there can be some frost heaves on Hwy 40, but if that is a concern then the portion north of Dawson Creek will be more of a concern.

[Bunker]

I found the first part of 40 to Grande Cache to be heavily cracked, broken in places, and with ruts last year. It was a great training ground for the road to come. The second half of the road is very nice as it’s access for oil field workers. Funny how that works.

We did Jasper to Grande Prairie last July 1. Great fireworks at the rotary campground.

[Kwils25]

Originally Posted by jamieb1086

Heading to Dawson Creek from Jasper this July for the start of The North to Alaska Caravan. Was wondering what is the fastest/smoothest route from Jasper to Dawson Creek? Would greatly appreciate the feedback!

Funny thing…. Last night I was looking at the possibility of taking Highway 40 to Dawson Creek from Jasper to join the caravan. We will spending a week with family in the Banff area prior to heading to Dawson Creek. I wasn’t sure how suitable Hwy 40 is. So I logged in to Airforums this morning to see if I could find any information on it. This thread magically appeared! Thanks everyone for the information! Airforums is great!

[Dennis C]

We’re spending time in Banff this summer before making the drive up to Alaska, so I’ve been thinking about that too. Some of the YouTube videos on the frost heaves heading up towards Tok look pretty nasty…

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If the roads south of Dawson Creek are a significant concern .... don't go . The Alaska Highway just gets worse the closer you get to the cross over into Alaska.

The 40 miles each side of the crossing are typically in pretty bad shape. That's the observation of the folks who live up there and drive it all the time.

That said, we didn't find it that bad a road. There are roads in a *lot* of states / provinces that are as bad. Construction zones are what they are, no matter what part of Canada or the US you happen to be in.

The key is to be flexible in terms of time. If the road is rough, slow down. Having a "gotta get there" approach is the bigger problem than the road itself. Since the views are incredible along the way, there are multiple reasons to slow down.

Bob

[PatLee]

Following

[Scott S]

Please take what I am to say with a grain of salt realizing that my information is 20 odd years out of date. Take your time on the Alaska highway. The highway's speed limits are slower than what Americans are used to. They are that way for a reason. The frost heaves and moose for starters. The frost heaves can be aweful and can be bad enough to cause damage. You normally cannot see them in time to get slowed down, SO the road crews place small flags on the edge of the road to warn you of the upcoming heave. Pay attention and slow down!

Moose are beautiful, and they are huge. They also can run across the road. On many vehicles if you hit them you will knock their legs out from underneath them and their bodies will crash into your windshield. Another reason to slow down. While I loved Alaska, the highlight of my trip was getting to know the Canadians along the way. Slow down and get to know them!

[MikeAnkorage]

I just drove to home in Anchorage in February. I wasn't towing anything. The major problem for me was the bridge across the Peace River was closed due to a train car fire parked next to it. Traffic backup estimate was three hours, but turned out to be closer to four. I was lucky to find a place in Dawson Creek that had local maps since I couldn't get the cell connection I needed for a close inspection. I found another crossing east of there going through Rolla to Goodlow and back west. It would be OK, not great, towing. Otherwise, the trip was uneventful. Enjoy the drive. Kluane is as stunning as always.

[MizGadabout]

Originally Posted by jcl

East on the Yellowhead to Hinton
North on 40 through Grande Cache, to Grande Prairie
West to Dawson Creek, Mile Zero

We used to live in Grande Prairie many years ago, and used this route regularly. I would make sure to have sufficient fuel, but wouldn't drive further, such as the route through Whitecourt.

Jeff

We are heading to Dawson Creek from Edmonton. We were planning to take 43 all the way. Is that a bad idea?

[jcl]

Originally Posted by MizGadabout

We are heading to Dawson Creek from Edmonton. We were planning to take 43 all the way. Is that a bad idea?

No, that is exactly what we have done many times. If one is coming from Jasper, there is no need to drive back towards Edmonton (it is better to go through Grande Cache) but if one is in Edmonton at the start, 43 is the best route to Dawson Creek.

Jeff

[Cyclist]

Originally Posted by Bunker

I found the first part of 40 to Grande Cache to be heavily cracked, broken in places, and with ruts last year. It was a great training ground for the road to come. The second half of the road is very nice as it’s access for oil field workers. Funny how that works.

We did Jasper to Grande Prairie last July 1. Great fireworks at the rotary campground.

We took the same route and while it was in 2015 and the information is dated, we found the same road conditions as described.

BTW - when leaving Grand Prairie for Dawson Creek there is a Costco at the edge of town. It's a good place to stock up on booze as it's expensive in B.C. and the Yukon. There is a Costco Liquor as part of the complex and you do not need a Costco membership to shop at the liquor store.

[Ndcctrucks]

Originally Posted by jcl

East on the Yellowhead to Hinton
North on 40 through Grande Cache, to Grande Prairie
West to Dawson Creek, Mile Zero
Jeff

This is the exact route we took last August (2022) pulling a 2004 CCD 22’.

There were no frost heaves by that time. The only rough sections were nearing Alaska and that was only well-graded roads under reconstruction.

Our experience was “smooth the whole way”.

-Ken

[NevadaGeo]

Interesting to see this thread. I haven't seen the ALCAN highway since summer of 1974. Mostly dirt roads then, the dirt stayed in shape from frost heaves better than asphalt. Then everyone was using plastic covers for headlights, and deflector strips on the front of the hood to deflect stones above the windshield. You counted mosquitos by how many you got with one swat. Big Kenworth trucks were more than half of the road wide, and turnouts were not very frequent. I have a photo somewhere of the astronomical high price of gas at 85 cents, twice what it was back home.
I wouldn't hope to go too fast on those roads. And the mosquitos probably aren't any smaller or less.
We were a college summer geology field camp, started in Oshkosh, WI, to Banff, Jasper, on to Whitehorse and Tagish Lake in Yukon.

[Ndcctrucks]

Yep, the mosquitos were numerous, large, and vicious.

We could have cruised at 80 kmph the whole way (although it isn’t posted that fast).

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Cyclist

......

BTW - when leaving Grand Prairie for Dawson Creek there is a Costco at the edge of town. It's a good place to stock up on booze as it's expensive in B.C. and the Yukon. There is a Costco Liquor as part of the complex and you do not need a Costco membership to shop at the liquor store.

Hi

Indeed stock up while you can .

However don't go to crazy. Once you get to Alaska, there's a Costco in Fairbanks and two in Anchorage. There apparently are no state taxes on booze in Alaska. The stuff was cheaper at the Anchorage Costco than any other one I've been in.

Bob

[MikeAnkorage]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Indeed stock up while you can .

However don't go to crazy. Once you get to Alaska, there's a Costco in Fairbanks and two in Anchorage. There apparently are no state taxes on booze in Alaska. The stuff was cheaper at the Anchorage Costco than any other one I've been in.

Bob

Alaska has no state sales tax, but some boroughs have sales tax. It varies.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by MikeAnkorage

Alaska has no state sales tax, but some boroughs have sales tax. It varies.

Hi

In a lot of states, there are taxes specific to various categories of booze. Those sneak in before the price sticker goes on. Then the sales tax goes on top of that. Sort of like how the state fuel taxes go in on the price of fuel. It can make it a bit tough to work out what's what unless you spend some "quality time" going into the grubby details.

Bob