Campbell or Alaskan Hwy?

[kohldad]

Traveling in a group of 3 truck campers and none of us mind gravel roads. We are more into nature than tourist things but do like museums. Plan is to stay where ever we are when at diner time so really don't plan on campgrounds. We should be hitting the border about last week of June or a little later mid July if that matters.

So far getting from Watson Lake to Carmack, which road would you take and why?

[AKsilvereagle]

I liked the Campbell Hwy. when I drove it in August 2008 enroute to Yellowknife NWT....it is the kinda area that will definitely give you that real middle of nowhere feeling.

Started on the west end from Carmacks which was both unpaved and paved portions and nice for the most part with a side trip to Faro (friendly people) and Ross River which has a bad reputation I always heard of in the past and witnessed it for myself upon leaving there.....

Once arriving at the Canol Road Junction on the Campbell Hwy just outside the Ross River area (about the midway point of the highway route) the Campbell Highway portion of that route which I call the East Campbell had so many continuous ruts on the road surface and drove three miles east of Canol Junction at 3 to 5 mph as the camper and truck was vibrating so violently going that slow as two trucks that were oncoming traffic that crossed paths with me were caked with mud, dirt, and their suspension was making all kinds of loud rattling noises I never heard before while going by so that was the straw while the ruts in that area was three miles long and counting and decided to turn around and head back to Carmacks since I had enough spare fuel to make it with my calculations....and don't always rely on fuel being readily available in Faro or Ross River either.

If one would monitor the status of Yukon 511 road conditions for the East Campbell Hwy during the summer months, you will see for the most part the status will show "fair" road conditions, as they do not always update it when the road can be virtually impassible in a few portions when it gets severe rainfall, not to mention the continuous road construction.

Sue's picture posted in this topic was also taken in 2008 and the East Campbell can get downright nasty.

Once I continued on my trip and stopped at Liard Hot Springs, I was talking with a trucker about the East Campbell and turning around and he told me it was a good thing I did turn around as a semi that went thru there the past week had gotten stuck and had to pull it across the bad portion with an excavator.

Now in 2008 remind you, the Fairbanks area had record rainfall during that time....as 2010 and 2014 shattered the 2008 rainfall record afterwards.

Although I do not reside in the Yukon, I dont think the East Campbell has improved much in 11 years.

From my experience, I would not plan to drive my own camper rig the entire Campbell Highway - although I would like to venture from the east side starting from Watson Lake to see areas that I never seen there until the roadway gets real rough, as I only driven as far as the Watson Lake Airport from the east end of the route.

For the record I only own 2WD trucks, 5 total.

[Filterman]

cewillis wrote:
Long time ago for me, but I really like the Campbell.

Love this picture. Such a classic Yukon boondocking picture. Thank you for sharing.

[Filterman]

We lived in the Yukon for 12 years ending in 1979 . We covered pretty much every drivable Road with a truck and camper in those years. Unlike then, the Alaska Hwy is now a beautiful highway with normal grades and paved shoulders. Since we still like taking the road less travelled, we did the Campbell in 2015 with our F150 and 28 ft TT. It’s a beautiful trip through the back country with some nice lakes. The same year we did the Dalton Hwy north to the Arctic Ocean via Fairbanks. ( most of a thousand miles of gravel return) but well worth it. Enjoy your travels, and take time to smell the roses.

[lakeside013104]

Plenty to see on the Alaska Hwy and you are always within a couple hundred miles of fuel. We love the outdoors and view mountains, waters, abundant wildlife, and trees with awe. We enjoy the peacefulness and inspiring beauty that the Yukon and BC has to offer. Either way you choose will be memorable.

My only comment, believe it or not, is: how much beauty can one consume in one adventure? After a while all the beauty seemed to be the norm. Everywhere one looked was more beautiful then the last, until all this beauty was part of everyday life, until it wasn't.

How many pictures of mountains can you take? How many pictures of lakes, rivers, and streams can satisfy your hunger for beauty? How many pictures of bears sitting beside the road do you need? How many pictures off buffalo bulls, cows, and calves are enough? Is ten pictures of up close stone sheep adequate? How many pictures of elk, wolves, deer, and fowl is really enough? All questions to be answered differently by each of us. All the pictures of all this beauty is yours for the taking. Your best chances for wildlife picture taking is early mornings or was it midday, or was it evenings? Each experience will be different. All worth the patience it took to get them. Patience and time invested is the clue. Don't be in a hurry or you will miss out.

Eventually you will drive past the beauty and be back into reality. Was I really there, or was it a dream? The thousands of pictures we continually review, prove to us, we were there.

Enjoy your adventure, allow more time then you plan to, and you still will not have allowed enough. Bring along two good cameras and an open mind without stressors. You will be rewarded for a lifetime.

Lakeside

[EEWally]

We took the Alaska Ferry north from Prince Rupert to Haines (with 5 layovers) in our truck camper and drove back home. We really liked that combination because we didn't have to be at a ferry dock on a certain day for the trip back home. That might limit our stay and we couldn't spend more time in Alaska if we wanted to.

[sljohnson1938]

well, if this is your first time going up to Alaska I would go via the Alaska hiway starting at Dawson Creek. Especially since you are coming from South Carolina. On our two trips up to Alaska with took this rout and then the ferry boat back from Haines to Bellingham, WA. if I should ever go again I want to take the Cassiar Hwy south.

BTW, we met a few years ago at a rally in Tennessee, I believe it was at the Smoky Bear CG near Gatlinburg, TN.
Hope all is well with you and yours.

stuart

[cewillis]

Long time ago for me, but I really like the Campbell.

[SideHillSoup]

sue.t lives in the Yukon, so her comments are the best your going to find.
Soup.

[sue_t]

The Campbell Highway can have some very rough areas under construction. Due to the light traffic, you can get to drive through the construction zone without a pilot car leading the way. Take a look at my webpage for the Campbell Hwy.

We had to 4-wheel through this zone

[kohldad]

There are several excellent museums at Whitehorse,

Thanks for the reminders about the Whitehorse museums. We will definitely be going through Whitehorse now before hitting the TOW highway.

[DrewE]

Given the choice, I think I would choose the Alaska highway for the first time. There are several excellent museums at Whitehorse, and the road is in significantly better condition (and much more heavily traveled, relatively speaking). I haven't actually been over the Campbell Highway, though, so perhaps take that with a grain or two of salt.

If you're returning by more or less the same general route, maybe you could consider going one way and returning the other.