Alaska - 2023

[Salty_Dog]

Sorry for the long post! I did a search on this forum and others prior to asking...

My wife and I are recently retired and are planning on making the trip to Alaska next summer. We have a multitude of questions for those you have also made the trip.

Our trip is planned for about 4 months and includes Mt Rushmore , Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons on our way (not all encompassing, taking about a month to travel west and visit these areas), the Canadian Rockies (Banff and the Icefield Parkway) to the Cassiar Highway and then to the Al-Can - about 4 weeks to reach Alaska, Glennallen - 4 days, Palmer - about 3 days, Seward - 6 days, Homer - 5 days, Anchorage - 10 days, Denali - 5 days, Fairbanks - 10 days, and then begin the trip home from Alaska at the middle of September. The start of the return trip is governed by the campground closings in Fairbanks.

We have the Milepost and it has been a great source of information!

We are still in vacation mode where we try to cram a lot into a little space. Any tips on addressing this?

I am trying to keep the drive times to about 6 hours or less using RV Life Trip Wizard. Only a couple are a touch longer and a most are shorter.

Is the weather typically a washout when it rains? Cloud cover - thinking photos of the landscape, tours, etc.

We will be making reservations and plan on staying in campgrounds rather than boondocking. If our plans get altered, are boondocking opportunities available if the campgrounds cannot accommodate the change?

There is lots to see and do and this will be a trip of a lifetime for us - we don't want to waste the opportunity with over staying or under staying.

I appreciate your thoughts and taking the time!
Mike

[Mike_W]

got my 2022 MilePost. Little daunting. Gonna dig in this weekend. But curious what fuel prices are in BC and Alaska this summer? gallon of diesel? Gallon of gas? Thanks

[Johnny_G1]

Proper antenna and it works all the way to Fairbanks and all the way up the Dempster, Trucker antenna.on my mh.

[SideHillSoup]

Rigdon wrote:
Sirius radio doesn't work here in Ak, it sort of works in Canada but not well. Sirius suggested it was my reciever antenna.
June through early July is fairly dry on the Kenai late July through September it rains most days.

In British Columbia and parts of Alberta I have gotten Sirius Radio as far north that I have personally found was on Hwy 37 at Meziadin Junction. Once I turned down the Hwy into Stewart on Hwy 37-A I lost it all together.
It also works from Prince Rupert BC all the way east to Cold Lake Alberta. It also worked on Haida Gwaii.
However I will state that it is spotty at times when you drive on the edge of the eastern side of a mountain / sharp bank etc. I will also add theses same mountains and sharp banks also block the signal where I live in south eastern BC which is 3 hrs north of Spokane Washington.
Just like the old days… ya loose radio signal.

[Mike_W]

Great thread. Going to school on it. Thanks all for the valuable info. Best thread I've seen on here for quite a while.

[Rigdon]

Sirius radio doesn't work here in Ak, it sort of works in Canada but not well. Sirius suggested it was my reciever antenna.
June through early July is fairly dry on the Kenai late July through September it rains most days.

[cbigham]

Salty Dog - be sure to visit the Salty Daeg bar on the Homer Spit!

[Salty_Dog]

Benn off line for a bit - got bit by the COVID bug. I appreciate the thoughts and input that has been shared. We have taken the lower 48 attractions off this trip and added the time into additional time in Alaska and the Canadian Rockies. Given other commitments, we will be leaving NY State early June, visiting the Canadian Rockies, arriving in Alaska mid July, and beginning our return trip mid September. Thanks again!

[PA12DRVR]

The horseflesh will suffer further indignities..."Salmon fishing in rivers is boring. You're just trying to snag a fish passing by, they aren't interested in eating."

- Chances are this statement was made after fishing the Kenai, Kasilof, or Russian for red salmon. Red salmon ("sockeye") are plankton eaters and are truly not interested in eating once they hit freshwater. Fishing for reds in freshwater is a matter of dipnetting (Alaska residents only) or trying, as mentioned, to snag them in the mouth, otherwise known as flossing for reds.
- Pinks ("Humpy") or Chum ("dog") salmon are more active in freshwater and will hit lures and baits, depending on their mood or the weather or ....
- King salmon ("chinook") will hit lures or baits, although bait and some lures are currently banned by regulation. Takes some work to get a king nowadays, but they are fairly active in the freshwater if they make it past the commercial guys.
- Silver salmon ("coho") are exceptionally aggressive in either salt or freshwater. I've been told (how they know I'm not sure) by ADF&G bio guys that silvers are either trying to eat or just get mad at the bait or lures that cross their path. Same source told me that king salmon either try to carry bait (i.e. eggs) upstream. Silvers are aggressive strikers, Kings you have to know when the line is bumped and set the hook hard...they both fight aggressively.
Point is, if you're interested in fishing, it can certainly be worked in to your trip. Other than a bit of freshwater doldrums in early August, there is enjoyable salt and freshwater fishing from May - September...even opportunities for trout and pike if you want to venture on some of the lakes.

[ppine]

I spent a lot of time in Alaska but always got there by plane or ship. I like the idea of cutting across Canada to get to Alaska. If it were me I would go that way and get to Alaska first. In the North reservations are not really warranted because you can always boondock everywhere.

I cannot imagine planning out a long trip ahead of time with reservations. The beauty of a long trip is that there are no time constraints. One of my favorite guidelines is "find a place you like, stay for around 3 days."

You will have plenty of time to visit sites in the Lower 48 when you return. You have the rest of your life to revisit them. It is the time in Alaska and Canada that you may not get to again.

[cbigham]

Just did a 2 month trip from LA (real LA, not Lower Alabama) Pounded it up on 8 days, back in 8 days from Tok. We were up touring around for 6 weeks plus change.

- one of our highlights was Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic ocean. Dalton hwy very scenic. Coldfoot and Deadhorse great stories to tell. We towed our Jeep, used it on this trip.
- Alaska and Canada make it too easy to camp and use hook ups. You can boon dock, there's places but they are not so easy to find for someone not too familiar.
- Seward was another fun find. Good accessible hiking, boating, great restaurants, tour boat saw lots of marine life.
- Homer.. ifnyou want to fish this get reservations early. As you get ready to leave, the fishing guides will call you to fill seats of drop outs. Plan ahead.
-Salmon fishing in rivers is boring. You're just trying to snag a fish passing by, they aren't interested in eating.
- dip netters.. know when things going on, will mess up your fishing
- talk of reservations is true. . We only used it at Denali. Stayed longer than we should, was 4th of July. Didn't want to be looking for a place. Scenery south of Denali much better and some remote camping
- frost heaves damage is real.. watch out.. RV welding shop in Tok was very busy.
-The roads may be muddy, really soft in places. Frequently a pilot car. You could be stopped for up to an hr and a half worst we saw.
- when we came up cis Cassiar hwy early June was wet, cold, roads rough. Coming down was sunny, dry and roads largely better
- Really liked Whitehorse as a town. People cool.
- Enjoyed Muncho Lake and resort.

Had no real breakdowns, (lost a coach battery .. died) no broken glass, flats but were prepared. Keep it fueled up is good advice. Also have food handy. Some gas stations and restaurants were out of food or employees not working.

Have fun

[enblethen]

and of course, you can add lower 48 or a portion of it back into trip!

[Salty_Dog]

No bad thoughts Valhalla! 6 hrs driving is enough for most days and to much for others.

Just the statement that we usually are on the go rather than sitting and relaxing. I think that is going to be our biggest challenge in retirement!

We are rethinking (and re-planning) to cross off the lower 48 portion and concentrate on Canadian Rockies and Alaska.

Thank you to all who offered their thoughts, hints, and suggestions. Each one is highly valued and appreciated!

[valhalla360]

Salty Dog wrote:
My wife and I do not like to just sit so I didn't plan on idle time (maybe the vacation mode mentality).

If this was in reference to my post, doing 6hr towing every other day doesn't suggest much idle time. You still have grocery shopping, maintenance, trip planning, visiting local sites, hikes, etc... that can easily fill the "idle" days.

It's fairly common to hear folks who start full timing quit after 6-12 months because it's so tiring. When you get them to describe their travels, it's like when they were working and they had a weeks vacation and wanted to visit someplace 1000miles from home. For a week, when you have no other option it's doable to go, go, go...when it's a lifestyle, it gets old pretty quick.

While I think 4 months for your trip is doable, I would have a plan to reassess every couple months and be prepared to slow down or otherwise change how you travel if it's not working.

[folivier]

Another tip while traveling through Canada make note of Canadian holiday weekends and expect Provincial campgrounds to be pretty full.

[Scottiemom]

Sounds like a great trip. We did it in 2013.

I would suggest purchasing Mike and Terri Church's book "Alaska Camping." It has routes, times, campgrounds, restaurants, sites to see, when you need to make reservations, etc. I bought it the year before and read the entire book, highlighting and tabbing pages for easy access. It was a treasure trove of information and there were many things we saw that we had only read about in their book. We also used the Milepost, which almost reads like a history book.

Enjoy your trip. We traveled fewer miles per day, especially after getting to Alaska. It was a wonderful trip and we have many memories.

Dale