Helpful Ideas for Alaskan Travels

[JANETRUPP]

What Not to Miss -

ALBERTA

Icefield Parkway - Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Mile "0" Signpost - Dawson Creek, Alaska Highway
Liard Hot Springs - Alaska Highway (historic mile 497)
Dease Lake (Cassiar Hwy) drive Telegraph Creek (not suited for large RVs)
Atlin – south of Tagish/Whitehorse area
Salmon Glacier - end of the road past Stewart BC & Hyder AK

YUKON

Frantic Follies Show - Whitehorse
Klondike Rib & Salmon BBQ – Whitehorse
Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre – Whitehorse
Dawson City Museum – Dawson City
Top of the World Hwy - Dawson City
Keno City Mining Museum – Keno
Watson Lake Sign Post Forest
Wildlife Gallery – Yukon Motel, Teslin
Kluane Museum of Natural History – Burwash

ALASKA

Barrow – north Alaska, fly-in only
Chicken - Tisha's School House via Taylor Hwy or Top of the World Hwy

SOUTHEAST ALASKA
White Bus (Lunch) – Hyder via Cassiar Hwy B.C.
Skagway AK - drive south of Whitehorse YT
Haines AK - drive south of Haines Junction YT
Wrangell Jet Boat Tour - LeConte Glacier Ferry (ferry or fly-in)
Ketchikan - Deadliest catch Tour (ferry or fly-in)
Juneau - glacier helicopter & dogsled-on-glacier tour

FAIRBANKS & AREA
Santa Claus House - North Pole AK near Fairbanks
Knotty Shop – Mile 332 Richardson Hwy near Fairbanks
Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center

ANCHORAGE & AREA
Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center - Downtown Anchorage
Alaska Native Medical Center - Anchorage
Crow's Nest (meal Captain Cook Hotel)
Simon & Seafort's Saloon - Anchorage
Charter Plane - Anchorage/Chugach Mountains
Alaska Native Heritage Center
Moose Tooth Pub -Anchorage

KENAI PENINSULA & AREA
Seward
Kenai Fjords Boat Tours – Seward
Seward Silver Salmon Derby - Aug 10-18 Kenai Peninsula
Alyeska Tram & Resort - Girdwood (dinner is great here-Seven Glaciers)
Winner Creek Trail at Alyeska, near Girdwood
Double Musky (Dinner) - Girdwood
Pratt Museum – Homer
Homer High Rd Drive
Halibut Cove in Homer - Dinner at Saltry
Community of Hope - Between Anchorage and Seward
White water Rafting - Hope
Williwaw Campground (Chugach National Forest) - Portage Glacier
Glacier Tours – Glaciers

DENALI & PARKS HWY AREA
Denali Park Bus Tour
Denali River Rafting - Rafting (mild to wild)
Mary's McKinley View Lodge (view and dinner) – Trapper Creek
Drive Denali Hwy between Cantwell & Paxson
Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge
Talkeetna Sightsee Flight- Mt Mckinley/Denali

EVENTS
Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival – June 7-9, Whitehorse YT
Chickenstock Music Festival – June 14-15, Chicken AK
Atlin Arts & Music Festival – July 12-14, Atlin BC
Dawson City Music Festival – July 19-21, Dawson City YT
Alaska State Fair – Aug 22 – Sept 2, Palmer AK
108th Annual Midnight Sun Baseball Game - June 21, Fairbanks






Packing Ideas:

Milepost
Travelers Guide to Alaska Camping - Church
Toursaver Coupon Book
Binoculars
Camera
Extra batteries
Kindle- Books-Audio Books
CD's and DVD's
Special Food Likes
"Roll Call Alaska 2013" signs
Walkie Talkie
Deet
Fishing Gear
Puppy Documents
Passports
Raingear
Mud Boots
Fishing Gear
Tarps
Window Bug Cleaner
Black-out Curtain or sleep masks- Window coverings
Prescriptions or special meds ie: Prilosec, Tylenol PM
Debit Card and Credit Cards
Canadian Coins
Sign for the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake - Nails and Hammer
Maps/ GPS
Books/ Magazines
Cell Phone/ Internet
Smart Phone/ Tablet apps for Camps/business and fuel
Spare Parts -Fuel Filters, Engine Belts, Extensions for E,W,S and Cable
Tools
Fuses
Gorilla Tape
Reflectors
Velcro
Evaporated Milk
Vehicle Insurance Documentation
Extra Air Filters
Cell phone amplifier / external antennas
Personal Locator Beacon
Bear Spray
Cash
Non-beef pet food in orginal containers





Things to do before leaving

Turn off water to house.

Set yard sprinklers (we have 2 meters, one for house and one for lawn, I’ll be shutting off the one for the house)

Turn off water heater

Put Saran wrap on toilets, on drains in sinks, bathtubs, showers, make sure to do kitchen sink (make sure to fill trap first)

Set AC in house for 85 to 90*

Stop newspaper

Stop mail (in our case we are forwarding it to UPS store and they well mail it to us where we ask them)

Set up auto billing for monthly ocurring costs and have electronic billing. (Utilities)

Get lawn care service if needed

Talk to lawn service to make sure they don’t leave any receipts on the front door

Talk to the police to see if they have a vacation watch

Neighbor across the street is going to place their trash cans in our drive once in a while and make sure no fliers are left on our front entry.

Set timers to turn on and off lights and radio in room that has the blinds closed

Unplug all electrical appliances (TVs, coffee pot, toaster, clocks that are plugged in, chargers, cable boxes, DVD players, Surround sound amps, printers, shredder, electric blankets, mirror, plug in flashlights, night lights, table lamps unless used with timers, night time reading lights, sewing machines, refrigerator in garage)

Drain coffee pot

Shutoff ice maker and empty the ice

Turn the refrigerator in house up a couple degrees. (empty contents except condiments)

Turn off gas to fireplace

Suspend trash service.



******These lists were a great help to all of us that traveled this year. Hope it helps all future Alaska bound RV'ers. Thanks again to everyone that contributed to making these lists and our travels wonderful.*******

[L8ERZZZ]

CA Traveler wrote:
Pre planning is good. I wouldn't throw anything out, just answer their questions - hat and sunglasses off, direct answers, no questions.

Yes pre planning is a must! I want to have a smooth and adventurous trip in and out of Canada, want to make it to Anchorage in one piece. Oh and I just found some info on taking my dog with us to AK so many documents to travel through Canada.

[CA_Traveler]

Pre planning is good. I wouldn't throw anything out, just answer their questions - hat and sunglasses off, direct answers, no questions.

[L8ERZZZ]

flybob63 wrote:
i, personally, won't travel those roads without a firearm. You can go to the Canadian Customs website to download the forms for declaration at the border and info on permissible weapons. Don't go outside the law as they commonly search vehicles and if you get caught it's big trouble. I declared a 12 shotgun I was glad to have in the rig.

I would love to take my pistols but have read that Canada highly frowns upon that. So I thought about buying a shotgun and or rifle to have with me just as a precautionary measure since I will have my wife and 3 kids with me. I will be on military orders moving to AK and there is paperwork I can obtain by the military stating that I can travel to AK with weapons.

[L8ERZZZ]

CA Traveler wrote:
Food restrictions change all the time. Generally you'll do best with unopened store wrapped products like meat. One time returning to the US they took our tomatoes and cut off the tops of the green onions which they kept. Those restrictions started that day. Sometimes fruit is on the list. Those little round stickers on fruit etc indicating the country of origin can be helpful - providing it's from the right country!

Ok, wow we will definitely look into what is a go or no go right before we cross into BC. We can't wait to move to AK and we can't wait for this once in a lifetime drive! 🙂

[flybob63]

i, personally, won't travel those roads without a firearm. You can go to the Canadian Customs website to download the forms for declaration at the border and info on permissible weapons. Don't go outside the law as they commonly search vehicles and if you get caught it's big trouble. I declared a 12 shotgun I was glad to have in the rig.

[CA_Traveler]

Food restrictions change all the time. Generally you'll do best with unopened store wrapped products like meat. One time returning to the US they took our tomatoes and cut off the tops of the green onions which they kept. Those restrictions started that day. Sometimes fruit is on the list. Those little round stickers on fruit etc indicating the country of origin can be helpful - providing it's from the right country!

[L8ERZZZ]

CA Traveler wrote:
Passports but not sure about the kids. No firewood, basically no guns and limited alcohol. Read the current restrictions on food.

Definitely have passports for wife and 3 kids! Wow there is restrictions on food? Seems odd, but I will certainly look up what the restrictions are.

[CA_Traveler]

Passports but not sure about the kids. No firewood, basically no guns and limited alcohol. Read the current restrictions on food.

[L8ERZZZ]

explorenorth wrote:

L8ERZZZ wrote:
Hey all, new member here! So my family and I will be moving to AK in March and we will be driving there traveling through BC and YT. We have a 2013 Ram 1500 and a 30ft TT. I have done a few things to my truck that will be road worthy for the travel. Any ideas for the trailer other than tires which I have 2 complete spares for? We will be traveling from AZ to central valley CA visiting my family before the trip North! We will be traveling I-5N all the way to WA. Once we get into BC to start the GOOD travel does anyone recommend/advise anything for us first timers? We have planned out our trip (hope it's good) we'll be traveling the cassair hwy (boston bar, quesnel, dawson creek, ft. nelson, watson lake, whitehorse, beaver creek, glenn highway, anchorage) Any recommendations/advise will be great!

That route isn't the Cassiar, it's the Alaska Highway. You don't mention winter tires, but you will almost certainly hit snow.

Yes, apologies it is the Alaska Highway. I have BF Goodrich A/T KO tires on my truck. Is there specific winter tires for a trailer? I went to my local RV sales and they did mention to get a GT tire. We will definitely have plenty of food as I do not want to stop and buy snacks or spend unnecessary money at restaurants or fast food since we'll have the trailer, save money where we can.

[explorenorth]

L8ERZZZ wrote:
Hey all, new member here! So my family and I will be moving to AK in March and we will be driving there traveling through BC and YT. We have a 2013 Ram 1500 and a 30ft TT. I have done a few things to my truck that will be road worthy for the travel. Any ideas for the trailer other than tires which I have 2 complete spares for? We will be traveling from AZ to central valley CA visiting my family before the trip North! We will be traveling I-5N all the way to WA. Once we get into BC to start the GOOD travel does anyone recommend/advise anything for us first timers? We have planned out our trip (hope it's good) we'll be traveling the cassair hwy (boston bar, quesnel, dawson creek, ft. nelson, watson lake, whitehorse, beaver creek, glenn highway, anchorage) Any recommendations/advise will be great!

That route isn't the Cassiar, it's the Alaska Highway. You don't mention winter tires, but you will almost certainly hit snow.

[CA_Traveler]

Plenty of extra food just in case you have weather delays. Snow tires/chains, Milepost, GPS could be helpful for knowing how far to the next destination.

[L8ERZZZ]

Hey all, new member here! So my family and I will be moving to AK in March and we will be driving there traveling through BC and YT. We have a 2013 Ram 1500 and a 30ft TT. I have done a few things to my truck that will be road worthy for the travel. Any ideas for the trailer other than tires which I have 2 complete spares for? We will be traveling from AZ to central valley CA visiting my family before the trip North! We will be traveling I-5N all the way to WA. Once we get into BC to start the GOOD travel does anyone recommend/advise anything for us first timers? We have planned out our trip (hope it's good) we'll be traveling the Alaska Hwy (boston bar, quesnel, dawson creek, ft. nelson, watson lake, whitehorse, beaver creek, glenn highway, anchorage) Any recommendations/advise will be great!

Items that we have:
Milepost
Good Sam Rv coupon book
Generator
20gals of extra gas
2 ton jack
2 full spare tires for trailer and truck
Food (snacks for kids, food to cook on the way)
Emergency road side kit w/ 3 flares
Tool Kit
Small propane camping light
All I can think of right now

Thanks,
Joe a.k.a L8ERZZZ

[CA_Traveler]

My advice: Arrive at a CG early afternoon to be ahead of the rest of the pack. You can do nothing about the caravan reservations that can actually fill a CG but our strategy served us well.

But please don't be ahead of us this summer. :B

[flybob63]

Grizzly Bear Campground near DeNali was not a good choice for us. Our spot was close to the highway and it was basically just a dirt parking lot. They have a lodge there and we felt they were paying more attention to that.

On to the good ones. River's Edge in Fairbanks was really nice. Beautiful location on the Tanana River (If I recall name correctly) that was in town, convenient to everything. In Home there is a campground on the right on the way in that was right on the bay. (Waterview or Water's Edge maybe) that was just beautiful. In Seward the city owned campgrounds are right along the bay. VERY affordable with amenities and again, right along the bay. Really nice in my opinion as you had access to walk along the bay right there as well as walk into town within just a mile or so. Highly recommended.

A word of caution on campgrounds; in some of the more popular tourist areas like Skagway you'll want to make certain you have reservations. We didn't. We arrived and found two cruise ships and a couplke rv caravans were in town and we had real problems. We wound up in an overflow spot with no hook-ups and could not get a ticket for a boat ride or any of the tourist things to do as they were all booked up. Subsequently we stayed one day and left.

Another great campground we discovered by accident on the way up was a Canadian National Park campground along the Icefields parkway near Banff and Jasper. It wa called Mosquito Creek. We were between pont A and point B driving and pulled in about 10 PM. They were full and put us in an overflow. THere was no charge because it was overflow and no hook-ups but we were withing about 15 ft of a rushing river coming right down off of a glacier. Awesome. Not sure if they have hook-ups for regular spots or not.

[CA_Traveler]

trcgolf wrote:
Does anyone have any must stay away from campgrounds?
Now only in reverse...what were your 2 or 3 top camping sites...
starting to get real for 2015....

It's a vary different adventure and basically not about CGs but what you encounter along the way.

All of the CGs only have about 3 months to make a profit and then close for 9 months. For example we left Skagway August 21, 2013 and 3/4 of the CGs were already closed. Therefore any open CG was a jewel just waiting for us. We were the only rig at White River and they were closing when the fuel ran out in a week or so.

The best CGs were on the water like lake, river or ocean. Deep Creek Beach was a wonderful find as we watched eagles soar for hours and marveled at the very unique boat launch and had our very first experience at burning coal in our campfire. Deep Creek Beach Fortunately most campers pass this jewel by because there are no hookups.

If you want to know more about our adventure and CGs then click 2013 Alaska.