North to Alaska via the ALCAN?

[pjanits]

No first hand experience by my neighbor's father in law saw my Burro in the driveway and said he had a freind that they caravaned up that road with who had a 13 Burro.
He said there were no problems on the trip and the Burro did just fine.

I wanted to make the trip when I retired but I think gas prices put the kabosh on that.
I predict it will go back to $4.00 the day I decide to take a trip ( April 25th)

[Nancy]

Ron and others going to Petersburg. We really liked "The Trees RV" spot. It is the best in Petersburg. Relatives who were local recommended it and they were right. Call and get reservations. I don't think it was open when Joy made her trip, seemed quite new when we were there 07.

Also I don't think I have ever had such good pizza as one can get in Petersburg. Seems like the one that we thought was fantastic was up near the grocery store up on top of the hill by the airport. There is also a more basic store down in town and another pizza place in town, that was good too, great ice cream sold there.

http://www.metadesignworks.com/treesrv/

Nancy

[Bill K]

If what you say is true, STAY HOME. LOL

I will be going to Backus,mn from Toledo Ohio for my Scamp on May 4th.

Bill K

I predict it will go back to $4.00 the day I decide to take a trip ( April 25th)

[John Hussey]

Yeah.. I think it would take six or eight weeks to see it all and even then you will be robbed. That's why I broke it up in little trips. More expense for sure but less stressful.

A note to fish(ing) lovers: Throughout Alaska and BC Salmon is king. Salmon means everything. But I am not that fond of it. What I noticed thereby was an invisible fishiery... TROUT and GREYLING. You can pull up to any stream anywhere and catch fish twice the size you have ever hooked in your neck of the woods. Trout are everywhere and very hungry and all the natives leave them alone 'cause they want salmon!

Seafood is just hard to believe. Have you ever had fish and chips fresh fried with malt vinegar... and the fish was (not joking) HALIBUT? There is so much good seafood it is incredible... king crab from the bearing sea... ling cod off the shelf... halibut everywhere! and all priced normally.. not like salmon which is priced too high. If you get the chance try halibut cheeks! OMG!

Like my fellow Floridian in a post above I am also following this thread with a great deal of interest. Now, this info of yours on fishing has really piqued my interest. personally I'd prefer to catch any fish but trout and grayling are really tasty...

I wonder, which months would you who have been consider it best to go,, up the Alcan Highway, probably, north to Alaska? Why those months?

I just might be changing my camping direction this summer, especially now that gas is so much cheaper. I don't know how long that will last.

Thanks

[ronsmith100]

Like my fellow Floridian in a post above I am also following this thread with a great deal of interest. Now, this info of yours on fishing has really piqued my interest. personally I'd prefer to catch any fish but trout and grayling are really tasty...

I wonder, which months would you who have been consider it best to go,, up the Alcan Highway, probably, north to Alaska? Why those months?

I just might be changing my camping direction this summer, especially now that gas is so much cheaper. I don't know how long that will last.

Thanks

I will be posting like I did last time... a BLOG for the Alaska trip. The first two times I did all videos and could not post very well (no.. not even youtube). This time I will post stills and an occasional video.

Our uncompromisable departure date is July 3rd from Prince Rupert to Ketchican. After that is it pretty open and I'll post a log if you are interested.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Too early means Black Flies!!! Summer is skeeter time. Fall is nice as long as there isn't an early Winter. Check fishing season dates also.

[David & Leslie]

Just 2 weeks ago, Dave reconnected with a childhood friend who's life path took her and husband to Alaska in1965. They love it there & have never considered living anywhere else. We've been invited to visit whenever we might get to the far north. So ... we, too, are following this thread with interest and I'm especially grateful for Roger's link to and description of their ship/bus/train adventure. We really admire RVers of any ilk who make this trip. JoyA's trip diary was a joy to read, and planted a seed about using the ferry system to minimize driving. However, since our Scamp13 is virtually "Alpha & Omega" (first & last RV for us) we have no desire to subject it (or tug) to the rigors of the Alcan, so an itinerary such as Roger's looks like a practical alternative.

Thanx again to all who have posted about their experiences. Safe travels, wherever your wheels take ya! L 'n D

p.s. Pete - thanx for the bug report ... eeeyyyuuuwww!

[Ellen Smith]

June, July, and August are great months to go because of the long summer nights. You can read in bed until 11:00 without a light on. If you don't have a screen door, I would suggest you make some type of door screen with velcro and noseeum netting (available at fabric stores). We also travelled with a screen tent. We really enjoyed staying at the North Pole campsite. Make sure to have reservations in Anchorage. We arrived without them and spent the first night at a seedy campsite downtown as the best campsite was full (don't remember its name).

[ronsmith100]

I started a diary blog for the trip to document it.
http://ronsalaska.blogspot.com/

It is way early but I am posting things about getting ready

[reinhold m]

come one, come all!

be sure to budget plenty of TIME. and money of course. but time is what many shortchange themselves on not realizing the distance and vastness of the land.

some online resources, just a few of the many available

http://www.milepost.com
http://www.alaska-highway.org
http://www.state.ak.us/local/visitorHome.html (state website visitor info)
http://www.dot.state.ak.us (links to ferry system, AKRR, etc)
http://www.travelalaska.com
http://www.alaska.com
http://www.anchorage.net
http://www.explorefairbanks.com
http://www.kenaipeninsula.org
http://www.hellobc.com (British Columbia)
http://travelyukon.com (Yukon)

[SherryNPaul]

Our first trip to Alaska, (flying/rental) was in August. The weather was perfect, and very few bugs of any kind. My cousin owns a small primitive cabin she built over twenty years ago near Denali, and spends every summer there. She reports bugs throughout June & July, and sometimes a lot of rain in August. We lucked out. Whatever the weather.... Alaska is unbelievable. I love looking at all the photos posted (as well as my own at home), but a 35 mm can never truly capture the majesty of wild Alaska.

[Pete Dumbleton]

I forgot to mention and don't recall if it was in The Milepost -- Driving through Northern BC and Yukon Terr, many towns have a community center that includes a swimming pool and showers -- I'm sure they have a lot of attendance during the Winter months!

[Adrian W]

These have been great. I've been wandering about campgrounds along the ALCAN, are there campgounds, are they easy to find, Private or Public, are there many Canadian National or Provincial Parks/Campgrounds. Do these tend to have showers, water, dump sites, etc. also any problem with bears at them?

I know, the Milepost will tell me all this, but I want to wait a year to get one, updated version.

AW

[Joy A]

Yes, there are campgrounds along the way and you will find them in the Milepost. As I said in 2006 RV travel was down and most campgrounds weren't even 1/2 full until you get to Denali and Anchorage. I would imagine with this economy you'd find a like condition.

There are RV parks with hookups and then there are also campgrounds without, depends on what you want. The Canadian provincal campgrounds don't have hookups.

I think the only campground I heard mention of Bears was Liard Hot Springs, BC.

[Connie M.]

It's always a good idea to be "bear-aware" up here. Eyes and ears open, keep a clean camp, make noise when you hike, etc. And then you can get a good night's sleep in your hard-sided egg...

[Ellen Smith]

Hi Ron and anyone else passing through Terrace this year

Would love to have you stop in for coffee on you way to Prince Rupert. Send me a private message and I'll send you our phone number and directions to our place. Happy travelling all.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Peruse The Milepost at your local library or over a cup of coffee at BarnesIgnoble/Borderless.

I went in the Spring, and the grizzly/brown bears were all over the roadsides, filling their post-hibernation bellies with grass -- The lady in the tourist office at McKenzie BC said they had about 16 collared grizzlies in the area and were expecting trouble that year because they had fenced off the former dump and made it a transfer station.

The bear incident at Liard (Properly pronounced lee-ARD by Canadians and improperly LAYERED by Alaskans) Springs was apparently a combo of a mother bear with cub and local dump closing.





Photo of grizz in Kluane NP, YT -- They were all in the fields eating dandelions!

[Geo&Kat]

My wife and I made the trip in spring of 2007. We were the ones running around Canada and Alaska with bubble wrap taped to the front of the trailer. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures of bears taken on the trip

[Jerry Cranford]

We are leaving PEI June 22 and towing our 16 ft Scamp to Alaska. Planning a 2 month Trip. Stopping in Sask. for Canada Day then onward and upward. Looking forward to meeting some fiber owners on the trip.

Jerry & Vivian

[ronsmith100]

We are leaving PEI June 22 and towing our 16 ft Scamp to Alaska. Planning a 2 month Trip. Stopping in Sask. for Canada Day then onward and upward. Looking forward to meeting some fiber owners on the trip.

Jerry & Vivian

Wow! We should have an Alaska egg sightings thread.
I'll be just a few days behind you and unless you are going via the Cassiar then we'll shift directions at Prince George.
This is my third trip... all of them different. This time its 16 day ferry trip from Pr Rupert to Skagway and then back home with lots of fishing everywhere!!! wheeee!.

Take a sign! and nail it in thee sign forest. I'll be putting one up for Best Friends animal sanctuary this time.
SIGN FOREST