Skagway

[RonMayo]

Has anyone driven the road from the Alaska Hwy to Skagway, or the reverse in a FGRV. I'm curious as to the road's condition as I plan for next summer.

I remember Skagway from the pre-road times.

[John H]

Has anyone driven the road from the Alaska Hwy to Skagway, or the reverse in a FGRV. I'm curious as to the road's condition as I plan for next summer.

I remember Skagway from the pre-road times.

I traveled it on Aug 9 and it is a very good road. Just thinking about it makes me want to go again. Keep on planning and then go... the adventure of a lifetime.
For pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/bnjontheroad/A...678936825109362
For my blog of that day.. http://bnjontheroad.blogspot.com/2009/09/w...rcross-and.html

[Mike Morrison]

Did you have any problems getting campsites? Did you reserve ahead at all?

[RonMayo]

John - Thanks a very complete answer. Ron

[John H]

Did you have any problems getting campsites? Did you reserve ahead at all?

Mike, I didn't have any problems finding campsites around that area. The only reservations I made were in Denali National Park. My visit to Skagway was a long day trip without the the RV.
Happy trails

[Weinel, Alan]

We were on an AK cruise and stopped in Skagway... got a rental car ane went up over the pass, clear to the Canadian customs post, WELL past the summit, then turned around and went back to Skagway

Good road, I would not even HESITATE to tow over it. And BEAUTIFUL!!

We were one of the first ships in for the season, and we actually got quite a snow on top of the pass. Astoundingly beautiful. Cannot WAIT to schedule an AK trip with the Scamp.

Has anyone driven the road from the Alaska Hwy to Skagway, or the reverse in a FGRV. I'm curious as to the road's condition as I plan for next summer.

I remember Skagway from the pre-road times.

[Edward Shook]

Ron, a few years ago we did the trip and went to Skagway then put the tug and trailer on the ferry and went to Haines. From their you can go North again without back tracking. There is a nice RV park right next to the dock in Skagway. Most stayovers are in RV parks not campgrounds, just a sight to park and hookup. The best stays are at the municipal camping areas. We left in May and we just beat the fireseason, it turned out to be just the right time, we beat the peek season and stayed ahead of the wildfires in the Yukon. Have a great trip.

[Mike Price]

Sandy and I took a little later AK Cruise this summer and took a bus ride up to the summit.

Here is a Panorama you will see when you take that highway to Skagway.

Mike

[Mike Price]

As an engineer, I couldn't resist this picture of a cable-stayed bridge on the west side of the summit. BEAUTIFUL!

Mike

[Lee Senn]

Ron It has been many years since our Alaska trek so specific info from me would be quite outdated. Having said that one thing that was true then and probably true still is that the highway to Skagway goes through rugged terrain and due to a very short weather window to get roads repaired there is much construction on many of the Alaska highways all summer long. Best to check locally ( via web or maybe Alaska highway department for up to the minute info ). Roads that were passable yesterday may be a jumble of construction the very next day. Also due to the short weather window the road construction often goes on a 24 hour schedule, or at least did when we were there. We got in such a construction trouble zone on our way to Haines ( midnight to about 3:00 am, heavy construction work going on ) that we almost missed our ferry ( we only had a Nissan pickup with a camper shell at the time ). Lee

[Jerry Cranford]

Ron It has been many years since our Alaska trek so specific info from me would be quite outdated. Having said that one thing that was true then and probably true still is that the highway to Skagway goes through rugged terrain and due to a very short weather window to get roads repaired there is much construction on many of the Alaska highways all summer long. Best to check locally ( via web or maybe Alaska highway department for up to the minute info ). Roads that were passable yesterday may be a jumble of construction the very next day. Also due to the short weather window the road construction often goes on a 24 hour schedule, or at least did when we were there. We got in such a construction trouble zone on our way to Haines ( midnight to about 3:00 am, heavy construction work going on ) that we almost missed our ferry ( we only had a Nissan pickup with a camper shell at the time ). Lee

Hi there Ron: Jerry from Prince Edward Island, Canada. This past summer we did a 2 month trip that took us to Alaska. The road to Haines was great. Took the ferry to Skagway. The road out of Skagway to the Alcan was also in great shape.....and awesome scenery. Lee is right though. You will encounter construction in other areas, but I have to say this year wasn't bad. Mostly slowdowns and no major holdups.
Good luck

[RonMayo]

Thanks for all of the great responses to my original question. Couldn't ask for better.

Ron Mayo

[Randya]

I will second the Alaska Marine highway system. Great way to go then drive back.

[Joy A]

Hey Ron, I went in 2006. Because I had asked about the highway down to Skagway I left my trailer in the RV park in Whitehorse and drove down in the Jeep for the day.

Well, was I wrong. The road isn't as steep as folks had led me to believe. Since I'm very accustomed to driving on winding mountain roads, I mean mountains not hills, I no longer ask about any road because it's generally a flatlander who answering my question.

Any way, I was sorry I hadn't taken the trailer with me as I would have liked to stay about 1 day longer. Actually, I did go down to Valdez and I think that road is a little more difficult but then it's mostly one long long steep pull.

The only road I didn't travel on was the road to Chicken. The Top of the World Road. I had heard lots of stories about it and didn't want to subject my trailer to the very very rough road. Most folks told me they didn't think it was worth the trouble and effort, not that much to see.

Oh, also I didn't take the trailer out on the road from Fairbanks to the Artic Circle, the one that heads to Predromme Bay. Too many trucks and quite a wash board road as I've been told.

All the rest of the roads are better than most rural roads here in California. Much better.

[David and Nancy]

We took our Casita to Skagway in September of '04. I didn't think the road was any worse than many of the passes in the lower 48. I can't remember the name of the little RV park we stayed in, but it was right in town and convenient. There is a Park Service campground over toward Dyea, that would be more aesthetic if you can do without hookups.

Nancy and I may be the only ones on this forum who hauled a fiberglass trailer all the way to Prudhoe Bay. I am glad we made the trip, but wouldn't do it again with a more valuable trailer. We had a very beat-up old Scamp at the time and that trip beat it up a lot worse. Four hundred miles of gravel really pockmarked the front of the trailer and we also had a break in the frame that had to be welded. In dry weather there is so much dust on the Dalton Highway that they water it down with tankers. Our truck and trailer were totally coated with a silty mud that dried like concrete. Not a great look for a white trailer. A truck mounted camper is the most appropriate RV for that road. However on later trips up there, much of the road south of Coldfoot had been paved. But we took a tent instead of the trailer. I have also been up the road to Chicken and beyond and would hesitate to take a fiberglass egg on that one for the same reasons. Too much washboard and flying rock.

[emma henry]

We took our Casita to Skagway in September of '04. I didn't think the road was any worse than many of the passes in the lower 48. I can't remember the name of the little RV park we stayed in, but it was right in town and convenient. There is a Park Service campground over toward Dyea, that would be more aesthetic if you can do without hookups.

Nancy and I may be the only ones on this forum who hauled a fiberglass trailer all the way to Prudhoe Bay. I am glad we made the trip, but wouldn't do it again with a more valuable trailer. We had a very beat-up old Scamp at the time and that trip beat it up a lot worse. Four hundred miles of gravel really pockmarked the front of the trailer and we also had a break in the frame that had to be welded. In dry weather there is so much dust on the Dalton Highway that they water it down with tankers. Our truck and trailer were totally coated with a silty mud that dried like concrete. Not a great look for a white trailer. A truck mounted camper is the most appropriate RV for that road. However on later trips up there, much of the road south of Coldfoot had been paved. But we took a tent instead of the trailer. I have also been up the road to Chicken and beyond and would hesitate to take a fiberglass egg on that one for the same reasons. Too much washboard and flying rock.

Hi David and nancy,
We're planning a trip to the Yukon and Alaska this year - hoping to leave by the end of May (from Edmonton, Alberta). From Whitehorse we were planning to go to Dawson City and on to Tetlin Jct. via the Top of the World Hwy. I thought there was only a very short part of that Hwy that wasn't paved. We pull an Oxygen trailer with a Ford Freestar van. Should we change our plans and go back over Whitehorse? Has anyone else done this route?
Emma.

[burtt]

It has been several years since we made the trek up the Alcan to Alaska, but would recommend it to anyone.

At that time 2002, We pulled a Coleman Popup from Western New York, across Canada, up the Alcan, to Tok, Down through Glenallen to Valdez, up to Anchorage, and then finally up to Fairbanks. The roads in Alaska were surprisingly good, even the Dalton Highway (which we took up to the Artic Circle).

The worst section of the road we ran into was between Haines Junction and Alaska (around Destruction Bay) From what I understand, this section of road gets wiped out every spring and they have to repair it. It was pretty rough.

Didn't have any issue towing a camper on any of the roads, but it did get beaten up by the rocks quite a bit. Shattered the battery case, sandblasted the tongue/frame, etc. The worst part was when a rock bounced off the trailer and shattered the rear window. This happened in the middle of the night, just north of Whitehorse. It was quite a scare, especially to the kids...

For anyone planning on a trip up the Alcan and in Alaska, Top of the world, etc, I highly recommend that you buy yourself a current copy of the MilePost (http://milepost.com/). The MilePost is the best source for road conditions, fuel locations, sights to see, construction, etc. It will be a lifesaver...

My wife and I did it with 4 of our kids in a van and popup, and we enjoyed it enough that we are planning on going back, but without the kids next time....