Driving to AK

[Newtosavage]

Just off the top of my head?

Deadman Lake- just over the border, free campground, canoeing, fishing- skeeters will eat you alive.

Eat at Fast Eddie's in Tok.

Chena Hot Springs- awesome place! Good hiking trails and campgrounds in area.

Eat at one of the great restaraunts or breweries in Fairbanks.

Denali National Park.

Denali Highway to Brushkana campground- great spot.

Byers Lake.

Talkeetna.

Nancy Lakes.

Hatcher Pass.

Drive through Anchorage as fast as possible!

Girdwood- eat at Chair 5, camp at Crow Creek Mine, hike the trails.

Portage Valley.

Side trip to Hope.

Seward. Hike Caine's Head, Mt. Alice, Exit Glacier, or Lost Lake.

Homer....take fishing charter out of here or Ninilchik.

Drive back thru Anchorage like a bat outta hell.

Lake Louise.

Side trip to McCarthy.

Return from whence ye came....

Thanks! I'll be looking all those up. Fast Eddies in AK? Say it isn't so.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Oh, don’t forget Skinny Dick‘s Halfway Inn.


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[Akwoodchuck]

Thanks! I'll be looking all those up. Fast Eddies in AK? Say it isn't so.

Best eats within I don't know how many hundreds of miles radius....after eating Canadian food you'll think you died and went to heaven....

 

[Jimbob]

Might not happen this summer. Opening the US/CDN border is not a priority for our Prime Minister. Yukon border is also closed but they are allowing trackers to drive through the province, no stopping though.

Hopefully it’s possible.


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[AK Troutbum]

Might not happen this summer. Opening the US/CDN border is not a priority for our Prime Minister. Yukon border is also closed but they are allowing trackers to drive through the province, no stopping though.

Hopefully it’s possible.


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They’re also allowing active duty military, with orders to PCS to places in the lesser 48, through Canada. I’ve seen two drive out in the last couple weeks, with several more preparing to leave in the next month or so.


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[Yukon Cornelius]

by the way, check out the alaska outdoors supersite, that will definitely get you fired up.
border still closed?, go to bellingham and take the ferry north.party on the upperdeck with the hippies, great fun

Ferry may not be an option either. And if it
Is running, May not have an opening g

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

If you live in Alaska they will allow you to come through Canada. You just can’t stop anywhere except to get gas and camp I believe.

Just follow the quarantine guidelines please.

 

[Werty]

I've done it twice, I plan on doing it many more times. I've lived there twice now. Go fishing, hiking, boating. Alaska is what you make it.

 

[Tod osier]

My wife and I are thinking of taking the month of July off, and driving to AK for our 30th. Just an idea at this point. I'd love to hear from those in the lower 48 who have done this, where they went, how long they stayed and what their experience was like.

Thanks.

We are in the same boat as far as the border. We were planning on leaving here mid June, but don’t know what the plan will be. Can leave up until mid July and still make the fly in trip we have scheduled, but would miss a bunch of fishing we have planned. Hoping it will work.

the drive is spectacular, worth it for just that. The suggestions you got already are great. Get a milepost, that is an absolute necessity for the drive up and once there.

on the ferry, we checked. There is a ferry that will run even if the borders close. It opened late and was pretty booked when we checked a couple weeks ago. For our truck, camper, three people and dog, it would, be 7K each way, so that was a nonstarter for us.

 

[Dexter Grayson]

I have heard they are letting Alaska residents through the border. I hope its true because were planning on trying to cross in just over a week.

The drive is incredible! Laird River Hot springs is a must and yes Fast Eddies in Tok is good!

Troutbum and Woodchuck pretty much nailed it on what to do while in AK.

 

[Newtosavage]

Thanks for all the replies so far. I'm sure hoping we can get through in July. Even mid-July would work for us. Gotta be back in the states by the 2nd week of August.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Did it the first time in 1961, Ft. Wainwright to the maternal grand parents in Illinois, I was six. Fantastic adventure. Picked up a one armed trapper who rolled cigarettes with one hand, dropped him at the hospital in Whitehorse. Said a bear had eaten his arm.
made the trip many times since, build a flexible itinerary and take your time.

 

[keller]

awesome trip i took 6 weeks. get a copy of the milepost and camping alaska by mike and terri church

 

[tdot]

Not sure where you are coming from, but the drive thru Canada can be very different, depending on where you enter. If you are on a sightseeing trip, I'd suggest entering somewhere in BC, or Western Alberta, get into the mountains asap and head North. It's a spectacular drive and this may be a unique year where the parks/highways aren't as over run with tourists. The drive up north thru the prairies can be brutally boring.

Another route to Alaska thru BC is to skip the start of the Alaska Hwy, instead head for Smither's, BC, then keep going til you hit the 37 and go North on that up to Liard in the Yukon, get on the Alaska hwy at that point. It's a different drive and not one that many people do.

 

[VernAK]

I made my first trip to Alaska in 69 and have round-tripped several dozen time since. The difference in highway conditions is amazing and in a few places I can see where I'm on gen 3 road and the old routes are still visible.

At this time, it's not recommended to even attempt with the covid restrictions. There are all sorts of rigid rules and I don't think tourists are even allowed to transit YT at this time. Vehicles with Alaska plates are not allowed to turn into Whitehorse and are only allowed 24 hours to transit YTs 600 miles from Watson Lake to Beaver Creek.

Travel light!

Don't be in a hurry to get to Alaska as YT has a lot to see: Atlin, Carcross, Dawson city, Top of the World.
The Toad River country has the greatest variety of game so slow down and use the binos.

YT is the size of California with only 35K residents.......enjoy it as South Central Alaska and the Kenai Penninsula are usually overwhelmed with tourists but not this year.

If you can time it right, drive down to Skagway and catch the one hour ferry ride to Haines as another alternative route.

The old roadhouses are almost extinct. Toad River can usually put together an acceptable breakfast but pack food and hold out for Fast Eddies. The cheapest gas and nicest folks are at Contact Creek.

Go through the Paddle Wheel in Whitehorse.

Drive in very early morning and you'll see much more game. Don't stop close to those old bull bison as they are known to bash your vehicle.

Good Luck and travel light.

 

[VernAK]

Use credit card and notify the CC that you will be traveling foreign and what type of charges are acceptable.

 

[DESERT ED]

Taking the ferry up with a raised topper on my truck and driving back down has been a dream of mine for a long time. That’s the route I would go.

 

[timekiller13]

Doing a road trip to Alaska is a life long dream of mine and will happen one day.

2 years ago, my wife and I flew to Anchorage and rented an RV and took off. Things I recommend seeing are Denali National Park, Denali State Park, Talkeetna, Hatcher Pass, Nancy Lakes area, Whittier, Girdwood, Chugach state park, Seward, take a drive down Seward Hwy and Glenn Highway. While your are there might as well get on the train and check that out. We did it all the way to Spencer Glacier and it was worth it.

We had planned on going back this summer and doing the same thing, but focusing on the Kenai Peninsula. Stupid COVID put that on hold.

Just be forewarned, you will fall in love with the place. I joked with my wife for years about moving to Alaska and she wouldn't even hear of it. After our first visit, she told me "I really think I could live there." This is coming from a woman who has never lived more than 50 miles from her parents, she truly started considering moving 4,000 miles.

 

[Dexter Grayson]

I made my first trip to Alaska in 69 and have round-tripped several dozen time since. The difference in highway conditions is amazing and in a few places I can see where I'm on gen 3 road and the old routes are still visible.

At this time, it's not recommended to even attempt with the covid restrictions. There are all sorts of rigid rules and I don't think tourists are even allowed to transit YT at this time. Vehicles with Alaska plates are not allowed to turn into Whitehorse and are only allowed 24 hours to transit YTs 600 miles from Watson Lake to Beaver Creek.

Vern, where are you getting your information? The wife, baby and I are hitting the road in one week to get back up there.

 

[VernAK]

I'm at the end of the Alcan and visiting with snowbirds that are just returning also I have friends in the Whitehorse area. They were required to be self-contained as in an RV.......no restaurants etc.

My neighbor is a trucker and makes three trips a week to Beaver Creek for trailer exchange with other truckers and he confirms the reports.

Just exactly what "self-contained" means is debatable.

Fast Eddies is open for limited seating.

Hopefully this will end soon but YT has a very liberal territorial government in line with Trudeau.

This is all very disappointing for me also as I usually escape to YT for a month in the summer.