ThePewterPalace Our Love Affair with Avions

Greetings!

As many of you know we celebrated Kevin’s first day of retirement on May 1, 2023 by leaving his native upstate NY and driving out west to SD and then north into Alberta, Canada and through British Columbia, the Yukon Territory and then into Alaska!

LOOKING FOR AK TRAVEL TIPS? READ ON!!

We spent nearly 3 months in Alaska that summer. It was well worth the trip and it far exceeded even our hyped up expectations. We truly believe it is a “must do” adventure of a lifetime.

Since we completely this over 17K mile trip we have met many, many people who have RV’d to AK and many more who have taken cruises out of Seattle and cruised to Alaska. Often many of these folks have done multiple cruises. I can tell you from listening to them that they were enthralled as we were. HOWEVER, there is one BIG DIFFERENCE between RVing (or driving and hotel-ling it) and “cruising the coast” of AK. If you are fortunate enough to have the extra $$ and time to do the special excursion land tours off your cruise ship then indeed you have gotten to see at least the high points, and often the most touristy points of Alaska. But honestly, you have missed a lot!

LET’S START AT THE BEGINNING- THE TIME TABLE OF TRAVEL!

In the ideal situation, you are not pushed for time. Whether you are retired, perhaps have summers off, or can work from the road THIS is the ideal way to take an AK trip. YOU NEED TIME TO MAKE THE TIME/MILES/$$ TO GET THERE WORTH IT!

Please, please do not think you can drive from the lower 48 and tour AK in 3 weeks. It simply is not possible unless you never sleep and are always driving.

Alaska vacations should be planned to arrive into AK proper no earlier than June 1 and depart AK proper no later than Sept 10-15.

WHY?? many stores, gas stations, hotels, and campgrounds simply are NOT open other than between these dates-even on the ALCAN and other major highway routes in Alaska. Some roads are closed due to snow, and the weather can be very unpredictable. The Top of the World Highway which connects the Yukon Territory of Canada and the historic gold rush town of Dawson City, with the northern most border back into the USA typically does not open until MID JUNE! (more on that must do trip later!) In some cases, gas stations do not even start getting their gasoline deliveries until mid to late May at best! (ask our friends Laura and Rob! they ran out of gas cause the 1 station in a 250mile-range had not gotten their 1st delivery yet by May 20!)

You also HAVE to go through Canada to get to AK! Many Canadian Provincial Campgrounds and Parks do not open until after May 15-20 and some do not open until mid-June. Much depends on weather and of course, staffing.

Figure on 3 months of travel to make it worth the miles–We HONESTLY feel the BEST minimum plan is for 1 month in Canada headed north, at least 5 weeks in Alaska, and then another month in Canada headed south back down to the lower 48. You are going up that far to see AK, there is SO much to see, do and experience in Canada–don’t blow through it!

** We actually saw more wildlife up close in Canada than we did in all of Alaska! (Caribou, Mountain Big Horn Sheep, Mountain Goats, Grizzly’s, Black Bear, Red Fox, Porcupine, Moose, Deer, & Eagles. How you split up your Canada routes depends on which place in the lower 48 your are crossing at. We crossed on the EAST side of the Canadian Rockies (Calgary side) into the Alberta and visited Banff, Jasper, the Icefield Highway, and then north into British Columbia to Dawson Creek to begin the ALCAN north to Whitehorse and then north into the Yukon Territory to Dawson (Dawson City). Coming back down through Canada from AK we stayed on the west side of the Canadian Rockies through the entire length of mid and western British Columbia. Every road, every turn was a new adventure!

To view a complete section-by-section detail of our RV trip as well as distances traveled, campgrounds we stayed at, specific special sites we visited you can find all of that here with this LINK! It will honestly make your trip planning SO MUCH EASIER if you take our cues! We do the work for you!

SHOULD I FLY IN, RENT A CAR AND STAY IN HOTELS IN ALASKA?

OR

SHOULD I DRIVE MY RV UP TO ALASKA?

Here is a simple comparison chart we did comparing our cost of RV travel with our 2011 GMC 2500 HD Denali truck (gas) towing our 32 foot Avion travel trailer (10K # trailer) LINK TO SEE OUR HOTEL VERSUS RV PRICE COMPARISON!

Its a big question and an important one. Here is our feelings on this:

If you already have a dependable RV (and able to do minor repairs yourself is helpful), then put new tires on, do ALL your long pre-trip maintenance and hit the road!! In an RV not only will you save a ton of $$ versus hotel stays, but you will be afforded the flexibility and ability to travel off the beaten paths, experience the true interior areas of Alaska and be more comfortable surrounded by your own kitchen, bathroom and bed! You will become much more aware of the geological changes, the flora and fauna, the local people and rhythm that is Alaska-slow & easy does it!

Despite the well circulated rumors of horrible roads in AK, it simply was not our experience. Most highways are paved but with little to no shoulders- but have many pull offs to rest, have a picnic in, and/or stay overnight in your RV for free. We have been on FAR WORSE ROADS IN THE LOWER 48 (hello OH, IN, PA, LA and Interstate 10 from CA to FL!) Yes, the “Destruction Bay” area is lumpy due to the high levels of perma frost but as with 90% of the roads and highways we drove on, many of the dips and frost heaves are marked with flags, you can follow the painted lines way ahead and see where they get wavy….this is all indications to slow down, perhaps cross over onto the oncoming lane if appears better and no traffic is coming. Speaking of traffic, in Canada and in AK until you are around any major cities or towns…there simply is NOT a lot of traffic at all. There were times on the ALCAN where we would perhaps see 5 other RVs and a few Oil or Timber trucks over a 2 hour drive! The key to driving safely and preserving the shocks on your RV or car is to go slow. A posted speed limit is the limit…it is a suggestion. It does not mean you have to go that fast or faster. More times than not, when we saw a Fifth-Wheel barreling along at 70-75 MPH they would be the ones along the side of the road broken down with a broken leaf spring or shocks. Slow down, but that being said do NOT hold up traffic either. ***In fact, there are posted signs on many routes saying do not allow more than 3-4 vehicles behind you or you MUST pull into a pull out and allow them to pass you. It actually is the law and can be enforced by PD patrols.

If TIME is constrained and Alaska is the “main menu” and reason for the trip, but MONEY is NOT a problem….then fly up, rent a car (or a smaller Class c RV-there are plenty of rentals in Ak) and do your trip staying in hotels, Air BnBs’,, fishing camp cabins. Many larger campgrounds, even some state parks also have cabins which may be a great choice over a well worn in town or remote non-brand motel. Many of the smaller towns and villages have limited motels (no corp. brands up there!) and are often kinda run down in our opinion but still charge $80-200 a night due to demand and such a short tourist season.

PLAN YOUR DRIVING ROUTES CAREFULLY TO AVOID A LOT OF DOUBLING BACK!

Considering time and gas is valuable in AK, it is our opinion to plan your routes thoughfully. Having to criss cross or double back on the same road could cost you a full day or more of travel. In general, most travelers to AK will tell you there are TWO MAIN CHOICES OF TRAVEL DIRECTIONS IN ALASKA..

“Clockwise or Counter-clockwise“??

There are only so many highways (especially that are RV friendly enough) and passable dirt/dust roads you will need and want to go on to get from “must see” destinations, historic sites, quaint gold rush towns, and the bigger cities of Anchorage, Fairbanks and even Valdez. In between, there are many small towns (2 buildings – one may or may not be a gas station) and smaller villages to visit. Do not pass them by, stop, visit, enjoy a bite to eat. Ask the locals what you should see with a 10 mile radius of “here.” Pin point out the must-see frequently discussed tourist attractions, the museums-which many small towns and indigenous tribes have and are wonderful! We chose “Counter Clockwise” for our trip because we needed to meet a fellow RV group of Escapee members in Fairbanks on June 10th for a week camping together.

Again, here is our post which shows you all of the places we camped and visited and our direction of route. Scroll down our “travel log” page to find the CA and AK segments! You will be glad you did!

BE FLEXIBLE IN YOUR TRAVEL DAYS AND DIRECTIONS-MOTHER NATURE MAY HAVE OTHER PLANS!

Anything from weather, to road construction to a person telling you of a “must see” you had not planned for is the reason to keep flexible. EXAMPLE: We had every intention of taking the Cassiar Highway south from AK into BC however, due to raging wild fires in BC we had to re-route and stay on the ALCAN. So we did and rebooked an additional 2 night stay at our favorite LIard Hot Springs for more nature hot springs soaks and swims.

YES, BUY THE MILEPOST BOOK, BUT IT ONLY REALLY HELPS ONCE YOU ARE ON THE ALCAN!

The Milepost is a bible of sorts when traveling through northern Canada and into Alaska. However, its nearly 2.5 inch thick book is pretty daunting when first looked at. A lot of it does not make sense until you are actually on the various named highways and you are following along in the book in the direction YOU are traveling (which may be the complete opposite of the direction the book has). I used little sticky arrows purchased at Staples and pre-trip simply flagged pages that had special attractions, museums, natural wonders or highly talked about towns, etc. to stop at. Do not try to plan your entire trip just using the Milepost. You will be sorry and very confused. Wait till you get “in country”. Also, the edition that was printed just 1 year before your travel year is usually fine to use, not too much changes other than perhaps stores may be out of business, or a gas station may change brand.

10 TRAVEL TIPS:

1. Do stop into the Chamber of Commerce building in Dawson Creek (photo above) and pick up their gas station list brochure. Very helpful and always up to date for your travel time. They have nice souvenirs too. Park there in front of the ALCAN sign and do a photo op in their parking lot. Then walk one block into the center of downtown and visit the coffee shop and the authentic meat market and stock up on well priced, delicious meats for your trip if you are RVing it!
2. When your gas tank gets to half full, top off at the very next gas station you see. Forget about the pricing…yes it is higher than the lower 48 but think of how long it is to get there! Many gas stations are also in front of hotels and general stores. The gas station in Haines Crossing also has FHU pull through campsites!
3. Most gas stations are very well set up for even big RVs and have pumps that are parallel to the building for easy pull in and out. So refreshing compared to cramped lower 48 stations!
4. If you plan to stay in high demand places (camping or hotels) you MUST book WAY Far ahead! This is especially true if you have a longer RV of 28-30 ft or longer. Places like Valdez, Seward, Homer Spit, Haines, Skagway, Denali National Park, Talkeetna (our fav village!) get full and sold out very early in the year. I was booking some camping stays in Nov 2022 for summer 2023. Most websites will tell you when their booking for the upcoming year is open, if not, email them and ask.
5. Fort St. John has an excellent GMC/Chevy Dealership. Ask us how we know!! They even allowed us to boondock on their side lawn for 2 nights while fixing our truck.
6. Be sure your travel routes include the major artery highways in AK. These are in the best condition, have the most services for camping, food, hotels, shopping. These include: the ALCAN, The Richardson Hwy, The Parks Hwy, Glen Hwy, Denali Hwy, Cassiar Hwy in BC. We did NOT take the time to drive up to the Artic Ocean. It is not advisable for RVs. You can do it from Fairbanks in one day if you have mulitple drivers and drive up and back, other wise a tiny hotel room will cost you up there and the road will wrack your vehicle too. Small cars not advised at all to try. Was not worth the time or gas to us.
7. Expect road construction. Road crews literally have 3 months to do roads on a state the size of TX, CA and MT combined! Go slow, keep your windows and vents closed to reduce dust!
8. Three Bears Supermarkets in Tok and a few other spots along main highways are excellent and have the best prices. There is a Costco and Super Walmart in Fairbanks and Anchorage. And don’t miss out on the signature SWEETIE of AK….Cinnamon Buns! Many small towns and remote locations boast of having the best bund made by locals- be sure to stop!
9. When you see one of the many, many 18-wheel trucks barreling around an outward curve/ bend in the road and coming towards you slow down, pull off if you can to avoid going past them on the turn. These truck tend to kick up lots of stones and those stones love to find your windshield as they sail out at a 45 degree angle! Ask us how we know….yes, two chips enroute to Dawson City in the Yukon. Bring along a simple windshield repair kit to do yourself, or like we did we had a mobile repair guy come to our campground in downtown Dawson Creek- he did a great job and affordably too.
10. Last but not least….take a ton of photos cause you may never be back this way again.
    • Do at least 1 or 2 glacier cruises where you also will see whales, seals, eagles and more!
    • Take photos of glaciers to record where they were when you visited,….some are shrinking really fast!
    • Get out and hike, pack your mosquitto repellant, and avoid dusk when they are most feriocious!
    • Buy the badminton type rechargable zappers…they really work in the campground, in RV or hotel room. The mosquitos are their fun national pet up there. They are truly really big, but that makes them slow and easy to swat.