Traveling from NM to AK with wife, 3 month old and dog in January

Heading to Alaska in January with my wife, 3 month old and 80lbs dog. Wondering if anyone had traveled that far and not have an issue with a DCSB. Planning on getting a camper shell to stick the dog back there. If there is a thread where i can post this sorry in advance and can you point me to the right direction.

 

Lot of guys have moved. Don't be afraid to reach out to say the military side of the forum. Several have ran from AK to places like Georgia and can give you advice for boarder crossing (pets need vaccines, records, SEALED UNOPENED DOG FOOD AT OR BELOW A CERTAIN WEIGHT) firearms claims if you're moving with one ect.

 

Should be an adventure for sure, keep us posted on your way so we know how it went. 3 months you say...

 

How confident are you on snow and ice? And do you have room to equip the truck with survival rations? That's a long, nasty road to do in the middle of winter.

Normally I'd recommend taking the Seattle-Alaska ferry, but last I saw dogs are still only allowed to stay in the car, and you are only allowed to check on them once a day. That's brutal for them.

Edit: I looked it up, they now allow you to check on them once every six hours. But they still have to stay on the car deck.

 

Just a vacation? With the dog in the back you’ll be just fine on the road with the 3 of you in the cab.

 

I am pretty confident i have lived up there for 4 years already and stoked to get back up there. Also forgot to mention that i will be taking the ferry from Seattle to Haines AK.

 

nope heading up there to live

 

Just curious how much would that ferry cost? You'll be fine just remember to stop and take plenty of breaks along the way.

 

Depends on what you're taking, for us its going to be about 2-4k. Thats including a room to sleep in.

 

Nice, couldn’t think of a better time of year to move from the southwest to Alaska

 

good old military

 

The highway is maintained well in the winter (semi trucks use the highway year round). Still can be very wintery. Have cold weather gear.

Mountain snowflake tires are recommend.

Get fuel when you can.

With the covid the Canadians are sensitive to letting folks through the border (too many dumbasses saying they are passing through and vacationing) I would recommend going through the US to minimize time passing through canada. Call the Canadian border folks and make sure you can comply with their requirements.

 

One shift of driving or 100 shifts of driving does not make a difference. I put 42K on my Tacoma in one year. That's 84 days driving 8 hours a day.
Longest single trip was 5.6K in 7 days of driving.

 

are you working on some way to get heat back to the dog? That time of year it could stay around freezing or lower all day.

 

Does the sr5 have the inverter? If so let heating pad that uses less than 100w in the kennel and done.

 

Make 110% sure the Canadians will let you through from Haines to get up to AK. I’ve had several friends drive out this year and two were turned away at the border, despite having jobs in the lower 48 they were moving for. No DUIs or other felonies, right?

Swap for real winter tires before leaving Washington.

 

New Mexico to Alaska is about 3,600 miles. Pretty sure one or two Tacomas have traveled that far and not had issues. What exactly are you worried about?

 

Going to Alaska in January? Sounds cold.

 

oh yeah, that too. Have cold weather gear for everyone easily accessible in case you go in the ditch and have to wait for a couple hours for someone to get you out. We keep ours in a box in the bed. Last January it was -50F for most of the month in the interior of AK and Canada.

Change your coolant out too, for a roughly 60/40 coolant to water mix. That’s good to -62F I believe.

 

OP,

I know this probably sounds basic but pick up a case of non-freeze wiper fluid. I personally use the Rain X but only because that is what is available. Every time I go far north (deep into Quebec) in the winter I end up using a ton of it with flurries, slush, snow and dirt. A super clean windshield is a must have as visibility is key. I know that seems simple but it makes life so much easier and less stressful when driving.