Alaska trip 2019

planning a trip from Seattle to Anchorage in July of 2019 with a stop in Denali National Park and Preserve. i did this trip before with a tour group on a bus so i know how vast the areas between towns or villages can be and fuel prices are up there but looking for advice on anyone who has done this before on equipment, routes, or places to visit between Seattle and Anchorage planng on driving through B.C. and Yukon territory

 

I rode from California to Inuvik on my motorcycle 31 years ago. I can’t give any up-to-date advice but have fun! Drive carefully to avoid flats - and bears and moose. I know “print is dead” but I’d recommend buying and bringing a copy of The Milepost http://www.themilepost.com/

 

Subbed. Also doing Alaska in 2019....from New Orleans

 

Subbed . Doing Seattle to Fairbanks drive this Oct for PCS and in the process of getting the truck ready for the journey.

 

I drove from Huntington Beach to Seward, AK two years ago. Buy the newest copy of Milepost before you leave, and once you start getting away from the cities you basically want to fill up when you pass a gas station if you're at half a tank. Services in the area are super sparse so don't go apeshit with the offroading when you get up into the areas with like 1 gas station every 4 hours and reliable towing probably even more lol. The exchange rate was damned good when we did the trip so it ended up being even cheaper than we expected, so you might have that going for you.

 

Might be doing this as well after we cross country from East coast to visit family in Seattle then up to Anchorage. Interested in the details and advice.

 

As said above, when you start to get further north and towns don't happen as often, don't pass a station. It's not bad but there were a few spots i skipped and it was a bit close.

Bring additional credit cards and make sure you let them know you're traveling. Mine flagged an unattended gas station as fraud in the middle of nowhere, 150 or so miles to another station. No cell service, no attendant for cash.

Roads... Just as nice as the roads you're used to. I went north from jasper to chicken, looped around Alaska and South as close to the coast as you can (which isn't close at all). Venturing to the coast means 3+ hour long out and backs once you get north of Vancouver area.

Make sure your vehicle is in running order, basic spare items like oil, belt, washer fluid. With decent a/t tires, patch kit and on board air... There's no reason to carry two spares unless you intend on doing heavy wheeling. Carry a jerry can or two of gas just in case.

Best tip... If it looks like packed mud, it might be permafrost. The second time you drive on it, it might turn into quicksand. Not that i learned the hard way.. Hours from another human being.



Plenty of pics and info lost somewhere in the link in my sig.

 

Following up from my above post, based on my experience riding from California to Inuvik taking unpaved roads as much as possible, in 1987. You’ll pass through many remote areas. Gas stations are few and far between especially in Canada. The roads are rough, and many supposedly “paved” sections will be under construction with miles of gravel, mud, and heavy equipment on your side of the road with no flaggers. Bugs and critters abound, and some are bigger than you. Lots of places wouldn’t take credit cards and not many ATM’s either (if my ATM card even worked in Canada in those days). All that said, I had zero mechanical issues or flats or crashes, never ran out of gas or got lost, and this was all pre-Internet, cell phones, unattended pay-at-the-pump gas stations etc. I’m sure it’s easier now and a Tacoma is probably a better vehicle choice than my Honda XL600R thumper was. Be careful, don’t worry, and have fun!

 

Yup, it's an easy drive now.

And for anyone planning a trip I'd suggest going to inuvik instead of prudhoe bay. Nothing to see at prudhoe bay. The drive is scenic though.

 

Question for yall that made the drive. I've heard horror stories about the mosquitoes in AK and some of the more remote areas of CAN...are they all that bad, esp in mid-late Oct for camping?

 

It’s an easy drive, nothing to worry about. I carry 10-15 gallons of gas as a backup in case a station is closed, card doesn’t work, I get stuck, etc. Gas prices last week ranged from $3.63 to $4.43 USD through Canada. The drive can take as little as two days border to border or as long as you want depending on time available and how much you want to stop and see.

Reasonable spare parts like belts, hose repair kits, tire plugs are a good idea but you shouldn’t be so remote that you need to take the whole garage with you.

Mosquitos can be bad but by mid-late october they should have been killed by the freeze. Your issue at that time of year is going to be closed gas stations because of the end of the tourism season and cold temps while camping.

 

Great thanks! I noticed you were from Fairbanks..in terms of recovery & off road gear, what has been the most essential items for you? I'm also in the process of acquiring all I need to winterize the truck.

 

Maxtrax or knock offs, winch, hilift and not being a single vehicle. Not much different then anywhere else really. You should be able to winterize your truck yourself and save a bunch of money. A battery heater, oil pan heater and engine block heater, run all three plugs to a 3-to-1 short extension cord and run that single plug out the front somewhere. Make sure your coolant is good for below -40° or get it flushed and refilled properly. See about a two way autostart while you’re down there and it will probably be cheaper than here.

 

It's been quite a few years since I drove to Alaska, but for me the most memorable part of the trip started in Banff and went along the spine of the Rockies all the way to Prince George. It turned east there and took me to Dawson Creek, the start of the Alaskan highway. The scenery was spectacular, the towns few and far between, but the provincial parks were leaps and bounds nicer than anything in the lower 48. Even in the middle of summer, most were deserted or nearly so but very well maintained. Actually, starting the Alaskan highway was almost an anti-climatic part of the trip. I highly recommend this route. (I think it was called the Big Horn highway...)

 

Bring extra tires up the haul road. Services are few and far between north of Fairbanks and geared more to 1 ton crew trucks rather ghan half ton and smaller.

 

I've driven up there multiple times and never had a flat. The condition of the road is exaggerated greatly, it's paved for half the distance to Deadhorse and generally well graded dirt and gravel for the rest. If you drive like a normal person and take care not to smash the potholes at speed you have nothing to worry about.

 

So have I, also sans flat. Have had others get flats on the same trip though.

 

The haul road may be well paved now, but when I was there (~1999) it was done with 1/2-3/4" gravel and like driving on a worn cheese grater. My truck tires held up well, but the pop-up trailer blew a tire about 30 miles outside Fairbanks. Because it was light, and I was absorbed with the surrounding scenery, I didn't notice until the tire was reduced to the steel belts, and the wheel was peened over enough that I had to hammer it back to get to the lug nuts. Fortunately I had two spare mounted tires, and while I was busy with repairs, two big rigs stopped to ask if I needed help or a ride. Doubtful that would have happened here in Michigan. Good to know if you do have a problem, you might have to wait, but they won't leave you stranded.

 

My guess is either by people for the IG to make it look like a "most dangerous route" or by the people who have never left their state... in Nebraska.

The only time I would see it as anything more dangerous than anywhere else in the country is during the winter when the temps will kill you in no time without gas/heat.

 

@Flash_Adalwolf A friend and I are making the run to Inuvik next June if you want to come with us.

Funny enough, I have family in Marysville on 52nd by the school.