Moving to Alaska in December, ALCAN or Ferry?

Good to know. I also found that you cannot use studs higher that 3.5mm. As I thought Alberta has no restrictions and neither does the Yukon. Honestly though he's better off leaving the Generals alone and driving for the conditions unless he wants and can afford a dedicated set of studded winter tires.

 

I've decided to take route 2 that cuts through Alberta. Mostly because I will be visiting some friends in North Carolina so I decided I didn't need to see the west coast this time around.

Also, I don't plan on studding my Grabbers. I have some chains that I will carry with me just in case, but I don't want to maintain two sets of wheels and tires. What sold me on the Grabbers in the first place is that I could run them year-round in Alaska without worry.

 

Happy trails . Youe wallet will agree with your decision.

 

Safe travels

at least you can get some sleep while you drive through Alboreta , but seriously this is good timing right now to get some Canadian $ as our dollar has dipped quite a bit recently with the fall in oil prices

 

I thought it went all the way back up to nearly $0.90 with the recent employment news and the way our markets are going. I thought it was $0.80 not to long ago when I looked into buying some greenbacks.

 

I stumbled onto this thread, and am intrigued and maybe a little jealous. We visited Alaska for the first time in August, and I wanted to go back before I even left.

So some of us may live vicariously through the OP, are planning to maintain this or another thread or blog during the trip? I'm sure there will be some gaps in cell/internet service, though.

 

.87 USD today

and no , it hasn't been near .80 in ages

 

Thanks! I think I'm going to spend just shy of $5k on the entire trip between gas, hotels and other odds and ends.

Good idea, I didn't think about that. I like to collect the cash from places I have been across the world anyway so I'll grab some to invest and some to keep as a momento.

I can't wait to get up there. I'm getting super excited about the trip. I am planning to update this or another thread with the trip as much as possible. I am going to run my GoPro on the windshield and make a time-lapse video of the drive when I get to Anchorage. I'm also looking at getting a Nikon D5200 for the parts of the trip where I want to take some nice still shots.

 

Good luck! Please note that we, Alberta drivers, are pretty aggressive and drive like maniacs 80% of the time, regardless of weather conditions.. Highway #2, the Queen Elizabeth Highway, is a freaking drag strip from Calgary to Edmonton. The speed limit is 110km/h, but you'd swear it's mearly a guideline based on the drivers.

Highway #2 is THE main highway for goods, so it's in pretty good shape year round. BC us more scenic, but it's all twisty and lots of two way Highway areas. #2 is double lane and straight - in other words, good for winter driving.

If you're pass for through Edmonton, take the Anthony Henday West bound to circumvent the city and traffic. It's an outer ring loop that will pop you back out in the City of St. Albert and back on #2 Northbound. The Anthony Henday East loop won't be complete, so be sure to take the west bound direction.

The yukon is very remote. DO NOT pass up any chance to fill up with gas, no matter how full your tank is.

Cb isn't useless, but the range is limited and you'll be in some remote areas. Ham is better, but you need a licence for that.

If you're planning on camping out remotely, I'd strongly consider bringing a spare battery, just in case something happens to you main battery and you drain it somehow.

Make sure you have winter blend windshield washer fluid so you don't freeze your washer fluid up of you've got the summer stuff in there now.

Chains shouldn't be required, but bring good the last just in case. I use duratracs year round, non-studded and they're fantastic. Pay attention to your tire pressure and you'll be fine.

Put a spare key on your frame somewhere, just in case. Those magnet holder cases work fairly well.

Tow straps wont help you out of a ditch if you're the only one around. Winch would be nice, but consider a highl lift jack. Use your spare as a Deadman anchor (bury it in snow) and you should be able to get yourself unstuck if something happens. Google it.

My paranoid brain can't think of anything else. Beware black ice, watch out for wildlife on thw highways, mind your pole position on highway #2, don't cut off big rigs on the highway, and yes, your cellphone will be pretty much useless in Yukon and Alaska.

 

Sorry for the spelling, but phones aren't the best for posting with.

 

Full tank is less moisture worries.
Maybe pickup an extra set of headlight and tail light bulbs.

Are you a AAA member? If not JOIN, upgrade to the top membership. Just one call will save you the membership fee. I believe AAA and CAA have reciprocity.

Too little time left to get a ham license. Do many folks up there use SAT/Iridium phones, or any the plugin Iridium receivers? Delorme, Go!, Spot, etc..

Or this: Don't have to use it for "communing with nature camping", but great if you need it "stuck in an ice storm until morning.".
Move it away from the truck, run a cord in camper or cab, and a little portable heater will keep you toasty. Run your other stuff, even a small engine heater.

Or 2 even

Play with the jack a bit here before you actually need it.
Also practice safety, safety, safety. North is no place to get hurt or pinned with noooobody coming by.

Made me think of Marvin from Hitchhiker's Guide.

Don't drive when you are over tired or in real poor conditions. Don't get sweaty if outside in cold weather with stuck truck.

Bear and moose are not friendly, and hitting one is hard on the paint. Hitting moose/elk kill people.

Oh! ALWAYS snap the lead on Fido BEFORE opening the truck door.

Watch out for the 2 legged predators.
99.999999% of people are great. But every place has it's vermin.
Consider a truck/trailer alarm.

Keep your wits about you.
Keep a low profile.
Every truckstop has a contingent of lowlifes.
Don't get shitfaced in strange bars.
No offense, but you aren't that famous, rich, or good looking. If some babe suddenly decides she wants to go somewhere private, it is likely a rip.
If something don't feel right, mosey on.
Watch out for phony breakdowns.
Even camping, you might not be as alone as you thought.

Remember, your truck, plus your gear, plus whatever they steal off your body could be a 25k+ haul. Tweaker lottery.

This is where bear spray is actually useful.
Few things non lethal things say Go away like a faceful of pepper spray.

 

Once you hit the Yukon if the weather turns on you and your holed up somewhere don't force it just have a couple more coffees and let the Highways guys get out and address the roads.

If you get into trouble give me a shout ... I'll PM you my info ... or if you have any questions on the Yukon portion of your trip feel free to drop me a PM.

 

I Used to live up in Anchorage. don't forget to take a hand help map. don't rely on just the gps.

 

Got your PM, thanks. I plan on staying the night in Whitehorse and while most days I'm going to try and keep the total mileage under 500 I may get gutsy and make the full sprint from Whitehorse to Anchorage in one day. All depends on the forecast and conditions of the roads.

I was thinking about ordering a map of Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon and Alaska to take with me. I'm not sure if the factory Entune GPS that I have is loaded with Canada and Alaska anyway. I also have a milepost with some simple maps in it.

 

That's just my opinion. I drove from McCord Afb to Elmendorf Afb

 

Watching thread for updates and ideas. I'm making the drive down to TN in Feb.

 

I plan on trying to do my best to create a day by day log of the trip via a new thread on here. I'll add the link in this post so people can follow it. I plan to make it live as long as I have the internets where I stay at night.

 

ALCAN FTMFW!!!! Best trip i've done so far. I would definitely recommend a stop in BANFF. Place is awesome! I can't comment on driving conditions in the winter, but the summer was a piece of cake. We drove our TDI wagon, which I traded in for a Tacoma, and had a blast. The Canadian Rockies are amazing, and we saw a lot of bears and moose. Lots of memories... We plan on driving the ALCAN again when we leave, because 6 days on the ferry will never match our experience on the ALCAN.

 

I'll probably do the same. We'll be making almost the exact same trip lol. I haven't decided a route yet though. But it looks like your driving right through my neck of tennessee

 

When you coming up buddy?