We are planning a trip to be in Alaska in August of 2021 probably for most of the month. Currently 3 couples in 3 vehicles. Reasonably experienced travelers but none of us has driven to AK. Myself and my wife were there last year for 2 weeks so have an idea what we want to see and where to go but not set in stone. We are leaving from Texas... each of us "may" have our own schedule to get there and possibly plan on a meetup there. I am asking for any input on must sees, must avoids and so on. If you have been and don't plan on going again, in the near future, I'd like to purchase your maps? Also any recommended routes through Canada appreciated... either going up or coming back.
Alaska 2021
- Thread starter XJINTX
- Start date
The “Milepost” map is essential. The Kenai peninsula is wonderful. Take a trip out on Resurrection Bay from Seward. Homer too is great to stock up on smoked salmon and halibut down on the spit. We went in 2017 driving from New England.
Top the world highway is beautiful.
If you’d like to see our route and journal I kept a blog (blogs are organized latest first so to read through go to last page and move forward)
http://alaskan-yukon-roadtrip.blogspot.com/?m=1
Top the world highway is beautiful.
If you’d like to see our route and journal I kept a blog (blogs are organized latest first so to read through go to last page and move forward)
http://alaskan-yukon-roadtrip.blogspot.com/?m=1
Have you driven through Alberta and BC before? What are your interests along the way? We're planning a trip up to the Yukon and NWT in 2021, maybe Alaska if the border is open by then. I am planning around hiking/canoeing opportunities and would be glad to share what I've come up with so far.
You definitely need the "bible" Mile Post.Even if you can find a used one not much changes every few years.
Also just about every town/village/fuel stop has a info/visitors center.Always a huge wealth of info.
Buckland 's info about Seward/Homer right on.Also check out my trip blog there are 3 Alaska trips to view.
2 were with the camper one tenting.
You can cut down on the driving if you want to take the Alaska ferry.
I found taking the ferry north from Bellingham ,Washington to Haines then driving north to start the trip works.
Then you can take your time to drive home.
The ferry trip is really great.You get to see a lot of the inside passage.
Our two camper trips 2011 5 weeks/2016 6 weeks got us to the Kenai area in 2016 and Denali both trips.
The top of the world hwy and the Dempster are great drives also.
So much to do you lots to see.
Have fun planing.
Frank
Also just about every town/village/fuel stop has a info/visitors center.Always a huge wealth of info.
Buckland 's info about Seward/Homer right on.Also check out my trip blog there are 3 Alaska trips to view.
2 were with the camper one tenting.
You can cut down on the driving if you want to take the Alaska ferry.
I found taking the ferry north from Bellingham ,Washington to Haines then driving north to start the trip works.
Then you can take your time to drive home.
The ferry trip is really great.You get to see a lot of the inside passage.
Our two camper trips 2011 5 weeks/2016 6 weeks got us to the Kenai area in 2016 and Denali both trips.
The top of the world hwy and the Dempster are great drives also.
So much to do you lots to see.
Have fun planing.
Frank
Are you sure 'most of a month' is enough time? That would be a lot of windshield time relative to adventuring time. That trip is about 4000 miles each way without detours - so 8 days of driving each way until your butt goes numb, leaving less than 2 weeks to actually explore Alaska. It is hard not to stop in Alberta/BC/Yukon/NWT, leaving you even less time in AK.
It is a wonderful trip and we did a few years ago in our wildernest, however we felt super pressed for time even with an 11 week trip.
One way to help with this is to take the Alaska Marine Highway (Ferry) back to Prince Rupert, it is a fun and scenic voyage through the inside passage. You can get a cabin or pitch a tent on the deck of the ferry.
Either way, you will have fun, but more time would be better (isn't that always the case).
It is a wonderful trip and we did a few years ago in our wildernest, however we felt super pressed for time even with an 11 week trip.
One way to help with this is to take the Alaska Marine Highway (Ferry) back to Prince Rupert, it is a fun and scenic voyage through the inside passage. You can get a cabin or pitch a tent on the deck of the ferry.
Either way, you will have fun, but more time would be better (isn't that always the case).
Unfortunately I think the Pr Rupert ferry may not be a choice.
The AMH has been messing with that route. The state is cutting back on funding.
Might change next year.This year the rearranged route I think was every other week.
Anyway yes that is a great alternative to driving the whole way.
Of our 5 trips we used the ferry as much as possible.
It did give us more time not driving and more time checking places out.
Our last trip 2016 was 6 weeks gave us enough time for what we planed.
Frank
The AMH has been messing with that route. The state is cutting back on funding.
Might change next year.This year the rearranged route I think was every other week.
Anyway yes that is a great alternative to driving the whole way.
Of our 5 trips we used the ferry as much as possible.
It did give us more time not driving and more time checking places out.
Our last trip 2016 was 6 weeks gave us enough time for what we planed.
Frank
Vic Harder said:
I also am planning a trip to Tuktoyaktuk in the summer/early fall of 2021, assuming all things clear up by then. Then to Rangell-St. Elias and Kluane NPs and back home through Jasper, et.al.Happyjax said:I would definitely be interested in tagging along. Should be retired and open by then
Coming from Minnesota and returning through Montana.
I planned this trip for 2019 but things didn't work out. It would be fun to meet up and travel with others from here.
goinoregon
Senior Member
if you can include McCarthy, and the wrangel elias np, that place is unbelievable. the glaciers, and the old kennecot copper mine is something to behold. the only bad part, its a bit of a haul to get out there. my friend put it on our itinerary, and i kept complainine about all the driving, but it was so worth it. the glaciers, the mine, the mtns. first rate . we had beers on the porch of the national park.... hotel ? looking out at the glaciers. its amazing.
I will order Milepost today. I will also use your blog as a starting and planning point.buckland said:
I enjoyed BC but never driven through, I would love it if you'd share what you come up withVic Harder said:
I will keep you posted always enjoy companyHappyjax said:I would definitely be interested in tagging along. Should be retired and open by then
Frank, I will check the blog and thanks for the Ferry infoCasa Escarlata Robles Too said:
My wife and I are retired so not stuck with schedule but other two couples each have one partner still working. The plan is a month inside the Alaska border. We will probably each take different routes and time to meetup there. Will not rush leaving too early.rando said:
smlobx
Lost again
We just returned from our trip to AK from VA. The trip was 10 weeks total and given some of the Covid restrictions I feel like we saw/did everything we could have done. Our original plan was for 12 weeks.
As stated above the Milepost is THE BIBLE and should be referred to daily. If you look at the map you quickly realize that there aren’t a lot of roads in Alaska so just drive all of them! But seriously, some of the things we did that stick out to me were:
McCarthy/ Kenecott Mine/ Wrangell, St. Elias NP
Kenai Peninsula just try to minimize your travels from Friday through Sunday
Homer Spit !!!
Denali NP
The Denali Hgwy/ Deadhorse
Something that I would skip would be Manley Hot Springs on your return trip from Deadhorse primarily because the lady who owned the Springs died a couple of years ago and the place is completely overgrown and not usable. Plus the road was 60 miles of rough washboards (think the DV road to the Racetrack)
We spent several days on the Homer spit mainly because it was a jumping off point for several excursions that we took including an incredible marine life viewing day cruise in which we saw several species of whales, seals and bird life. We also took a bush plane to Katmai NP landing on the beach and walking into “The Bear Garden” where we walked among no fewer than 40 Coastal Brown Bears! An experience I’m not sure my heart could stand again but would go back in a heartbeat if I had the chance.
Our original plans were to drive to Prince Rupert BC and take the ferry up to Haines but the AMHS was a complete mess this year. First they decided to cancel stopping in Prince Rupert so they switched us to Bellingham which was ok. Then they postponed our trip by a month which was not ok so we cancelled and drove up. The truth of the matter is that BC and Alberta are beautiful and well worth the drive. There are also two different routes, the Alcan and the Cassiar Highways so you’ll still have something to see. One note about traveling through the Yukon the roads are rough! Be sure to take your time if you can and enjoy the scenery and wildlife.
We also stayed in Fairbanks and Anchorage a couple of times to reprovision as the prices and availability were the best.
Another note about driving the “Haul Road” to Prudoe Bay. We were advised that we needed 2 spares and would get our windshield cracked. The truth of the matter is that in almost 15k miles of driving, several thousand of which were on gravel roads we did not get any flats or any windshield cracks. Our tires had less than 5K on them when we left and the Toyo ATIII did amazingly well. When on the haul road the trucks (and there were a lot of them) have the right of way so it is in your best interest to slow down and pull over as much as possible which we did. To our surprise every trucker, except one, did the same thing. Curtesy is alive and well !
Here’s a couple of my favorite pictures. Did I mention the fishing??
As stated above the Milepost is THE BIBLE and should be referred to daily. If you look at the map you quickly realize that there aren’t a lot of roads in Alaska so just drive all of them! But seriously, some of the things we did that stick out to me were:
McCarthy/ Kenecott Mine/ Wrangell, St. Elias NP
Kenai Peninsula just try to minimize your travels from Friday through Sunday
Homer Spit !!!
Denali NP
The Denali Hgwy/ Deadhorse
Something that I would skip would be Manley Hot Springs on your return trip from Deadhorse primarily because the lady who owned the Springs died a couple of years ago and the place is completely overgrown and not usable. Plus the road was 60 miles of rough washboards (think the DV road to the Racetrack)
We spent several days on the Homer spit mainly because it was a jumping off point for several excursions that we took including an incredible marine life viewing day cruise in which we saw several species of whales, seals and bird life. We also took a bush plane to Katmai NP landing on the beach and walking into “The Bear Garden” where we walked among no fewer than 40 Coastal Brown Bears! An experience I’m not sure my heart could stand again but would go back in a heartbeat if I had the chance.
Our original plans were to drive to Prince Rupert BC and take the ferry up to Haines but the AMHS was a complete mess this year. First they decided to cancel stopping in Prince Rupert so they switched us to Bellingham which was ok. Then they postponed our trip by a month which was not ok so we cancelled and drove up. The truth of the matter is that BC and Alberta are beautiful and well worth the drive. There are also two different routes, the Alcan and the Cassiar Highways so you’ll still have something to see. One note about traveling through the Yukon the roads are rough! Be sure to take your time if you can and enjoy the scenery and wildlife.
We also stayed in Fairbanks and Anchorage a couple of times to reprovision as the prices and availability were the best.
Another note about driving the “Haul Road” to Prudoe Bay. We were advised that we needed 2 spares and would get our windshield cracked. The truth of the matter is that in almost 15k miles of driving, several thousand of which were on gravel roads we did not get any flats or any windshield cracks. Our tires had less than 5K on them when we left and the Toyo ATIII did amazingly well. When on the haul road the trucks (and there were a lot of them) have the right of way so it is in your best interest to slow down and pull over as much as possible which we did. To our surprise every trucker, except one, did the same thing. Curtesy is alive and well !
Here’s a couple of my favorite pictures. Did I mention the fishing??
Attachments
Just called MilePost and their 2021 version comes out in March. I will order a new one then... not sure how much will change but wife asked we wait. If ANY OF YOU have an older version you want to sell please let me know as I'd love to start getting familiar with it
I’d call Milepost back and also buy the digital version. I put it on my iPad and it is great as one can zoom in on maps. Etc... great for those who need glasses for small print.
goinoregon
Senior Member
hey smlobx - which guides/charters did you use??smlobx said:
daverave
Senior Member
We went up to Alaska from central California last fall. We took 72 days for the total trip and got as far as the Chena River and Fairbanks. One thing to be aware of that impacted our trip were the historically bad Alaskan forest fires that occurred last year. We ended up modifying our intended travels such that we did not spend any time in SE Alaska at all; i.e., the Seward and Kenai Peninsulas, Homer, etc. The smoke was particularly bad in those areas and as far north as the southern edges of Denali NP. Even so, we still had several days with significant haze farther north. So it would behoove you to track any fire activity along your route through BC, Yukon, and Alaska.
We took the Cassiar Highway both going north and returning as the mountains along there appealed to us more than the flatter Alcan. While in BC, be sure to check out BC's Recreation Sites which are small and primitive but convenient and often in beautiful locations. The roads to them can be interesting but it keeps some riff-raff out. There is a government website that shows them all and the Milepost will list many of them that are relatively close to the most traveled highways. When not boondocking we used them the most. We often had them to ourselves if they were more than a few miles off the highway. All in all, we found all of the highways in great shape other than the frost-heaving which is everywhere. Keep an eye out for orange flags in many locations that give you a heads-up to where the bad ones are.
We only spent a bit less than three weeks in AK because we did not want to sprint through all of the real estate in between. We particularly enjoyed the Yukon experience as it seemed less crowded than everywhere else with spectacular country. If you do the Top of the World highway I recommend a side trip to Tombstone Park. Dawson City was also a must-see given all of its history. There is a decent, commercial, urban-like campground right in the middle of town and a much quieter and more natural forest campground across the Yukon River.
I'll go through my maps and stuff and throw out some more info when I get a chance. We would have loved to get back up that way again this year BUT....
Kluane Range Yukon.
We took the Cassiar Highway both going north and returning as the mountains along there appealed to us more than the flatter Alcan. While in BC, be sure to check out BC's Recreation Sites which are small and primitive but convenient and often in beautiful locations. The roads to them can be interesting but it keeps some riff-raff out. There is a government website that shows them all and the Milepost will list many of them that are relatively close to the most traveled highways. When not boondocking we used them the most. We often had them to ourselves if they were more than a few miles off the highway. All in all, we found all of the highways in great shape other than the frost-heaving which is everywhere. Keep an eye out for orange flags in many locations that give you a heads-up to where the bad ones are.
We only spent a bit less than three weeks in AK because we did not want to sprint through all of the real estate in between. We particularly enjoyed the Yukon experience as it seemed less crowded than everywhere else with spectacular country. If you do the Top of the World highway I recommend a side trip to Tombstone Park. Dawson City was also a must-see given all of its history. There is a decent, commercial, urban-like campground right in the middle of town and a much quieter and more natural forest campground across the Yukon River.
I'll go through my maps and stuff and throw out some more info when I get a chance. We would have loved to get back up that way again this year BUT....
Kluane Range Yukon.
daverave
Senior Member
Well as usual I'm having difficulty posting images here so there is no viiew attached.
We also have traveled a lot of the areas Daverave has reported.
I would make the same recommendations. Although we do use the Alaskan Marine Hwy.
We enjoy the change of pace on board the ferrys.
Dawson City and Tombstone park on the Dempster are worth visits.
The campground on the "left bank" at Dawson City is nice and quiet.
The ferry across the river is free.
If you want additional info you might contact member Robbie he lives in Watson Lake Yukon.
Stewert,Bc and Hyder,Ak. off the Cassiar Hwy are worth a visit.
The road out of Hyder along the Salmon river will take to the Salmon Glacier.
We haven't been that far up the road but another member has.
At the right time of year and a good salmon return,there is a great place to watch the spawning salmon
just outside town.
Have fun trip planing,hopefully next year things will return to near normal and you will be able to make that trip.
Frank
I would make the same recommendations. Although we do use the Alaskan Marine Hwy.
We enjoy the change of pace on board the ferrys.
Dawson City and Tombstone park on the Dempster are worth visits.
The campground on the "left bank" at Dawson City is nice and quiet.
The ferry across the river is free.
If you want additional info you might contact member Robbie he lives in Watson Lake Yukon.
Stewert,Bc and Hyder,Ak. off the Cassiar Hwy are worth a visit.
The road out of Hyder along the Salmon river will take to the Salmon Glacier.
We haven't been that far up the road but another member has.
At the right time of year and a good salmon return,there is a great place to watch the spawning salmon
just outside town.
Have fun trip planing,hopefully next year things will return to near normal and you will be able to make that trip.
Frank
daverave
Senior Member
https://www.flickr.com/photos/da_edwards/49592290673/
Here's that Kluane Range shot in the Yukon. I concur with Casa about Stewart and Hyder, very worth it. We drove up to the lookout over the Salmon Glacier (along with a bunch of other folks) which is a longish, bumpy but plenty wide dirt/gravel/mud road. Spent a one night boondock there, one of the highlights of our trip but stake out a spot early in the afternoon or late morning.
Here's that Kluane Range shot in the Yukon. I concur with Casa about Stewart and Hyder, very worth it. We drove up to the lookout over the Salmon Glacier (along with a bunch of other folks) which is a longish, bumpy but plenty wide dirt/gravel/mud road. Spent a one night boondock there, one of the highlights of our trip but stake out a spot early in the afternoon or late morning.
Beautiful picture of the Kluane Range.
Thanks
Frank
Thanks
Frank
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