General Boards > General Discussion
Alaska RV caravan experiences
Bruce Benson:
We lived in Alaska for a few years before we retired to full timing in the Beaver.
Alaska is a great place to visit! RVers visit in the summer for good reason. It can be cold and snowy the rest of the year and many facilities are closed. It would seem a waste of time to get there before the first of June. There is a little good fishing in the spring but it is not worth the cold to me. Coming through Canada is much more enjoyable after the snow has left some of the higher elevations. With the price of fuel where it is, there will be a lot less traffic there in the summer anyway. Also keep in mind that heavy traffic would be much less than you would see on an average traffic road in the lower 48. You can often measure the frequency of meeting cars in miles between. As an exception, try to avoid driving Fridays and Sundays within 250 miles of Anchorage, particularly in the afternoon.
There are two ways to think of the drive to Alaska. One is as so many miles to get out of the way to get there. The other is as an enjoyable journey and a whole experience. I pick the latter. I allow a month each way just to get there and get back. I then spend about 3 months in the state. That means leaving the southern part of the lower 48 around the first of May, leaving Alaska about the first of September and being back, usually to Colorado, by the beginning of October. I figure it costs a heck of a lot to do this and spreading it out over 5 months makes it worth it.
Your questions have been answered well already but there are a few additional points I would like to mention.
Learn to dry camp well! Only one state park that I can think of has hookups and that one is electric only. Most of the Canadian Provencal parks have no hookups. Yes, there are commercial parks with full hookups within reach almost everywhere but you are going to miss the real experience if you go that route.
The Cassiar is partly unpaved. The gravel portion is much better than some of the narrow paved parts. Other highways are more comfortable with a big rig but from the West Coast the Cassiar is closer.
Another stretch of gravel is the Top of the World highway from Dawson City to Chicken. Having driven it, I would probably pass on it. It is something to see and if you have not done it perhaps you should. It would not be my choice to be in a caravan over it. Get across on the ferry then hang back (late breakfast perhaps) and let everyone else get way ahead of you. This can be a real dust bowl. If I go back to Dawson City, which I would enjoy doing, I would come back out on the paved road that I went in on.
Expect one windshield chip from oncoming traffic. If you get one by following you are probably following too close. Back off and relax. Bring time with you and you can get most anything that can go wrong fixed anywhere on the highway.
From Destruction Bay north you must slow down because of the frost heaves. Understand that I did not write slow down for the frost heaves! It is impossible to see (or mark) them all and hitting two in a row with the air ride is not a fun experience unless they happen to be in perfect phase with the cycle of the coach. Just plan on slowing to 25 to 30 and staying there for 3 or 4 days until you reach Sheep Mountain, which is almost to Palmer, and you will be much happier. Your ears and your coach will thank you for doing this.
Yes, bring your toad.
The two tightest locations for commercial campground reservations for us have been the cities of Anchorage and Whitehorse.
You will probably find that you will create your own “caravan” as you make the drive. If you are social in the campground you will find that there are others that travel at the same pace you do and you will begin to see the same faces night after night. We have made lifetime friendships driving the highway “on our own”. We never plan over a day ahead, always find a good place to camp and see more than any tour offers. We have done a commercial caravan to a different location and really enjoyed the people that we were with. That may have made up for the short comings of the caravan. The Alaska trips they have are much too short, in our opinion. We often use their itineraries and just make ourselves set up the same tours that they do. It is much cheaper and provides unlimited flexibility.
Have fun!
Larry Fisk:
We are headed home to Alaska as I type. We are now at Davis Cabinets in Eugene, OR getting some new cabinets installed than slowly working our way North. Hope to be home in Sterling, AK by April 23rd. We have made the trip up and down 7 times and always enjoy the adventure. We will spend our summer at home than head south again in September. Love the freedom the Beaver gives us. It's great to get out of the cold and dark in the winter.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[*] Previous page
Go to full version