To Alaska advice

[Mark31]

I am leaving SC May 1 to go to Indianapolis, pick up a Woodmizer, and then to Palmer, Alaska. Someone suggested a screen over the grill (or grill guard)to protect against flying gravel or whatever they call that road material. I was also told that a seasoned Alaska traveler had clear (clearer?) window tint put on the outside of his windshield and then removed after his trips. I would appreciate any comments, advice, tips, warnings, encouragements, etc that you could give this flatlander. I have an '04 2500 Quad 4X4 Cummins (41k) with about 40-45% tread left on original Michelins. How much fuel capacity will I need? How much is fuel up there now? Mark

 

[Nate]

I carried 5 gallons of diesel just in case but never needed it. Start looking for a fuel pump when you get under 1/4 tank and you won't have any issues.



The roads are just about all pavement now. The only gravel you will hit are in construction areas.



Drove from Maine to Alaska in 2002

Alaska to Idaho in 2005

 

[Grizzly]

Do a search on the thread, "Alaska trip in a cab-over-camper", by grizzly, 170 posts. Last post was 27 Sept 06 under Towing Hauling and RV Forum. There is much information on going to Alaska there.



To answer your questions:

1, You do not need to screen your grill or windshield any more. We took the trip last summer and never got one rock chip or flat tire. We also took the trip in 95 and screened everything, which was very necessary then.

2. Diesel is available everywhere. Take along a current MilePost, it will tell you all the locations where you can get diesel, medical supplies, food, phones, hospitals, internet service. A MilePost is a must, it's an Alaska bible. Word of advice, never let your fuel tank get below half and no need to carry an extra fuel can.



Feel free to ask me anything or you can PM me. Let me know if you have problems searching the stated thread. One more thing, going to Alaska in early July is much better then going in May. Less runoff, mud, bugs, cold. Going in July you will see far more wildlife. I would also advice taking the Cassier Hwy, a little more gravel but less miles and more scenery & wildlife.

 

[PTomlinson]

My parents just got in from Vancouver BC last night. The roads from Vancouver to Whitehorse were in pretty good shape, no rock chips in the windshield of the mini-van. Gas was $1. 20 a litre in Vancouver but dropped down to $1. 059 - $1. 099 once they got out of the Vancouver area. My experience has been that the diesel prices are slightly higher than gas until you get to northern BC. Diesel in Whitehorse is $1. 039 right now (gas is $1. 099 in most stations).



I put a screen over my rad in the summer, but it isn't for rocks, it's to keep the bugs out and make cleanup easier.



Paul

 

[maxburk]

This summer will be our fourth trip to Alaska via RV. We pull a small 5th wheel with an 01 3500. We are primitive campers. If people from the lower 48 are there we are not. We have our own inverter generator and the ability to purify our own water.

A screen for the radiator never hurts. The mile post is an absolute must and we also rely heavily on the Alaskan Camping book for camping. It is written by Mike and Terri Church.

I do not recall you saying how long you would be in Alaska. Our previous trips have been for 3,4,and5 months. We really enjoy all the seasons... ... except winter in Fairbanks. We are leaving late this trip and staying late to see fall colors and hopefully see the northern lights.

I think your camper is a slide in model. Make sure your tires are load range E.

PM me if you need additional information.

 

[Nate]

Personally I think the Milepost is worthless. Pretty much chock full of ads for tourist junk and a couple maps/info pages. You can do the same with any Atlas or halfway decent GPS

 

[maxburk]

Nate has a good point. There is a lot of advertising. I personally do not look at the advertising. We use the book for a mile by mile guide for interesting places to visit. It really is not necessary for a map. You just get on the Alcan at mile zero and stay on the paved road for 1500 miles and you arrive in Fairbanks.

 

[Grizzly]

I hate to differ with you, but I find the MilePost very handy and informative. My wife really liked reading all the history of the various towns we went across plus the history on the construction of the Alcan, which I find of particular interest since I'm retired from the Corps of Engineers who built the Alcan.

 

[Nate]

I imagine it really depends on the purpose of the trip as well. Both times, I was driving by myself, out of the tourist season, and for a military move, so I had no reasons to stop anywhere other than to sleep, eat or get fuel... . which is pretty easy to figure out without the Milepost.

 

[FredMaryLou]

We found the Milepost useful but outdated. And, the mile markers not identified in all cases. The book writen by Church, mentioned above, was great. We have a lot of information gathered during our two month tour of Alaska (2005), a daily journal and a lot of photographs on our Web site - www.RVtowster.com Fred

 

[dcoffman]

I will have to agree with Grizzy. I would not leave home without The Mile Post. It really helped us. It tells you where fuel and food is and you can plan how far you want to go in a day. MHO.

 

[HookMeUp]

Did the trip back in July of 2005, good roads with patches of gravel because of the frost heaves. I would recommend screens, not for the gravel but because of the bugs, they get big up there. We ended up with about 5 rock chips in the windshield. One of my brothers moved up there in 2005 and blew all 4 tires on his trailer, my other brother who lived up there moved down to the lower 48 this January and blew out 2 of his trailer tires. Just be prepared, lots of fuel stops, might want to carry a couple of spare trailer tires.

 

[PTomlinson]

One of my brothers moved up there in 2005 and blew all 4 tires on his trailer, my other brother who lived up there moved down to the lower 48 this January and blew out 2 of his trailer tires.

Not to be a jerk or smart*****, but just how fast do your brothers drive and do they overload their trailers?



I've personally driven the Alaska Highway at least 15 times and I've never had a flat tire on any of my vehicles, nor have I ever heard of anyone blowing all 4 tires on one trip. In the 70s when the roads were all gravel you would often hear of people blowing tires when they hit the sharp metal pieces left by the graders, but that hasn't been a problem on the the Alaska Highway for 20+ years.



Make sure that all your tires, especially your spare, are in good shape, properly inflated, and not overloaded. While there are plenty of places to get fuel there are streches on the highway that you can go 400-500 miles between places that have a good selection of tires. The Alaska Highway is not the place to take a vehicle that isn't maintained properly, not because the road is that bad of shape, but because the distances involved between major centres can be quite large. If you break down in Whitehorse you will have a good dealer to work with, 500 miles either side of Whitehorse you aren't going to find a Dodge dealer, let alone a good one.



Oh, and slow down, if you drive at 70 you will get more rock chips (remember the faster you are moving, the faster the rocks hit you), you will shake your vehicle appart, and eventually you will break something. I've talked to two people who have driven the highway at the same time, one said it was terrible, the other said it was great, the difference, how fast they drove.



Paul

 

[Grizzly]

PTomlinson, I agree with you. If one has good tires with proper inflation, you shouldn't have any problem. We had no tire problem on our last summer trip with the cab-over-camper. We did have one flat tire on the 5th wheel on our 1995 trip, which was due to a nail in the tire. Proper tires for the load and the correct inflation are a must for that long of a trip. Side note: Paul, I would like to visit with you next year as we go through Whitehorse on our third trip to Alaska.

 

[HookMeUp]

Not to be a jerk or smart*****, but just how fast do your brothers drive and do they overload their trailers?

Not to worry, you can be a jerk or smart***** all you want. But all kidding aside now that I think of it, the brother that moved up there in 05 did have his trailer overloaded, trailer was rated at 7500lbs and scaled at way over 10K. (I guess that's what you get for being cheap and not buying the right trailer for your intended purposes. ) The other brother that moved down this January likes to drive fast, and by fast I mean somewhere in the neighborhood of about 90. So I guess you get what you pay for.



Paul

 

[JNehl]

did the trip a week ago

I just drove from Georgia to Texas and then up to Fairbanks. Got any room to tow a truck up for me..... ? Probably not but had to ask. I weighed in at just over 22,000lbs. I had a slide in camper and a trailer with a jeep, two atv's, junk crammed in every possible empty spot and an extra 100 gallons of gas. I got just over 13 miles to the gallon while cruising around 70mph.



You can plan on a gas station no more than 300 miles apart. I did not have to worry about finding a place to stay but I can assure you that hotes will be expensive and hard to find, especially if you have pets. The road is good until you get close to canadian border near alaska (yukon). It was still paved but the frost heaves will slow you down considerably. Traffic was minimal and I had no issues with rock chips or anything else. Wildlife seen was antelope, mule deer, elk, sheep, goat, buffalo, moose, even 1 young bear. When you see a sign saying to watch out for buffalo etc. You better believe it is there for a reason.



good luck with the trip, pm me if you have any specific answers.

 

[PKozlowski]

We drove up last September. The roads were the best I've ever been on.

Even the contruction was smooth! Watch the frost heaves. Take your time thru them and it's an easy drive. I can't wait to do it again.

Bring some extra fuel. 5 to 10 gallons should be fine.

The frost heaves are marked if you know what to look for. Orange tape on a wood pole when we came thru. Enjoy.

 

[BlitzkriegSSII]

Ive made that trip 4 different times and getting ready to do it again. U need to watch around Destruction Bay, the perma frost has left the road very rough. There are dips in the road that you can not see, my truck was at 10,000 pounds and i got all 4 tires off the ground. Take some JB weld with you its great at fixing holes in fuel tanks and stuff like that. Give me a call and i can give u a lot more tips if you would like. 434 401 3237. Good luck!

 

[RRiffe]

The above information is all good. Winter travel is different from spring to fall when 1/3 of the fueling points/campgrounds are closed. I make round trips from Anchorage to Washington State or Montana twice a year. Once in the Spring and once in the winter so I have to plan differently. There are very desolate stretches of the high way with little traffic so extra fuel is a good thing to have plus spare tires. Old Alaska way of travel I guess. One thing to keep in mind, alot of the stations are closed during the winter and the tanks get condensation (water) in the fuel. The best stations for diesel I have found are "FasGas" as they are year around. Get the "fuel log" and map from them and each time you fill up, they record it. At the end of your trip, you can cash it in and it will give you money back.



Beautiful scenery, and lots of wildlife. Be careful around corners especially in Northern B. C. and the Yukon Territories as the Stone Sheep, Buffalo, and Caribou will be on the roadway. The Northern Rockies have a lot of them. One area is Kluane Lake in Y. T between Haines Junction and Burwash Landing. There are several herds of horses that are free ranging and will on occasion be on the roadway. At night when the fog drifts in they are hard to see. They will "run" with you along side the road. Neat to see but can be a little trickey. The Buffalo will not move if they are in the road. I have had to jink around through them at a very slow speed on occasion as they will lay down or just stand there. Awsome animals.



Creature comforts are spartan after Ft. Nelson. the 18 wheelers "own" the road and you will see what I mean when one comes up behind you. Have fun and enjoy the drive. I have made the trip more times than I can count and see something new and wonderous each time. t

 

[Grizzly]

I am leaving SC May 1 to go to Indianapolis, pick up a Woodmizer, and then to Palmer, Alaska. Someone suggested a screen over the grill (or grill guard)to protect against flying gravel or whatever they call that road material. I was also told that a seasoned Alaska traveler had clear (clearer?) window tint put on the outside of his windshield and then removed after his trips. I would appreciate any comments, advice, tips, warnings, encouragements, etc that you could give this flatlander. I have an '04 2500 Quad 4X4 Cummins (41k) with about 40-45% tread left on original Michelins. How much fuel capacity will I need? How much is fuel up there now? Mark

Mark, you started this thread and we have not heard from you since. Are you getting the advice you want? Do you have any questions? Are you still going to Alaska next month? Let us hear from you. Fill out your signature.