Alaska RV Trip Planning - Overview

Our Alaska RV Trip was completed April 27 - September 21, 2019.

Updates to our planning posts are indicated in RED based on our actual experiences.

Alaska Started All This

Many of you know that we are full-time RVers largely because of a trip we took to Alaska back in July of 2004 (we flew in and joined a 12-day tour).

 

 

Note: All the images in this entry are clickable to see larger versions.

We weren't RVers at the time, and we had no clue there was something called "full-timing", but that trip showed us there was more to life than what we were experiencing back then. And less than six months later, we had handed in resignations and put our house up for sale. For more detail on how all that played out, you can read the whole story here: Our Decision To RV Full-Time.

So, it's taken us all these years to finally go back to Alaska with an RV. This summer is the time, and we're not going for a quick taste. Like Alaska itself, this trip is going to be epic.

 

Why have we waited until now?

Well, Linda never wanted to take the 40-foot fifth wheel up there. At one time, we said we would buy a truck camper for our F450 truck, go up in that, and then return and sell it. Then we replaced our regular truck bed with a hauler bed and the truck camper option went out the window.

Then, with my parents in failing health, we didn't want to be that far away just in case something happened. They passed away in 2014 and 2016, and we started considering our options again.

Our next plan was to buy a used Class C motorhome, take it up there, and then sell it upon returning. However, we had discussed downsizing to a Class C anyway in a few years, and we suddenly decided to just go ahead and sell the fifth wheel and truck and purchase a smaller motorhome. Rather than buying a Class C for an Alaska trip and then buying another a few years down the road, we just made the decision to purchase a Class C once, and we significantly moved up the downsizing timing, thus the Winnebago Aspect 27K we bought last April. 

 

The Planning Begins

We decided in 2018 that we would go to Alaska in the summer of 2019, but I really hadn't thought about it much. From our 2004 trip, we knew a little bit and we'd seen photos, read blogs, and heard stories of trips of our friends. But I didn't know where many of the places were or how to get there by RV. We heard about highways like "the ALCAN" and knew there was a ferry system that people could take RVs on and everyone said "you have to have The Milepost" magazine/travel planner, but it was all abstract until I started trying to figure it out for myself. 

Soon, I discovered that Alaska is divided up into regions when discussing traveling there. The official Travel Alaska website lists the regions as Inside Passage, Southcentral, Southwest, Interior, and Arctic.

 

 

On the State of Alaska official website, the Inside Passage region is called the Southeast, and the Arctic region is called the Far North. The Inside Passage is also referred to as "the panhandle" and the lower Southwest region is often referred to as "the Alaska Peninsula".

 

 

The Inside Passage (aka the Southeast region or panhandle)

The Inside Passage is home to Juneau, Alaska's capital and second largest city. Juneau is only accessible by boat or plane as is the case with almost all of the towns in the Inside Passage. This region is also the destination for most Alaska cruises. The towns/ports in the Inside Passage have their own road systems, but none of the towns are connected to each other by roads. Haines and Skagway in the northern section of the Inside Passage can be accessed by separate highways (Haines Highway and the South Klondike Highway) leading from the Alaska Highway (the ALCAN) as it traverses the Yukon Territory in Canada, but you can't drive to any of the other towns (except, the very remote, very tiny village of Hyder in the southeastern corner of the panhandle).

With that said, the Alaska ferry system (aka the Alaska Marine Highway) does transport RVs, and there is RV parking/campgrounds in most of the ports where the ferries stop. The ferry charges by vehicle foot, so it can get quite expensive getting your RV around the Inside Passage.

The Inside Passage is known for its marine and mountain scenery, calm waters, wildlife, glaciers, and interesting ports; and it contains Glacier Bay National Park, one of eight National Parks in Alaska.

 

Southcentral Alaska

This region is home to Anchorage, Alaska's largest city with almost ten times as many people (about 300,000) as the second and third larges cities, Juneau and Fairbanks (each with about 32,000 people). Anchorage is not unlike many other U.S. cities except that it is minutes away from extreme wilderness. Oh, and it has the largest float plane airport/harbor in the world, and you can take your lunch break from your downtown office and fish for king and silver salmon in Ship Creek right downtown.

Anchorage is centrally located and the hub for many of the state's highways, tours, and various modes of transportation. If you are doing a full road tour of Alaska, you will likely go through Anchorage. And there are lots of reasons to go to Anchorage, but we tend to agree with what a bus driver told us back in 2004, "the best thing about Anchorage is it's only ten minutes from the real Alaska".

This region also includes the beautiful Kenai Peninsula and Kenai Fjords National Park. Towns of note include Valdez, Seward, and Homer. It's noted for fishing, marine and other wildlife, calving glaciers, and spectacular views. Many RVers spend lots of time in the southern portion of the Southcentral region.

Less visited is the Wrangell - St. Elias National Park, the largest National Park in the U.S. (larger than the states of Vermont and New Hampshire combined) which is located on the eastern side of the Southcentral region and spills over into the Inside Passage.

 

Southwest Region

This region of Alaska can't be reached by road at all. So, if you want to take your RV, you'll have to put it on a ferry and then you can only get to Kodiak Island, the Alaska Peninsula, and the Aleutian Islands.

The region includes Katmai National Park and Lake Clark National Park & Preserve but the ferry system doesn't go to either, and they can only be reached by plane or other boats. The ferry does go all the way to Dutch Harbor, made famous by the TV show "Deadliest Catch", and that's the western-most ferry port.

Katmai, Lake Clark, and Kodiak Island are known for brown bear (grizzly) viewing and these are some of the largest brown bears in the world. The Kodiak subspecies is known to be nearly as big as polar bears, the largest species of bears.

The region is further noted for great birding and sanctuaries for seals, sea lions, and walruses. But the wilderness exploring takes time and money as plane rides are usually involved and are the only mode of transportation to a great deal of the region.

 

Interior

The Interior region includes Fairbanks and the crown jewel of Alaska National Parks, Denali, home to the tallest mountain in North America. It's easily the most visited National Park in Alaska because of the mountain, the wildlife, and the accessibility. There is one road that goes 90 miles into the park, but you can only drive 15 miles in yourself (unless you reserve a spot at the Teklanika River Campground 29 miles in). To explore more than the first 15 miles, you have to take a park bus or a guided tour. FYI, along with Teklanika, RVs will fit at Riley Creek Campground at the park entrance and Savage River Campground 13 miles in.

Denali National Park actually straddles the Interior region and the Southcentral region, but the main entrance, the visitor center, and the start of the park road are all in the Interior.

Fairbanks, Alaska's third largest city (Juneau recently passed it in population), is a hub to reach several other remote spots in northern Alaska, and it has several attractions of its own. Also, the surrounding area is a prime place to see the Northern Lights later in the year.

 

Arctic

Most of the Arctic is only accessible by float plane or bush plane. However, the Dalton Highway (aka the North Slope Haul Road or just "Haul Road" or Alaska Route 11) travels north from the Elliott Highway (Alaska Route 2) 414 miles to Deadhorse at Prudhoe Bay. This route runs along the Alaskan Pipeline, crosses the Arctic Circle and ends at the Arctic Ocean about 500 miles north of Fairbanks (actually it ends at the town of Deadhorse, and you may not be able to get to the ocean). About 100 miles of the Dalton Highway are paved, but they are not consecutive miles.

Also, in the Arctic region are Gates of the Arctic National Park and Kobuk Valley National Park, two of the most remote U.S. National Parks. Technically, you can hike into a section of Gates of the Arctic from the Dalton Highway, but there are no established trails. These two parks protect a lot of wilderness, but they aren't like National Parks we are used to as far as access and facilities. We hope to visit both, but it's an expensive proposition requiring fly-ins, so we may not be able to pull it off (we weren't able to pull it off).

In addition, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), consisting of almost 20 million acres, is found in this region. It's one of only two places in the U.S. where polar bears, grizzly bears, and black bears exist, and it's one of the most consistently used areas for polar bear's to make their dens in the winter.

Another bucket list type adventure would be to see polar bears in the village of Kaktovik, a reliable place to see them in August and September. However, flying in is required and even a day trip is nearly $2,000 per person.

 

Eight National Parks

I listed the eight Alaskan National Parks in the region summaries above. My goal when I started this planning process was to visit all eight of them. We went to Denali and Kenai Fjords on our last trip back in 2004, but we certainly want to visit them again. The image below shows the locations of the parks.

 

 

Just being able to stand on a piece of land within all the National Parks is not easy, and it's quite expensive to get to the more remote parks. You can drive into sections of only three of them, and it would be a challenge to see more than a tiny fraction of any of them.

In addition to the eight places designated as National Parks, there are another 16 "national park units" in Alaska AND another 16 National Wildlife Refuges.

There are three National Scenic By-Ways and two All American Roads, one of which is the Alaska Marine Highway by ferry. At least the other four are drivable with an RV:

• The George Parks Highway
• The Glen Highway
• The Haines Highway
• The Seward Highway

 

Alaska Size & Accessibility

Now, understanding the size of Alaska is a bit foreign to us "lower 48ers", so this image provides a little perspective.

 

 

That's a lot of area to cover. However, as we alluded to above, most of Alaska is inaccessible by road. In fact, only about 20% of Alaska is accessible by road, and of that, only about 30% of the roads are paved. So, while the size of Alaska can be intimidating, almost all of the connected paved roads are located in the Southcentral and Interior regions.

Although the state is huge, you can cover the main accessible, paved roads in the Southcentral and Interior regions in about 1,800 miles. Not easy to do in a week, but certainly doable in a month, and much more fun and rewarding in 2, 3, or 4 months.

So, though the size of Alaska is overwhelming, you can pretty much eliminate the Arctic region, the Southwest Region, and the Inside Passage as far as driving around in the RV. Yes, you can drive to Skagway and Haines in the panhandle, and you can put your RV on the ferry to get around the Inside Passage and a small part of the Southwest along the ferry route, but that adds relatively few miles to "drivable" options. And yes, you can drive the Dalton Highway in the Arctic region, but I certainly wouldn't take my RV on that road.

 

Getting To Alaska By RV 

The Alaska Highway or ALCAN

Most people will drive the Alaska Highway (aka the Alaska-Canada Highway or the ALCAN). The ALCAN is about 1,400 miles and runs from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Delta Junction, Alaska.

 

 

Ah, but that's misleading as far as your total miles and time to get to Alaska. First, Delta Junction, the official end of the ALCAN, is about 200 miles into Alaska from the Canadian border, so to get to the border we can subtract that from our 1,400 miles. However, you have to drive about 700 miles into Canada from border crossings in Montana, Idaho, or Washington just to get to the start of the ALCAN in Dawson Creek.

So, it's about 1,900 miles (700 to get to the ALCAN + 1,400 length of the ALCAN - 200 from the Alaska border to Delta Junction) from a western U.S. border crossing through Alberta (depending on where you cross the border), British Columbia, and the Yukon Territory in Canada to get to the Alaska border. You would have to average about 270 miles a day just to get through Canada in a week, but of course you don't want to rush that much unless you just have to. AND then you still have about 300 miles to Fairbanks or 400 miles to Anchorage.

You would think from the name (Alaska Highway or Alaska-Canada Highway or ALCAN) it would start at one of the border crossings into Canada and end at the Alaska border (Alcan Border aka Port Alcan) or perhaps even continue to a major city like Anchorage or at least Fairbanks. Nope. Just wishful thinking on my part and I certainly don't want to get in the way of the history of this famous highway. 

As for the quality of the ALCAN, this is from The Milepost:

"All of the Alaska Highway is paved, although highway improvement projects often mean motorists have to drive a few miles of gravel road. The asphalt surfacing of the Alaska Highway ranges from poor to excellent. Much of the highway is in fair condition, with older patched pavement and a minimum of gravel breaks and chuckholes. Recently upgraded sections of road offer excellent surfacing. Relatively few stretches of road fall into the “poor” category, i.e. chuckholes, gravel breaks, deteriorated shoulders, bumps and frost heaves. That said, it is difficult to predict road conditions on the Alaska Highway. A hard winter or heavy rains can quickly undermine what was good roadbed, while road crews can just as quickly improve a previously substandard stretch of road."

But from everything we've heard, the ALCAN is a pretty good road. Our Alaskan friends say the last hundred miles in the Yukon Territory is the worst, but much depends on the weather prior to your trip, the timing of your trip, and the progress of road repairs when you go. There are places you absolutely will have to go slow, and you must pay attention to any warning signs, orange cones, and orange barrels indicating road hazards.

The Milepost discusses three "access" routes from the U.S. border to the ALCAN:

• East Access Route - Sweet Grass, MT - Coutts, AB border crossing
• Central Access Route - Oroville, WA - Osoyoos, BC border crossing
• West Access Route - Sumas, WA – Huntingdon, BC border crossing

There are, of course, several border crossing options (there are 14 in Montana alone), and you can certainly choose any one you want although some are open 24 hours and some are not, so be sure to check the hours of the crossing you choose. Most RVers these days are selecting a western crossing to shorten the amount of driving in Canada to get to Dawson Creek to lessen the financial impact of the higher cost of fuel in Canada.

The website ezbordercrossing.com is an excellent resource for details about each border crossing AND it has several web pages on the border crossing process including what to expect, what documentation you need, what is prohibited, and tips on making your crossing go smoothly. Be prepared, know the rules, and be polite, and all should go well in both directions.

 

The Cassiar Highway

The Cassiar (BC Hwy 37) is in western British Columbia and offers an alternative route that connects with the ALCAN. It starts at Canada Hwy 16 (aka Yellowhead Highway) between Prince George and Prince Rupert at the small town of Kitwanga, and it connects with the ALCAN near Watson Lake at the British Columbia/Yukon Territory Border (at Mile 626 from Dawson Creek).

 

 

It cuts off about 130 miles, is less traveled, and there is more chance of seeing wildlife. Some go up the Cassiar in the Spring, but it seems more use the ALCAN in the Spring and return on the Cassiar in the Fall if they are looking for a change of scenery on the way back south. Also, it only cuts off those 130 miles if you are crossing the border in Washington. If you cross in Montana, it's actually about 100 miles longer to take the Cassiar.

Here's what The Milepost has to say about the Cassiar:

"The Cassiar Highway was completed in 1972, and is asphalt-surfaced with the exception of a few short gravel breaks. The highway is generally narrower than most 2-lane highways, with little or no shoulder. It has easy curves and some long straight stretches. Although not particularly hilly, there are a few 8 percent grades and 2 switchback turns. There are no passing lanes, beyond one in the first few miles of the highway, The centerline and edge line markings may be missing along some northern sections of the highway. Drive with your headlights on at all times. Also watch for logging and freight trucks on the highway."

Our Alaskan friends recommended against taking the Cassiar up in early Spring as road repairs from winter frost heaves are likely to not yet have been completed. And other RVing friends with multiple Alaska trips under their belt suggested that going "up" the ALCAN in the Spring simply provided more awe-inspiring scenery.

My initial planning was to take the advice and travel up the ALCAN using The Milepost "Central Access Route" and then returning on the Cassiar in the Fall. In a larger rig, we might have been more reluctant to take the Cassiar due to the narrowness, the lack of shoulders, and the lack of edge line markings, but we won't be hesitant in the Class C. We have since decided on another option that we will detail in a separate post.

Update: The Cassiar was a much better road than we expected, and they are further improving it which also means more traffic. There are still parts of the northern section that have no road markings at all, and I certainly wouldn't drive the Cassiar at night, but it's not bad. As for wildlife, we didn't see much at all on our return trip in September. However, the side trip to Stewart, BC, Hyder, Alaska, and Salmon Glacier are worth taking the Cassiar at least once.

 

One big thing to understand is that your round-trip is going to be at least 3,800 miles just in Canada if you are driving all the way up and all the way back. Once in Alaska, you will likely drive another 1,000 to 2,000 miles. So, you are looking at 4,800 to 6,000 miles for this trip NOT including the miles you will drive to get to the U.S./Canada border crossing of your choosing and back. Make sure you are including fuel costs in your trip planning. Fuel in Canada will be more expensive than in the U.S., but some of that spread will be offset by the favorable exchange rate. For budgeting purposes you'll need to learn to convert price per liter in Canadian dollars (CAD) to price per gallon in U.S. dollars (USD). 

 

Note: Using either the full ALCAN or the Cassiar/ALCAN combination, you can detour at Whitehorse, YT and drive south to Skagway or you can detour at Haines Junction, YT and drive south to Haines. Some will drive to Skagway, put the RV on the short ferry to Haines, and then drive up the more scenic Haines Highway to re-connect with the ALCAN and continue. Or some will do the reverse on the return trip - Haines Highway to Haines, ferry to Skagway, and South Klondike Highway back to the ALCAN.

 

The Alaska Marine Highway System (aka the Alaska State Ferry)

There is a ton of information out there about the driving routes to Alaska, but getting a handle on ferry options isn't so easy. So, we're going to spend extra time on it here.

The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) covers 3,500 miles of coastline from Bellingham, Washington to Dutch Harbor, Alaska in the Aleutian Chain in the Southwest region. It currently services 37 ports using 9 vessels.

Update: The AMHS is a very expensive service of the Alaska government, and it has been targeted for massive budget cuts. Just in the past few months several changes have occurred including the retirement of the largest ship and discontinuation of service to/from some ports. We actually got caught in a ferry workers strike that stranded us on Kodiak Island. 

 

 

However, for the purposes of this section, we're only discussing "getting your RV to Alaska" by ferry. And what we mean by that is "getting your RV to a connecting road system" to explore the Southcentral and Interior regions of mainland Alaska. 

As I mentioned before, you can put your RV on a ferry and sail the Inside Passage. You can disembark at either Haines or Skagway in the northern part of the Inside Passage and then drive north and connect with the ALCAN where you can enter mainland Alaska the way most RVers do. Certainly, you could continue on the ferry system across the Gulf of Alaska and disembark at Whittier in the Southcentral region, but very, very few people would consider that a viable choice due to the expense and roadside scenery that would be missed.

Bellingham, Washington to Haines or Skagway, Alaska

One option is to board the ferry in Bellingham, WA (north of Seattle) and take the ferry through the Canadian Inside Passage and eventually sail the Alaska Inside Passage. You could save driving time and fuel and get to see amazing beauty along the way. It would take just under three days. This "mainline route" on the Columbia is as follows:

• Bellingham, WA                                       
  
• Ketchikan, AK
• Wrangell, AK
• Petersburg, AK
• Juneau, AK
• Haines, AK
• Skagway, AK
• Sitka, AK

 

 

Of course, you'll want to get off at Haines or Skagway, to be able to disembark and connect with the ALCAN. The price is slightly higher to go to Skagway than Haines, but the difference isn't enough to worry about. Between the two towns, Skagway is more touristy and has more cruise visitors, while Haines is said to be more authentic and it is a favorite of RVers.

The price from Bellingham to Haines or Skagway (as of this writing) is about $4,000 for two people and a 30-foot RV with no towed vehicle.  Add a 15-foot disconnected "toad", and it increases about $1,000. If you have a longer motorhome, the price goes up by each foot, and if you have a truck/trailer combination with total length over 30 feet, it will also be higher. How much higher is hard to tell because the fares are based on both vehicle length and trip length, and the website doesn't provide that much detail. 

 

Prince Rupert, British Columbia to Haines or Skagway, Alaska

Update: A press release from the AMHS on September 4, 2019 states that ferry service to/from Prince Rupert, British Columbia ends October 1, 2019. We were hearing rumors about this, but many didn't think it would happen. Now that it has, this option that we took for our 2019 trip is no longer available.

Another option is to drive into Canada, and board the ferry at Prince Rupert, BC just south of the Alaska Inside Passage. That cuts the ferry cost 50% - 60% of what it would be from Bellingham. But the drive from the border to Prince Rupert would still be 900 - 1,100 miles depending on where you cross the border.

The "mainline route" on the Malaspina is:

• Prince Rupert, BC                                        
  
• Ketchikan, AK
• Wrangell, AK
• Petersburg, AK
• Kake, AK
• Sitka, AK
• Juneau, AK
• Haines, AK
• Skagway, AK

Using the parameters we used from Bellingham, 2 passengers and a 30-foot motorhome, the price would be around $1,500 to Haines or Skagway and it would take about a day and a half. Add $500 for a 15-foot disconnected "toad".

 

However, though both options include several stops at ports, you have very little time to get off the ferry and explore or do cruise-like shore excursions (and sometimes the stop is in the middle of the night). You certainly don't have time to take the RV off the boat.

If you want to take your RV off the ferry and spend a night or two or three in various ports, things get complicated and even more expensive. As soon as you remove the RV from the ferry, that ends a segment and you have to then book a new segment to your next destination. Every time you take the RV off the ferry and then re-load it, the costs go up significantly.

 

Additional Considerations

Here is additional information to note about taking your RV on the AMHS ferry system. I've added a little commentary.

From the AMHS "Travel Policies" page under "Vehicles & Vehicle Categories".

Recreation Vehicles
Fares for recreational vehicles are the same as for other vehicles of the same size. RVs are booked under a separate code, if you are traveling with an RV, please indicate that when you make your reservation. U.S. Coast Guard regulations prohibit access to the car deck while a vessel is underway; therefore, RVs and motorhomes may not be used for dining and sleeping while on an AMHS ferry. Electrical hookups for vehicle refrigeration units are not available, and bottled gas containers must be turned off and sealed by an AMHS employee at the time of boarding. Passengers transporting vehicles with long overhangs should review vehicle restrictions below.

So, "No", you can't sleep or eat in your RV on the ferry. And "No", you can't run your refrigerator while on the ferry, so you may want to empty your refrigerator of perishables before doing a 2 or 3 day trip. The ferries do have food and beverages and/or you can bring a cooler and picnic items on board and the "mainline" vessels have coin operated ice machines.

As for sleeping, you can reserve a small 2 or 4 berth cabin (2 or 4 bunks) for an additional charge (Approximately $200 - $320 for Prince Rupert to Skagway or $400 -$820 from Bellingham to Skagway). Or, you can sleep in recliner lounges, or in the covered solariums on the upper decks, or, you can pitch a small tent on the upper decks (you won't see that on a fancy cruise ship).  

Towed Vehicles
When transporting a towed trailer or vehicle, the overall connected length, width and height is used to determine fares. Do not attempt to estimate your vehicle length.

In order to get an accurate quote and make a solid reservation, you have to physically measure the total length of the connected tow vehicle and trailer. They will measure you, and if the measurement you gave in the reservation process is too short, they will charge you for the extra length AND you risk not being allowed on the ferry as they have pre-planned how many feet of vehicles they can load.

Standard Vehicles
Vehicles that are a standard width, up to 8 feet.

Oversized Vehicles
Vehicles 103-107 inches wide will be charged approximately 125% of the fare listed for the vehicle length. Vehicles 108 inches wide and over will be charged approximately 150% of the fare listed for the vehicle length.

RV bodies are 8 feet (96 inches) to 8.5 feet (102 inches), but if your awnings, slide-out toppers, non-retractable mirrors, etc. cause you to be 103 inches or more, you may be subject to a big increase in fees. Measure your RV at the widest spot that includes accessory extensions to be sure.

From the AMHS "Online Booking Restrictions" page.

Vehicle Length
Vehicle make and model information provides the minimum required length for your vehicle. If you have added extensions to your vehicle such as a grill guard, bike rack or kayak mounted to the roof that overhangs the vehicle, or you are towing a vehicle or trailer, the overall extended length is applicable. The overall length is measured from the furthest extensions. Vehicles that have not reserved the appropriate space requirement on the vessel car deck may be subject to additional charges or may be moved to a later sailing. If you have a vehicle over 30 feet in length please also read Vehicle Restrictions.

Vehicle Restrictions
Dock restrictions apply in some of our smaller port communities and we limit online bookings to a maximum vehicle length of 30 feet. This applies to singular vehicles or vehicles towing trailers, campers or fifth-wheels. If you have a vehicle or truck and trailer longer than 30 feet, you must contact our reservations call center. They will ensure there are no vehicle restrictions for your departure and arrival ports.

Do not attempt to book a vehicle with a trailer as two separate vehicles. Vehicles that have not reserved the appropriate space requirement or are not accurately represented will be subject to additional charges or may be moved to a later sailing.

RV length really isn't an issue on the "mainline" ferries and the larger ports if you provide accurate measurements. However, if you are over 30 feet, you can't make online reservations or get online pricing estimates on the AMHS website. They want you to call just to make sure that there won't be a problem, but it makes getting quotes for a variety of scenarios a bit of a hassle.

If you have pets, that's yet another consideration when using the ferry system to get to Alaska.  From the AMHS "Travel Policies" page under "Animal Transport".

Pets
Pets are restricted to the car deck and must be contained in an approved carrier or be transported in a vehicle and accompanied by an adult passenger. U.S. Coast Guard regulations restrict passenger access to the car deck while the vessel is underway. On extended sailings such as between Bellingham and Ketchikan, Juneau and Whittier, and in route to Sitka, 15-minute pet calls will be made approximately every 8 hours to allow pet owners to be escorted to the car deck. Owners are responsible for attending and cleaning up after pets. Pet calls are made at the discretion of the Captain and may occur throughout the day or night. Owners may also attend to pets any time the vessel is stopped in port. Household pets other than dogs and cats may be subject to additional rules and restrictions, please call for more information.

Pet owners should take into consideration the car deck environment on board the ferry before confirming travel with a pet. Vehicles are parked closely together which may make it difficult for large dogs to exit or enter vehicles. Accessing vehicles with swinging rear doors or elderly pets that need special accommodation, such as a ramp, may not be possible. For the safety of our passengers and other pets, please consider how your pet may react to the stress of an unfamiliar environment.

The pet issue alone may dissuade many RVers from using the ferry system.

One other thing to note is you really need to make advanced reservations when taking your RV on the ferry system, but it is unclear how far in advance is necessary. AND, payment in full is due at time of reservation. You can cancel and the cancellation policy is, in my opinion, reasonable. If you cancel more than 30 days out, there is a 5% penalty. Within 30 days of sailing the penalty increases to 10%, 20%, 30% and finally 40% if you cancel within 24 hours. Be sure to check the cancellation and change policy on the AMHS website.

 

So, there you have it. Though I don't know of any RVers that have taken the ferry up and back, I know some RVers that have taken the ferry one way, either up or back, but now I understand why most don't. Using the ferry system with an RV is just expensive, and if you want to disembark and camp a few nights, the price goes up and the coordination of the ferry schedules is extremely time consuming. But, as they say, if it were easy, everybody would do it.

 

What's Up With All Those Highway Names?

Yeah, people would talk to me about Alaska and mention all these different highway names - Dalton, Denali, Elliott, Glenn, Haines, Parks, Richardson, Seward, Steese, Sterling, Top of the World, etc. - and I would have no idea what they were talking about. 

But when people are trying to give you advice on where to go and what to do, they will continually use those highway names, so it will help if you know where they are and where they go.

The Milepost helps with this map (click on the link for a larger PDF version). Save this one to your laptop and study it, and I promise it will help you.

 

 

What makes some of these highways hard to describe is because they don't always begin or end in a town, their names often don't give you a clue where they go, and you often can't describe one highway without referring to another highway.

We discussed the Alaska Highway or ALCAN and the Cassiar above, so let's start here with a couple of easy ones. Click on the links for detailed maps of each highway at The Milepost website.

Seward Highway 

Runs 127 miles from Anchorage to Seward. That one makes sense.

Note: We drove it and it's not too bad. The worst part is closer to Anchorage, and it probably had the most traffic of all the roads we were on

Haines Highway

Runs 146 miles from Haines Junction on the ALCAN in the Yukon Territory to Haines. Again, makes sense.

Note: We drove it from Haines to Haines Junction in less than ideal weather, so it wasn't as scenic as we expected, but the road was decent; Keep in mind that you are doing a U.S./Canada border crossing when going from Haines to Haines Junction or vice versa, and the crossing is actually in British Columbia, not the Yukon

Glenn Highway 

Runs 189 miles from Anchorage to Glennallen. Okay, I can live with the shortening of the name.

Note: We drove this section a couple of times and though it is very scenic, it wasn't as smooth and easy as we'd hoped; Going east to west, it wasn't until we made it to the town of Sutton that we finally found nice, smooth pavement

 

Note that all three of the above are National Scenic By-Ways or All American Roads.

 

Parks Highway (Anchorage to Mile 169) & Parks Highway (Mile 169 to Fairbanks) (more formally, George Parks Highway)

This is the 362-mile route that connects Anchorage and Fairbanks. And though it takes you to Denali State Park and Denali National Park, it's not named for the parks but rather for former governor, George A. Parks. I would call this one the Anchorage-Fairbanks Highway.

Note: We drove this from Anchorage to Fairbanks, and it is a very good road that has a lot of traffic, but there are lots of remote sections and passing lanes and the traffic spreads out pretty well

Denali Highway

This route runs 134 miles from Paxson to Cantwell where it ends at the Parks Highway. Only the first parts on each end are paved, and the other 85% in the middle is unpaved. 

I throw this one in here because of the confusion between the Parks Highway, the Denali Highway, and Park Road. You see, the Denali highway is NOT in Denali National Park, and I think of it as the Not-In-Denali Highway. Though it intersects with the Parks Highway, it is east of the National Park. Now, the 90-mile road into Denali National Park is called Park Road, (which I think should be called Denali Interior Road) and it is accessed from, you guessed it, the Parks Highway, 27 miles north of Cantwell where the Denali Highway ends.

Note: We didn't drive this road at all, so we can't comment from personal experience; We heard it's remote and quiet, but we also heard it was terrible for RVs if you were doing the entire length

 

Dalton Highway or North Slope Haul Road or just Haul Road

This is the 414 mile road that follows the Alaska Pipeline and runs from an intersection with the Elliott Highway (just north of Fairbanks) to Deadhorse at the Arctic Ocean. Sections of this road are randomly paved, but 75% is unpaved. Though this one doesn't start in Fairbanks, I still think of it as the Fairbanks-Deadhorse Mostly-Unpaved Road.

Note: We didn't drive this road at all; If we had decided to explore that section, we would have taken a tour out of Fairbanks and had someone else do the driving

Elliott Highway

Runs 150 miles from Fox (11 miles north of Fairbanks) to Manley Hot Springs. It provides access to the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks and is paved from Fox to the Dalton Highway. The rest of the journey to Manley Hot Springs is unpaved or is at least of lower quality.

Note: We didn't drive this road

Richardson Highway (Valdez to Delta Junction) & Richardson Highway (Delta Junction to Fairbanks)

Runs 366 miles from Fairbanks to Valdez and passes through Delta Junction, Paxson, and Glennallen. It's a major north/south road and connects with these highways (listed north to south):

• Parks Highway (in Fairbanks)
• Steese Highway (in Fairbanks)
• Alaska Highway (in Delta Junction)
• Denali Highway (in Paxson)
• Glenn Highway & Tok Cut-Off (in Glennallen)
• Edgerton Highway/McCarthy Road (just south of Copper Center)

I would call this one the Fairbanks-Valdez-Multi Junction Highway.

Note: We drove the Glennallen to Valdez section both ways in June and while it is very scenic, it was much rougher than we thought it would be; We drove the Fairbanks to Glennallen to Delta Junction section in late August and that was good road

Steese Highway

Runs northeast 161 miles from Fairbanks to Circle, on the Yukon River. Milepost describes the road as 81 miles of good paved road, followed by wide gravel road, and ending with the last 33 miles of narrow, winding gravel road. 

Note: We didn't drive this road

Tok Cut-Off

When entering Alaska on the ALCAN, you go through the town of Tok. From there, you can continue on the ALCAN northwest to Delta Junction and the Richardson Highway to Fairbanks, or you can take the Tok Cut-Off southwest 139 miles to Glennallen and head toward Anchorage. Milepost pairs this one with the Glenn Highway, and I would combine the two and call it the ALCAN-Anchorage Highway.

Note: We had heard the Tok Cut-Off was a bad road, and we certainly agree; It was the worst section of paved road we encountered anywhere in Alaska.

Edgerton Highway/McCarthy Road

South of Copper Center, the Edgerton Highway is a paved side road off the Richardson Highway and leads 34 miles to the town of Chitina (pronounced Chit-na). At Chitina, McCarthy Road continues east as a paved road for 17 miles (which we hear is quite rough) and then turns to gravel for the next 41 miles as it makes its way to a dead end at the Kennicott River about a mile short of McCarthy, the western gateway to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. In fact, I think of this one as the McCarthy & National Park Access Road.

Folks with smaller RVs travel this 93 miles, but do so slowly and cautiously. 

Note: We drove this road to Chitina and the first ten miles was good, but the next 20 miles was a mix of good and bad; We parked the RV in an RV park in Chitina (near the airport), and then drove our Jeep to McCarthy; As we had heard, the first 17 paved miles had lots of frost heaves and wavy pavement, then the next 41 miles of gravel road was decent with bad spots along the way; In the end, we were glad we decided NOT to take the RV to McCarthy; We car-camped for two nights and that worked out just fine

Sterling Highway (Tern Junction to Soldotna) & Sterling Highway (Soldotna to Homer)

Runs 142 miles from the Seward Highway to Homer, passing through Cooper Landing, Sterling, and Soldotna in the Kenai Peninsula. It leaves the Seward Highway 37 miles north of Seward at Tern Junction. I would rename this one the Homer Highway as that has a nice, easy-to-remember ring to it, but my first name is Sterling, so we'll keep it as is.

Note: We drove this section a couple of times and it's pretty good road and being improved; It is also one of the busiest roads we found in Alaska, and in the summer of 2019, the traffic was made worse by road closures due to wildfire and heavy smoke

South Klondike Highway

We've mentioned this one before as it's the one that connects the ALCAN with Skagway in the Inside Passage. It intersects the ALCAN in the Yukon Territory (12 miles south of Whitehorse), travels south through a small section of Britsh Columbia, and briefly enters Alaska as it makes its way to Skagway. Since we have the Haines Highway that pretty much does the same thing, I don't see why we can't call this one the Skagway Highway, although that's certainly not as appealing as the Klondike Highway. 

Note: We didn't drive this road

The Klondike Loop

This route includes the Klondike Highway and the Top of the World Highway in the Yukon Territory and the Taylor Highway in Alaska to create a different entrance point into Alaska. It leaves the ALCAN near Whitehorse, YT, passes through Dawson City (not to be confused with Dawson Creek where the ALCAN starts), requires a ride on the free George Black Ferry (single deck ferry that can handle commercial trucks and RVs) over the Yukon River, and connects to Chicken, Alaska and then returns to the ALCAN in Tok. Milepost says this is a 498 mile route that only adds 102 miles above and beyond the more direct ALCAN route from Whitehorse to Tok.

I like remote roads and different scenery, but this doesn't look like a route I would want to take my RV on. We know people that do, but this is part of the Alaskan adventure that is not currently on my radar.

Note: As planned, we didn't drive this road; However, our friends Esther & Steve did and the section from the Canadian border to the town of Chicken was apparently horrible - their RV was dotted with paint chip "freckles" from that section 

 

Again click on this link, Milepost Mileage Map, and download it so you can study it. It will help you get a feel for the locations of the highways mentioned above, the road numbers that go with the highways, and the distances between towns. The Milepost covers several other highways, roads, and routes in Canada, but we won't be discussing those here.

 

When To Go?

For non-RVers this question often means "What time of year would be best to plan my one to two week vacation?". For RVers traveling to Alaska it more likely means "How early can I go and how long can I stay?".

June, July, and August are certainly the peak months with warmer and longer days. Some will tell you not to go before June. But others say that May, while a few degrees cooler, will offer the most sunshine and the best chances of seeing Denali, and there will be fewer people. September will also be a few degrees cooler, there will be fewer people, and your chances of seeing the Northern Lights before you head back south increases, but many places close once September arrives.

If you go too early, you may find that roads and campgrounds may not be open or those tours you want to take have not started yet. In June, July, and August, you can pretty much expect everything to be open. But the later you get into summer, the more clouds and rain you can expect.

All the Alaska travel websites talk about clothing to bring, but for us RVers, that's not such a big deal. We'll have everything with us, and chances are you already have clothing you can layer. However, if you don't have a good set of rain gear and quick-drying clothing, you may want to invest in those along with a good pair of comfortable rubber boots.

The good news is Alaska temperatures, while cool, don't fluctuate that much between night and day May through September. But the temperatures do fluctuate between the regions and the weather is unpredictable, so you have to be prepared for anything.

Unless you go in the middle of winter, you won't avoid bugs. Prepare, use your favorite repellent, take a bug net to cover your face, hope for the best and be prepared to deal with the worst.

Certainly, you'll want to spend six to eight weeks in Alaska, and if you can manage ten, twelve, fourteen, or sixteen weeks, even better (although four months in the state might be pushing it weather-wise on your way up or way back).

It seems that crossing the border into Canada around the first of May and then crossing back into the lower 48 by the end of September is quite doable. What I hear most is that people will arrive in Alaska around mid-June and start heading back in mid to late August crossing back over the southern border of Canada between September 1 and 15.

What may be more important than when you head up or start back is the timing of your travels while in Alaska. There are peak times for various activities in different places. Do your homework. For example, certain bear watching tours run all summer long, but your chances of seeing bears might be best in a very tight window of time. Maybe you want to catch a King Salmon, but you arrived at the river just after their seasonal run. Perhaps there was a particular tour you had your heart set on, but it wasn't running yet when you got to the area or maybe it closed for the season before you arrived. 

The bottom line is go when you feel comfortable, stay as long as you can, and return before the weather makes driving hazardous. Oh, and leave enough time to explore some of the remote beauty of Canada on your way up, on your way back, or both.

Update: Crossing into Canada on April 27, we got caught in a freak blizzard in Calgary. But after that, we had amazing, unbelievable weather all summer. We had far less rain than expected (although the heavy rain coats we purchased on the way were fantastic investments for the times it did rain), and the bugs weren't bad at all. It was a lucky year weather-wise.

 

In our next entry, we'll talk more about our plans along with the hows and whys we came up with them. But for now, we hope this post provides a good overview of planning an RV trip to Alaska and at least helps some of you get your bearings enough to be a little more comfortable in your own planning.

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Comments

[Linda Coffin]

We towed our 26' 5th wheel to Alaska in 2000. We spent a full month there. Top of the World highway was one of the highlights of our trip. It was awesome.

[Howard]

Linda, we'll keep Top of the World Highway in mind. Though it's not on the radar now, we certainly can be convinced. :)

[Gene Siesky]

Wow. That is one comprehensive review! We flew from Chicago to Anchorage and picked up our rental Class C. With Almost 24 hours of daylight, you can get a lot in in a day. BTW, I don't recall if you mentioned this, but you will want something to block the light so you can sleep.

[Martha Wiseman]

We left home in the Chicago area mid-May, drove our motor home on every road possible in Alaska and returned home mid-September. We learned a lot from other people's blogs as to itinerary and pace. Ours is at: http://www.mytripjournal.com/wiseman26

[Rowdy]

Awesome job Howard! This may be apart of one of your posts to come. One thing a lot of people do not condsider when making there plans is the regional weather Like weather in southeast is raining most always. But to see the Denali and the interior the best months are june July. As August is the interiors rainy season. But I am impressed with your research. Again outstanding job. Can’t wait to see you in Alaska!
Rowdy

[Bill]

For those interested, there is absolutely no issue taking a big 5th wheel up or down The Cassiar (BC Hwy 37) highway. What the milepost said is somewhat true, but it is just not an issue. We've done it twice and so have many, many others with big 5ers. Don't be concerned, in our opinion. It's really no different from places on the Alcan. Besides, that route sets one up for the Ice Fields Highway in BC which is spectacular.
Bill

[Neil laubenyhal]

You want to do the Top of the World highway. It’s fine. I paved but very well maintained...we had no trouble with our 40 foot New Horizons. Dawson City is well worth it. We had several mid 40 foot class A’s on our trip and all made it just dine. The roads are much better than you think. We followed the same route that caravans take and it’s about 5000 miles Dawson Creek to Prince George. About 250 or 300 miles of that was unpaved...but again well maintained and speed of 30-40 was fine. Worst road was from Tom to Glennallen...and it was paved nd well patched. It had a lot of frost heave bumps as it goes across the muskeg in the tundra... up again 30-40 was fine. Your rig will have no issues at all with the roads...we’ve been on many worse roads out west and in New England than in AK.

[Howard]

Thanks Bill & Neil for the comments. But it would help if we could get some elaboration about what makes Top Of The World Highway worthwhile. What is special about that route that makes it worth taking?

[Bill and Nancy]

WOW!!! What a great post!!! We wish we could go to Alaska in 2019, but it is looking like 2021 for us. So we will be watching and reading closely. Once again, thanks for all you do for all of us:o)))

[Jeff Prupis]

Thanks H&L We're planning on AK in '20 so your input is perfect timing. We're hoping to ferry up to Haines and drive back to catch Northern lights and salmon runs (4-5 months total) We took the ferry last year from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert - Inside Passage was an awesome trip. Headed east from there to Maritimes (7K miles). You guys have been an inspiration to us for years, in fact our FT life was started when I found your FB page. Thanks for all the work you do.

[Colibaba]

Great blog Howard! Wish we had this info before our trip as we just winged it. Highly recommend doing the Top of the World hwy. The scenery is spectacular especially when the fireweed is in bloom. Dawson Creek was a blast. I even tried the World famous Sour Toe Cocktail! The Cassiar hwy was not an issue at all. If going to Hyder continue on to the spectacular Salmon Glacier. Lots to see and do in Whitehorse too. Don’t forget the
https://www.toursaver.com Cheers!

[Bill]

I'll let Neil comment on the Top of The World Highway in addition to Colibaba's. But as to the Cassiar highway, if it is an issue to someone then they better not go to Alaska, IMO. There are parts of the Alcan that are no better. My comments are based multiple trips with big 5er's as you know. Just not a problem.
IMO and experience the toad is what will have issues from debris (rocks) from the motorhome if actually "towed." Less with a smaller Class C then a Class A - especially if the "rock guard" on the motorhome is NOT removed. (PM me if you want details.)
As you know, we took our 40' 2006 KZ Escalade 5er all the way to Inuvik, NWT on roads that made the Cassiar look like an Interstate. The Escalade is still in service with James & Cindy. Looks great and still doing fine. We were with them last week in FL.
All just our experiences.
Bill

[glynn angle]

5 years ago we did an inside passage cruise, & 2 years ago we flew to anchorage & drove in a rental SUV for 10 days (a much better adventure). Just so much to see, as you know, so just do the best you can. The highlite of the trip was flying from Talkeetna and landing on a glacier in Denali (a must do, if you don't mind adventure flying.)

[KEN AND MARGARET CHAPMAN]

HI HOWARD AND LINDA
WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR THE ALASKA INFO. WE TOO ARE GOING THIS YEAR STARTING IN APRIL. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK YOU BECAUSE OF YOU TWO WE ARE STARTING OUR FULL TIME ADVENTURES THIS YEAR. I FOUND YOUR WEBSITE ABOUT 11 YEARS AND BEEN FOLLOWING YOU ALL THESE YEARS. WE MEET YOU A COUPLE OF TIMES IN COLUMBUS OH AND DAYTON OH. MAYBE WILL CROSS PATHS IN ALASKA. AGAIN A BIG THANK YOU.
KEN AND MARGARET CHAPMAN, 2OLDFARTSINARV

[Neil Laubenthal]

Ok…Bill can't really comment on the ToW because he didn't make it there as their had some issues…so I'll tell you. There are several reasons to go there…starting with routing. As you've noted in the blog…the ferry is really a non starter mostly so most folks end up leaving Dawson Creek and heading up the AlCan. That gets you to Tok basically then you tour AK. When coming back…you can drive 1500 miles back down the AlCan…or you can head across via Chicken and the ToW to Dawson City. Road first…the ToW is unpaved except for about a mile right at the border…but it's…like many of AK's unpaved roads…just fine. Nicely graded and really no issues at all with grades or curves…there are a few but nothing to serious. The views are fantastic…some of the best we saw on our entire trip. You're mostly out in tundra sort of landscape…not forest or steep mountains. The real treat about the ToW…other then being in a rarely traveled place for most RVers…is that you get to Dawson City at the end…and Dawson City was the best town we visited on the entire trip. After taking the ferry across the Yukon…you're right in downtown and there's plenty to do there. The show Gold Rush is filmed there…and there's lots of gold mining in the area with both placer mines and dredges to visit and tour. There's the quaint little 1800 era western town…with plank sidewalks and unpaved roads. There's the hotel with the bar that has the Sour Toe Cocktail…a must do in our opinion. There's the climb up to the top of the mountain overlooking the town for more beautiful views. There's the tour guides that dress in 1800s era clothing and take you around and show you the town. There's Robert W Service…the poet…he of "The Cremation of Sam MacGee" fame…his cabin is in town and there's a reenactor in period clothes that recites some of his poems and ballads. There's the dance hall/old time bordello/saloon…can't remember the name off the top of my head but it's a great place to have a drink, dinner, and show. There's hiking and such sort of things as well. And then when you leave Dawson…you head back down via Stewart Crossing and intersect the AlCan but you haven't had to schlep all the way back down the road your drove up. From the intersection…which is pretty near White Horse…you can then head back down the rest of the AlCan to Dawson Creek or take the Cassiar down to the Prince George/ Vancouver area. Most folks take the AlCan up and the Cassiar back down…or vice versa…just so you see different stuff and not the same road again.

From Connie and my standpoint…the highlights of the entire trip were (a) the flight up to Anaktuik Pass to Gates of the Arctic NP, the trip down to Katmai NP for the brown bears (me only, she didn't go on that one), Denali, and Dawson City.

As Bill said…the roads are just fine for big 5vers as well as 44 foot DP class A rigs…so yours will be just fine. The Cassiar is no worse than any of the other roads. In our opinion…the worst road on the entire trip was one of the paved ones…from Glenallen up to Tok…I think that's what's called the Tok Cutoff. It was paved…and all the potholes were patched…but it goes over the muskeg/permafrost/tundra so it ends up not being a smooth road. I rated it as about the equivalent of a sea state 3 on the submarine…it's just a rocking and rolling road even though it's paved and patched. We were actually happy to get to Tok and head out on the unpaved road to Chicken…it was better than the road from Glenallen to Tok by a long shot.

There's more detail and photos in our blog back from 2015…the ToW was probably around mid to late August…but you can review from starting in late June when we left Dawson Creek…there's lots of detail on the various stops and things too do.

Or you can drop me a line via email if you've got other questions…I know we're in your address book or at least your "previous recipients" in your email program.

[Tracy Perkins]

Outstanding writeup. Really excited for you and excited to read about your adventure...plus see the pictures of course!!

[JC Webber III]

We went to Alaska in 2014 in our 40' motorhome. We took a month to get there (traveling up the east side of the Canadian Rockies), spent two months exploring Alaska, and then took another month to return to the US via the Cassiar Hwy. Wonderful trip. Thinking of doing it again. 8^)

-- jc&bev

[John Brown]

Good to see the Cassiar is on your radar, it is a spectacular drive both from a scenery and the wildlife point of view and I wouldn't be so quick to discount the Top of the World Highway, we have taken our 40' Class A over that route and although we did have to go slowly for part of the road between the Can/USA border into Chicken we had no issues. Dawson City really is a must see for that part of the world. In fact the Yukon is great all over and the Yukon Territorial Campgrounds are well designed, clean and although they have no hook-ups will fit any size of rig, and when we went the firewood was free.