Off to Alaska!!

[Gcross1468]

All I can say is WOW! Amazing shots.

[johnboytoo]

Now I'm mad !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

madly jealous and happy for you --- once in a lifetime trip !!! treasure it !

[jlongsta]

Our sink covers have bounced out too. I store them in a drawer during travel. I don't want them bouncing out and hitting the tv.

[WildWildWest]

Ok, just to conclude the series - a shot at 6:30am this morning! This one you can see the two rivers coming down that lead to the twin falls.

[mikefarm]

amazing pictures, now only if Alaska just wasn't so far away from Chicago..!

[Loneoak]

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

[johnboytoo]

Originally Posted by mikefarm

amazing pictures, now only if Alaska just wasn't so far away from Chicago..!

Only 3600 miles for you - just around the corner...
for us 4300 miles !!! only 73 hours so at 300 miles per day
11 days to GET there

so guess we can make it for labor day !

[harley]

Originally Posted by johnboytoo

Only 3600 miles for you - just around the corner...
for us 4300 miles !!! only 73 hours so at 300 miles per day
11 days to GET there

so guess we can make it for labor day !

Maybe you can get one of us retired guys to haul your rig to a nice starting point for you...just a thought...

[johnboytoo]

Thanks for the offer !
Can fly to meet you

[WildWildWest]

Ran 440 miles from Smithers, BC to Jasper, AB. Beautiful drive bad great highway. All pics on Canon today so none to share yet. Will have some tomorrow. When I wrap up the trip report I will explain why this is a must see for those traveling from middle or Eastern USA. Not that it doesn't make sense for those in the West but sometimes they don't want to venture through the Rockies 2 extra times.

[Loneoak]

We went out west in 2012. We followed part of the Oregon Trail, stopped at Grand Tetons and Yellowstone and went all the way to Seattle. We came home through Canada. The very finest scenery we saw on the whole trip was in BC.

[socoguy]

Scott what a wonderful trip. My wife Laura and I traveled to Alaska in 1999 (not by Rv).
Her brother was a Fisheries Biologist and we were able to stay at a Dept of Interior cabin on Prince William Sound (accessible only by boat or seaplane).
We had the extreme experience of a glacier caving while we were Kayaking!!
Thanks so much for your tremendous reports and especially the pictures. You have awakened so many joyful and precious memories for us.
So glad your daughter decided to share your trip a lifetime of memories for you all to share.
Go Well!

[Lujack]

Hi Scott
I am a new member on the forum from Saskatoon as well. Just bought our first 5th wheel 2 weeks ago. I am excited to see your post on your trip to Alaska as we are thinking about doing that next summer but hubby is concerned about the condition of the highway after Dawson Creek. I travelled to DC about 5 years ago by SUV and the highway was great so look forward to your recommended route when you are back!

Karen

[WildWildWest]

And here's why I love Jasper. Been here 4 times now and recommend people take the opportunity to pass through. Then head south to the Columbia Icefields Glacier and go for a spin right onto a glacier in a 4 wheel drive bus. Then head a little further south to Lake Louise and Banff. Two more jewels of the Canadian Rockies. By the way, this pic is taken from the top of the Jasper Skytram - about 2 km straight up from the townsite.

[4kids2dogs&RV]

Awesome pic, looks like you are on top of the world from up there.
It'll be a few years before we make it up there, but I have really enjoyed following your trip report thus far.
Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Tim D]

Originally Posted by socoguy

we were able to stay at a Dept of Interior cabin on Prince William Sound (accessible only by boat or seaplane).
We had the extreme experience of a glacier caving while we were Kayaking!!

I bet that was AWESOME! I love kayaking as well as caving!

[WildWildWest]

Last extra special day of this trip. Back into the prairies tomorrow and home by Sunday. Just a couple of last shots to cap off the thread before I do a summary at the end. Today, took a drive up to Maligne Lake and Maligne canyon. Well worth the short drive from Jasper, AB.

[WildWildWest]

And a narrow angle early on in the canyon. It gets much deeper. Apparently you need to turn your head on this one. Lol. I'll try to correct that.

[WildWildWest]

Been a busy week since we returned from vacation. Finally caught up on things around home and work. So, as promised, a few recommendations for anyone travelling to Alaska in the future. Some of these apply to all types of towing, but better to be prepared if you haven't traveled in remote areas with less than good roads. I will also try to add more pictures to the photos section once I get them organized!

Trip stats:
Length: 28 Nights
Distance: 8,900 kilometers traveled (5,530 miles)
Fuel Used: 1,846 litres of diesel fuel consumed (487 US Gallons - 406 Imperial gallons)
Fuel Consumption: 20.7 litres/100km, 11.35 miles/US Gal, 13.6 miles/Imp.Gal
Repairs/Issues: Nail in trailer tire, fixed before tire damaged. Cracked a wheel on the truck, replaced before tire damaged. That's it!!

Some helpful tips:

1) Don't travel without a spare tire for trailer and tow vehicle. (this may seem obvious, but check your tire pressures on both before leaving - there are many areas where finding somewhere to add air is impossible)

2) See 1 - a small compressor (12 volt) wouldn't be a bad idea to have with you.

3) Proper heavy duty jack for trailer and truck - I carry a 12 ton hydraulic in case I have to change a tire on the rear of the vehicle while the trailer is connected - much easier than trying to use the jack supplied with your vehicle.

4) For 5th wheel owners - 2 very important things - First is a 4 motion hitch in your truck bed - one that moves side to side and forward and back. If you have a fixed head hitch that only moves forward and back, you are likely going to break something! I have a Reese Elite 18K Hitch and it got a workout and a half during the trip. Spoke with a couple of highway maintenance workers in the Yukon Territory and they said the biggest problem is broken hitches and twisted pin boxes (not just on 5th wheel units, but also on travel trailers). 2nd things is some sort of cushioned pin box, we have a Rota-Flex pin box by TrailAir - that's probably the minimum type of shock absorption you would want between the truck and the trailer. Solid pin box is going to be susceptible to twisting the frame of the trailer and won't absorb shocks of the road very well.

5) The trailer will absorb more of the rough roads than the truck due to tandem axles. Most now are Equiflex suspension or the like which allows a lot of motion between the front wheel and back, but the trailer will still take a beating. I was very impressed how well our trailer stood up to the constant shocks and rough roads we experienced, even at low speeds. Tie everything down (our couch moved a couple of times, our recliners bounced a lot, we lay down our kitchen table chairs and don't travel with your kitchen sink covers in place). You know me, I leave the coffee pot out - but that's my own personal challenge - I don't recommend it.

6) SLOW DOWN - the speed limits are not realistic for towing. Yes, there are certain areas where you can travel at or close to the speed limit, but you are better to plan your length of travel each day at a slower average speed. The good thing, is 80% of the bad spots are well marked which includes a flag that can be spotted by the side of the highway, but you won't be slowing down from 55mph to 35mph in 100 yards so you need to be looking ahead always. Some areas you actually need to look at the movement of the lines (waves) to recognize the ups and downs that are coming. If they post a speed for a corner of 30mph - don't try to take it faster than this - it is posted for a reason and you are towing a unit that is heavier than the vehicle you are driving and people underestimate the forces.

7) For those who don't have a class 1 or class 1A license (tractor trailer) or have never driven stock cars or don't drive 30,000 miles per year, get comfortable with the reaction of your vehicle and trailer in steep corners and major grade changes. What I mean by this is understanding centripetal force. Don't try to brake through turns, brake in advance and gradually accelerate through the turn which counteracts the force and puts the driver back in control. I have a lot of experience driving and a lot of people make the mistake of braking in turns and this actually reduces your control. Obviously this applies to driving outside of the Alaska trip, but is more important when you are travelling in the mountains which often have sharp corners in downhill sections - this is where most accidents occur. Seeing people panic braking was common in corners and then driving at the edge of control.

7) Hand in hand with that is understanding off-track with your trailer. Several highways we traveled on in Alaska have no shoulders. The white line was the edge and the pavement ends and the shoulder is dirt/gravel with a drop of 3 inches or so off the edge - if your trailer goes over this edge of the pavement, you will reduce your control significantly.

8) Make sure your tow vehicle is matched to your trailer. You will not enjoy this trip if you have a tow vehicle that is under powered or has insufficient braking ability. You will experience significant grades and in some areas there are no passing lanes. I use transmission and engine braking regularly and only need to apply or tap the foot brake occasionally to keep the speed from accelerating down steep grades. Make sure you have your trailer brakes properly set up in advance of this trip. I had no dusting of truck or trailer brakes throughout but I saw a lot of people having to do a serious degree of braking and this can add to additional issues on a long trip due to the heat generated and wear and tear on the brakes of both the truck and the tow vehicle.

9) Plan your fuel stops - there is an information centre at Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek and they have an up to date pamphlet on all fuel stops that are available on the trip (gas and diesel). Know your distance to empty while towing and understand that many places are not open 24 hours. always keep your fuel level up. I have a 50 gallon stock replacement tank in my truck so I have about 530 miles of range when towing so it is a little less critical for me - most people will have about half of this range and there are a few ares where you may travel about 120 miles without a fuel stop. Not a bad idea to carry a 5 gallon fuel jug with you - it was common practice with people up there.

10) I should mention something about campgrounds. They are plentiful along the Alaska highway in most sections. The pamphlet I spoke of regarding fuel above also lists a majority of the campgrounds along the Alaska highway. We booked all 28 nights in advance, but depending on when you are travelling and whether or not you want full service, you could probably stop when you feel like it and get a place with at least power (but not all). I wanted full service (at least electric and water) at each site so I booked in advance. I found there were more campgrounds along the route than I could initially find online, apparently a lot don't feel the need to advertise online as they are steady all through the season. I do recommend planning stops along the route because, for example, from Watson Lake, YT to Whitehorse, YT, there is basically almost no places to camp. August seemed like a better month as I think it starts to be off season. I imagine July is pretty crazy.

11) We were warned of it being black fly season in August - definitely some, but I didn't find it excessive and much smaller flies than I am used to seeing. Citronella and bug spray (fogger) helped for the most part. Lots of mosquitoes on the Alaska highway, but we have that at home as well. It was definitely a little more dry this year so I think they weren't as bad as usual.

I will add to this as I recall additional recommendations that I feel are important, obviously, much of what is posted above applies to any type of trip, not just Alaska, but is critically important to anyone taking on this length of trip. On average, we travel 4,500 miles to 6,000 miles per year in a single trip for the last five years straight, so I have a lot of comfort towing heavy trailers.

As promised, a map of our route with areas outlined that are the worst. Sorry for the freehand with paint using the mouse.

[Loneoak]

Wow! Thanks for all the valuable information! Alaska is a trip that we are considering, as I am sure a lot of people are. I will discuss these points with my husband.

We have spoken to two people in the past week about driving to Alaska. One said use the Dempster Highway, the other said stay away from it.