Hi all, we are beginning to plan a trip to Alaska in 2013, and all I have heard is horror stories of broken axles and broken windshields and don't drive it, one guy told me that you had to wash your RV every night because they use a chemical on the roads that is harmful to your chasis and RV. Told of long lines at the wash stations and cost to wash??? this did not ring true with other posts?? A Tiffton owner said he spends lots of time at Red Bay and everyone there, said do not take your motorhome to Alaska you will ruin it. I am having a hard time believing these stories as last year I was planning the trip and most people were nothing but encouraging. Does anyone have experience with the drive. Are there plenty of stops, fuel, and is the road all paved? I know there will be frost heavals and you need to be careful, but if you drive reasonable and watch is this a major problem? Oh well, thanks for any help and some postive feed back , positive would be good as I would like to avoid taking the ferry from Seattle to Whitter and thus not see all of Canada.
We are currently in Alaska & I have to say the roads coming up here this trip were better than we have ever seen them. There are most assuredly some "bad" spots but if you will slow down & take your time through those rough areas you shouldn't have any problems. This is especially true where you see the orange flags at the side of the road as this indicates frost heaves. We have brought a travel trailer, 2 different fifth wheels & a 40 foot motor home up & out of 5 trips we have only had a broken windshield once. The key is keeping in mind to drive according to road conditions & when meeting vehicles on gravel stretches slow down & pull to the right side as much as possible. The roads are paved & as good as the roads in most of the lower 48, with exception to those areas where the winter weather takes it's toll. In our opinion, just come on up you won't regret it! We love it & keep coming back time after time as do many others. Definitely be sure not to miss Canada, the Canadian Rockies are as gorgeous as Alaska is. There are plenty of fuel stops along the way, but most say to remember to drive on the top half of you fuel gauge, which we always do. Feel free to send me a private message if you have specific questions that we can answer for you. I am sure you will get many answers but you will likely get more when the mod moves this to the Alaska forum. Safe travels.
Mac & Becky
Seeing North America one mile at a time
2006 42' Allegro Bus towing a 2011 Cadillac SRX
2011 F350 6.7L Crew Cab FX4 & 2005 Holiday Rambler Alumascape for Alaska trips
Having just made the trip to AK in a Class C, I was surprised how good the Alcan was up until Whitehorse as there was less than a mile of gravel (4 short sections). Stopped slowing down for the orange flags and never regretted until after Whitehorse for the first 20 miles. Well, there was one 30 kilometers before a bridge (most are 50 for some unknown reason) that I should have slowed down for. The last 100 miles before AK is a mixed bag with more good than bad, but the bad is pretty bad. Learned real quick that the white lines across the road were for those areas that need rebuilding. Made a car that was behind me pass so I could watch it to see how bad these areas were and then adjusted my speed to how much rock and rolling the car did. The first 100 miles after customs in AK almost makes up for the 100 before as it's that nice.
I posted a report on the Alcan here with some additional details.
This post is my opinion (free advice). It is not intended to influence anyone's judgment nor do I advocate anyone do what I propose.
raymondfl wrote: Hi all, we are beginning to plan a trip to Alaska in 2013, and all I have heard is horror stories of broken axles and broken windshields and don't drive it, one guy told me that you had to wash your RV every night because they use a chemical on the roads that is harmful to your chasis and RV. Told of long lines at the wash stations and cost to wash??? this did not ring true with other posts?? A Tiffton owner said he spends lots of time at Red Bay and everyone there, said do not take your motorhome to Alaska you will ruin it. I am having a hard time believing these stories as last year I was planning the trip and most people were nothing but encouraging. Does anyone have experience with the drive. Are there plenty of stops, fuel, and is the road all paved? I know there will be frost heavals and you need to be careful, but if you drive reasonable and watch is this a major problem? Oh well, thanks for any help and some postive feed back , positive would be good as I would like to avoid taking the ferry from Seattle to Whitter and thus not see all of Canada.
I think a lot of what you hear is based on 30-40 year old stories about how the road used to be. In recent years, the road is not bad at all and it is all paved (except for contruction areas). Some parts are better than others and there will always be a stretch or two that is gravel as they work to repair damage. But, as a whole, its not the horror road that some would have you believe.
Slow down for the frost heaves which are usually (but not always!!) marked by orange flags.
Food, fuel etc is not an issue in the summer...in the spring/fall/winter you need to be a little more aware.
Red Bay? Can't find it.
Chemicals? Haven't heard that one. I saw no problems. Washed it once in Anchorage because it was dirty.
Below Destruction Bay the roads are just like you would expect in the lower 48. Above that, drive slower, watch for frost heaves. The rest just depends on the road you are on. Anchorage to the Kenai peninsula is one of the most spectacular drives ever. All good roads.
There are those that choose to drive to fast and don't slow down. Those that tow usually don't realize how much the RV pops up and down on uneven roads when the back of the tow vehicle moves up and down.
2000 Sea Breeze F53 V10 - CR-V Toad
Some RV batteries live a long and useful life, some are murdered. Get a Digital Multimeter and Learn How to Use It
Red Bay? Due west from Decatur AL @ Miss line. Chemicals? Never heard of that. Rods? Just like the others have posted - drive like you have some sense and enjoy!!! The only time we had to wash our car was after passing thru a couple of miles of serious road construction after a couple of days of serious rain on the way to Destruction Bay. Our toad looked like a car shaped mud ball!! Out of the 22 rigs in our group, there was only one broken windshield - that was the result of a rock thrown by a speeding semi in a construction zone - and one flat tire and that was a known risk going in - they should have replaced it before leaving. Ignore the naysayers and have fun!!!
We drove the Alcan highway from end to end in 2005 in a 40 foot motorhome towing a car. As others have said, the Canadian Rockies are spectacular and, in our opinion, more scenic than anything we saw in Alaska. The worst roads we encountered were in western Canada, not Alaska. The paved roads in Alaska were all good, but the problem is that there aren't many of them. By far, most of the roads in Alaska aren't paved. We avoided 2 of the major gravel roads which are the road from Chicken to Tok and the Cassier Hwy. In talking to folks who traveled those roads we found lots of broken windshields and really dirty RV's. The broken windshields were caused, for the most part, by semis driving in the opposite direction and going 60 to 70 mph. You can't avoid the flying rocks even if you stop dead. Our bottom line is that Alaska is a great place to visit, but if we ever do it again we'll take a 2 week sea/land tour. There's just too much to see in Alaska that isn't accessible by paved road.
tgobob
Titusville, FL
2003 Allegro Bus
350 HP Cummins ISC diesel engine
Freightliner chassis
Age is a state of mind. Think old and you are old. Think young and you're still old.
I'm with the majority of posters here in that the roads are fine with occasional bad spots. In 6 trips up so far (we go every second year) we've gotten 2 pocks on the windshield that were repaired in Tok, and had one driver side window shattered on a 4 lane, Interstate quality, divided highway 10 miles from Edmonton, AB. Frost heaves are generally confined to north of Whitehorse. Just slow down and the gravel becomes much easier to take. Other vehicles throw rocks just about straight up into the air. You have a choice on how fast you hit them by whatever speed you travel. A bra on your rig and/or one on the toad would probably be a good investment, but at least half the rigs up there have nothing. We've traveled the Top of the World highway and found it a great run, but quite dusty compared to other roads in the north. Wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
Last year we went all the way to Prudhoe Bay. Because we had a household 15 cu ft freezer in the toad and a bad refrig in the Bus, I elected to fly up and take a van tour to drive us down. I was pleasantly surprised at the condition of the Dalton Highway. All gravel and some washboard, but I'd drive the rig on it without question if I made the trip again.
Enjoy Alaska. Just leave plenty of time. We were only planning to go up once, but we haven't filled that memory chest yet, and probably won't before we die. The place is definitely addicting.
John
Pigman & Piglady
2013 Tiffin Allegro Bus 43' QGP
2011 Chevy Silverado 1500
BlueOx Aventa LX Tow Bar
SMI Air Force One toad brake
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