We have done AK twice now. First time was on our own however we met plenty of people along the way who we saw multiple times.
Second time was this year. Long time friends joined us for part of the way & again we met others who we saw & did things with along the way.
Going to AK is much more social than any cross country trips we have done. Everyone is on basically the same mission so making new friends along the way happens far more often than a lower 48 trip.
Boat: 32' 1996 Albin 32+2, single Cummins 315hp
40+ night per year overnighter
Wife and I plan to go back to Ak in 2013 so we are interested....
We have done Ak 2x by motorcycle, 04 and 10......Thoroughly enjoyed it both times but now we are ready to do it in the MH....With all the comforts of home..!!
We came back the Cassair in 2010 and it was very enjoyable, you are really more on your own there than even the Ak Hwy......Cassiar was nice......
Steve and Liz
Fallbrook, Ca
2006 Gulfstream Independence 30' 3 slides....V-10...
2010 Wrangler w/Blue Ox Towbar, Baseplate and braking system
We went on our own back in 2009 and are considering a return trip in 2013. We are also thinking of going with 2-3 other couples. The other couples are friends of our who haven't been yet and they see us as some kind of "experts" which is far from the truth. We have talked about traveling together from Dawson Creek to Tok, then splitting apart with some going towards Fairbanks and others going towards Valdez with prearranged plans to meet up in Teklanika in Denali on a given date. That way we can all share what the others have seen and done since Tok. Then we are considering meeting up at Tok again to return together via the Cassiar to Banff/Jasper area. Part of the reason for the split up under consideration is because we are not going to be traveling in similar sized set-ups.
Dave & Kathy
2007 Monaco Knight 40PDQ towing 2003 Odyssey
Fulltime since October 2007
Before you give someone a piece of your mind, make sure you can get by with what will be left.
DW is retired now and (don't tell my boss) I plan on retiring in the spring of 2013. We have an initial plan set up but following this thread for all the good info. The plan is to depart St Louis on June 1st and spend maybe 3 months on the trip. This will also be our start to full-timing so we are looking forward to that too. It will be interesting to use the Alaska/Canada trip to see how our full-timing packing works. If anyone is treking through St Louis on their was about the same time we are departing, let us know and maybe we can travel some of the trail together.
Ken and Sue Smith
'05 Silverado 3500 LS, DRW, D/A, Sport Red
2007 Carriage Cameo 35KS3
BrakeSmart Brake Controller
24. Kluane Lake, Destruction Bay, YT
25. Haines, AK
26. Skagway, AK
27. Teslin, YT
28. Watson Lake, YT
During this part of your trip, I would highly recommend leaving your RVs in Haines or Skagway and taking the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry to, at least, Juneau and Sitka. You can get a cabin, travel in a "coach" seat, or bring a backpack tent and sleep in your sleeping bag on deck--it is strictly up to you (and your budget). You can eat in the cafeteria or bring your own food. I checked the 2012 rates and the adult fare from Haines to Sitka is $66 one-way, a 2-bed stateroom starts at $63, and the deck tent space and "coach" seats are free with the adult fare. If you are taking the ferry from Haines to Skagway, you may be able to work out an even better group/package rate on a Sitka-Juneau trip round trip.
I have covered most of Alaska by small plane, helicopter, boat, ferry, car, and train since first working there in 1972--Juneau to Nome; Big Delta to Shemya Island at the western end of the Aleutians; Kodiak Island to Bettles. The only region I haven't seen is the North Slope. And, next to the view of Mt. McKinley from Talkeetna on a perfectly clear morning, my favorite views in Alaska are in Sitka (please keep in mind that I live in Colorado so mountains are everyday views, seacoasts are not).
You don't need an RV in Sitka--a van meets every ferry to take you into town. Once there, you can walk anywhere you want to go. Sitka was the Russian capital of Alaska, so there are enough museums to satisfy any history buff. And, for photographers, there are photo ops galore. From the volcanic cone in the harbor entrance to the hundreds of bald eagles flying overhead, from the Russian capital/church buildings to the totem pole park, Sitka's scenery and wildlife are absolutely spectacular. And once the cruise ship passengers leave in the late afternoon, you'll have the town and its gorgeous sunsets all to yourself!
Even the ferry trip getting there through Peril Strait is fantastic! That 408-foot ferry takes curves at speeds that cause it to literally fishtail and it passes fishing trawlers like they are standing still. You would never experience the strait on an Alaska cruise since the Coast Guard does not allow cruise ships to use it. For those who love speed, it is just one more thrill of taking this ferry trip (try the fantail one direction and the bow the other direction)!
Finally, Juneau is the capital of the state, so is interesting for that reason, for its mining history, and for its "city" glacier (we walked to Mendenhall Glacier from a bus stop!). But it can also be the jumping off point for a day- or two-day small boat tour of Glacier Bay National Park. There is a lodge and a campground at Glacier Bay, but it is not worth taking an RV there either.
So consider a ferry trip sans RV to see some of the most beautiful parts of Alaska that are inaccessible by road!
* This post was
edited 01/20/12 09:53pm by fanrgs *
2011 Nissan Frontier SV King Cab 4x4 (red)
2012 Rockwood Mini Lite 2109S TT
My husband and I are interested in going on the 2013 trip. We have been looking at 2013 for our trip. Please keep us posted on this group. We would be coming from NC but have a daughter in Colorado that we will be visiting with before making the Alaska trip.
KPSmithSr wrote: DW is retired now and (don't tell my boss) I plan on retiring in the spring of 2013. We have an initial plan set up but following this thread for all the good info. The plan is to depart St Louis on June 1st and spend maybe 3 months on the trip. This will also be our start to full-timing so we are looking forward to that too. It will be interesting to use the Alaska/Canada trip to see how our full-timing packing works. If anyone is treking through St Louis on their was about the same time we are departing, let us know and maybe we can travel some of the trail together.
We are planning to leave on exactly the same trip from Denver about a week later. I am retired and my wife (also currently unknown to her boss) is planning to retire at the end of 2012. So the 2013 Alaska trip is her big "retirement party" (believe it or not, it was her idea, not mine!). As I mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, I have worked all over Alaska, but we have had only one vacation there as a couple (in 2000 for our 32nd anniversary). I was somewhat shocked that she wanted to do an Alaska trek for our first "fully retired" vacation. But she has really gotten into digital photography in a big way since our last Alaska trip and that is her major driver. Not many better places for photos--except when the rain is pouring down!
We are getting our recently ordered travel trailer in March and have a year to work out the kinks and "practice" for Alaska before jumping off that June. We drove up to Glacier, Waterton Lakes, Banff, Jasper, and Calgary a few years ago, so we are thinking about going up through BC. Maybe through Jackson, Pocatello, Missoula, Coeur d'Alene, Kamloops, Prince George, and Dawson Creek. Or maybe Prince George, Stewart-Hyder, and Dease Lake up and hit Watson Lake and Dawson Creek on the way home. No firm route or plans yet, even in Alaska. But the anticipation is killing me--I love Alaska almost as much as Colorado!
My wife and I are also planning a long RV trip to AK in 2013. We have been talking about looking for a SMALL group to join. We plan to leave right after Memorial Day and come back as late as possible based on being ahead of the winter season. What is a safe departure date that allows for slow travel south to be able to see that to? We like to drive short days and not every day. I just found this thread and read it from start to finish. I will keep watching it. Keep us in mine please. We will be leaving from our Tucson, AZ winter place. We plan to drive the coach up to the north west and park it and fly to the east coast for a wedding on Memorial Day weekend 2013. Then fly back to the coach and off we go to AK. We are in Tucson, AZ this winter and next. Are any of you all that are interested in this trip in our neighborhood? We live summers in western Michigan. Ted & Ruth Ann
rubycreekted wrote: What is a safe departure date that allows for slow travel south to be able to see that to? We like to drive short days and not every day. . . . Ted & Ruth Ann
If you want to see the Jasper-Banff area on the way south, we were there a few years ago during the third week in September. It was snowing hard in Lake Louise and on the Icefields Parkway at Dolomite Pass. Absolutely beautiful with snow-covered evergreens rimming the lakes and snow on the angled rocks of the mountains, but the road was snow-packed and visibility during the drive was occasionally pretty poor. Just outside Jasper at Pyramid Lake the following afternoon was sunny, breezy, and 50 degrees. There was only a little snow on the peaks behind the lake, but we did have to stop for a bull elk standing in the middle of the parkway and bugling!
A week earlier we had a late afternoon of heavy rain, followed by a morning of very strong winds in Waterton Lakes NP (strong enough to shake our car when parked). There we had to stop for an entire herd of bighorn sheep walking down the middle of the road into town! And mule deer were eating the dried flowers in the flower bed outside the lodge office when we checked out. So, you can count on variable weather in the Canadian Rockies in the early fall, but an abundance of wildlife. Every year will be different.
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