Alaska Highway Road Trip

[Bogart]

The date: July or August.

The route: Highway 3 north from Anchorage to Fairbanks, then to Delta Junction, then the Alaska Highway for its entire length to Dawson Creek, BC, then BC Highway 97 south to the Transcanada Highway and I-5 to Seattle, then a plane home. One-way, 2633 miles.

So, how many days? 10? And what's the good stuff to see? Give me roadside attractions! I have to buy a copy of The Milepost, correct?

[Midwest Michael]

The Alaska Highway is very high on my "someday" list. However, since I haven't done it, I'm not going to be of much help.

From everything I've read, the Milepost will be the perfect reading material for your trip. 10 days also sounds about right for the distance, considering the terrain you'll be covering.

[AZBuck]

While I haven't driven the Alcan, I have driven the parts of Alaska between Seward and Fairbanks, and you're in for a treat on those roads. I'd recommend that you try to get down to Seward for a day or two. Take the time to try to observe the tidal bore on Turnagain Arm in the process as well as take one of the smaller sightseeing boats out into Resurrection Bay from Seward. Another off-the-wall stop that is well worth it is Talkeetna, a very funky little town (ostensibly the inspiration for "Northern Exposure") that is the jumping off point for climbing Mt. McKinley (Denali). It is also possible to book a plane that will fly you in and amongst the mountains and actually land you on one of the glaciers coming off the mountain. Finally, in Fairbanks, The Univ. of Alaska has a great presentation on the northern lights, and there is a fairly touristy, but still worth it, ride on a paddle-wheeler up the Tanana River.

AZBuck

[Bogart]

I've been thinking about taking one of those day trips from Fairbanks to Barrow. Because that would blow me away.

[wacko2]

I went to Alaska last year on a route similar to yours, except going the opposite direction.

Sorry to say, we didn't stop at Talkeetna though that had originally been the plan. But we did stop at Denali National Park, and I highly recommend you take a bus tour of the park to see the scenery and some of the wildlife. I was lucky enough to see moose, mountain goats, grizzly bears, ravens, a fox and even a wolf. It is possible to take a comfy bus ride provided by one of the commercial outfitters at $100 per person, but we took the cheaper option which we found just as good: the shuttle bus service run by the park itself. The cost will vary depending on how far into the park you want to go, up to $37.50 per person. There are rest stops every 1 to 1.5 hours, but you will need to bring your own lunch. Also you will need to reserve in advance. We reserved the day we got there for a tour the next day. I believe you can also reserve on-line or by phone. Supposedly the best chance at seeing wildlife is to take an early morning tour, but we took one for later in the day and came away quite pleased with the experience. The weather can be iffy sometimes though; it's definitely cool, and afternoon showers aren't uncommon in the summer.

At Fairbanks, the University of Alaska has a pretty good museum, so if that's up your alley I recommend that too. We also went to Pioneer Park, but we found the attractions kind of meh, although the Pioneer Air Museum is pretty interesting. Park admission is free, you only have to pay for individual attractions. As well, as a minor roadside stop, you could check out the Alyeska pipeline display.

I have more to say, but first I'd like to know if this is the kind of information you're looking for? And yes, the Milepost is great. We used it a fair bit for planning.

[Bogart]

This would indeed be the kind of info I'm looking for. As you say, the Milepost appears to be an exhaustive source of where the gas stations and motels are. What I'm looking for is places that are worth stopping at along the way.

[wacko2]

Great. Just to clarify, by "similar route", I meant that I went roughly from Dawson Creek to Fairbanks to Anchorage (with some side trips as well). Come to think of it, do you live in Anchorage, or is that just the beginning portion of your road trip?

Anyway, continuing southwards. Tok is a nice place to stop for the night, althouigh we didn't actually do much there. Crossing the border into Canada, there's a private campground at Destruction Bay I think, which we liked because it was right by the lake. Awesome lake views, but be warned, bears sometimes like to pay a visit too! Some kilometres south of that, you'll come to the Kluane National Park visitor center, which is a nice short roadside stop.

I can't tell you about the portion between Haines Junction and Whitehorse, since we didn't go that way. But at Whitehorse, there are some good museums, including the Beringia Centre (where you can learn how to throw an atlatl) and the MacBride Museum. You can also take a tour of the S.S. Klondike sternwheeler, or take a short walk at Miles Canyon. Takhini Hot Springs is also an option, though we didn't do that.

At Watson Lake, be sure to check out the Signpost Forest. There's about 50,000 signs from all over the world. Pretty incredible. You can also go to the Northern Lights Space and Science Centre. There's some walking/hiking possibilities too. Maybe check out Liard River Canyon if you're into hiking?

Ok, taking another break here before I go into the B.C. portion. Hope all this will help you out a bit.

[Bogart]

I live in Southern California. Flying to Anchorage, driving to Seattle, flying home.