Milwaukee to Alaska to Los Angeles

Hey,

One of my buddies and I (we are both 18) are planning a one way road trip from Milwaukee to the Yukon to Los Angeles. We haven't decided yet if we are going to drive the extra distance into Alaska yet or not. With out going to Alaska our route is Milwaukee to Winnipeg to Calgary via Hwy 1 up 93 through Jasper N.P. then we will make our way to 97 all the way up and 37 down. We do not have a route in mind yet from then on to L.A. We plan on making a lot of stops and detours to hike, and go to places like telegraph creek, Hyder, and possibly Graham island. We are planning to take a little over two weeks to make this trip.

I was wondering if anyone has any ideas of alternate routes, things to see/do or a route down to L.A. Also, I was wondering what extra we would need to bring for bears if we are camping. Any input would be great. Thanks in advance!

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

You're looking at over 6,000 miles by the time you throw in detours, so this tri will be neither quick nor cheap. But it will be an adventure. You, of course, have your passports in order? OK, then a few comments. First, as to your last Question, I am no expert on bears and so defer to those who deal with them on a regular basis in Yellowstone, the surrounding area, and in the Canadian Rockies. It looks as though you're going to just poke your nose into the Yukon, so continuing on the Alcan all the way to Alaska is not worth while, but the side trip on 37A to Hyder and back would at least add Alaska to your trip. I would definitely come down past Garibaldi Provincial Park and use the Sea to Sky Highway to Vancouver, then ferry across to Swartz Bay, and then again from Victoria to Port Angeles, WA. With enough time, you can bounce back and forth between the coast and Cascades seeing both the major mountains, Mount St. Helens, Hood, and Crater Lake, as well as the sea stacks along the Oregon coast and the Redwoods of the northern California coast. Just be sure to follow the Pacific Coast Highway (CA-1) from San Francisco down through Monterey and Carmel to San Luis Obispo and Malibu. Oh, and one last (or first) thing. Get the current copy of The Milepost.

AZBuck

Thanks for the response AZBuck. In your opinion, how much do you think this trip would be? We estimated around $4000 on the conservative side and being able to do everything we want to. Also, if we were camping do you know of any places to shower up North? In the cities?

Thanks

Some campgrounds may have showers. The next best place to look would be truck stops.

$4000 sounds pretty reasonable, but you may be paying as much as $5 a gallon for gas in the remote areas, and if you have to get a hotel room that won't be cheap either. A lot of your budget is going to depend on how economical your vehicle is.