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I am planning to drive from Fairbanks, AK to Idaho the first of June. The only part of this trip I've never made is the entire way through Canada, I need to know where the best places to stay are and where fuel up points can be found, any advice from those experiences with traveling the Alcan and Cassiar Hwys would be gratefully appreciated. Also, can anyone tell me what the current fuel rate is in BC and Alberta? Thanks for all your help.
Welcome to the RTA Forum!
The nice thing about the Alcan is that the stops tend to be kind of ready-made, because of how they are spaced out. The first thing you need to do is purchase a copy of The Milepost, which is the guide for any journey on a roadtrip to/from Alaska.
Right now, you're looking at prices CAN$1.25-1.40/liter, which works out to about US$4.5-$5/gallon .
Thanks, already bought The Milepost but was looking for some hands on info as a book can only give you so much. I'll be travelling with my kids so didn't want to have to do 12- 16 hour between stops if I could help it, I'm in no real hurry to get anywhere so can take my time and make more frequent stops if available. I wasn't sure how far from Tok to Beaver Creek or if there was anything in between the two that would offer lodging for us, any ideas on that?
The 2012 edition of The Milepost is now available.
It's only 110 miles from Tok to Beaver Creek, and if there's ANYTHING in between them, The Milepost will have it.
http://www.milepost.com/highway_info/alaska_highway
Quote:
DC 1166.5 Historic Milepost 1202, BEAVER CREEK (pop. 112); food, gas, lodging, camping at Buckshot Betty's and Westmark Inn.
DC 1168.5 Canadian Customs Beaver Creek station.
DC 1186.3 Historic Milepost 1221. Canada–U.S. International Border; rest area and photo-op.
The MILEPOST® Log now adds physical mileposts (MP) to log in Alaska.
DC 1186.8 MP 1221.8 U.S. Customs border station Port Alcan..
DC 1190.5 MP 1225.5 Border City Motel & RV Park; food, gas, diesel, lodging, RV park.
DC 1191 MP 1226 Scottie Creek Services; gas, diesel, store, RV park.
DC 1194 MP 1229 Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.
DC 1214.3 MP 1249.3 Historic Milepost 1254. Deadman Lake (Tetlin NWR) Campground.
DC 1221.7 MP 1256.7 Lakeview (Tetlin NWR) Campground.
DC 1229 MP 1264 Northway Junction; campground, gas, store.
DC 1266.7 MP 1301.7 Historic Milepost 1306 Tetlin Junction. Junction with the Taylor Highway, which leads to Eagle and to Top of the World Highway to Dawson City, YT.
DC 1278 MP 1313 Alaskan Stoves Campground.
DC 1278.1 MP 1313.1 Gateway RV Park.
DC 1278.2 MP K1313.3 Young’s Motel and Fast Eddy’s Restaurant (email).
DC 1278.4 MP 1313.4 Tok RV Village and Village Gas; camping, gas, diesel.
DC 1279 MP 1314 Snowshoe Motel and Fine Arts Gifts.
DC 1279.2 MP 1314.2 Junction of Alaska Highway and Tok Cutoff at TOK (pop. 1,435); all services. Visitor Information. Attraction: Tok Mainstreet Visitors Center.
Where you stay will have a lot to do with how far you want to travel in one day. Our daily range (two pre-teen girls, towing a fifth wheel, traveling in tandem with my parents in their own rig) was anywhere from 100 miles to 300 miles. The Milepost is so full of information, we stayed at commercial campgrounds and this was a few years ago, so I couldn't recommend any place to stay. Nor could I recommend places to eat for the same reason, and because I usually cooked in my own rig.
Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Toad River, White Horse, and Delta Junction are the 4 that I can remember staying at. There was another place ... White River, I think ... that we stayed on the way up and the weather was so nice that my husband was allowed to wash the rig. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes came out there.
I'm not answering this at home, or I'd go get the journal and tell you exactly where we stayed.
Donna
If you already have a copy of The Milepost, have you actually read it? Have you sat down with the book and the map, and follow the text on the map, and all the options along the way? That resource for that particular trip, is probably the best resource for a roadtrip I have ever seen. (I will be using mine for the third time, in a few weeks.)
What ages are your children? Why not read it with them? Get them excited about the trip, and look for things which will interest them. Even the advertisements are full of information.
My stops would be Dawson Creek (milepost '0'); Fort Nelson; Watson Lake; Whitehorse; Tok; Delta Junction (milepost 1422 and the official end of the Alcan) and Fairbanks. But each of these places has nearby alternatives which may interest you, and there are many other stops in between them.
The area from Watson Lake to Fort Nelson in particular is rich with wildlife. You will not want to rush through this. At Beaver Creek, there is lovely little church, an island of peace, where you can go in and rest awhile. A very historic place that boasts of being the most photographed church in the YT.
Of course, if time permits, there is the option to go south from Haines Junction to Haines, take the ferry to Skagway (maybe even take the scenic railway there) and head back to the Alcan via Carcross.
But really, all this information is in The Milepost, as well as many other alternatives. I highly recommend that you spend some time just sitting down and studying, not just the routes, but the way The Milepost is laid out. If you understand that, it will be a great help, when you are on the road.
Enjoy the trip. Might see you along the way.
Lifey
Thanks! My kids are 4, 14, and possibly the 16 y/o going with on the trip down. I will be coming back with a car in tow and my 20 and 14 y/o sons along with the 4 and 14 y/o girls. I have started reading the Milepost and have been involving the kids as well, I was planning this trip last year but my father-in-law took a turn for the worst so we had to make an immediate flight down instead. I am looking for some hands on experience that can't be given by just reading a book and trying to get a better feel for where I will be staying, the kids are all great travelers as we do several trips from Fairbanks to Anchorage or Valdez a year on business and pleasure trips.
Since we will be staying in hotels or B&B's I would like to know which ones to shoot for when calculating how many miles we drive a day, I am estimating we can drive a maximum of 500 miles a day if need be but I also want to take the time to enjoy the drive with the kids. If I know where I have to be and that there's a bed waiting for me at the end I can start making reservations and planning side trips accordingly.
Looking at the Milepost I was leaning towards spending a day in Takhini Hot Springs or Watson Lake. I have heard the drive down the Cassiar is amazing and was planning that route down and through Edmonton back as I will have the older kids with me and my oldest son can help me drive so we can make more miles if need be. I know the trip through AK well, and through Montana/Idaho like the back of my hand, having grown up going back and forth from northern to southern Idaho. I am planning on staying in Fairmont Hot Springs both going down and coming back, this is a particular family favorite.
The only part of the entire drive I am completely unfamiliar with is Canada, and I would like to have a better idea which places I am staying at and when I have to leave each day to make it to that destination. I also want to know how many side trips I can make with the kids and still have the energy to make it to the next stopping point, as well as making sure I have ample fuel stops for the side trips.
Thanks again for all the great info that is coming my way. I still have a couple months to get ready and want family to know I've done my homework and will be fine for the long trip.
Your speed through Canada is much, much slower than what you are used to... and it is enforced. Besides that, you will not want to fly through all this magnificent country side without really enjoying it. And you are likely to see quite a bit of wildlife on the road. From memory (I don't have The Milepost with me at the moment), the speed is around 85 kph for a large part of your trip. I can't recall any place where it was more than 100 kph. The Canadian Bison which you are likely to see a lot of along and on the road, is an endangered species, and many are killed on the roads each year. Hence the enforcement of slow speeds for most of your trip.Quote:
Originally Posted by kscott
As a rule of thumb, the places I mentioned above are roughly a day's drive apart. Make sure you also take into account the endless stretches of road construction, pilot cars, and waiting. During those times I make a point of getting to know the folk in the cars in front and behind me. Makes the time pass so much faster. And be sure to allow yourself some time to go to those interesting little side trips to waterfalls, etc. (They are all in The Milepost.)
In the past I have found that I met the same folk at the end of each day. I have never booked accommodation, and have never spoken to anyone who has. But then, with one exception, they have all been campers. If you are travelling with a larger party it may be advisable to book. You will find descriptions of all accommodation along the way, in The Milepost, and it will be up to date. So I suggest you take your cues from there, and call each of the places which appeal to you.
Having driven to Alaska and back twice, I am yet to drive on a road in western Canada which is not amazing. They all are in their own way. And your biggest decision is going to be which amazing route to take. Only you can decide that. I am not sure why you would consider going through Edmondton. Have you thought of taking the Alcan one way and Cassair the other? As far as road condition goes, there is not a great deal of difference.Quote:
I have heard the drive down the Cassiar is amazing ...
I take it you will be driving down the Icefields Parkway, from Jasper to Banff/Lake Louise. That road, although only a couple hundred kms long, deserves a lot of time. There are many sites to be seen along the way - check it out in The Milepost - and much wildlife. The first time I drove it, I mistakenly thought it would take not much more than half a day. I soon realised that even in a week, I could not have seen all I wanted to see. The last time I drove it I allowed myself a very long day, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Fuel is not going to be an issue. As you will see in The Milepost, all the places for fuel are listed there... mile by mile. And really, you are going to be the only one who will know when you run out of steam. It is for this very reason that I do not like to make reservations, but stop for the night, when I have run out of steam... wherever I happen to be.Quote:
... I would like to have a better idea which places I am staying at and when I have to leave each day to make it to that destination. I also want to know how many side trips I can make with the kids and still have the energy to make it to the next stopping point, as well as making sure I have ample fuel stops for the side trips.
Bottom line is, and I hate to keep repeating this, all the information you want to know... IS IN THE MILEPOST!
If I may, I'd like to turn the tables for a moment, and ask you a few questions, since I am heading to northern ID in a couple of weeks. I plan (though have not yet decided) to go from Bruneau to Sandpoint, and think I would like to head up 55. What can you tell me about the roads north of 55, to Sandpoint. Which would be the most scenic/adventurous/remote or in any other way, unique?
Fairmont Hot Springs sounds interesting. Is it in ID? I was not able to locate it on my map.
Lifey
I have been thoroughly reading the Milepost and picking the brains of several friends that have driven the route, so I have a little bit better game plan now. Thanks for the insight on the speed through Canada, I had anticipated a much slower pace than usual which is why I was trying to estimate which towns would be feasible to try to reach. I had not however thought about the long road construction delays so might rethink stopping in Tok for the night and getting an early start in the AM to Whitehorse or there abouts.
As far as your pending trip to the Panhandle of Idaho, yes Sandpoint and surrounding area are wonderful places to visit, I would suggest stopping in either Priest River, or staying on Lake Pond O'Reile, both are excellent places to camp and I'm sure the campgrounds have vastly improved since I have been there. I will make a call to my Uncle who lives there and see what the conditions of 55 are now, last time I was up that way (many years ago) it was a decent road, I have been told they have made improvements since then. From the sounds of it you would really enjoy Cataldo Mission which is on the eastern side of the panhandle as you are coming in from Montana. You will also be going through Wallace which is a big Silver mining town that is rich in history and fun to explore. If you are looking to do some fishing a stop on the St. Joe or the Moyie River is a must.
Which direction are you coming in from, Washington or Montana? Fairmont Hot Springs is in MT, just above the cut off from Butte, MT, it's not fancy but the atmosphere is great and it has been a stop for my family for years.Here is a link to their website http://www.fairmontmontana.com/ . If you are headed up into the panhandle you will probably like stopping in Bonners Ferry as well. All of that area is still fairly quiet and they are nice get aways, they are not "isolated" per say, but remote enough to make you forget the city for a while, of course, I live in AK now and when we do "isolated" it's four wheeler and fly in isolated :).
How much of the Pacific Northwest are you planning on exploring? I can give you some great places to go in most of Idaho, as there isn't a whole lot of it I HAVEN'T been in at least once in my life.
Thanks so much, Kscott. It is northern ID, north of the 45th parralell with which I am not familiar. I have spent quite a bit of time in and around the Sawtooth Recreation Area and south of there. Last visit I drove into MT over Lemhi Pass, a fantastic drive. That is the sort of thing I am looking for. Good blacktops you can get anywhere... it is the other roads, the roads less travelled, which interest me more.
And no, I'm not into fishing... just as walking more than a couple of hundred metres is out of the question.
My rough plan, though I tend not to plan much and when I do, it is deciding in the morning where that day may take me. Much like seeing which way the wind blows, and following it. Anyway, my rough plan is to come through WY and NV into ID. May even divert to Hell's Canyon... it looks interesting. Would like to check it out, once I have checked out Bruneau Canyon and Dunes. But who knows, I may not get near either. So long as I know which are the most scenic and / or out of the way routes, I can plan on a day by day basis where I will head.
Yeah! I know, that is not much help to you, when trying to answer my initial request. But it may give you a guide as to what I am looking for. After Sandpoint, I will need to nip over to Missoula, before heading over the border... somewhere... and heading north on which ever road I fancy that day.
So tell me, up in northern ID, which are the roads less travelled?
Looks like Fairmont will have to wait for another trip.
Lifey
BTW, Tok to Whitehorse is a comfortable day's drive... even with roadworks, stopping at the most photographed church, border crossing delays, etc. You might like to take a break at Kluane NP or Kluane Lake. Both nice areas. Just be aware, the moment you cross the border, you know you are in Canada. The roads are no comparison.
Lifey
If you are coming up through NV to get to Bruneau Canyon you will be coming up through UT, WY would be a side trip for this one. Most direct route would be up through SLC, depending on the time of year you are coming through you will want to make the jog over to Farmington (just above Ogden) to visit the fantastic fruit stands... this would be best done late summer - early fall. Have you ever made it to the painted desert and natural arches in UT? If not, well worth the trip and I would suggest a stop in Mexican Hat, UT. I took my husband and his girls that way last summer when returning from AZ to ID. It was the first time I went that way and was not disappointed, the little hotel on the cliff we stayed in was so quaint and the girls were facsinated with the small bats that were flying around catching bugs. Our 4 y/o was amazed by the HUGE beattle that was crawling around on the sidewalk. Up through Moab and Valley of the Gods is a neat trek, as well as all the Hopi jewelry stands the girls got to go to. I educated my "well-traveled" husband with the experience of how my family does road trips. It's about a 14 hour drive if you do the whole loop through UT and back up to Provo/SLC but worth every minute.
If you are going up to WY from there and through southeast Idaho on your way to Mountain Home I would suggest the Palasides. If you want to go directly from say Las Vegas area up through UT, will depend on whether you want go through AZ and up through Flagstaff and through Kanab, UT. I think you would find that drive to your liking, lots of out of the way places that are rich in history of the pioneer days. You can continue up to Mountain Home, ID, Hell's Canyon and Shoshone Falls are not that far from Bruneau Canyon, ( you may want to side trip to Hagerman, again great place to find some wonderful fruit stands if you go at the right time of year). Twin Falls is about 60ish miles up the road on the 84 from Mountain Home, traveling back and forth from Pocatello to Boise we use Mountain Home as a pit stop and them Twin Falls as the next pit stop. I would suggest going up through Sun Valley over Galena Summit to Stanley and Challis, then up to Salmon, loop through Montana and either up to Missoula ( in which case you will pass right by Fairmont on the way to Missoula). If you choose that route you can go see Wallace, ID, a neat little silver mining community, and Silver City, MT. You will pass Cataldo Mission which is a short side trip off that route, and go over Fourth of July Pass. I have not taken this route since they finished the interstate that overlooks Couer d Alene Lake but heard the view is spectacular. From there up through Couer d Alene to Rathdrum and Spirit Lake (I have family in Rathdrum so am partial to coming home to that area). You can go up to Priest River/Lake area and Sandpoint from there then on to Bonners Ferry. Very few of the roads on this route are more than two lane highways with fairly light traffic.
Coming back I would suggest taking the route down through Lewiston and McCall, again, mostly two lane highway with lots of little historical offshoots you would enjoy. All of this trip would be full of chances to see plenty of wildlife, some spectacular country with a rich diversity, and lots of not so crowded spots for you to enjoy.
Give me a better idea of your time frame of how long your trip will be, and when you are planning on going, as well as starting point and I can give you a better idea of which direction would be the most appealing to you. Also, since you aren't into the fishing portion, do the more historical sites appeal to you or is it more for the scenic aspect? Some of these places will require a good deal of hiking so I can tell you which to avoid if you are physically limited to short hikes. Those are some of the things that will really determine which way you take on this particular trip.
Alaska roads are no comparison to the lower 48, but I have been told as much by friends. I am used to traveling off the beaten path myself in ID, UT, WY, and MT so I'm not expecting smooth blacktop the duration of the drive :). I intend to enjoy the trip, take what time I need, and let the kids get the experience that they wouldn't get if their dad was behind the wheel in a rush to get from point A to point B. I'm not opposed to taking my time and taking side trips as long as I know where I'm going due to the fact I am traveling alone with kids and don't want to be lost in "no-man's land".
Sorry, I reread through that and noticed my typo... Mountain Home and Twin Falls are about 80ish (85 to be more precise) miles apart, not 60. My apologies for that mistake, point being they are only about a couple hours apart, road construction is usually a concern on the east side of Twin Falls and up through Jerome so that can slow your trip, but if you are coming from either way you should pass through Hell's Canyon area to get to Bruneau Canyon. I am unfamiliar with any way to go without passing through this area, if there is I would love to hear of it as it would be somewhere I have not been yet in ID.
Sorry, I can't answer most of your questions. Those decisions I will probably not make till I am well and truly on the road. Unlike you, I am not really interested in where I end up at the end of day... well, sorta... but not specifically.
So let me be a little more specific, now that I have acquired my Rand McNally. Tell me, what is the road like from Greer to Pierce and Headquarters, on through the Clearwater National Forest to Superior MT? Or the road from Kamiah, which meets up with the aforementioned just over the N Fork of the Clearwater River?
If I end up going to Hell's Canyon, I will probably end up somewhere in the vicinity of Lewiston. Maybe I should then head towards Kooksia and take 12 to Missoula. What is that road like?
Both those options would take me to Missoula before Sandpoint.
There are also some roads I have been considering up near the Cabinet Dam and through Cabinet to Athol. And what about the road which goes from Naples to the border along the west side of the Kootenai? (I realise there may not be a border crossing there.)
And any other similar roads with which you are familiar, up that way. I'd really like to hear.
Lifey
If you have The Milepost and some good detailed maps, such as AAA or CAA, and don't go wondering off on unmarked bush tracks, then I can assure you you will not end up in "no-man's land". Any side trip you do to a sign posted attraction will be easy to find and probably very popular. One of those spots I urge you to spend some time at, is Athabasca Falls just south of Jasper. In June these should be quite good... though lack of snow may affect the flow.
Just in case you are still wondering... the route you will be taking, be it the Alcan or Cassair, is a route well travelled. Rarely will a few minutes go by without seeing another vehicle. In fact, I used to treasure the occasional ten or fifteen minutes without seeing anyone or anything.
Lifey
We went to both the hot springs that were closest to White Horse (Tahkini, I believe), and the Lliard Hot Springs. Of the two, I really liked Liard best, but your mileage may vary. The reason we liked Liard was that they were far more rustic. Tahkini was a cement pool, very developed, where Liard was like a very hot (unlined) pond with a few amenities. We did not walk to the 2nd spring at Liard, as we were told it was the hotter of two and the first was hot enough for us. We actually visited this twice, once on the way up and once on the way back. We did not return to Tahkini on the way back.
There was a lot of parking at Liard, enough for two rigs, as it was a provincial park. The provincial park did have space for RV's overnight, though on the way up we stayed at a rustic commercial place across the highway (which had 15 amp electrical service). On the way down, we just stopped for lunch and moved on after a good soak.
Donna
Oh Donna, you bring back so many memories. That is exactly how I too, enjoyed the hot springs, in the summer of 2004. But now, it's gone. Now there is a huge development, at an attrocious price just to drive in, let alone use the hot springs. And the rustic RV park across the road now has a mansion on. I believe the RV park is now within the development at the hot springs. I was both disappointed and disgusted at the changes... and the charges as well as the vandalism of this natural resource. These hot springs which were quite adequite for probably centuries, if not longer, have been fenced off from the general traveller. No longer can you park your car, walk the boardwalk to the springs, and jump in the pool.
Lifey
It has been too many years since I was on the road through Greer to tell you much accurately but all of the above mentioned routes are( or were) two lane "highways" with little traffic and lots of scenery. You would really enjoy the trip through Kanab from Page, AZ, very little traffic, neat little out of the way roadside shops, and lots of rustic cabins. If you come up through Tremonton, UT and Malad, ID you can cut over through Snowville, UT which is mostly two lane roads. There are alot of little out of the way Hot Spring areas that are not really developed, or at least there were when I was in my 20's, single, and free to roam wherever I wanted. You may not enjoy Fairmont Hot Springs much as it has been developed extensively over the years, my kids LOVE the waterslide and Hot swimming pool. I enjoy the Kamiah area, and would suggest you make the trip from Twin Falls up through Stanley/Challis area, this is a very rustic area again with limited traffic, I have gone an hour or more at times without passing anyone. It is traveled enough during the height of the Salmon runs and you will see a lot of Fly fishermen/women along the Salmon river. I would definately suggest that route for you through Idaho, I think it would best suit you're traveling style. I am not as familiar with some of the off roads in MT but as I have kept to mostly the western side of the state. All of the roads up through Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry are two lane unless they have done some SERIOUS road construction in the last few years but I cannot see any benefit for the state to have developed those roads.
I am less familiar with Central Idaho then I would like but have heard a good portion of what used to be two lane roads have now been improved but the scenery is still great. There are lots of little side roads that loop back to the Interstate from the Montana border in northern Idaho, if you have no set time and can wander at will the sky is the limit. Lots of places to camp that are not established camp sites.
I will admit that I am not the "Road Warrior". I know the side roads through most of UT and ID, more recently UT and southern ID. I do have family in northern Idaho that I can try to contact, my Uncle enjoys hopping in his truck and disappearing into the mountains, he is the best source for more recent information about the Sandpoint area. I will see if I can track his wandering behind down and get some up to date info for you as far as the improvements that may have been made to the area that would not appeal to you.
Again, I would probably suggest the road through Sun Valley and over Galena Summit to Stanley. If you like you can cross back over to ID from Missoula to Kooskia and on into Orofino. I was a teenager the last time I did the trip through Lewiston and Moscow, it was a beautiful trip on mostly two lane highway but it is a well traveled road. The 93 has light traffic and you will follow the river a good portion of the trip. I have been through Lolo many times and have heard there is a Hot Springs there but have never had the time to investigate the truth in that.
You can avoid traveling the Interstates most of the trip and can cut up from Missoula on the 200 which is once again a two lane that to my knowledge is still only lightly traveled in favor of the quicker route on the 90. Taking the 200 will take you off the beaten path but you will miss some neat spots as well.