We are planning a trip from North central Iowa to Anchorage, Alaska in July 2010. We will be traveling on our Gold Wing motorcycle pulling a small trailer with our camping and cooking supplies. We are debating routes and are looking for advice on the best way to make the trip.
Option 1 - Follow mapquest and go through IA, MN, ND, through Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Dawson Creek and Whitehorse in Canada and then onto the Glenn Highway in Alaska. (3310 miles)
Option 2- IA, MN, SD, through Helena MT and through Glacier then north through Canada and into Alaska. (3737 miles)
Option 3 - (possibly the return trip) Ferry from Anchorage area to Seattle area and then drive across the northern US to Iowa.
Questions we have - Are the roads safe for motorcycles? - we can handle a little gravel, but anything extremely rough could be dangerous.
If I look town to town there is a stretch (Haines Junction YT to Palmer AK)where it is almost 600 miles with no towns, are there gas stations and camping anywhere in that area?
We've never used a ferry service before - does this save time? What are the costs involved?
We always set up camp before dark so we'll have evenings free to explore - any suggestions on must see places? Suggestions for places to set up a tent are appreciated as well.
Thanks for your help, we always get great ideas from this forum. We are extremely excited for this vacation.