Alaska Planning Help Needed

[BK8LST]

We did the tour in late August, so that might be a factor. We reserved a few days in advance, but it was not sold out that day.

[CDACamper]

Got it. Thank you!

[ctb]

Great info from the Members! I would not worry about planning so much...whether OCD or just the daunting milage excitement, but we found that both trips up there, we needed/wanted up staying places an extra day or two bc of opportunities or sheer beauty we wanted to be immersed in a bit more...The few things we did reserve were great, but we ended up shaping some of our trip bc of it ( glacier fly-in/land on out of Talkeetna, and a glacier bay cruise out of Seward) which was OK, but made us hurry through some places we wish we could have taken more time in. Here's my $.02:

Milepost guide book IS A MUST...been published for YEARS and has every 10th of mile describe on MOST roads in AK.

Dalton all the way up is a must as well...(gas at the Yukon river, then by the Marion Creek campground/Coldfoot, then at end, Deadhorse)Arctic Circle, Arctic Ocean...Stay at Prudhoe Bay Hotel (break from the van) best food ever, and take the "tour" that takes you to the Arctic Ocean (around 8 miles from there). Oil companies own those last miles and won't let you pass unless you are working there or on the tour bus...

Exit Glacier, right before Seward, only glacier you can walk up to/free. Either a short hike to bottom/base of glacier where melt waters begin, or a 3-4 hour (one way) hike up to the top/ice fields.

Homer/The Spit, great fun, lots of history. STAY AT MOSSY'swild Raspberry farm!!! Take a break from the van and rent one of her cabins on Cook inlet...life changing! She is Jewel's (the singer)Aunt and sister to the Kilter clan that settled the lands/bluffs S of Homer and Sister to the Kilcher's (Alaska; The Last Frontier)

Last, if yo plan on halibut fishing/charter, go out of Ninilchik, a couple hours N of Homer, and a few hours less of a boat ride to the fishing grounds...I'll include some pics for reference and a chance to relive...lolanyway you do it, it will be most excellent/life changing

pic 1Seside cabin at Mossy's
2 botton of Exit Glacier as of '14
3Halibut fishing charter '08..That Charter co was no longer in business in '14
4.Top of Exit Glacier 3.2 hours for us
5.Leaving Deadhorse, heading for Brooks range/S
6. Boondocking N of Coldfoot

[AndrewInSeattle]

I didn't do that particular leg, and it's been over a decade, but be aware that taking a vehicle on the ferry (Valdez <-> Whittier) means you'll probably need some very advanced reservations, and there'll be sticker shock. It'll likely be incompatible with a flexible schedule, at least for that portion of the trip.

Whittier is fascinating though... quite possibly the ugliest town in America! The tunnel in/out of Whittier is a unique experience.

[wanderers]

Many years ago (at least 22 years) the ferry went to Seward rather than Whittier. Seward was a nice town and has a sea life aquarium and bird and sea mammal rehabilitation center. The trip was beautiful with lots of sea cliffs with sea birds nesting. The captain even took the ferry over towards the face of a tidal glacier, I don't recall the name, but it was a delightful trip. We didn't need advance reservations back then. It was disappointing to learn that it now only goes to Whittier. I guess fuel costs must have gone up too much or it was decided that Whittier needed the tourist income more than Seward.

If you like museums, both Fairbanks and Anchorage have some nice ones.

Twelve years ago, the Nabesna Road, on the North side of Wrangle-St. Elias, had some nice places to boondock with beautiful views of snow-covered mountains and lots of blueberries for pancakes. That was in July. I assume you can still camp there.

On our last trip we took the ferry from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka and Haines. We stayed at state parks and, though we had no reservations had sites available at all these locations. We did have to have reservations for the ferry this time.

The Top of the World Road didn't seem as open as on the first trip with many of the open grassy areas now overgrown with small trees and shrubs. The biggest disappointment on our last trip was all the smoke from all the forest fires in both Alaska and Canada. We drove east all the way to Manitoba before we were clear of it. We spent an extra night in Ft. Nelson, BC, because a fire was crossing the Alaska Hwy. We were convoyed through the next day. Fires had already thwarted our intention of driving up into the Northwest Territory. Still, in spite of the smoke, it was an enjoyable trip.
_________
Roger

[ctb]

CB RADIO!!!!!

I keep thinking to send you this and have (finally) remembered to post...Most all truckers are on the CB on the Dalton (for any highway for that matter) and you will get warnings of wide loads etc before you even see them. Its also a great way to laugh and pass the time as you hear some of the banter on there from the beginning of the trip to the end...make sure to get it tuned...which has something to do with fine tuning the antenna...which my friend who did it explained, but I can't remember what the instrument he used was called or much of the details...you know I supplied us the buzz as he installed the CB and the antenna (lol)...good luck and keep us posted..and remember TRIP REPORT!!

[doublevan2]

Try Hyder Alaska - Stewart BC drive - awesome with the waterfalls and snow melt in June/July ! And brown bears at Fish Creek on the Hyder side. Hyder is literally a stones throw next to Stewart. Do the drive up the road to Salmon Glacier overlook - probably fast melting like the rest of the glaciers ? Cassiar Hwy ("37") is great for black bears when the berries are out -