Has anyone driven to Alaska?

I just put in a bid on a contract in Fairbanks that runs from May 19 to August 15, 2008.

Looking at the driving directions (From Denver follow the front range of the Rockies North to the Yukon territory. Turn left, proceed 1,000 miles WNW...) I think I should fly in and leave my nice car at home.

I can get a bus from Fairbanks down to Denali on weekends right?

Thoughts?

It's worth the drive! Long but scenic and something most folks don't get to do. I recommend getting a Milepost magazine and plan on a couple of stops.

http://www.themilepost.com/

I've only been to Alaska once, but trust me- you would NOT want to be there without a car. Everybody drives everywhere- I'm not sure I ever saw a city bus in Anchorage at all. It's very spread out, and not walkable.

There are tours/trains that go to Denali or you could rent a car up in Fairbanks if you still want to do some driving.

Definately grab a milepost if you plan on driving the whole route or even doing any in-state driving. I've never done it myself, but my parents and uncle live up there and have made the trip by road from MI a few times. Not something I'd recommend unless you have a driving buddy and time to do it.

Here are some quick links to tour operators going from Fairbanks to Denali
[ame]http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=DKUS,DKUS:2006-45,DKUS:en&q=Tours+from+Fairbanks+to+Denali[/ame]

I drove there once. A buddy of mine and myself trekked from Omaha to Anchorage in 4 1/2 days, in a Dodge Ram pickup. Not being able to stretch or recline that whole trip was a nightmare. It sucked.

Oh the stories on that trip though!

Each day of driving (18-20 hours), we were so tired we both drank 2 beers and passed out HARD, in the cab of the pick-up.

Yeah I just traveled 1200 mile one way in canada from B.C. To The N.W.T. and it was nice to look at but it sucked to drive and that was just on the way up!


I would say fly and rent when you need to !!!!


Unless you like an adventure then I would say rent an old car!!!!!!


fire

Plan A is to fly in and meet a girl with a Jeep to drive me around.

Knowing in the Caribbean women and water are in short supply...

Plan B is to buy "a 4x4 truck" in Helena, MT or similar, drive it up there, use it three months, and then sell it and fly home to my GTO.

My cousin in the Air Force should be home in a day or two to answer his email from me...

Thanks for your input so far.

Either way have a great safe trip!

Mabey some pics?

Fire_travels said:

Either way have a great safe trip!

Mabey some pics?

Click to expand...

Yah I was thinking about how much RAM I should take. At this point I got the experience. My bid is either competitive or not.

If I am in the ball park I will probably get an interview and a hint. My bid is based on not taking the hint. My bid is based on them thinking/ realizing they are getting a lot of contractor for the bid price.

The more I read the the more I think I maybe came in low, but it would be cool to take the train down to Denali....

1. Buy a GPS

2. Mapquest it and compute how much gas you'll use.

3. Check gas prices in Canada.

4. Enjoy the ride!

No one has ever attempted to drive to Alaska- Thats like a brazillion miles away!

I live in Anchorage- We trade seal furs for kerosene and all speak russian.

So could I make a buck or two importing a car? Like say I fly in to Helena, MT, buy a car, and drive say a 4x4 Subie Imprezza (or a 4x4 Tacoma) up there, have 4 wheel drive for the summer and then sell the car to somebody staying for the winter? Maybe a 2002 or maybe a 1998? Something with some life left in it, but with a monthly payment under $600/ month.

<--- doesn't "do" snow.

A family friend of mine is pulling his camper from Alabama to Alaska this summer. This is how he is spending his retirement. He is a little special.

I&#8217;ve made the drive several times, once in winter (used to live in Fairbanks, and miss it). And hitch-hiked it once (Alaska south-being chased by the snow all the way down). The first time I did it was in the early 90&#8217;s (1993 I think) and the last was 2000. They have improved the roads a lot. In 1993 they were doing a lot of construction. Large sections of the road were still gravel. With waits for construction, one day it took 12 hours to go 300 miles. During my last trip in 2000 most of the construction was completed. The new roads were wide and smooth. But frost-heaves have probably ruined them by now.

Services get relatively sparse after Watson Lake (as compared to south of Watson lake), but nothing to worry about. Yukon territory is Awsome! Spend a little time there.

Another highway to take is Cassiar Highway in BC. Much more scenic route through BC but much more remote when I drove it.



Mile Post is good guide.

Poindexter said:

So could I make a buck or two importing a car? Like say I fly in to Helena, MT, buy a car, and drive say a 4x4 Subie Imprezza (or a 4x4 Tacoma) up there, have 4 wheel drive for the summer and then sell the car to somebody staying for the winter? Maybe a 2002 or maybe a 1998? Something with some life left in it, but with a monthly payment under $600/ month.

<--- doesn't "do" snow.

Click to expand...

Look into flying into Great Falls. Likely cheaper than Helena and GF is the used car capital of Montana. Plus I would buy you a beer (There is a local called, "Pigs Ass Porter").

Drove in when we moved there and drove out when we left. Beautiful trip even better if you are racing time and can actually enjoy it.

You cant drive to Alaska. Alaska is an island silly humans.

I got the contract.

I can fly round trip North Carolina to Fairbanks for about half the price of ferrying my car one way from Seattle to Anchorage. So I am leaving the car in NC. I am going to go learn about frame style backpacks so I can use one as one of my two checked bags.

I am fixing to buy a new camera.

Have fun. I would love to go to AK again.

I had to deliver up there once, It is awesome. BC was the prettiest part of the hole trip those Canadians sure have a beautiful country!

me and a bunch of guys have considered a motorcycle trip up there in the middle of the summer.... I never looked into it enough to see if that's really possible or realistic but man would it be fun.

I made the trip twice - once to Fairbanks, and once on the way back a few years later. Both trips were in late summer (August/September). Alaska was an awesome experience.

I was solo on the way up in a pickup towing a utility trailer. I drove from Las Vegas to Fairbanks over 6 days, 12 hours of driving per day. I made around 600 miles most days, but the day I drove through Seattle, I only made it half that far - damn traffic! Total trip distance was about 3500 miles. The scenery was GORGEOUS, and the road was in pretty good shape. You're definitely in the middle of NOWHERE as you drive through northern BC and the Yukon Territory.

On the way back, I was with SWMBO and our small dog in an SUV, again hauling a small trailer. We took a pretty circuitous route to New Mexico, spanning about two weeks, visiting family along the way. We drove over 4,000 miles! The dog got used to life on the road pretty quickly, and we really had a great trip.

I know you've chosen not to drive, but here are some tips for anyone who wants to make the trip:

Get a GPS and bring a cell phone. As you get into the "wilderness," the cell phone will only work near some of the bigger towns, but it's better to have one than not.

Buy the annual publication, "The Milepost." It details nearly every mile of the ALCAN highway and several alternate routes, including gas stations, hotels, restaurants, attractions, and a bit of interesting history.

Bring about 10 gallons of gas in cans. You probably won't need it, but it'll give you peace of mind. When services start getting sparse, never pass an open gas station without filling up. Some towns only have one gas station, and if they aren't open for some reason, you'll be stranded. Be prepared for high gas prices in Canada.

DO NOT drive after about 9:00 PM in the more desolate areas. The deer/elk/buffalo threat is very high. Service stations often close after dark. Pay at the pump/24 hour service is NOT as common as you expect.

Don't bother bringing firearms unless it's an absolute necessity. Canada makes you register them ($50 fee, each, I think), regardless of how long your stay will be. Handguns are forbidden. If you're doing a military move, the military won't reimburse firearm registration fees.

Party with the Canadians...especially in the really small towns.

Settle in for a long haul, and enjoy the trip!

yuri, out of curriosity, do the gas stations get more sparse than 150miles apart?

IIRC, the gas stations get about as sparse as 150 miles apart at the most desolate part of the drive, but no worse than that. You definitely have to be prepared to go 100 miles without a stop.

like I said, it's always been an idea I've played around with, but never looked into it enough to be serious. That was a big concern though. My bike is only good for about 175 on a tank and some of my buddies are a bit less. A month and a destination of Alaska stopping at major places along the way would be awesome.
Only other major problem I could think of is quality of roads, gravel isn't all that fun on a motorcycle.

My truck gets 10-12 miles to the gallon when pulling a trailer, and I have a pitiful 19 gallon tank. That limits it to the sort of range you're talking about. Only once did I get nervous and consider using my gas cans (I was driving after dark). I found an open service station with about 30 miles remaining on the tank.

With respect to the road quality, late summer is really the best time of year to make the trip. All the construction for the year should be nearly complete by that time. There are long stretches with loose gravel (cinder-type repairs are common), so that could be tedious on a bike. Do some internet searching; there are some blogs and trip logs from folks who have made the trek by motorcycle.