Mile O of the Alaska Highway.
- What is the Alaska Highway?
- Is it paved?
- Where do you camp in Canada?
- How does the money work?
- How much does gas cost? Are things more expensive?
- What are the speed limits? Are there many cops?
- How much light is there; are the days longer?
- Is it pretty? How’s the weather?
To start, here is a map of where we camped in the last week so you’ll have an overview:
What is the Alaska Highway?
The Alaska Highway was built by the US Army during World War II as a supply line to get supplies to Russia which was our ally fighting the Germans. It was impossible to get supplies to them from the west through Europe or from the south from the Pacific Ocean, so they had to come in from the east through Alaska. We needed Russia to keep the German army away from Europe so we could invade at D Day. The only practical way to supply them was by building a highway to connect with existing highways at Dawson Creek, British Columbia all the way north to Fairbanks, Alaska. Then we could truck supplies to Fairbanks and then fly them from there to Russia. So the Alaska Highway officially begins at Dawson Creek and ends at Fairbanks. After the war was over it was turned over to the Canadians who own and operate it as part of their highway system.
The Alaska Highway winding it’s way through the mountains.
Is it paved?
For many years it was not paved but an agreement between Canada and the US has resulted in it being paved now. It’s not paved in the normal sense of asphalt black-top, instead it’s a form of chip sealing that is a very good substitute (and much cheaper) for paving. I took some pictures of it to give you an idea of what it is. In this photo you can see that it’s full of gravel in a tar base. I put down a quarter for scale and you can see that there are some big rocks in there. When you drive on it though, you can’t tell the difference between it and true asphalt; it’s really good stuff!
You can see it’s not asphalt, it’s course gravel laid down in a bed of tar. But it works great!
This pothole is about a foot deep and you can see the “paving” is not very thick. So they have to replace it every few years. Expect to hit stretches of road that are gravel while it is re-surfed.
Where do you camp in Canada?
On the Alaska Highway finding camping places is very easy! Along its entire length are many gravel pullouts and you are free to pull over and sleep there for the night. Some of them are quite large and even have trees between them and the highway. Some of them are near rivers and very pretty, others are at the end of a little road that goes away from the Alcan for a little bit and you have some privacy. But the majority are small and right on the road. They’ll all get the job done!
This would be an ideal pullout to sleep in. It’s got trees and is quite a distance from the road (you can see it at the right). Most of the pullouts had liter barrels and toilets were easy to find.
To know in advance where you want to sleep, you must buy a Milepost!! It’s a book that covers every mile of the Alaska Highway, and ALL the highways in Alaska! I took the time to highlight all the turnouts along the way so I could tell at a glance what was coming up when we got ready to sleep for the night. Don’t drive to Alaska without one! You can buy it from Amazon here:
The Milepost 2014
Here is a photo I took of a page from the Milepost to give you an idea of all the turnouts along the way:
Using your Milepost, you can always find a turnout when you need one.
Sleeping in Fort Nelson. Several RVs and trucks had already left.
This doesn’t even begin to show all the RVs in the parking lot of the Walmart at Whitehorse! Notice the trailer second from the right has unhooked from his tow vehicle and has his levelers down. He’s been there for awhile!
There are also State and Provincial campgrounds all along the Alcan. They are usually between $12 and $15 dollars. But why not spend a little more and get all the amenities?!
It was the same thing on the roads we’ve been on between Jasper National Park and Dawson Creek. They all either had an abundance of pullouts to camp on, or lots of logging roads heading off to the side where you can camp. Once it gets late enough we start keeping an eye out for a likely looking road or pullout to camp on and just pull over and sleep.
Before you get to the Alcan, you’ll also find areas where the trucks informally congregate to spend the night, and on trips I’ve taken before I would pull in with them and sleep—but it can get pretty noisy.
More to come!
Good information to know if I ever decide to head to alaska. I went up to Red Deer nearly a decade ago, it is beautiful up there. This was in june and there were fields full of yellow flowers.
I am really enjoying your travelogue. I showed you last post to some friends a short time ago, they all liked the idea and the terrific economy of your way of travelling.
My father helped build the Alcan — on the project management end of things. The family relocated to Edmonton while he was on the job.
Any experience/thoughts about the more western route to Whitehorse—Highway 16 from Jasper to Prince George and Smithers, BC, then Highway 37 north to connect with the Alcan?
Al, that’s very cool! Was he in the service? I thought as we drove along that the efforts that went into building the Alcan (and all the other behind the scenes jobs) were vital to WW II. Without our supplies the Russian might have been beaten by the Germans and a one front war would have changed everything. All those German troops would been in Europe when we landed at Normandy and many more of our troops would have died. The invasion may even have failed.
Your father did a vital job!
Bob
He was a civilian with the federal highway department.
Al, it was still important work!
Bob
Al, that commonly called the Cassiar Highway, and I’ve never driven it. For many years it was no better, and probably worse than the Alcan. I nearly always have driven to or from Idaho or Montana and the Cassiar would be longer so I didn’t even consider it. I have driven from Prince Rupert to Seattle and I remember that as being a very beautiful drive, so I’m sure the Cassiar would be also.
Bob
Thank you for the information. This stage of the Alaska trip should be easy for most of us, so long as we don’t require too many “amenities.”
Calvin, there was a day when driving the Alcan really was an adventure and an accomplishment, but those days are gone. It’s just a long drive now over mostly very good roads.
I haven’t checked in for a little while. I just spent about an hour, ten minutes reading and enjoying your pics! You reminded me of a wonderful family trip through the Tetons. Being that close to serious wildlife is truly a blessing. As always, thank you for taking the time to share your vistas.
Safe travels.
You’re very welcome Dan.
Bob
love the pictures and the info.
Thanks Linda!
Bob
goin to alaska via great falls montana next june (2015). have option of drivin class b+ (25 ft), vs class a diesel (36 feet). Have driven class a gas for 5years and am relatively comfortabe on us (non mountain) frwys and hywys.
I am trying to determine if driving class a,will be problematic due to curvy, narrow roads. Dont want to be stressed by having to worry about going off cliff, or someone coming round a curve on narrow road.
ut then again, a 60 day trip in class b+ might be too confining. Would take confining over stressful driving if thats the case.
Any insight to the roads that can help?
kt, in the last two decades the Canadians have spent a lot of time straightening and improving the road so it really is no big deal now. A Class A can take it just fine. Tons of them do it every year! However, exploring Alaska is much easier in a smaller rig. There are still many narrow, winding mountain roads there. Will you want to explore Anchorage, a city of 350,000 people in a Class A? I wouldn’t.
Remember, I’m prejudiced toward smaller rigs,but for this trip I would for sure take the B+.
Bob
Hi Bob – Really enjoying the trip second hand.
Is Homer along?
Hey Bob, are you still in Alaska? If so and you visit the Kenai Peninsula, we should me for coffee in Soldotna or Kenai. The reds should be in the Kenai soon!
Thanks Rae, check your email, I’m here now!
Bob
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an incredibly long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear.
Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say
wonderful blog!
My spam fighter put this comment in the spam folder for me to approve but the first one isn’t there. Your user name and address are suspicious, in fact I think this may be spam. But I’m not sure so I’m going to let it go. If you’re a spammer, good job!
Bob
Love your blog, but especially love following this Alaska trip. My husband and I visited Alaska via the “tourist” route last July. Saw enough to make us want to go back on our own in our travel trailer – hopefully in 2015. It really is good to read, listen, and learn from seasoned rv’ers since we have only recently retired and until now have been mostly weekenders/weeklong vacation campers! So keep writing and helping spark the wanderlust in us beginners!! Thanks and may God bless.
Thanks Gloria! I suspect your trips will get longer and longer and more and more fun. Welcome to the good life!
Bob
When are you heading south Bob?
Lou, it depends on what you mean south. Right now I am at the Grand Canyon but I have fall plans so I wont get back to the desert until toward the end of November.
Still too hot down there for me!
Bob
Well, we are up in Big Lake (north of ANC) and closed the place up so driving our truck and trailer down to our place in Utah. Wondered if we’d bump into you. Looks like we’ll be tenting in the wide spots on the road. But we’re young (just short of sixty) so we’ll make out alright. Made the trip seven times but always took the ferry for part of it. Think this will the last time for us. Time to see Canada all the way once. Thanks for the intel on your blog. Enjoy the Canyon. Hope you are on the N. Rim instead of the south. Too hot and too many people down there. Good time to be at the N. Rim and Jacob Lake.
Regards, Lou Beck
Lou, been to Big lake, many, many times!!! Beautiful place!
I am tentatively planing a trip in Utah later in the month probably to Moab and Zion. Where are you going to be?
We are on the South rim but October is not hot here!! We are in the 30s every night and we are thinking of going south to warm up. Crowds are gone now too!
Bob
Hi Bob. Our place in Utah is about fifty miles south of Idaho and about fifty miles east of Wyoming, so kind of up in the corner. It is in an unincorporated area called Eden.
I am glad I stumbled onto your blog! We are planning our first trip to AK sometime in 2015. We have been tent campers for years but are planning to buy a small 5th wheel to make the trip. We will drive from UT. Neither of us want to be caught in a caravan of campers heading to AK and be part of a Disney style vacation, so we are looking into the shoulder seasons. At the same time, I don’t want to go so late or early that road conditions are poor(ice/snow), my truck in not a 4X4. We were hoping to also experience the aurora borealis but from what I have read, it would be hard to time it at those times of year. What advice would you give a first time visitor who has never experienced Alaska?
Lu, go to my website (cheaprvliving.com) and on the right hand side is a sidebar of different things. One of them is a list of categories, click on Alaska and you will see all my Alaska posts. Check them out.
You’re going pretty far north so it can snow any time. It snowed on us on the Alaska Highway on June 5th and I’ve driven the Alcan in September where it rained every day and the road was in really bad shape. Your only gaurantee of no snow is mid-June and August. But, that’s when everyone else is going too. You will not see the Norhtern lights then. September is generally cool and rainy and the colors
are usually not good. It can easily snow in September anywhere in Alaska and northern Canada.
Your best bet is the second week of June. You’ll be a little before the crowds and it shouldn’t snow.
Bob
Thank You!
After reading this blog entry I am considering an AK trip.
If you would, kindly recommend:
1. When to do said AK trip (July?) &
2. Route you would choose for a relaxed 25 to 40 day AK trip, out of the Seattle area, to the northern most area that interests you. (& why if you will)
My Mode: 2WD Chinook mini RV, w mid-sized dual-sport MC on bumper, & doggie-dog. (i’m a loner, wilderness kind’a guy, but an older warm blooded tree-lover at the same time.)(stomping grounds: PNW; Northern coastal Cali)
p.s. Excellent blog!
flailer, actually I cover all that pretty well in the many posts covering the trip. I think the best time is June and my favorite route is up the west side of the Canadian Rockies. I took 93 up through Idaho and Montana and entered Canada at the Rooseville Border crossing and then stayed on 93 till I crossed over the Canadian Rockies to Banff, Alberta. Then I took the IceField Prkway through the Candian Rockies and then I drove to Dawson Creek where I got on the Alcan Highway and drove to Alaska.
Bob