Seattle, WA to Skagway, AK

AnOldUR

Seattle, WA to Skagway, AK is the most daunting leg of our multi state adventure planning. This stretch will take place in late July through August. It will be a leisurely trip. Something like 200-400 miles a day. I've been searching posts here and elsewhere and just ordered a copy of the Milepost. There will be many more questions but we’re hoping someone with experience can answer this one to ease our minds. We'd rather not have to schedule out every day. We'd like to take our time seeing things as they come up. Is this practical? Are there plenty of places to just pull over for the night (disperse camping?) and is it safe?

PNWtabber

Sounds intriguing.  Something I have thought about, but haven't done.  I have thought of driving one way and take the Alaska ferry the other way.  Eager to see what others say.

swiftwave

This is a route I have driven numerous times.  Both the Alaska Highway route and BC Hwy 37.  I really like Hwy 37.
Unplanned overnights is how I roll.  There are lots of options for pulling over for the night.  I find the iOverlander app useful for selecting campsites.
Safety is relative.  I consider some of the primary risk factors to be drunk drivers, large wildlife on the roads and bears at campsites.  To manage these risks, I generally stop driving early on weekends to avoid afternoon & evening party drunks.  I slow down and don’t drive after dark to avoid wildlife impacts.  To manage bear risks, I keep a very clean camp, carry bear spray and remain aware of my surroundings.
There's very little road rage or drive by shootings on this route!  I feel safer there than I do driving through a city populated by unpredictable primates.
There are long stretches without cell coverage.  I carry a satellite phone.
I think you’ll have a fabulous journey.

Michigan_Mike

It’s a very doable trip!  I started out in Michigan in late July back in 2015, drove the Yellowhead Highway  up through the Canadian provinces and met friends up in British Columbia.  The Mile Post is a good reference but isn’t always correct as there are businesses that no longer exist.  We drove the entirety of the ALCAN Highway from Dawson Creek to Delta Junction and beyond.  Entered Alaska at Tok after driving up through the Yukon.  When you see gas you should get gas as there are no guarantees.  Stock up with provisions in White Horse and as noted, find a campsite before the sun goes down, keep food locked up and no doubt you will see bear, moose, caribou, etc.  We drove up to Anchorage, took the beautiful ride down to Valdez, Seward, Kenai Peninsula, Denali is a must see, Anchorage, drove back into Alaska via Stewart, BC and stopped off at Hyder, the most southerly point in Alaska.  Take your time, explore and have fun!  No handguns allowed in Canada so make sure you check entry regulations before entering as there are banned foods upon entry and you have no rights in another country so read up before you head out.  Great trip and we saw the Canadian Rockies, Jasper, Banff, Lake Louise, Athabaskan ice fields, etc.  Would love to do it again!  

Michigan_Mike

When we were out on the Kenai Peninsula and driving over to the home of a friend of my buddies we drove to the edge of the ocean.  It blew me away as off in the distance and out over the Aleutian Islands was a volcano that stood high above everything else.  I’d never seen anything so massive other than a mountain and this sight was pretty monumental to put it mildly.  The Alaskan range of mountains is very impressive and puts the Rockies to shame. And depending on where you go, you most likely will see some very impressive glaciers throughout Alaska.  The drive down through Stewart, BC down to Hyder, AK was monumental and very beautiful as was the drive down to Valdez.  Both had glacial formations and the scenic vistas had me smiling ear to ear and shaking my head at the magnificent scenery.  When we arrived in Valdez the salmon run was on.  We drove around the bay to the  entrance to the oil depot facility where the river runs into the bay and where a hatchery sits.  The salmon were so thick and there were thousands of fish trying to get into the river, but it was blocked off by a weir to protect the spawning grounds that others had previously been up into.  It was kind of sad as these fish had been released into the bay from the hatchery and they had comfort home to spawn, only to be refused entry and did.  You could see the water moving far out into the bay and they were so thick that you would never be able to even wade through them.  

If you can get up to Denali NP it would be a worthwhile effort.  You can take a bus tour out to Mt Denali (formerly Mt McKinley) and it is well worth the money and time.  You will definitely see grizzlies and wildlife and this is another spectacular scenic place on the planet that will blow you away.  Alaska at that time of the year is like being on another planet anyway, the land of the midnight sun.  We arrived in Tok and we were outdoors enjoying a glass of wine late into the evening in our RV park.  I’m looking around and it’s full daylight, the sun is just above the horizon but not going down, but instead it appears to be moving sideways!  No
one was outdoors, full daylight and all these trailers and campers nearby and people had gone to bed!  Very eerie and then I hear some guy coming down the road on a dirt bike, jumping mounds of dirt at 10 pm at night!  I’m thinking WTH???  🤣

When driving the ALCAN I’d advise you to stay as far to the right and edge of the road as possible because trucks come past you at a high rate of speed on some of the gravel stretches and do throw up rocks.  There are sections of the road too where the permafrost has moved the roadway up, down and from side to side.  You won’t be able to travel much over 25-35 mph but these areas will be marked.  We drove through the city of signs too which is a very unique, memorable and cool stop and worth walking through.  And if you happen to make it to Seward, go up into town, there is an old bar called Thorn’s Showcase Lounge (looks like a dive, but excellent food!) and they advertise “The Best But in Town!”  Get a bucket of their but, the deep fried halibut!  Some outstanding halibut that is to die for!  

If I ever get up there again I will take more time to explore, look around into the knooks and crannies as there is so much to see and do and it all requires time and effort.  As far as safety or feeling unsafe I can’t say I ever felt unsafe there.  I did see a BMW along the highway sitting on cinder blocks.  So the guy must have broken down and the locals helped themselves to his tires.  A guy told me that if we left one of our trailers along the roadside that it wouldn’t be there the next day.  I also met a guy in the states who said he’d had just generator taken from the back of his vehicle while he went into a grocery store.  So just keep an eye on your stuff, secure it and you should be good to go.  

Tabaz

One on of my trips to Alaska via British Columbia, I carried a Benelli 12G shotgun.  Just had to declare it at the customs station.  They took down the serial number and that was that.  Remington has a new TAC-14 that is classified as a "firearm" as opposed to a shotgun.  It is very compact.  Not sure if that would be allowed in BC.  I second Mike's comments about the beauty of Alaska.  You will see the most amazing scenery and wildlife.  One of my favorite places is the town of Talkeetna "A Small Drinking Town with a Mountain Climbing Problem."  It's the closest you can get to Mt. McKinley, so widely used by mountain climbers.

AnOldUR

Off topic:
I need to respond to these great replies but noticed something strange. Probably a question for a mod. My post was flagged as "Abuse". I couldn't think of what would cause that but saw that I had quoted @swiftwave's post with a primate reference in it. If someone took offense to this, I apologize. All I can think of is that it was taken racially when I meant it as any unevolved person acting irrationally. Again, sorry for my insensitivity.

PNWtabber

@AnOldUR -- I don't see why your post was "flagged", perhaps someone clicked that by mistake?

I'm loving this thread, I spent a couple of weeks in Alaska in September.  It was my 4th trip, so much to explore, but I haven't taken my T@B up there yet.  I saw some nice campgrounds and several boondocking areas.  Only saw one T@B.

AnOldUR

@PNWtabber, yes. So much information to absorb. The more the better.

On the flagging, both mine and @swiftwave's posts were flagged, so I doubt it was a mistake.

edit to add:
It's just a silly vanity thing. If someone clicks on my profile, along with the number of likes and such, it show an "Abuse". Petty, I know. Probably shouldn't have brought it up. It's not contributing to the topic.

pthomas745

I drove to AK from Socal in 2015, without a Tab.  Second all the spectacular "wonders" and cautions noted in this thread.  I made it a point to drive from Fairbanks, on the Dalton Highway,  to the Arctic Circle.  (I should have went all the way to Prudhoe Bay that day!)  I was never one to put stickers and such on any car I've ever owned...but I put one of those little oval stickers on my car with "Arctic Circle" and the lat/long. 

Alaska can be...remote. You are waaaaay out there.  Completely...totally.....out there. The hardest part for me was not stopping every two minutes to shoot photos.

On one of the construction sites waiting for a pilot vehicle, I stopped behind the first Tab I had ever seen.  We had a 30 minute wait, and during that time I chatted with the family of 4 in the Tab and they showed me around.  I don't know why I never took a picture...but I always wonder who those nice people were.  That started my Tab search, and I had one a year later.  Thank you, whoever you are.

PNWtabber

@AnOldUR -- well that's just silly.  As a biologist, I take offense at their offense.  You did nothing wrong, in my opinion.

Anyway, yes, Alaska is a fantastic place to explore.  If you get to Seward or Valdez, try to take a day trip out on the water, amazing scenery and wildlife.  We saw so many sea otters in September on Prince William Sound, it was fantastic.  I have a friend that moved to Homer, so I will probably try to get there on my next trip.  As mentioned above, some areas can have long stretches without services (like gas), so fill up when you can.

Fergie

To: AnOldUR

We moved from Minnesota to Alaska in 2017, taking 8 weeks to visit friends and family on our way with our 2015 T@B. Our last stop before entering Canada was visiting my old college roommate then living in Ferndale, WA. We crossed the border at Sumas, B.C. expecting to to take the standard route to Dawson City (the official start of the Alaska Highway) via Route #1 (the Trans-Canada Highway) and then pick up Route #97 the rest of the way. After a very smooth entry though customs at Sumas, BC, we thought we had clear sailing on route #1 through Cashe Creek, BC to 100 Mile City, near our first camping stop. 

We had not gone many miles (in Canada, kilometers) when a flashing highway sign right before a major turnoff point to highway #5 (a major truck route east to the interior) said,” Highway #1 closed before Cache Creek due to wild fires”! This was the first we became aware of the worst outbreak of wildfires in British Columbia history over the weekend while we in Ferndale! Listening to the CBC we found out that they were evacuating whole towns in the region! Over 3000 fire fighters were involved including 50 specialists from Australia, and over 50,000 ended up being evacuated! Also the fires were spreading north and another town on our planned route, Williams Lake was one of the towns totally evacuated!

Without going into all the gory details, we ended up taking Highway #1 east, detouring around the wildfire region by almost 300 miles by way of Jasper National Park (which we had been told was dramatic scenery, but we saw nothing as dense smoke blocked the views!) finally making our way to Dawson City! It did give us a chance to experience the eastern region of B.C. that probably not too many travelers get to see while we made our way north on the little used twisting two-lane road to Grande Cashe on our way to Dawson City.

In spite of all this it was a great trip and we really enjoyed the adventure!

Alaska is beautiful in the summer and you should enjoy your trip immensely at that time of year. Searches on this blog and other for "Alaska" will yield lots of advice and information as you can already see.

Remember what Forest Gump said, "Life (Traveling?) is like a box of Chocolates. You never know what you're going to get!"

Fergie

AnOldUR

Another question about our Alaska trip. Obviously we have to pass through Canada. My wife heard from our vet that our 12 year old Australian Shepherd may need a health certificate from an exam done withing 10 days of entering Canada. Sounds crazy. Anyone have experience with dogs entering and returning from Canada? She just had a full ($$$) senior dog exam and all her shot are up to date, so I thought we were covered. We had planned on a slow (months) drive making it difficult to see our East Coast vet in that 10 day time frame.

Towhee

We boated to BC for many years with our dog.  Only needed a cert from the vet showing that the expiration date of the vaccine was in the future.

AnOldUR

Thanks @Towhee. The vaccination requirement is all that I've been able to find also. I'm not sure if the requirement of having an exam within 10 days is real, but makes me nervous. My wife just told me more of the story told by our vet. She was referring to her sister who lives in Canada and travels to the US with a pet. Those rules appear to be different. The website linked below confirms that only the vaccine requirement applies, but it would be reassuring to hear from more people who have made the border crossing recently. Thanks.

https://inspection.canada.ca/importing-food-plants-or-animals/pets/eng/1326600389775/1326600500578?topic1=Travelling+with+pets&topic5=Bringing+pets+to+Canada:+rules+for+importing+or+travelling+with+animals

XenanMe

@AnOldUR I can’t comment on the dog vaccination question but I live in BC and have driven the highway up to Whitehorse and Skagway numerous times.  A couple of suggestions: 

1. August 1st is a statutory holiday/long weekend in Canada so the campgrounds and roads will be very busy.  You might want to consider getting reservations for a campsite and sitting tight somewhere during this weekend to avoid the stress of looking for a place.
2. When in Whitehorse, I highly recommend High Country RV.  IMHO it is the best campground in the area.  Most others are just a gravel lot.  You might want to consider making a reservation.
3. Plan to stop at Liard Hotsprings on the Alaska Highway.  It is a lovely spot.  It was closed due to COVID but should be open again this year.  The campground is nice and a dip in the hot spring in the evening is magical.
4. None of the campgrounds in Skagway are very nice.  Mostly just parking lots with rvs crammed in and not much privacy.  Pullen Creek is the best of the options because it is newer and closer to the “action”. Reservations are a good idea because options are very limited.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions let me know.

Romana

An old friend of mine and me rode to Anchorage in the late 90's on our motorcycles from Spokane, WA. It was June, it was wet, it was cold. We were woefully unprepared. We had the time of our lives. 7 days riding, 7 days rest. Our butts were sore so we rented a car and toured around. We rode back south to Haines and took the ferry back to Bellingham.
On our way up we stayed a night at the Northway airport they sold us steaks we could cook on their BBQ's while we watched kids ride their 4 wheelers up and down the runway. The locals bought booze in the drive up window. Almost hit a moose, he jumped out and just stood there. Maybe someday will drag a T@B there. Have fun....just do it!