Texas to Alaska

[alanhenson]

We're thinking about buying a 399th and making our first big trip this summer from Texas to Alaska. First of all our kids are 11, 9, 6 and 3. Am I crazy? A trip to the grocery store can be nuts sometimes. They did pretty well going to big bend from Austin this month.
So where do I start planning? What stops are a must do? How long should I plan for? Thanks for any help.

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[wyodan]

Get the Milepost trip planner, great place to start

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[alanhenson]

I've got it. Last week off of Amazon.

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[wyodan]

We went last summer, left So. CAL 1st of May traveled up to Montana , to Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and then across to Tok, traveled all around in Alaska, stayed until the end of August them came back through Wash., Oregon and home to Bakersfield mid October. A trip of a lifetime.

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[lawdes]

Oh what a trip. DW and I pulled a reflection 313 TT last summer to Alaska. Plan on having a LOT of time. It took a week just to get to the 1500 mile Alaska hiway. We spent two months as and never spent more Than about a week in a week in any one place. Roads are pretty much all two lane, fuel was always available (expensive), and for the most part roads were in pretty good shape. I second the idea of getting Sign Post. Also a good RV GPS that has Canadian roads. A great trip....Enjoy!!

[alanhenson]

Great stuff. Thanks.

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[Nomad5]

No you are not crazy. My family made the trip from AK to Virginia. Like you I also have 4 kids. At the time they were 7, 6, 3 and 18 months. Planning is definitely a must. But if you love the outdoors it is a beautiful trip. You will see things others only dream of or see on TV. But it does take planning. Here are a few things:

1. Buy yourself a copy of the "Milepost". It is a road atlas of sorts that described what is on every mile of the highways in AK and the majority of the HWYs in Canada.
2. If you have a chance to get gas, DO IT! Even if you have 3/4 of a tank...FILL UP! And buy and keep filled a 10 gallon spare gas can.
3. Decide which HWY you are going use before start. There are only so many roads you can take and after a certain point there is only one.
4. Plan your stops for each day you will be traveling and reserve your campground spot. If you can't find a campground, don't worry. There are plenty of pull outs you can park in for a night.
5. Best time of year to go is mid-June to mid-August. That far north you can still get snow on Memorial Day.
6. Beware of frost heaves. Frost heaves are line really wide speed bumps created by the freezing thawing cycle. Where there is one there are more. DO NOT try to go over these things at HWY speeds. You can make it over one, MAYBE even two. If you don't slow down by the third be prepared to bottom out. More than one person has dropped their transmission from frost heaves. The milepost will warn you of where to expect them.
7. If the speed limit says 45..I HIGHLY suggest you go no faster than 45.
8. Parts of the ALCAN in northern BC and the Yukon are still gravel. Don't be surprised if your windshield gets more than a few cracks. We did however survive four years in AK without needing to replace our windshields.
9. If you see a bear or moose, dont be that guy and stop in the middle of the road to take pictures (Yes, we really did see someone do this).
10. If you see a moose or bear, give them lots of space. A moose is NOT a big cuddly deer! Both animals are unpredictable and CAN kill you! I am not trying to scare you. I just want you to understand that the wildlife up there is not like the wildlife in the lower 48.
11. A few places I would recommend stopping are Muncho Lake, Destruction Bay, Kathleen Lake, and Beaver Creek. Those are a few spots in Canada. There are an endless number of things to see in AK. I would definitely recommend fishing on the Kenai during one of the Sockeye Salmon runs.
12. One last thing...bring some good bug spray.

Good luck and hit me up with any more questions.

[alanhenson]

Thanks so much for all the info. I'm sure I'll have questions the closer we get.

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[sellis1053]

For those of you that have a GPS & satellite radio, do you lose your signal in Canada or Alaska?

[TucsonJim]

What a timely post. Ginnie and I are seriously thinking about doing this next summer. I'll be following this thread with enthusiasm.

Jim