Heading to Alaska this year with Solitude 375RES, any suggestions or warnings?

[orbiker]

We're planning to arrive in Fairbanks NET Memorial Day, depart NLT Labor Day, and excited to do the Glacier-Banff-Denali-Yellowstone loop. Roads were great when I drove down in '95, been reading they're even better now.

Anyone know if military Space-A is an option for leisure travel to USCG Kodiak or does it need to be official business?

- Marc

Glacier NP is usually under snow till Mid- June.
AK will not be green till maybe Memorial Day and Labor Day is very late to be that far north. Glacier will be close or snow under by then.

[Paul Adams]

I see you have lots of advice. I recommend that you buy "The Milepost" which will give you lots of information on the highways, sites and RV parks in BC, Yukon and Alaska. It is available on Amazon for $27 USD.

To repeat what others have said - go earlier if you can.

Sent from my SM-A530W using Tapatalk

[Flintstones]

I have often talked about a road trip to Alaska, but without our 2018 Solitude 37RES. I have read countless articles and postings from rv'ers that said the roads really beat up the tow vehicle and the rv. I will be looking forward to reading about your experience on this journey and how your Solitude fared. Best of luck, safe travels, and please post pictures!

[howson]

My wife and I went to Alaska in 2011 on the Road King. ...My wife still complains of leaving the seat after a bump.

Ken,
That sounds like an epic trip on a bike! If we ever share a campfire (and an adult bevy or two) I want to hear all the stories.

If I did the trip I'd probably drag the RV up to Washington State and leave it there, taking the 'Wing up to Alaska. I just saw a very small slice of the state many years ago (courtesy of Uncle Sam) and would love to explore more--especially on my bike.

[jjinatx]

We're planning our 5th trip to Alaska this spring. First time with a 5th wheel though (Reflecton 29RS). We've gone a couple of times before in a Bigfoot truck camper on a GMC 4x4 dually. From our experience, get the Milepost. If you want to see Grizzlies up close, but safely, stop over in Hyder, AK. It's off the Cassiar highway. The US Forest Service has built a really nice elevated deck along Salmon Creek downstream from Salmon Glacier. The salmon run mid July through August and the bears will be there and are easily viewed fairly closeup from the deck. Be careful when you get out of the vehicle in the parking lot as the bears do come through it on their way to the creek. There are officers with 2 way radios in the parking lot who monitor it and will probably keep you safe. And do not bring you dog with you and leave it in the vehicle.

There is one RV park in Hyder and also a pretty nice one in the adjacent Canadian town of Stewart, but I think they only have water hookups. Also "Eat at the Bus".

The roads have been pretty decent, except for the construction areas. Yes, you WILL go through lots of construction - they only have the short summer to work on the roads. The gravel roads are very good as gravel roads go. I've been thinking about the Top of the World highway,but I think I will avoid it with the 5th wheel, based on the two times we've been on it before.

One of our favorite places up thataway is the Dempster Highway that starts in Dawson City, Yukon and ends up in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Again, we may avoid this road and leave the 5th wheel in Dawson City and make the trip to Inuvik in the truck, staying in hotels for a few days. On past trips I have seen 5th wheels on the road, so maybe I'm just getting over cautious in my old age.

Enjoy your trip

-jj

[ExtremeDuty]

deet deet deet. Did i say deet?

boy howdy!!!!!!!!!

[orbiker]

Deet Deet Deet. Did I say Deet?

Be careful.

You can poison yourself with too much deet.

[livinthelife]

We're planning our 5th trip to Alaska this spring. First time with a 5th wheel though (Reflecton 29RS). We've gone a couple of times before in a Bigfoot truck camper on a GMC 4x4 dually. From our experience, get the Milepost. If you want to see Grizzlies up close, but safely, stop over in Hyder, AK. It's off the Cassiar highway. The US Forest Service has built a really nice elevated deck along Salmon Creek downstream from Salmon Glacier. The salmon run mid July through August and the bears will be there and are easily viewed fairly closeup from the deck. Be careful when you get out of the vehicle in the parking lot as the bears do come through it on their way to the creek. There are officers with 2 way radios in the parking lot who monitor it and will probably keep you safe. And do not bring you dog with you and leave it in the vehicle.

There is one RV park in Hyder and also a pretty nice one in the adjacent Canadian town of Stewart, but I think they only have water hookups. Also "Eat at the Bus".

The roads have been pretty decent, except for the construction areas. Yes, you WILL go through lots of construction - they only have the short summer to work on the roads. The gravel roads are very good as gravel roads go. I've been thinking about the Top of the World highway,but I think I will avoid it with the 5th wheel, based on the two times we've been on it before.

One of our favorite places up thataway is the Dempster Highway that starts in Dawson City, Yukon and ends up in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Again, we may avoid this road and leave the 5th wheel in Dawson City and make the trip to Inuvik in the truck, staying in hotels for a few days. On past trips I have seen 5th wheels on the road, so maybe I'm just getting over cautious in my old age.

Enjoy your trip

-jj

We spent 3 days standing on that viewing area in Hyder. Never saw one bear. Others in our group did see one bear toward evening one day.

"Eat at the Bus". Get there early. We went and they were just closing the door. Owner/cook takes orders until they have too many to handle, and ill shut the door until they get caught up. In our case, the wait was going to be something along the line of 1 1/2 - 2 hours (before they would even take the order, not including how how long it would take to make).

We did the Top of the World in our 26RL (similar to yours) and it really wasn't that bad. The road to Destruction Bay, now, THAT WAS TERRIBLE.

We did the Dempster Highway, in July, in "only the truck". We only made it about 2 miles past the visitor center. The road was that bad.

[ExtremeDuty]

As I was told the night before my halibut outing in Homer in '07, "Stay OUT of the the Salty Dog!". I did not. Whew...

On the bear front, we saw a HUGE black bear while fly fishing the Kenai from shore. A buddy familiar with bears said it was probably 400#. Fortunately it was on the opposite shore and not in the tall grass we'd been walking.

[jjinatx]

We spent 3 days standing on that viewing area in Hyder. Never saw one bear. Others in our group did see one bear toward evening one day.

What time of year? Has to be late July or August or the salmon won't be there and neither will the bears. One year there was a regular mama and her 3 cubs. The locals named her Monica and the cubs were named Pete, Re-Pete, and 3-Pete. A few years later there was another mama with only one cub. There will usually be one or two males around too, but they aren't there as much. You can tell when they are about to arrive because mama and cubs get scarce real quick. Usually a few black bears will come to feed too.

How long ago did you travel the Top of the World? I'd like to take it because it's a nice shortcut between Dawson City and Tetlin. Last time I was on it with 4x4 and Bigfoot TC it was fairy rough and I wasn't sure I'd want to drag a 5th wheel over it.

-jj