2012 NCLR Alaska Trip Gauging Interest, Q&A and Pre-Planning Discussion Thread

[LandRonB]

Ok did all the trips I planned to do for 2011 except the Baja Mexico trip. Went back and forth, in the end, despite potentially an exciting trip, best to err on the side of caution. And there are other exciting alternatives e.g. Alaska... Driving off-road in Baja Mexico is not out of the picture (granted not off road, my family and I did visit and enjoy our visit to Mexico via cruise ship last year) - perhaps later in time.

 

Speaking of alternative, brings me to discuss Alaska...

 

Anyone interested?

 

Thinking summer 2012 before 2012 Lost Coast trip? June or July?

 

Two weeks min.

 

Those who have driven from the Bay Area to Alaska like to hear your comments, trip planning details, share cost of fuel, hotel vs camping vs combo, pitfalls, good to know, etc...

 

Brian aka HMBRover and Rupert have done it. I think the overall trip included drive up to Bellingham, to catch the Alaska Ferry to Haines, then Valdez, Anchorage, Denali National Park (wohoo - this is be fantastic), and Artic Circle (now how many people can say 'been to the Article Circle").

 

I think if we included all of those - might need more than 2 weeks. And besides fuel and vehicle prep (complete maintenance if not done yet), one of the biggest cost is the ferry ride/cost. Est $2000 for two people, one Land Rover, and a room.

 

Those interested post up!

 

Cheers!

[Desertcrawler]

There is a publication called "Mileposts" that is your friend.

 

And dont' forgot to stop at Laird Hot Springs along the way!

[JFlores]

Im interested how soon will you pin down the dates so that we can arrange vacation time.

[HMBRover]

Depending on the style and destinations for the trip we _might_ be interested. We have a couple of other trip ideas cooking for next summer but we really haven't decided anything yet.

 

Our trip in 2008 was perhaps the most memorable trips we have taken. It was also the most work. We were gone for 33 days and didn't make it to the Arctic Circle. During the trip we purchased 452 gallons of premium fuel for $2326 and drove 6449 miles averaging 14.25 MPG and $0.36/mile. This was significantly better than my planning numbers of $3000 and $0.50/mile. Note that this was during the oil price peak of June 2008. We camped with our roof top tent rain or shine for all but 5 of the nights we were gone. We used primarily national, state or provincial campgrounds at a cost which may have averaged $15/night. We primitive camped a couple nights and used a commercial campground one night. We took maximum advantage of our access to military bases for camping and shopping which saved us some money. We mostly did our own cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner. We shopped for food about every 3-5 days. We ate in restaurants infrequently: 4-5 dinners and a couple breakfasts. The ferry food was all purchased and was definitely the low spot on the culinary scale. I don't think we ever did total up the full cost of the trip. As Ron said the ferry cost is the largest chunk of money at $2000 for the LR, two of us and a cabin for three nights aboard the ferry. It has probably gone up $500 or so in the last four years.

 

I would suggest a three week plan rather than a two week plan to start with. It takes almost a week to get to Anchorage using the ferry. As I remember the ferry trip is 2.5 days (three nights) boarding Fridays beginning at 3:00 PM and arriving at Haines, AK Mondays, disembarking by 2:00 PM. We need to confirm the current schedule is the same. You can get more information on the ferry system here: http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.shtml?gclid=CLWu-_jWvqwCFSkZQgodz3xpow

 

I have a copy of The Milepost - Alaska Travel Planner for 2008 which I'd be happy to loan anyone planning to go on the trip. It is generally available from larger libraries and can be purchased online from Amazon.com or from local book stores. It is updated every year so if you take the trip plan to buy a new one. The new edition comes out in mid-April as I recall. I also have an Excel spreadsheet of our planned itinerary and I could annotate it with actuals if anyone is interested. Here is a link to my in-process trip report on LRRForums: http://www.lrrforums.com/showthread.php?7978-Hunt-s-2008-Alaska-Expedition

 

'Nuff for now. I'm happy to try to answer any questions.

[Jen]

I am interested. Late June or early July is better for me, on my current Vice Principal schedule (though if I can manage to pass the darn exam before summer, next year I'll probably be teaching Science and get summers off again, yay!).

I would be wanting to get a room on the ferry. Apparently I have 6 teachers who have either taken their motorcycle or lived in the PacNW, and had TONS of advice about where to stay (apparently the island where the ferry takes off from has dorm housing available in the summers).

[LandRonB]

Thanks Brian for the info; would be great if you and Nancy can join this trip. Will just have to wait till we can shape this trip and firm up dates; so far just in the planning stage.

 

I did call Alaska Marine Highway, operator of the ferry, and asked for group discount; they gave me some tips/suggestions. Ferry offers discounts from Oct to April (reason for the discount) but most likely be dealing with the fog which will affect visibility. Also driver travels free May to September (not published on the webiste) if we book a roundtrip fare.

 

Couple of Qs for you Brian:

 

1) How long did it take to drive from the Bay Area CA to Bellingham WA (North of Seattle)? My GPS tells me 895 miles; 2 days; doesn't factor in any needed stops/camping!

 

2) Understand you took the ferry from Bellingham to Haines. Is it worth considering taking the ferry all the way to Whitter. Gets us closer to Denali National Park. Ferry fee goes up a bit but hoping will cut our driving time/fuel cost; perhaps offset each other.

 

3) Can you save on driving time by taking the ferry back from either Haines or Whittier to Bellingham (basically a round trip ferry ride vs one-way ferry + drive back)? Flip side, what do we miss e.g. sights if we take the ferry back?

 

4) Any info from Denali to Fairbanks (within Artic Circle); drive lenght/time, etc...

 

Thanks agian!

 

http://www.vacationstogo.com/images/ports/maps/1548_w.gif

[CNelson]

Sounds like something I can do...just depends on my job...

[JFlores]

Is this a road trip or is it off road dirt trails and side trails? Do we camp or is it hotels?

[LandRonB]

Is this a road trip or is it off road dirt trails and side trails? Do we camp or is it hotels?

 

All of the above. Mostly paved road; parts un-improved roads; Camping to save on coast but will need to add hotel mix e.g. shower.

 

Will let Brian confirm.

[MrVideo]

 

I have! Did it in 1990 in Siberia. No kidding.

[HMBRover]

Lots of good questions on timing. We planned our total trip as a sightseeing trip so we didn't rush from place to place but took our time to sightsee along the way. I planned to drive no more than 250 miles per day - the first day was an exception. 250 miles is only 5 hours of driving per day and that left us with lots of time to take side trips, stop for photos, etc and still get into camp early. After about 25 days straight even 250 miles seemed too far!

 

Also the farther north you go the more daylight you have in June and July. While in Alaska we had usable daylight from 5 AM to 10 PM. We ran out of energy long before we ran out of daylight!

 

1) How long did it take to drive from the Bay Area CA to Bellingham WA (North of Seattle)? My GPS tells me 895 miles; 2 days; doesn't factor in any needed stops/camping!

 

In keeping with my 250 mile/day rule, I planned to hit the ferry in Bellingham on the 4th day. We camped the first night about 30 miles N of Medford, OR in a very nice little NFS campground. The 2nd and 3rd nights were at Mt. Rainier NP. We hit the ferry terminal about 2 PM on the 4th day. This could have easily been done in 3 days. Keep in mind the ferry _departs_ at 6 PM but they want you to be there and ready to board at 3 PM. We got there about 2 PM and there were lots of cars ahead of us in line.

 

2) Understand you took the ferry from Bellingham to Haines. Is it worth considering taking the ferry all the way to Whitter. Gets us closer to Denali National Park. Ferry fee goes up a bit but hoping will cut our driving time/fuel cost; perhaps offset each other.

 

In 2008 I don't think there was an option to go all the way to Whittier from Bellingham on the same ferry. It now looks like there might be although it doesn't run weekly as the ferry to Haines does. The driving mileage difference is about 700 miles and the ferry time difference is about 1.5 days. Depending on cost difference it might be worth it if your goal is to get the Anchorage/Denali ASAP. We wanted to go to Valdeze and other sights along the way, however.

 

3) Can you save on driving time by taking the ferry back from either Haines or Whittier to Bellingham (basically a round trip ferry ride vs one-way ferry + drive back)? Flip side, what do we miss e.g. sights if we take the ferry back?

 

You'd miss most of the scenery of the trip plus the feel of the place. We saw the most animals in BC on our way back on the Alaska Highway. Much of the history happened in Yukon Territory and northern BC. If the only goal of the trip is to visit Denali then it's cheaper to fly to Anchorage like we did the first time. You can't drive your car in the park anyway*. You have to ride the buses inside the park.

 

* The exception is if you camp at Techlinika CG, about 40 miles inside the park. Then you can drive in and out but must still use the bus to get around inside the park.

 

4) Any info from Denali to Fairbanks (within Artic Circle); drive lenght/time, etc...

 

The entrance to Denali NP is about 2/3 of the way from Anchorage to Fairbanks on the Parks Highway. It's about 125 miles from Denali entrance to Fairbanks. Fairbanks is well south of the Arctic Circle. It's about 200 miles from Fairbanks to the Arctic Circle by road. Part of it is the infamous Dalton Highway which is the worst, most dangerous road in Alaska. If you must go there, take a one day guided tour out of Fairbanks.

[LandRonB]

Thanks Brian for all the info/replies.

 

Based on your responses, I'd like to look into driving up from the Bay Area to Bellingham, and taking the ferry to Whittier (or Haines - just need to look at pricing/drive time saved). Certainly the 1.5 days diff in ferry ride (Whittier vs Haines) vs close to 3 days (or 2.8 days) driving time is worth considering (save almost 1.5 days). Also need to compare ferry ride increas cost (from Bellingham to Whittier vs Haines) vs fuel cost diff between driving from Whittier vs Haines to Denali NP. And certainly don't want to miss the sites - drive down from Denalia NP back home is a must.

 

Since you have there and back Brian, with the logistics above, can you hand pick the main sights that would fit into a two week trip? If not possible, three weeks will be. The two week get away (typically American vacation time slot at a time unfornately for the working joes like me - lol) is much more doable for most folks.

 

Thanks Brian!

[CNelson]

I think two weeks is all the leave/Vacation I can take at the new job. Sorry. If I could, I'd love to take 3.

[HMBRover]

Since you have there and back Brian, with the logistics above, can you hand pick the main sights that would fit into a two week trip? If not possible, three weeks will be. The two week get away (typically American vacation time slot at a time unfornately for the working joes like me - lol) is much more doable for most folks.

 

Ron, I'd be happy to take a look. It will take me a couple days though. Have another computer project going ATM.

[MichaelBeaver]

I am interested will depend on timing and dates

[ROVRMAN2]

Ok, I'm back. Old computer died, bought new laptop.Also finally finished my CEs (I'm a procrastinator).

My 2cents on AK.

BA to Bellingham 2 day trip, but would suggest a overnite @ Mt Rainer, just to compare it to Denali... or just to say u did 2 Mts in 1 vacation.

Bellingham to Haines on AK ferry is worth the price. Inside passage, quickstops in Ketchikan,Wrangell,St.Petersberg.Ketchikan has 5-6hr stop worth it to explore old town and cheap bus ride to downtown.

Load up on gas b4 Haines. Fuel price in Haines was over $6/gal premo

Gas prices were the same as in BA only in Anchorage & Fairbanks, otherwise expect Haines prices ( hi also in Canada).

I ate the meals on the ferry, reasonable prices, no tipping allowed, decent food. Also rented a cabin, couldn't see sleeping on aftdeck or tv room. But maybe worth it for the younger crowd.

BTW I followed most of Brians itinerary when I traveled solo. Some of the private campgrounds have hot showers and indoor plumbing. Canadian Govt campgrounds more primitive, but outhouses are much cleaner than US outhouses.

Milepost mag is excellent resource for planning. Also "Travelers guide to Alaska Camping" (I bought a spare in error...the club can have it). "The rough guide to Alaska is good for big city traveling but only as a reference, its similar to a AAA guide book.

3 weeks is a good travel span, 2 weeks would entail a lot of hard driving, then u wouldn't see much.

I stayed @ a B&B in Fairbanks, saw the auto museum and bought a ticket for a SUV trip & airfare back to the Arctic Circle on the Dalton hwy (my 2nd spare tire blew on the Haines hwy (potholes extraordinaire).

The Dalton is not as intimidating as u might think. the 1st 20-25 mi is packed dirt, like a FS road but wide for trucking (2 lanes width). The rest to the Artic Circle is chip seal,asphalt, packed dirt & gravel. The day I traveled was very few truckers, so we were lucky as the tour guide stated. Didn't go as far north as Atigan Pass, but it will be paved by 2012, all 28mi of it. Remember "the roller coaster" on IRT? My driveway is steeper. BUT in winter it is a knuckle buster.

Anchorage is the big city, had a 3 leg kingcrab dinner & a beer for $60 and it was WORTH IT!

Went to Humpy's and blew it, didn't know they had great halibut. Maybe next trip?

Stayed at a motel by airport, cool seeing float planes taking off & landing.

Stayed @ Denali NP, but got soaking wet from rain, left early & stayed @ Denali SP where it was warm & dry AND I got to see the MTN!

Brian said he saw more wildlife in YT & BC (Canada) and it's true, tho in Denali, I saw Grizzlies, Dall Sheep, Wolf.

Laird Hot Springs, had to go there bc Chuck said so and worth the $5 and walk to soak in hot springs...when you're chilled it's Great!

Tok has 2 great private campgrounds with hot showers & indoor plumbing, 1 decent restaurant (only show in town?)

Chicken AK, Dawson City YT,Watson Lk,YT all interesting.

I drove the speed limit or slightly below to take in the sights, always moved over to let the natives roar pass @ 70+ mph.

Would I do it again? HELL YES!

 

Rupert

 

 

I

[ROVRMAN2]

Brian likes the early May-June trip, the weather is warming up then and more daylight hrs appear. Its just the beginning of tourist season and the RVs are starting to arrive. Brian would you agree with the last statement?

Jen would like to go during June-July. I think that's high season for the turistas & RVs.

Rupert would like late July-mid Aug towards the end of high season.

 

BTW AT&T cell service doesn't work in YT or northern BC, but WiFi does.

 

addendum: there are only 2 dealerships that can supply parts, one is in Vancover,BC, the other in Anchorage,AK. The one in AK said it would take 1 wk to ship parts to it, so make sure your vehicles are in top shape for this venture. Major Breakdowns would make fueling cheap!

[Jen]

A bit off topic, but... a teacher at my school who has done the TCH on his motorcycle said I need curtains in my truck in order to sleep in it as we pass through Canada, it's Canadian law. I can't find an answer either way by googling. Any truth to this?

[HMBRover]

I can't imagine. But some Canadian laws and customs tend to be a bit quirky to us. I googled a bit too and didn't come up with anything. Your best bet would be to ask your teacher friend to come up with a reference for you and whether it's a province law (which one?) or national law. We will be traveling through YT and BC.

[HMBRover]

OK. Here is a try at a trip plan for a two week (almost) itinerary to Alaska. It assumes going to Whittier on the ferry and driving back on at least some of the Alaska Highway. The ferry leaves for Whittier, AK from Bellingham, WA on Saturdays so that means we would have to leave the Bay Area on Thursday or Friday so it's really 17 or 18 days total. It needs to be fleshed out a bit but it should let those interested in going what to expect driving wise.

 

Let me know what you think. Any and all comments are welcome.

[ROVRMAN2]

Brian,

I would suggest taking ferry from Bellingham to Haines or Skagway. Consider the open water and cost of the ferry extension from Haines to Whittier.

What are your thoughts on Haines to Tok tp Anchorage to Denali to Fairbanks to Tok to Whitehorse down the Cassiar to Vancover to US? Would that fit the 2 week window? Missing sights would be Watson Lake, majority of Alcan hwy, Dalton hwy, touring glaciers from Whittiier. Talkeena.The 300-400 mi per day would be long driving days, but doable with two or more(?) drivers per vehicle, depending if group wants to say they've been to AK, say they've seen AK or say they vacationed in AK.

Of course if 6 or more vehicles go, the group can split for side trips and extend their part of the trip.

[HMBRover]

I would prefer Bellingham to Haines too but I was responding to Ron's request. Now that the hard work is done it would be easy to look at the Haines alternative. Then do a cost/benefit trade.

 

The two concerns that I have with the plan are a) There is no time in the schedule if someone has a problem and Driving days of up to 470 miles are too long, particularly several in a row. We always figure 50 miles per hour is a good average speed taking into account short stops for rest, gas and lunch. That means several 9 hour driving days in a row. Ugh.

[CNelson]

I've traveled cross-country twice...no biggie. Although, I was in my Equinox. Lol

[ROVRMAN2]

Here's a spread sheet of fuel prices,stops etc. of my 2010 trip. Gives you a general idea of what to expect.

 

[ATTACH]3656[/ATTACH]

 

More info on 2010 prices for AMF (Alaska Marine Ferry):

Vehicle up tp 19' $949

2 berth full facilities $393

total $1695

 

Does not include food

This was No. bound Bellingham,WA to Haines,AK

[HMBRover]

Rupert - I don't think that includes driver or passenger(s) ferry toll. IIRC driver toll is included in the vehicle charge only for the winter season but driver must pay along with any passengers during the summer season. That got it up to over $2000 for us in 2008.