I've visited Alaska several times since my first trip in 1980, but I've always flown to Anchorage, then out from there. Each time I've looked at those wonderful lands of British Columbia and the Yukon, and wished that I'd had the time to spend driving and camping along the way. Last year, May of 2017, I made it happen.
Short version: left my home in Wenatchee, Washington and drove north about 2200 miles to Fairbanks. Flew out from there in a small plane, and camped in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for nine days. After returning to Fairbanks, I took a somewhat longer route home.
Yes, this was a hunting trip, but I'll refrain from posting any fallen wildlife photos here, and concentrate on the trip, which was a wonderful adventure.
My one real disappointment was the lack of fishing. Other than at a lake in southern British Columbia, I encountered conditions that were poor for fishing. The rivers in May were running at flood stage, and the lakes were still frozen.
The border crossing was uneventful. I didn't bring enough Canadian cash, more would be very useful. People were quite friendly and helpful. Over a beer, one BC resident told me that the thing that rankled people the most about Americans, was our tendency to treat Canada as some sort of possession of the USA, rather than acknowledging that it is a large, sovereign nation with laws to be respected. Having traveled a fair bit when younger, I appreciated that.
There isn't much of a road network heading North. Bellow out the song "North to Alaska" here... Only a couple of major routes, with some variations possible. I headed north from my home in Wenatchee on Hwy 97, which interestingly was still referred to as 97, in Canada. Up thorough Penticton and spent my first night camping at Kane Lake, BC. It's a very pleasant little group of lakes with very nice campsites. A tote of firewood was purchased for $10 and needed some additional splitting. The campsites I used in B.C. and in the Yukon were all excellent!
Day two saw me passing through lovely Merritt B.C. where I found terrific country music murals:
At a bakery in Ashcroft, I found great cookies and coffee. Mining country:
Camped the night at Purden Lake in a steady rain. Again my little tent and bag kept me comfortable.
Detoured towards the coast and spent a night with friends in Terrace. Flooding rivers and road construction slowed progress. I was getting farther north now, in more remote territory. Fueled up and grabbed coffee at Bell 2, a heli-skiing resort. During the drive I came around one corner and found a grizzly in the road! We managed to avoid colliding. It was a banner day for wildlife sightings as I also saw two black bears, three caribou, an eagle and a moose.
Camped that night at frozen Dease Lake, next to a nice German couple who were touring British Columbia. Made a long drive the following day and camped at another terrific campsite, this time with free firewood, but no way to split it. A very large snowshoe hare shared my campsite, we heard coyotes nearby so perhaps the hare preferred my company?
Next up was a hike along the shore of still-frozen Lake Kluane. Fascinated by the beauty of the area, I didn't notice a grizzly also strolling along the lake until I was nearly back to my Jeep! We'd been on intersecting routes:
Treated myself to a motel room, a shower, and a great meal at "Fast Eddy's" in Tok, Alaska. I spent some time in Tok and very much enjoyed. Was also able to do some laundry there. Roy, a Native American, told me that his grandfather came to Tok from Seattle in 1922/1923, and that he had walked the last week of his journey, following the telegraph wires.
Finally I reached Fairbanks, an interesting little city. Spent the night, then headed farther north in a small plane.
More to follow:
It really is worth the time and dollars. I hadn't intended on it being a solo trip, but my traveling partner backed out and I decided to go alone anyway.
Guy, thanks for sharing the beautiful photos and your wisdom. Alaska has been on our list for some time and we are thinking next summer, 2019.
Take plenty of Canadian currency. I didn't find a bank in Canada willing to change American dollars into Canadian money. However, I could get change in Canadian currency when I made a purchase with USA cash. That however, was a losing proposition.
Speed limits seem unnaturally low. However that permitted my Jeep to get pretty good fuel economy.
When I made my trip, I was able to purchase fuel with my credit card, but not with a debit card. Also I had to take the credit card into the station rather than just using it at the pump. Remember you're buying liters (roughly quarts) of fuel, not gallons.
Bear spray is a good idea. A handgun is not a good idea. Transporting a rifle or shotgun through Canada is easy. Bring a locking hard case. The required paperwork is available online, and $25 Canadian purchases a temporary gun permit. They like "traditional" shotguns and rifles. I'd advise leaving the AR-15 at home. I'd also advise declaring your firearm to U.S. Customs before entering Canada. It smoothed my re-entry to Washington three weeks later. I kept my passport and all "border" paperwork in a readily accessible file folder. Really made my border crossings easy.
Any reliable vehicle with good tires can make the journey today. The AlCan of the past is paved and well maintained. I traveled some more remote roads on my return trip, and though they were gravel, they were in excellent condition. It is however, the far north, and weather can change things quickly. A vehicle with good range is better than something with a modest range.
DEET is your friend, as is a tent with good mosquito netting.
Get a hard copy of "The Milepost" which is also avail online. It contains a very good paper map too.
Bring some way to easily split firewood, axe, splitting maul, wedges... Wood is readily available, but ya need more than the little hatchet I took to split the wood.
Lower BC produces some very nice wines!
Take your time. Some folks are determined to make as many miles as possible each day. If you can, go slowly, and soak in the incredible scenery.
Enjoy! Guy
A few more photos from the trip home:
The five gallon Jerry can was never used, but was a real comfort a few times, particularly far north, where fuel stations are far apart, and hours of operation may be short. Couple of Canadian beavers reinforcing their lodge:
And yes, more bears:
It was a great trip. Some tips up next:
I had left my Jeep parked in a semi-secure area at the Fairbanks airport and was happy to find it unmolested. Tossed my gear into the Jeep, and headed south. Sort of. The return trip would be several hundred miles farther, as I journeyed deeper into the Yukon.
Leaving Alaska, northbound from Tok, I took the Top of the World highway.
It was very impressive:
And led me to the old Gold Rush town of Dawson City, a remarkably preserved old town:
On my way through the Yukon I had ample opportunity to observe wildlife, like this black bear:
Another photo of the bear:
And bison:
And another bear:
LOTS of wildlife in Canada!
There isn't much of a highway network in Alaska, a few main routes, and pretty much nothing else once a few miles from any city. I flew out from Fairbanks via Wright Air Service with one of the guys I was to camp with for a week or more. Once the small plane was a few miles north of Fairbanks, there was nothing. No roads. No buildings. No fences. Just wild country to the vast horizon. Small planes really are The Way to get around in Alaska. Two trips were necessary to get us to our campsite in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. After the sound of the plane's motor faded, all was silent except for a small stream running over a rocky bed.
Camp was established with a backpacking tent for each of us and a larger cook tent.
I had not spent much time in the arctic and was fascinated. Over the week we saw many caribou, a few grizzly bear, several wolves, a fox, and quite a few ptarmigan. Every day there was either rain or sleet, but I learned to enjoy the cold, wet and windy weather, because when the wind eased and the temps rose, so did swarms of mosquitoes. The sun never set during my nine days there. This is as close as it got to dark:
Walking in the arctic is difficult. The tundra itself is a mix of tiny bumps and dips, the dips often full of water. Numerous streams cross the area and must be forded. There are no bridges, no trails, no roads.
Grizzly tracks near camp:
If you do go deep into the arctic, remember that you're a long way from help. A sat-com link is important, as well as good first aid gear, bear spray, and I'd recommend a powerful firearm, just in case.
More to follow: