I’m planning my trip from Calgary to Alaska and I’m looking for any suggestion which way is good and which I shouldn’t take.

Any suggestion?

 

I met a rider in Cody who was from Alaska. He took the ferry down to Seattle. Said it was a good way to do it and not too expensive if you just sleep next to you bike and not get a state room. I'd like to do the same trip except starting point is Annapolis, MD. Let me know how things work out. Should be a great trip. What do you ride?

 

I rode to Alaska last summer from Salt Lake City, UT. I'm sure you've done this before, but the Icefield Parkway between Banff and Jasper was one of the most scenic sections of the trip. We took 40 north to Grande Prairie and then to Dawson Creek for mile 0 of the Alcan. From there, there's not too many choices but the Alcan until you get to Whitehorse. We stayed on the Alcan all the way to Fairbanks. Our intention was to loop around, through Denali, Anchorage, Glenallen and back to Tok. Unfortunately, we ran into a serious rain/wind/hail storm just past Denali N.P. and were forced to turn around and backtrack. BTW, if you want a real "Adams Family" experience, I've got the name of a weird little B & B halfway between Fairbanks and Denali! We backtracked to Tok and then went down to Haines. The Haines Highway was one of the best on the trip. We ended up staying in Haines for 3days at a great B & B (I've got their info, too, if you want it). It is a really cool "drinking town with a fishing problem." You could walk down on the docks and buy the freshest seafood right off the back of people's boats. I'll advise you right now to stay out of the Post Office in Haines. 'Nuf said.

From Haines, we rode the ferry down to Prince Rupert, BC (about a 36-hour trip). You cannot sleep beside your bike down in the ship's belly, but you can set up a tent or sleep in the deck chairs that are on the Solarium deck (top deck). It is enclosed on all sides but is open to the rear. There are heat lamps on the ceiling, so it stays pretty comfortable in there. We just put our sleeping bags on the deck chairs (they recline all the way back - flat) and slept on the Solarium. Honestly, we spent the majority of the time in the bar or the cafeteria anyway! You can only go down to your car or bike when the ship makes a stop...I think it made 5 stops between Haines & Prince Rupert. Most stops are short, less than 1 hour, don't get left behind like the group of 4 riders on our boat did! The stop in Juneau was around 4 hours, so we rode into town and got some dinner, took photos, etc. It's neat to be in a place only accessible by plane or boat!

The ferry was fun, a really nice break from riding 300-400 miles a day and it cut out almost 1000 miles of backtracking down the Alcan. However, I've heard that the Cassiar Highway is quite spectacular. Maybe the backtracking is worth it?? If you do take the ferry, be sure to book it a month or two in advance. It leaves Haines once every 7-9 days and fills up quickly! After the ferry, we took 16 east to Prince George, 97 & 99 south to Vancouver, the coast highway to Portland, OR and then east back to SLC.

The Taylor Hwy from Tetlin Jct. to Chicken, AK is not paved at all. It can get really muddy and nasty on a bike if it's wet. The Klondike Hwy is hit and miss for conditions (back to Whitehorse). BUT, I've heard the town of Dawson City is one of the neatest in all of AK/Yukon. Another route I missed is the Glenn Hwy. Do all you can to ride this road!

Please feel free to PM me with questions or whatever. As you can see, I love talking about this trip!

 

Thank you so much for your information about Alaska. I still have one more question, is it safe to camp or you would rather suggest B&B?

 

I have driven the Alcan 4 times, but not on a bike. The ferry is a good way to see parts of Alaska that you can't see other wise. Going up or coming back you choice. go to barnand nobles get a book that is published and up date each each. Its called the mile post maganize. It's the most up to date book on the ALCAN Hwy. It list all the gas station, hotels, distance between them and things to see along the way.

Start your trip earley in the morning, that when you will see the most animals. also if you see cars on the side of a road, thats what they are looking at.

One word of caution if you see a moose on the side of the road or crossing it, stop and wait to see what it does. Moose are not like deer, they don't jump and run away if you blow your horn. They have no fear and are quite likely to stomp your bike into the ground.

I would drive to fairbanks first, then to Anchorage, on to Homer, back to Anchorage, turn east to Tok, but detour to Valdez, when back to Tok, to Haines, then ferry home. or just reverse the trip.

Above all take your time, if you have to rush around because you only have two weeks, a good month should give you plenty of time.

Rearnold

 

Are you going up "93" the ice fields parkway to Jasper then up "40" to Grand Prairie and so on?

 

i'm going up "93" to Jasper then up "40" to Grand Prairie.

 

I would also HIGHLY suggest purchasing the Milepost. It's an excellent source of information that you can map out and plan every mile of your trip with. A MUST HAVE IMHO It will be a memorable trip for sure, and when you ride thru Palmer give me a call if you need a place to crash,wrench on the bike, or anything else!!
Jeff

 

if you have time go to talkeetea its of hwy 3 up from anchorage take a plane ride around the glacier i used k2avaition great people

 

You know, we took camping gear with the full intention of camping here and there. But, after an 8-hour day of riding (usually in the rain) no one wanted to set up camp and keep getting rained on all night. We had 4 people on the trip, so hotel/motel rooms split 4 ways wasn't too expensive. The only place we "camped" was on the top deck of the ferry, and it was covered!

Here are a few places we stayed that were quite reasonable and in great locations:

Northern Rockies Lodge LTD - Muncho Lake, Yukon (Mile 462): This place is amazing. Plan a stop here, at least for the night. It's a true German lodge, sponsored by Warsteiner! I highly recommend staying in one of the cabins by the lake. The wiener schnitzel was the best I've ever had! 1-800-663-5269 www.northern-rockies-lodge.com

Rochester Lodge - Anderson, AK (near Denali N.P., Mile 280 of the Parks Hwy): This is the "Adams Family" place. More taxidermy than I've ever seen in my life, including a Cabela's showroom! Ask for the "Trophy Room" and sleep with a weapon of some sort under your pillow. We did. We barricaded the door, too. Just in case... 1-800-478-2354

Tanani Bay B & B - Haines, AK: This was the coolest place ever. Your own apartment under the main residence (the only room there). We pulled up and there were bald eagles and ravens chasing each other around the tree tops. Great views of the bay. Every morning the hosts, Juanita & Gary, brought down homemade jams, biscuits, bread, fresh juices - the works! Really nice people, too! It is only about a mile from the ferry terminal and 1.5 miles from town. I think it was around $99 per night. 907-766-3750 www.tananibay.com I highly recommend this place!!