All roads lead to Tok, Alaska

Tok, Alaska

It is said that “All roads lead to Tok,” and nothing could be truer for adventuring in Alaska. Tok is also known as the dog capital of Alaska for its breeders and mushers. From Tok, visitors can head toward Anchorage, Fairbanks, or to Valdez. 

Map with thanks to alaskacenters.gov

The town, because of its strategic location, is a great place to catch up on road conditions, fishing reports, spend a night and fuel up. We stayed at Tok RV Village. The hospitality was warm and we enjoyed getting to know fellow travelers and comparing notes. When the summer season is on, Tok RV Village operates a car wash. For those who have picked up the thick glacial silty road dust of the Alaska Highway, few things could be more welcome.

Tok RV Village

http://www.tokrv.net/

Heading toward Tok, Alaska

Getting ready for the Alaska Highway—nylon compartmentalized travel bag

We stored our other very lightweight items in a fabric travel bag with clear plastic zipper pocket compartments of varying sizes. Cotton swabs and balls, dental floss, eyeglass cleaning cloths and a tiny emergency sewing kit find their home here. 

West toward the Yukon, Canada and Alaska, U.S. international border

Haines Junction, Yukon

Long before the advent of the Alaska Highway, Haines Junction served as a crossroads for trade. During the period of construction for the Alaska Highway, in 1942, the village of Haines Junction took shape. It sits today about 95 miles west of Whitehorse.

Its backdrop includes some of Canada's highest mountains and most spectacular scenery.

The town, about two hours west of Whitehorse, skirts up against Kluane National Park and Reserve. 

Getting ready for the Alaska Highway—Stocking the Medicine Chest

We kept the medicine chest for frequently used items such as refillable shampoo, conditioner and bath gel containers and deodorant. The items in the chest are secured against bouncing with small extension rods. These can be purchased at a camping supply store or you can do as we did; purchase and mount inexpensive short curtain rods.

Kluane Region, Yukon

North of Haines Junction, the Alaska Highway runs parallel to the outer rim of Canada’s Kluane National Park and Reserve, an area protected internationally for its mountains, its glaciers and its wildlife that includes grizzly bear, moose, wolves, Dall sheep and mountain goats. The Park received designation in 1980 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The drive continues along Kluane Lake villages Destruction Bay and Burwash Landing toward Beaver Creek, which is Canada’s most western community as you approach the Canada-U.S. border.

Getting ready for the Alaska Highway—plastic baskets

Some bathroom items don’t lend themselves to upright travel. We had hair brushes, toothpaste, straight and electric razors ride in inexpensive plastic baskets on available shelves. Toothbrushes hung from a plastic wall-mounted holder affixed to the medicine chest.

Road conditions—steep shoulders

Another aspect we observed about roads in the Yukon is the slope of the shoulder. In many instances, the asphalt trails off abruptly to a less than inviting downward curve. Fortunately, there are many designated turnouts of generous size. By stopping frequently at turnouts, you can check the rig and address some potential problems before they arise.

Skagway, where throngs of visitors outnumber Alaskans 1,000 to one

Downtown Skagway visitors from one of many
cruise ships in port

Skagway, Alaska

The once fishing village of Skagway, inhabited by about 920 souls according to the 2010 U.S. census, is visited by cruise ships carrying thousands upon thousands of visitors.

Population is likely to double in the summer tourist and cruise season to accommodate the rush of visitors. Estimates of summer visitation range from 900,000 to 1,000,000 people. Most of these, roughly three-fourths, disembark from cruise ships to explore the town and take excursions.

The downtown historic district with its wooden sidewalks and colorful street-side window flower boxes has around 100 gold rush era buildings, many of which are now restaurants, shops and other attractions for visitors.

Skagway shoppers use their hours in port
to buy Alaska souvenirs and mementos

Its White Pass and Yukon Route railroad (WPYR) claims to be Alaska’s most popular cruise excursion, and for summer scenic drama, it packs in a lot. The lakes and mountains visible in this panhandle region provide a great window on Alaska for visitors.

White Pass and Yukon Route

http://www.wpyr.com/

As an aside, reportedly, the Skagway border crossing between the U.S. and Canada was once featured in an episode of the television show Homeland Security USA, with its claim to fame as this: it is the least-used international border crossing in the United States.

Fortunately for jaywalking visitors who are focused on shopping,
Skagway vehicle traffic may be light

On the Klondike Highway south from Whitehorse to Skagway

Emerald Lake on the Klondike Highway south

Side Trip Route Klondike Highway South

The route south on the Klondike Highway leads in Southern Lakes region. Among the scenic attractions are Emerald Lake, Spirit Lake and Lake Bennett.

The deep green color of Emerald Lake is attributed to a mix of clay and calcium carbonate deposits at the lake bottom. 

Near historic Carcross, the contemporary abbreviation for Caribou Crossing, you can even visit shifting sand dunes.

Getting ready for the Alaska Highway—clothes

We anticipated we might need clothes for all kinds of weather just shy of deep winter clothing. We were right. We brought swimwear and our heavyweight Wolverine hiking boots, clothes for campground work and clothes for being a tourist. Since it has also happened that we’ve needed socially acceptable clothes for unexpected events, we brought dressy enough stuff for a birthday party or a visit to a church.

We packed the RV with clothes we figured we would wear most. The rest went in marked containers stored in the camper-shell enclosed truck bed. Yes, it is a bit of an inconvenience, but swapping out clothes when we need them is minor chore and having well-fitting clothing saves us from emergency shopping on the road. Also, since our trailer has specific carrying limits, the trailer load remains light and the weight rides where it can be best handled, in the truck.

Overloading could be a temptation, so we came up with a loose rule. The space we have for clothes waiting to be washed is limited to the size of a single laundry basket. Our solution is to limit the volume of clothing we carry in the travel trailer to only a little more than can be stored comfortably in the laundry basket. An exception to this is the one outerwear closet we share, since jackets and other outerwear aren’t usually washed after wearing.

Enter Whitehorse, a major junction

An arial view of Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, with thanks to
Canadian government

Whitehorse, Yukon

Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon Territory, Canada, is a town of about 23,000 that straddles the Yukon River. It is situated off the main Alaska Highway via a slight detour, and has a number of available services, including groceries, RV parks, tires and automotive.  For those who want to drive to Skagway, Alaska, as we did, highway access is through Whitehorse.

Hi Country RV Park

http://www.hicountryrvyukon.com/

Because Whitehorse is such an important junction for travelers, we are providing a mileage chart here:

City or Town Name	Miles	Kilometers
Anchorage, AK	724	1165
Beaver Creek, YT	283	456
Burwash Landing, YT	176	284
Carcross, YT	46	74
Dawson Creek, BC	869	1399
Destruction Bay, YT	165	265
Fairbanks, AK	609	980
Fort Nelson, BC	588	946
Fort St. John, BC	824	1326
Haines, AK	248	399
Haines Junction, YT	98	158
Prince George, BC	1123	1808
Seattle, WA	1714	2759
Skagway, AK	112	180
Teslin, YT	110	176
Tok, AK	397	639
Vancouver, BC	1634	2630
Watson Lake, YT	271	436

To request a guide: 
Whitehorse the Wilderness City: Visitor Information Request

http://www.whitehorse.ca/index.aspx?recordid=137&page=27

Getting ready for the Alaska Highway—collapsible ice chest

Some items that we would keep in a home bathroom simply won’t fit our trailer head. These run the gamut from medications on hand but not in regular use to larger shampoo and skin lotion refills. These we keep in a collapsible ice chest either in a trailer compartment or in the truck bed. The ice chest helps insulate the weighty items against weather and dust. And, when we want to use the ice chest as an ice chest, we can empty it and stow the stored bathroom items during non-travel times.

The Alaska Highway in the Yukon--an introduction to frost heaves

Teslin

We spent a night at the Yukon Motel and Lakeshore RV Park in Teslin, and fueled up as well. Overnight RV guests receive a fuel discount. In May, in these far north climates, the season is known as break-up, meaning ice break up but not yet entirely broken up. 

Alaska Highway shoulders can drop off sharply,  so keeping eyes on the road is important

The night proved cold enough that, in the morning when we pulled up to use the park’s sani-dump, we were unable to use it. Our valve had frozen. Hours would likely pass before any kind of thaw would naturally occur. We pressed on.

Yukon Motel and Lakeshore RV Park: http://www.yukonmotel.com/

Getting ready for the Alaska Highway—portable electric heater

We brought along a small electric heater with a simple rationale. Provided we had electric power or could run our generator, we could always break the chill without drawing down our propane supply when propane might not be readily available. As it turned out, during our Alaska summer, breaking the chill was virtually a daily need.

Road conditions—frost heaves

Frost heaves occur when frozen ground beneath the highway undergoes periods of thaw, melt and thaw again. Since water expands when it freezes, the freezing pushes up on the asphalt and leaves other areas sunken. The result is humps that run perpendicular across the highway. In the Yukon, road crews commonly flag known frost heaves with a small orange flag set close to the ground.

The key word is “known.” Frost heaves can be upon you before you can see them. The sensation is similar to driving over an asphalt-covered half-round of a telephone pole—you may be able to ease over it, but you can cause a lot of damage by hitting it carelessly.

The Alaska Highway can be challenging in the Yukon, but
the panoramas make the drive worth the challenge

Driving slowly on the Alaska Highway in the Yukon is
not a burden, since the scenery is inspiring

Driving slowly is the recommended way to avoid the worst damage from frost heaves. By contrast, driving fast puts you and your RV rig in danger. 

Entering the Yukon Territory on the Alaska Highway

72,000 signs mark points of origin from
visitors to the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake

Watson Lake

Watson Lake, Yukon Territory is just inside the Yukon border. Its Sign Post Forest, one of the most visited attractions along the Alaska Highway, the story goes, began in 1941 when a homesick U.S. Army soldier building the Alaska Highway posted a sign that pointed to his home town of Danville, Illinois. One count in 2012 lists an excess of 72,000 road and street signs, license plates, signed paper and metal plates, burned and carved wood signs, and other placards representing all corners of the world. Another list claims +100,000.

There are several RV parks at Watson Lake, one of which we used as a stopover on our return trip, the Downtown RV Park: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Downtown-RV-Park-Watson-Lake-Yukon/336597636422758

The Signpost Forest on a couple of acres sits at the north end of the town of Watson Lake. 

We spotted the "Old Tucson-Nogales Highway" sign
representing Southern Arizona

During June of 2012, mudslides closed a section of the Alaska Highway, leaving a number of visitors stranded in Watson Lake.  In the frontier spirit, so the story goes, playwright Karin Fazio Littlefield, en route to a performance elsewhere in Alaska and also stranded, set up a stage within the Signpost Forest for a performance of a play. 

The array, arranged around walking paths, could
take days to explore. 

Getting ready for the Alaska Highway—bedding

We brought flannel sheets for the summer in Alaska. That choice worked well. We also brought along an electric blanket. Were we to go to Alaska again, we would do it again.

Things to bring to Alaska—first aid kit

After we stock the medicine chest as anyone would at home, we stop and consider what else we might need, what we are almost certain to need at some point and what it would be lovely to have if we managed to be on the road for, say, a year.

Accommodating for first aid situations is a priority. So much so, we keep two fully stocked first aid kits. One remains in the travel trailer in a cabinet near the most-used entrance door. The other we keep under a seat in the truck. Additionally, we keep a first aid kit for our dog. It has medications our pet has needed in the past, and other tools that could be useful in case of illness or injury. 

Be bear aware on the Alaska Highway

Liard River Hotsprings

Liard River Hotsprings was a place planned to visit. We pulled in with every intention of soaking up some mineral waters. We encountered some other travelers who were coming out of the springs and mentioned that the springs were in the process of being cleaned. Old Montanans, we know our way around mineral pools and their seasonal cleanings. We decided to forego the soak.

A black bear photo op just north of Liard River Hotsprings

Within seconds, the bear was on the road shoulder,
ready to investigate the truck

We had been somewhat concerned about leaving our dog alone in the truck during our outing, anyway. After all, the Milepost has a caution in red about Liard, “Beware of bears.” We continued our drive and were soon overcome with relief. We saw a black bear several yards off the highway by some woods. We stopped to snap a photo. The bear ran toward us at some speed, apparently curious about us. Just one more photo, we thought. By that time, the bear was all but in the truck. We drove off quickly.

Getting ready for the Alaska Highway—RV mattress upgrade

The mattress that was supplied with our lightweight travel trailer is truly lightweight. We purchased a three-inch deep memory foam mattress pad from Costco. This pad laid on top of our trailer mattress turns the RV mattress into a comfortable “pillow top.” The pad is slightly longer than the trailer bed. This only works to our comfort advantage.

Some limits to cellular phone coverage

The Alaska Highway provided its own special form of amusement in billboards. Billboards would advise us that we should combat poaching by phoning a toll free number to turn in poachers. A check of the cell phones proved there was no coverage. Another check every 300 miles or so would show the same—no coverage. We could not have phoned in to report a bad driver, a forest fire, or any of the dutiful messages along the road. It is certainly possible that Canadian cellular phones worked well, but our phones with their US plans did not come alive again until we were well inside Alaska. 

Heading north along the Alaska Highway in British Columbia, Canada

Fort Nelson, British Columbia

The town was established in 1805 as a fur trading post. When the Alaska Highway was built, Fort Nelson grew to match its importance as a center for goods and services along the route. Fuel was available and well-priced in Fort Nelson.

The Northern Rockies Regional Recreation Center gave a great afternoon driving stop. It houses the visitor information center, with a free opportunity to access the Internet and take a break in a beautiful multi-use community facility.

Caribou cross the Alaska Highway near Summit

The drive beyond Fort Nelson climbs in elevation through Steamboat and Summit. The grades are steep. Stone sheep, bear and caribou may be seen. The Milepost contains a note warning drivers of “dramatic and sudden weather changes.” We were surprised to see a couple of motorhomes pulled over in turnouts, apparently settling in for the night while snow was falling.

We opted to drive on and found a great haven at Toad River Lodge, where we camped for the night. Of all the places we visited along the Alaska Highway, we still marvel at the highest speed wireless Internet service we ever experienced. The ground was still frozen, so the lodge could only offer electrical power without water or sewer.

The caribou just keep coming across traffic

Our practice as we traveled along the Alaska highway was to keep our fresh water at about half full. And, when a dump station or sani-dump, as they are known in Canada, was available at a good sized town, we would use it. Because we traveled in the shoulder season when the ground in many places was still frozen, we tried to take advantage of opportunities when they arose so that we would not be caught in a “need-to-take-on-water” or “need-to-empty-tanks” situation.

Toad River offered great RV lodging

Getting ready for the Alaska Highway—easy shoe storage

For us to be traveling, exploring and working, we would need more changes of shoes than we would ordinarily take on an RV journey. For shoe storage, we found very lightweight three-pocket fabric shoe holders at a discount store. We fastened four of them around the edge of the bed. Suddenly twelve pairs of shoes had a home within easy reach and completely out of the way. These shoe storage devices are also available at camping stores.

With ground still frozen in May at Toad River Lodge, 
there were no water hook-ups. Come summer, this would
be an ideal stopover or destination

Mile Zero Alaska Highway

The Alaska Highway begins at Mile 0

Dawson Creek, British Columbia

You will find Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. We took the opportunity to visit the Northern Alberta Railways Park. The park provided plenty of visitor information.

We stayed at Northern Lights RV Park, just about a mile and a half west of the Alaska Highway junction: http://www.nlrv.com/

There are several fine RV parks in Dawson Creek. The town was also a great place to change some American dollars in Canadian money, to visit a grocery store, and fuel up once again. Our grocery and fuel stop was the Dawson Co-operative Union (Co-op) market and No-Frills Gas bar: http://www.dawsonco-op.com/index.php

The historic Alaska Hotel is now a treasured memory. 
According to its website: http://www.alaskahotel.com/, it
"went out in a blazing inferno on September 14, 2012 

Getting ready for the Alaska Highway—tools and spare parts

We purchased trailer wheel bearings in advance of our departure and had them stored in the truck bed.

The tool kit included all the standard wrenches, pliers. We also brought along a strong piece of pipe to use as leverage and an extender.

Things to bring to Alaska

Flashlights

We keep several in various places, both in the trailer and in the truck. One technique for use in full darkness is to have a flashlight with a red film-covered lens to help you retain night vision.

Spare batteries

In all sizes to accommodate any battery powered mechanisms you have. 

Moving north toward Dawson Creek

Prince George, British Columbia

Our second night’s stop was Prince George. The city has several RV parks. We stayed at Hartway RV Park, about eight miles north of the city proper on Highway 97. The park was pet friendly and it offered us a chance to access Internet via Wi-Fi and catch up on email.

In early May, cold rain was melting ice

Hartway RV Park

7729 S. Kelly Rd.

Prince George V2K 2H5

tel: 1-250-962-8848

fax: 1-250-563-6947

The next day’s 245 mile journey to Dawson Creek would be pretty doable.

We had read about and considered staying at provincial parks along the way. Gates we saw along the route were closed and locked, with snow piled several feet behind them. The winter had been too heavy to make boondock camping possible.

Snow was too deep for us to do any provincial park camping

Getting ready for the Alaska Highway—Tires

One of our first tasks before taking off for the Alaska Highway was to check our trailer tires and truck tires. Truck tires, after examination, got replaced with new ones. The trailer tires were only a year old. We believed them road ready. Later, we encountered issues. But that is another story for a later day.

Things to bring to Alaska—navigation gear

Compass

Our electronic compass is built in to our truck’s information center. For RV travel or just on the road travel in unfamiliar cities and regions, we can always glance at the compass to confirm direction of travel. It never hurts to back up high-tech with low-tech.

GPS

While it’s not a necessity for RVing, a global positioning system (GPS) is certainly a useful tool. Our choice is a Garmin Nuvi that includes 6 million points of interest. We have named the friendly computerized voice that can lead us to 6,000,000 points of interest “Our Lady of Perpetual Navigation” and we call her OLPN for short. Now we wonder how we ever got where we were going before. 

Underway, fuel- and road-conscious

Hope, British Columbia

Hope lies at the confluence of two rivers, the Fraser and Coquihalla, 96 miles and 154 kilometers east of Vancouver.  The town, surrounded by towering lush green sheer mountainsides, has been a popular film location, with local mountains even taking the role of the Himalayas.

Waiting for road work is often required

About fuel and fuel prices

The guideline we relied on was the Traveler’s Guide to Alaskan Camping by Mike & Terri Church. In their book, the Churches give examples of fuel prices at various sites along the Alaska Highway. As an example, the Churches note that the price of gasoline and diesel is about the same in Anchorage as it is in Seattle. Using Seattle as a benchmark, the Churches’ formula served as a reliable guideline. The percentage of increase in varying locations along the highway matched well. We tried to fuel up especially at stations that were busy and appeared to move a lot fuel. We tried to always drive on the “top of the tank” and never let fuel get too low.

Summer is the season for highway repair

Road conditions—road work

To a small degree on our northbound journey and to a greater extent on our return trip in August, road work all along the Alaska Highway was in full swing. It is important to remember that in deeply cold climates, summer is the only time for highway repairs and maintenance. Flagmen and women and pilot cars are the order of the day. Be prepared to wait.

Getting to the Alaska Highway

Coquihalla Highway in yellow connects with
Canada Highway 1 toward Cache Creek, BC

At Hope we diverted away from Highway 1 and instead headed east and north on PH 5, the Coquihalla Highway. We reconnected with Canada Highway 1 westbound toward Cache Creek just outside of Kamloops. 

From Cache Creek we picked up the 97 north to Prince George and remained on the 97 to Dawson Creek where the 97 also becomes the Alaska Highway. We followed on where the 97 becomes the 1 again, through BC towns such as Fort St. John, Fort Nelson, Steamboat, Summit, Toad River, Muncho Lake, Liard River and into Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory.

At that point, Alaska Highway weaves around the border of BC and the Yukon. Our route took us to Teslin, through Whitehorse, into Haines Junction through the Kluane Lake region and settlements such as Burwash Landing and Beaver Creek, crossing the Canadian/US border into Alaska at Port Alcan into Tok. We took the Tok cutoff, Highway 1, to Glenallen, and the Glenn Highway, 1, to Anchorage. 

An historic landmark highway stop about 10 miles north of Soda Creek
and 32.5 miles north of Williams Lake

Map with thanks to British Columbia: Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure: Coquihalla Highway Information http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/coquihalla/index.htm#map

A link to Alaska road condition: 

http://511.alaska.gov/alaska511/mappingcomponent  

A link to British Columbia road conditions:

http://www.drivebc.ca/  

A link to Yukon road conditions:

http://www.511yukon.ca/  

A link to weather conditions:

www.weather.com 

Route to Alaska

We were expected for work at the end of the first week in May. That meant we could count on some rather cool wet weather if not icy conditions. To make the journey easier, we took a lower-land route. Our entrance was north from Bellingham and US Interstate 5 to exit 256 to Highway 539 and straight for the border.

In May along the Alaska Highway, trees were
still bare and rivers remained icy

We entered British Columbia, Canada at the Aldergrove entrance. We headed up Canada Highway 1A to PH1 (provincial highway) 1 to Hope.  We spent our first night on the road in Hope at Telte Yet Campsite.

http://telteyetcampsite.20fr.com/

Summer Anchorage Weather and Daylight

Anchorage, Alaska, with its subarctic climate, sits in a coastal bowl surrounded by mountains, so it is not unusual for the city skies to be overcast with clouds. Summers are short and cool, although the frost-free growing season reportedly averages slightly over 100 days. Some people liken an Anchorage summer to San Francisco during spring.

Here is a three-month summer summary:

June

High: 63°F

Low: 48°F

Average: 56°F

Precipitation: 1.04"

During mid-May near Denali, the surrounding valley
was clear of snow but mountains remained covered

July

High: 65°F

Low: 53°F

Average: 59°F

Precipitation: 1.90"

August

High: 64°F

Low: 50°F

Average: 59°F

Precipitation: 2.89"

While average daytime summer temperatures range from approximately 55 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit weather can vary and be unpredictable. July is typically the warmest month with August having more rain. During our summer in Alaska 2012, mornings were commonly cool in the mid 40 degree range with high temperatures in the late afternoons around the 60 and 70 degree range.

By midsummer, at Emerald Lake on Highway 2 south
of Whitehorse en route to Skagway, snow has melted

The summer solstice, the longest day of the year, has 22 hours of functional daylight.

Anchorage big wild life: the official source for Anchorage, Alaska travel information

http://www.anchorage.net/anchorage-weather