Alaskan HWY ??

[HDB07]

Hi
I am thinking about going to Alaska next summer. I have The Milepost book and it has been very helpful. But I still have questions.
How good or bad are the highways?
Should you get motel / flightseeing reservations ahead of time?
How big are the crowds in the towns on weekends?
It looks like gas / food will not be a problem, but?


Thanks in advance
Bill
Any thing else I need to know and didn't ask.

[Bigs]

All the roads seemed pretty good this year. If you go up to Dawson City I wouldn't recommend taking a trip up the Dempster highway - sharp stones, no service, and when we went up in our Jeep we got two flat tires and there a couple of motorcycles with flats. Dawson City is a neat town and the trip over the Top of the World Highway is nice and the surface was pretty good.
I don't know about motels but I saw quite a few bikers with trailers camping. I met three guys from Chicago area at Denali campground and one was 70 years old on a Ultra with a camping trailer and the other two had Gold Wings with trailers. All three said they had no problems.
We didn't seem to have any problems with crowds on the weekends. Also we never made any reservations and never had any problems.
There has been a lot of changes with lodging and fuel stops and the roads since 1994 - the last time we went up there.
   Bigs

[calgary56]

HDB07  - Where ya starting from?

Rode the AlCan in July this summer, .... it was an absolute blast. A couple of Buddies of mine wanted to stop in White Horse for 3 days for the Western Regional HOG Rally, so we didn't get in quite as many miles as I would have liked, but 2 of us still managed 10,000 Km (6,000 miles) in 13 days.

I didn't do the Top of the Wolrd Hwy (from Dawson City to Tok), but 3 of my friends did, and they siad it is very doable, IN THR DRY, as there is about 60 Km (40 miles) of gravel road that can get slick if it rains.

All in all, the roads are paved, BUT, keep you eyes out for road contruction.

We rode UP the Alaska Highway, and came back DOWN the Casiar Highway, ... in my opinion, depending on what direction your start\return point is, and your time frame allotted to your trip, you'd be cheating yourself if you didn't do the Casiar

All I can say is, DON'T PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITY TO RIDE The ALCAN (Alaska Highway)

[apes]

the milepost is a good reference, don't sweat the crowds, they are small by lower 48 standards, plenty of places to stay in motels if you are so inclined, plenty of places to camp, expect a little bit of rain, if you don't do it, you will always wsh you had,

[HDB07]

Thanks all for the info
I have not got into the side trips yet. The Dempster looks to be a little wild for a lone bike rider.
calgary56
Nice pictures The map looks a lot what I am thinking about.
I am starting in Quincy IL and the way it looks now, go to Winnipeg to Edmonton and then up the Alaska highway to Fairbanks then Anchorage. I am  just starting to look at the way home. If I can find it. HeHe  I think I will be gone at least a month.
Thanks for all the good info
Bill

[baggrfred]

Bill
The only place you might have trouble getting rooms for a night is in Tok, AK. It is the first town you come to in Alaska and a busy tourist area for that reason. The tour buses stop there for the night so rooms are reserved a long time in advance. It is another 60 or so miles to the next town so if you hit Tok at the tail end of the day like we did, you usually don't feel like another 60 miles. We lucked out and found a cabin with a cancellation about an hour before we arrived. Everywhere else was not a problem without reservations.  A couple other areas of note - the larger cities have 24/7 services like we are used to in the lower 48, but in the small towns, mom & pop motels close about 8 pm give or take, so even though the daylight goes until after 11PM in the summer, you need to take into account being able to get to a room before they close the office. Also, use the Milepost as a guide and pay close attention to the fuel stops. Although there are plenty of gas stations available, not all are spaced so you can skip one and make it to the following one. You will find an occasion to need to refill after only 60-70 miles because the next one will be 130-140 miles down the road. Also, the Milepost is printed in Feb/Mar(make sure you get a new one) using accurate info from the end of last year. Not all services reopen the following year so some of what is said to be there in the Milepost, is not open when you arrive. Enjoy the planning and the ride. It will be one you will never forget. Either going up or coming back, make sure you go through Banff and Jasper Natl parks north of Calgary, Alberta. You will find some of the most breathtaking scenery in the whole trip.
Jeff

[HDB07]

Thanks guys for all the good info
baggrfred  I was going to get a new book as soon as they came out. Some body has written all over this one. ( me ) It's good to know about Tok.
Bill

[HDB07]

Forgot to say that I started a thread over on
http://www.harley-davidsonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=39496#post39496
if you want more info
Thank again
Bill

[calgary56]

from the HDF forum .. "Also grated bridges that say 20MPH means exactly that" ....

3rd Day, approximately 2,100 Km (1,300 miles). This is one long steel grate bridge, riding across that with a skinny ass front tire will keep your attention I'll tell you.

Unless you fly in, you'll be riding across this puppy, twice

The Nisutlin Bay Bridge was completed in 1991, and is Teslin’s impressive metal span bridge. It is the longest bridge on the Alaska Highway, is two lanes wide and consists of seven through truss spans for a total length of 584 m (1916 ft.)

[tnicean]

I drove the Alcan Highway in 1993 with a Jeep Cherokee pulling a pop-up camper.  Had my two kids along, ages 11 and 8.  The road was not bad then.  It should be better now.  Gas was not an issue, but you would have to be a little more careful since the bike does not have the cruising range of a SUV.  Yes, there are some frost heaves and yes, there will be some construction.  We went up the pipeline road to the Arctic Circle and then turned around.  It was a 14K mile trip in 48 days and was great.  We met a lot of nice people along the way.  I plan to ride the Alcan when I retire.  I hope to have a new ultra to take.
Tnicean

[HDB07]

Hi
calgary56     I read about that bridge. I haven't been on one with the Softail but did ride on some in the south and the Mackinaw bridge on a 883 Sportster with a large pucker factor but did ok.
tnicean     Are the frost heaves like what we call heat buckles around here in the summer?
Thanks again for the info. I am still listening and learning
Bill

[calgary56]

Frost Heaves in asphalt road (not my picture, but you'll get the idea)

[Tsani]

Ran it in 1976 on my 61 pan. Interesting adventure doesn't even cover it! Go for it, you won't regret it.

[HDB07]

OK I see what frost heaves are now! I was way off on that one.
Thanks
Bill

[truck]

That looks like your typical Pennsylvania road.

[Desperado]

I was where you are last spring.  Rode the Alaskan Highway in July - leaving Dallas TX on July 7 and arriving back home on July 28.  Covered 9,000 miles.  No riding partners. 

The Alcan was fine.  I when up through Calgary, Banff and Lake Louise (use Hwy A1 and not Hwy 1 - much more scenic) on to Jasper.  Took 16 east from Jasper and then north on 40 just before Hinton through Grande Cashe to Grand Prairie and then Dawson Creek for the beginning of the ALCAN.  ALCAN all the way to Fairbanks and back to Hwy 37 Junction where I rode south on 37 (Cassier) to 16, over to 97 and back home.

There are gravel patches and frost heaves (actually dips).  The Teslin River bridge and the almost-as-long Peace River bridge will scare you, but except for the shaky front tire, at 35-45 mph they are okay.  I didn't have to cross them in the rain, which might make it different.  The shoulders before both are wide enough to pull over for a while until there is no traffic coming or going if you want to wait before crossing.

Rain was the biggest problem I had.  I was in rain almost every day - but not all day.  There were days of 42 degrees and several hours of rain, so take a good rain suit and heated gear.  The road dips and gravel are much harder to see in moderate to heavy rain.

Gas is available, but there are a couple of places where you don't want to miss a fill-up.  I didn't fill-up in Tok and should have because my last fill-up was Border City just after crossing into Alaska.  I thought there would be a camp or something with gas between Tok and Delta Junction.  There wasn't.  Over 200 miles on that tank when I found gas.  That's not a good idea up there.

Gas and rooms will be much more expensive than you think.  Singles were running $80 - $100 plus tax in most places.  In Fairbanks, the cheapest place I could find with a vacancy was the Klondike Inn at $99 plus tax.  Stop at the information centers to check on rooms and room prices if you travel without reservations.  I didn't make reservations because I didn't know how far I would be going in a day.  Rooms on Cassier were harder to locate as was food.  Carry some apples and granola bars - that was breakfast and supper some days.

The roads between Haines Junction to just past Tok were the worst in 2008.  That's about 150 miles of road.  Be prepared to wait for Follow-Me trucks at road construction in multiple places.  Summer is the only time they can repair the roads.  Most waits are about 10 minutes.  The big construction project at Soldiers Point (Lake Kluwane) was only 10 minutes, but they were drilling the days I went by.  If they were blasting and having to clear/remake the road, I was told the wait could have been up to 4 hours.

Camping may not always be a good idea because of bear problems in places.  Get the MilePost as mentioned.  It is good but has too much information so study it but take you own notes to travel by.  Note the comments from another postere about all the places mentioned may not still be open.  I skipped a fill-up at Coal River because Fireside was easily within my range.  I had seen billboards announcing the resort and gas, giving the miles to Fireside.  When I got there, Fireside (listed in the 2008 MilePost) was boarded up.  It was another 50 miles to Contact Creek for gas.  Fuel light was on for 15 miles.  Moral:  Don't push the gas.  Most Gas Bars have only regular and diesel, but in the cooler temps, I had no problems burning 87 octane.

I carried a patch kit, mini air compressor and emergency drive belt, but didn't need any of those.  Good insurance though.  I did have to replace a rear tire in Fairbanks.  I thought it should have made it back to Whitehorse, but it wore out in half the expected time.  The chip seal roads and gravel patches are very rough on tires.

e-mail me off line at Desperado-Oakcliff@hotmail.com if you would like and I'll be happy to share my experiences and planning.  The trip is easily doable.  As you mentioned, it will take 3 weeks to a month depending upon how far you like to travel in a day. 

Desperado

[apes]

I live in Fairbanks Ak for 22 years and drove the Alcan 7 times during the winter, it was beautiful even then.  Seasons are fast and short  in the Arctic so venders need to make money so while there are tourists about the prices for lodging and everything else will be high.  Bears generally will not be a problem unless you have food with you when you camp, the exception may be at  Liard Hot Springs in BC, there have been plenty of bear attacks during the spring  but the Springs are well developed, unattended and are FREE - definately worth the stop.  Watch out for moose, they do stand in the road, stay topped off with gas because some places are closed and it isn't always reflected in the publications.  remote gas stops, like many places, offer a unique exposure to the local color.....fuel lights, frost heaves, bears, expensive lodging, gravel.....if it wern't for the misadventures, there would be no adventures

[Beave]

We did the Alcan first in ’91 and then in 07.  The road is generally in good shape with some construction and frost heaves to deal with, but it can change overnight.  I would not recommend a trailer as all of the crashed motorcycle I saw were pulling  trailers.  Dawson City and the Top of the World Highway makes a good route and trades smooth gravel for frost heaves.  We camped a lot without issues, but we did not cook or have food at our campsite. Definitely stop at Liard Hot Springs, but I wouldn’t camp there.  The locals are very helpful both in Canada and Alaska and we often planned our route by local direction.  We also rode the Haul Road (Dalton Highway) as far as the Arctic Circle, but that is purely optional.  If you have to replace a tire they are about double list price in Canada,  Anchorage is probably the best place to get one.  The Cassiar is an excellent way to return, and the road to Stewart /Hyder is incredible.  The Alaskan Ferry is also an option out of Haines or Skagway, which allows access to Juneau, Ketchikan, whales and glaciers.  We take the ferry to visit friends in Ketchican and return via Prince Rupert.  The long days make for great riding, but rough sleeping, especially in a tent.  I highly recommend a cheepo sleeping mask.  It looks stupid, but works great.  Go For it!  Take lots of time.  For me from SE Kansas with side trips it is a 10,000 mile five week trip.  The last thing you want is to get to Alaska and then have to turn around and rush home.  And, when near Denali I highly recommend Carlo Creek Campground, they are the real deal. 

[HDB07]

Desperado
Thanks for the nice write up and the details. Some thoughts:
9000 miles in 21 days, I assume you did big days in the U.S. and then slowed down then you got on the Alcan?
Do you mean 42 degrees as a top? Sounds like a ski mask would be a good idea? I got a little frost bite in ID-MT one year!
Gas was the 1st thing I started looking for. I have a least 3 stops a day, will recheck. I don't think I was planing over 100 miles a tank.
Waiting 4 hours could mess up a will planed day! (Soldiers Point) Hope they got that done but probably started something else.
I was not going to camp unless I got backed into a corner!
Yes, I have been taking notes but I may start over after the things I have been hearing.
And YES YES YES   I Would love to have you share your experiences and how you planned your trip!!  I am willing to do it off line but I think a lot of other people would like to hear it also.  your call.
Thanks again
Bill

[calgary56]

Desperado  - sounds like we were up there pretty much the same time. Rained off and on for 11 days straight.

Calgary - Fort St. John   -  July 6th
Fort St. Johh - Laird Hot Springs  -  July 7th
Laird Hot Springs - Whitehorse  -  July 8th
Whitehorse - Fairbanks  - July 9th
Fairbanks - Anchorage - Glenallen  - July 10th
Glenallen - Whitehorse  -  July 11th
Western Regional HOG Rally in Whitehorse - July 12th \ 13th
Whitehorse - Skagway - Whitehorse  -  July 14th
Whitehorse - Bell II  -  July 15th
Bell II - Williams Lake  -  July 16th
Williams Lake - Kelona - New Denver  -  July 17th
New Denver - Calgary  -  July 18th

Kewl you knew about Hwy 1A, a MUCH more scenic route than the 1, even if the 1 is a tad faster.

[apes]

Hyder,,,, yea that place is beautiful and the furthest south portion of AK AND where the Canadian $$ is the currency of choice

[vetteandharley]

Five of us went to Alaska in August of 2006. Rode from NE Nebraska to Bellingham WA and boarded the ferry to Skagway. From there we went to Whitehorse, Dawson City and Top of the World Highway to Tok.From Tok we went we st to Anchorage, down to Homer to fish for halibut back to Anchorage, ferried over to Valdez then north to Fairbanks.  Road the Alaska highway all the way back stopping in Beaver Creek, Teslin, Ft Nelson, Grand Cache then Eureka Mt.  We were gone 25 days total.
   Some points to think about:  You always think about how far north Alaska is, but it's also far west of Seattle.  The inside passage is mostly rain forest-its supposed to rain. I know it been mentioned already but two of us ran out of gas on the way back.  Some places we pulled into didn't have any gas and weren't sure when they would get it.
  Make sure you have plenty of warm clothing, (I had heated gear) and a hell of a good rain suit.  We stopped and bought trash bags and duct tape to put around our boots as they got soaked through.  I guess we hit an unusually wet year, it rained most of the time we were there.
  If you have spoked wheels I would carry a spare tube, as its a long ways between places to buy one if needed.
  First and foremost-GO-its one trip you will never forget.  If you have any questions feel free to pm or I will answer on forum.
 

[HDB07]

apes
I bet driving the Alcan in the winter was " will I don't what word to use".  I have Liard Hot springs as a must see. I imagine the moose are like the deer around here only a lot bigger. I normally think as the last gal. of gas as not there but I am going to raise that. Yes, The people that I meet at gas stops, restaurants and other places can be very interesting.
Beave
I don't have a trailer and can see how it could cause problems. I have talked to some that have done it with trailers. I have heard it is expensive up there.
Again thanks all
Bill

[Desperado]

HDB07,

Yes, I did 9,000 miles in 21 days, but one day didn't count because I was laying over with a friend in Calgary who showed me the town during the Calgary Stampede.  So I averaged 450 miles a day.  I can share the whole thing here if folks are interested, but many riders have there own stories and I suspect most folks would just be bored.

Day 1, Dallas to York, Nebraska - 619 miles (11 hours); D2, York to Chadron, S.D (south of Sturgis area) - 436 miles (9 hours) ; D3 to Hardin (40 miles from Billings, MT) - 464 miles (10 hours); D4 to Great Falls via Black Hills- 287 miles (6 hours), D5 to Calgary - 430 miles (10 hours), D6 no riding. Toured Calgary with Noel Panchy. D7 Jasper via Banff Lake Louise and Columbia Ice Fields - 305 miles (12  hours), D8 Jasper to Dawson City - 292 miles (6 1/2 hours), D9 to Tetsa RV camp (75 miles past Ft. Nelson - 420 miles (8 hours), D10 to Whitehorse - 544 miles, D 11 to Fairbanks - 634 miles (14 hours), D12 to Border City - 310 miles (6 1/2 hours), D13 to Whitehorse - 362 miles (8 hours), D14 to Trapper John's Cabins in Iskut - 473 miles (10 hours), D15 to Vanderhoof - 512 miles (10 hours), D16 to Kelowna - 527 miles (11 hours), D17 to La Grande OR - 495 miles (12 hours), D18 to Provo UT - 574 miles (10 hours), D19 to Gallup NM - 478 miles (11 hours), D20 to Clarendon TX - 585 miles (10 1/2 hours), D21 home 328 miles (5 hours)

As you can see I didn't drop to 250 miles a day as the Milepost recommended (half of your normal daily distance).  I do use most of the daylight available to me as motel time is dead time to me.  I do want to be off the road by dark.  Strange roads, two wheels and dark go off the end of my risk meter.  I was supposed to meet someone in Great Falls but that fell through.  That's the reason I was short hopping and killing time on the days before Calgary.  In Canada, the distances were more dictated by where I could expect to find rooms and the rain I was hitting - as well as what I wanted to travel to see along the way.  For instance according to my prior planning I was to stop in Ft. Nelson for the night, but it was 1 PM when I got there.  The information center told me of the cabins 75 miles farther down the road and I could make a local call from the information center to the cabins to reserve one.  I still stopped at 4 PM that day, but the next available rooms were in resorts at Muncho Lake and Liard River (bear problems at the campground) so Watson Lake was the next place to find "reasonably" priced rooms and that was another 250 miles and raining off-and-on so I stopped early.

I got to see everything I wanted and took over 1000 pictures so although some think I go too far and miss a lot, I don't.  It works for me, but it wouldn't work for everyone.  Unfortunately that's why I'm usually traveling alone.  Most folks don't want to ride like I do.  An advantage to traveling alone is when I see something not on the agenda that interests me, I can break from the "plan" and improvise.  For instance, reviewing the Milepost in a motel one night - I go back over the next day's travels each night to see if I missed anything - I saw Lake La Berge just north of Whitehorse.  That lake was made famous from a poem I learned in the 8th grade called The Cremation of Sam McGee (look it up on Google).  I had to go see the lake and get pictures.

I keep a log every night of what I saw.  I highly recommend that.  You think you will remember it, but you won't.  Between that and the pictures, I write a story about my travels when I get home.  Those are published in my former HOG chapter's newletter under the title Desperado's Diaries.  I write the story for me, not for them.  In writting it, looking at the pictures and reading the log, I get to relive the trip again.  Interestingly, as I write the diaries, I remember things not reflected in the log or the pictures, so the diary of that trip is really the most accurate account.  Sometimes when its cold and wet outside, I reread some of my Desperado's Diaries and it soothes the pain of not being able to take a road trip.

Something else that will be useful to you.  To convert liters of gasoline to US gallons, divide by 3.79.  That way you can figure what mileage you are getting and what you are paying a gallon for gas - if you want to know.  I paid over $6 a gallon for regular, but gas was at its all time high when I made my trip.

When I was referring to the cold and rain, yes it was raining and the temperature was staying at 42 degrees although it dropped to 39 as I was climbing over the mountains.  It would warm up to the low 50's when I got out of the rain.  Cassier was supposed to be one of the prettiest rides up there with less traffic and more wildlife.  You couldn't prove by me.  I spent the night in Iskut.  The next day it was raining as I left.  I spent the next 4-5 hours in 42 degrees and moderate to heavy rain.  I "think" I climbed through some mountains as I rode south, but I'll never know.  The dropping to 39 degrees made me think I was climbing and then it rose back to 42 so I must have been over the mountain.  All I could see was 150 feet in any direction because of the ground clouds and rain.  I stopped at Bell II for gas (don't miss that gas stop if you go that way) and started to get a room to wait it out, but the clerk said it was supposed to stay like that for 5 days so I rode on.   Just before I reached 16 the rain slackened enough that I could see a mountain south of 16.  That's the first time I saw anything but clouds that day.  It was there that the temps rose to about 50.

Calgary56.

Yes we were up there about the same time.  I saw your earlier posted picture of what the roads looked like between Calgary and Whitehorse or something like that.  My Ultra looked like that also.  Wished I had taken a picture as you did but I was in too much of a hurry to get some of that crud off of it.  The ALCAN as you know is paved, but the side roads are not so cars track dirt onto the Alcan.  When it rains, all that dirt becomes a brown haze that you are riding through.

Desperado

[HDB07]

vetandharley
The carry a spare tube is a real good idea! I think I am about out of questions but tips like that are what think I need now.
calgary56
I also like things like day by day of how far someone can expect to go in a day. I am guessing and going by what I have done in the past.

calgary56
I do want to be off the road by dark.  Strange roads, two wheels and dark go off the end of my risk meter. = = I do that also. It sounds like you and I travel a lot a like. If want to stop and see something ,I do or not. I also keep a  log every night of what I saw, milage, road conditions, little old men with canes that i talked to or whatever. I don't write it out when I get home but look it over once in a while. I use my pic's as a screen saver to look at in the winter!
Thank you all again for the info. Keep talking, I am still listening and learning
Bill
P.S.  This my trip so far; Do you or anybody think this is reasonable?
Quincy,IL  430 m. to Minneapolis.MN - 456 m. to Winnipeg MB - 486 m. to Saskatoon SK -325 m. to Edmonton AB  -281 m. to Dawson Creek BC ( thought I might need a easy day HeHe) 356 m. to Fort Nelson BC - 372 m. to Waston Lake YT - 291 m. Haines Junction YT -291 m. Tok AK -202 m. to Fairbanks AK
One of my bigger concerns right now is Tok or Delta Junction for a motel.