Hello /trv/, I am from Texas and plan to travel up to Alaska by vehicle this March, so I have a very long road trip ahead of me and seek tips from people who have traveled similarly, particularly through Canada to reach the frozen state.
The issue is, I have never been on a road trip this long, nor have I ever crossed the border to Canada (although I have read I don't need anything special besides proper identification). The farthest I have traveled is up to Wyoming, and had no problems there. The difference, however, is that I slept at hotels every night for that particular trip. On this trip to Alaska, I want to cut those expenses and take it more "naturally", if you will, as in sleeping in my car or tent. My vehicle is a "single guy" manual-shift car.
What advice would you give me? If you have had such trips before, what problems have you encountered?
I haven't done what you're planning on yet, but I'm going to at some point.
I suggest driving to a national park near you, parking, and sleeping in your car overnight for one night. It will give you a good idea of what you need and won't need.
Good luck.
>>1079764
Very good point, I've camped near my car before but never actually slept in it
>>1079756
i've never been to Alaska but im from BC and have been pretty far north on road trips...
make sure you have good car!!! tires and wind shield wipers.
you should pre book a hostel in vancouver, spend a night in the city, buy some weed.
once in BC get some tim hortons coffee and a toasted bagel with cream cheese.
everything in Canada will be 40% cheaper to you.
march will be wet through most of pacific north west.... further north probably some snow?
sleeping in your car will be worse in the colder places... doable, but worse.
god speed
>>1079834
Are there any places you recommend in BC? I have plenty of time for this trip and hope to stop wherever I can to enjoy the view of the horizon or just chill out. I'm not the kind that likes cities, though, looking more for a good view and quiet atmosphere
I have heard Canada's weather is terrible but not exactly *how* it is terrible
>>1079900
i could recommend a lot of places in BC, but I'm not sure what route you are taking...
... I'd say, once you are in Vancouver, take the 99 highway to Whistler, that "sea to sky highway" is beautiful, but there's lots of fatalities on that road from idiots speeding with shitty tires in the rain/snow... so i hope you're not a shitty driver with shitty tires... also whistler is expensive...
go through Pemberton (beautiful) and follow 99 hwy to Cache creek... (bout 230 miles from Vancouver)
from Cache Creek, you can continue north to Prince George (which is like central BC).... after prince George (i haven't been much further north) but i'd go to watson lake, and then onto white horse... and from there you're headed for Alaska...
I havent driven this far north so someone else who has should chime in if theres better routes...
as for our terrible weather... vancouver is the most mild climate of canadian cities, so i cant really speak for all of canada... but Vancouver gets a lot of rain, not really that cold to Canadian standards, but further north you'll be cold for sure... suck it up ya texan
>>1080056
Fastest would be through the 97 which runs along the northeastern part of BC, but as I said, I'm not in a hurry at all and seeing as I have never visited Canada I don't see why I should stick to the quickest road
I suppose winter tires are a must up there, but should I also bring chains for the tires? I heard it helps through tough places with snow
>>1080073
if you have no interest in vancouver at all you can cut up the middle of bc, Osoyoos through to kelowna... and onwards....
i dont know about using chains in march up there... sorry
there will be no shortage of scenery the closer to the coast the better IMO.
March is way too early to make a trip like that op. You can expect temps of -20C in March anywhere north of Prince George. Is there any way you can push it back to like...May or even June? There are really only 3 or 4 months of decent weather up there.
>>1080075
Thanks for the advice, that can definitely be part of the route I take. Few roads seem to go along the coast according to google maps, but several diversions lead to it. I can see myself straying from the main road to get the glimpse
>>1080088
Well I will be spending like a month in Wyoming, Alaska would be the final destination of the road trip, so May is doable. Is it really that bad though? There's the obvious fact that I'm used to Texas temperatures, which for the most part range from 70+ F save for January, where it gets in the low 30s. I carry below zero gear like a sleeping bag and wool clothing that I will use to layer up.
What other problems would that temperature pose? Are roads closed often?
Op what part of Alaska? South like juneau doesnt get too bad, a simple blanket and jacket will be fine.
>>1080151
Honestly the only thing I know at this point is I want to see the Aurora Borealis up there. The whole state seems to be a haven for what I like - isolation and scenery. I don't see myself going much too north from Fairbanks though. Texan like me, I imagine that place up there is for natives of the area who are more used to the cold and experienced with the place.
I would of of course like to settle somewhere specific, so that is up for suggestion I suppose. To see the aurora in Alaska is a big driving factor, but I also hope to camp a bit and to listen to wolves howl at night. I read that the wolf population of Alaska is greater than any other state
You should wait until summer, and you should BRING MOSQUITO REPELLANT! THEY WILL EAT YOU ALIVE UNLESS YOU'RE WEARING 90% DEET! EVEN THEN YOU'LL STILL GET BIT A BUNCH!
You kind of have a few choices for a interesting route. You can go one way and come back another, but there's kind of 3 good ones so you'll miss out on one unfortunately.
As an earlier post said, you could come up to Vancouver, and then go up the Fraser river. Most of BC was settled around the Fraser.
From Vancouver you could also go over to Vancouver Island, then up to Port Hardy, then take a ferry up the inside passage over to Bella Coola, and then up the Nechako. That area is just like Alaska, but a bit further south.
Another option is to go up into Alberta, and through the Rockies, at Banff or Jasper. You could also go to Calgary, then take the Kicking Horse or Crowsnest pass over to Vancouver and do one of the above.
If you want remoteness, you're going to one of the most beautiful and accessible places in North America for it. But just be aware that a lot of this area is out of cell phone range, and stores can be few between. Make sure you have a bunch of food and water, maybe even gas. There's no cell phone service, you might even want a radio.
A problem with summer is there can be giant forest fires that they just let burn. I knew a guy who had his whole trip diverted because there was a huge one.
The people your most likely to meet up there are ether retirees in RVs, or locals. There's a lot of really poor native reserves.
>>1080146
With temperatures, they can ether be too cold, (in Celsius) like 20 below, or actually too warm -2 to around 10. There's a bunch of snow in the winter, then it melts and everything is just mud while the thaw happens.
>>1080159
You're in a bit of an awkward position wanting to see the Northern Lights, and being able to drive up. It's best to drive during summer, but it's also constantly bright. You'd almost be best waiting for September to be able to do both.
>>1080222
Yeah I heard about the mosquito problem in Alaska, which was a bummer I'll admit, here in Texas they are nowhere to be seen when it gets cold so I thought Alaska would naturally be free of them.
Thanks for the detailed suggestions, I can see it sticks to the coast for a good length. I have read that some of the beaches up there are very solitary.
About the Northern Lights, I did read that they were difficult, even near impossible to see during summer, but is April/May too far past winter to see them? I will probably depart on March and as I said, spend around a month in Wyoming, so I think it's very possible to reach north of Fairbanks before the end of April. Have you witnessed them yourself?
>>1080222
>There's a lot of really poor native reserves.
Not true. It's simply a matter of not giving a shit about how their property/mobile home is kept up. People of all incomes throughout the country have shitty front yards with no curb appeal, random broken down machinery thrown about, weeds, old wood, and crap the equivalent of a junk yard garbage heap laying about. Call it outdoor hoarding. If their house is not a business/rental/restaurant/tourist destination of some sort, you can almost guarantee it looks shitty in some way when you arrive. There aren't enough garages that hide every bit of crap because they need to be built extra well, for heating, for bear attacks, for more important crap collecting.
The annual income of an Alaskan NATIVE peoples is profit sharing from oil, and just for doing nothing can net 50k/year. Though the cost of living is high for living in extreme winter temps, or remote from stores in some cases, no one is "poor" if they have the blood. Even non-natives get an annual check for being an alaskan resident, which almost pays for the cost of living difference, esp if you live off the land in some way, saving money on water/meat, or produce you can or save up. They do have a Wal-Marts and the prices are not marked up beyond the mainland prices, so you know. Appearances can be deceiving in AK. You'll see capable winter vehicles, late models sno machines, but peeling paint on property walls.
>>1080277
I absolutely recommend going to Alaska in the shoulder season, very end of summer, post-tourist, after school starts back up for the kiddos, but before some extreme cold. But, it's a huge trek for you as a Texan, and is going to be very expensive to drive + camp from your great distance. Alaska is worth 3 separate trips, for distinct zones, I'm going to call them. It's huge, and you rarely do it all without lots of expense.
You need a cruise to see the inside passage, it's far too expensive by vehicle ferry, you either fly into Juneau or you take a boat out of Vancouver or Seattle. They limit the ships now to keep whales happy, so it's gotten a touch more pricey as popularity grows.
Another aspect of Alaska you only see via plane or boat, let's put that aside for a moment, too. National Parks Kenai and the mines and the like.
The last part is great to tour with a good car in summer or 4x4 if doing more extreme things, plus your gear or camper. You travel from Anchorage to Homer to Seward, up through the Mat-Su valley, up to Denali (Fairbanks is skippable by most tourists, it's simply got an airport and launching ground for workers farther north). It's an awesome road trip kind of vacation and I recommend this one the most. But, if you want to take your car on a ferry to see the rest? Talking hundreds of dollars each leg.
As a Texan, going this full distance, might have better to get these lights handled in a competitive airfare to Iceland. Check out Icelandair. Again... late Aug to mid-Sept...shoulder season.. is early enough to see them and really low season prices for this country (school is back in session, buses stop traveling the ring road at some point).
>>1080159
Funny thing. I lived in alaska until I was about 14 and then our family moved to texas. I hated texas, and so I moved back when I was 18.
Isolation and nature is best found in Alaska imo. I guess its just a nice place for introverts and explorers alike. Something I missed when in texas was you couldnt see a mountain in every direction, the sky in texas is empty.
Juneau is about 80f degrees max in the summer and 0f degrees in the winter. Though at worst it can get -15f degrees.
>>1080222
Probably best stay under 30% or so DEET. Higher levels might last longer but don't keep mosquitoes away any better.
I prefer spraying Permethrin on my clothes. It lasts for several washings. Quality, lightweight long sleeved shirts and long pants aren't that hot, keep the sun off you, and help prevent minor scratches from plants. Oh and works better on ticks. Then maybe some DEET for your hands and neck.
>>1080298
How much do you reckon it would cost, really? The gas is cheap now so I can't imagine it costing above an airline roundtrip ticket. That being said, Iceland is a good suggestion, although I imagine it would divert away from the "road trip" feel.
>>1080344
I've hated Texas for far too long, so I share that feeling - and I've been here all my life. Down south at least, there is not a place that doesn't have people. Not a park or beach where you can rest your mind at ease. Mostly in part, I imagine, because of all of the immigration from Mexico, it's getting very crowded here. West and Mid Texas are still somewhat relaxing (The area around Vanderpool/Utopia is absolutely peaceful) though, and has very little light pollution.
>>1079756
Where are you going in Wyoming OP? Do you know any good spots out there? I was thinking of making a road trip out there soon.
>>1080541
Well one thing you have to know is that if you seek to camp and like solitude and peace, Yellowstone is not the place to go. Yellowstone National Park is Wyoming's main attraction, and unfortunately it gets far too crowded (pic related). It's a good "tourist" destination where you can go to see cool stuff like the prismatic springs, bison, wolves (sometimes) and geysers. There's the obvious fact that it's a beautiful place, but you won't enjoy it by your lonesome for the most part. The state of Wyoming itself is always beautiful anyhow, there are endless green hills that seem as though they are mowed daily, and mountains abound to the west. So there will be no shortage of good scenery in most places you go really.
If you do want to camp in peace and quiet, there's Gallatin National Forest in Montana, just a bit up north from Yellowstone. Even though it's very close to that highly populated park, it's pretty much empty of people - a hidden gem you could say. I camped around the area near Big Sky (this is a good trail http://www.wildmontana.org/our-work/protecting-public-lands/quiet-trails/).
About my stay in Wyoming, I'll be using Story as my base, it's where I went last trip. It's a cozy hidden town with a good, simple inn. It's peaceful at night save for the river that runs through it. If you happen to stop by the area, definitely try the Wagon Box Inn, they sell some delicious burgers. And the owner is very polite too
>>1080561
Have you been to Medicine bow national forest? I hear that place is desolate and wanted to check it out. Doesn't look as mountainous as western WY though.
>>1080692
I hadn't actually gone there before, but now that you mention the place and I have looked it up, it seems like I'll be making that destination as well on this next trip, it looks absolutely beautiful
Many of the reviews point out how there are no crowds here too
>>1080222
I don't know if this was just a freak occurrence, but I was in northern Alberta in June and I saw the Northern Lights twice. Not just flickers either, the full show. Maybe I just got really lucky, but they can be seen in the summer.
>>1080785
For those who have seen the Aurora Borealis, how long does it usually last?
