Yukon and Alaska 2016 - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Camping | Places, Gear and Planning > Trips and Travel Planning
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 02-29-2016, 01:00 PM   #1
Member
 
alan in alberta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: St Albert, Alberta
Trailer: 2006 Escape 17B
Posts: 87
Yukon and Alaska 2016

Hi All

We are planning a trip to the Yukon in August and early September

I am hoping you will share your favourite campgrounds, things to do or see.

We are okay with some touristy things and still do moderate hikes up to 10 km or so

Should we take a gold panning class before we go? Should we avoid the cruise ship ports? Will the tiny fuel tank in the Rav be a problem? Are they dog friendly up north like they are in Oregon?

Although we mostly cook at the camper we do love to find a great restaurant or pub too

I have been searching the archives and have some ideas but i know you have found some hidden gems

thank you in advance
Alan
alan in alberta is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-29-2016, 01:50 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
AK snowbiker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Alaska, Washington
Trailer: 2014 5.0 TA
Posts: 451
Quote:
Originally Posted by alan in alberta View Post
Hi All

We are planning a trip to the Yukon in August and early September

I am hoping you will share your favourite campgrounds, things to do or see.

We are okay with some touristy things and still do moderate hikes up to 10 km or so

Should we take a gold panning class before we go? Should we avoid the cruise ship ports? Will the tiny fuel tank in the Rav be a problem? Are they dog friendly up north like they are in Oregon?

Although we mostly cook at the camper we do love to find a great restaurant or pub too

I have been searching the archives and have some ideas but i know you have found some hidden gems

thank you in advance
Alan
The Klondike loop with a stop at Tombstone Territorial Park outside of Dawson. (Yukon hint: If you go to Takhini hot springs you want campsite #25.) Only campground in the Yukon that I do not care for is Marsh Lake outside of Whitehorse. My wife recently got a gold detector, we plan on working the old tailing piles this summer, should be interesting.

The only place that isn’t dog friendly is Denali National Park. If visiting, I would find a place to board the pooches. September is our favorite time to visit the Yukon. Scott

Scott, Lori and Fritz the Schnauzer
Fat bikes are FUN!
AK snowbiker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2016, 06:50 PM   #3
Member
 
alan in alberta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: St Albert, Alberta
Trailer: 2006 Escape 17B
Posts: 87
Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Skool View Post
The Klondike loop with a stop at Tombstone Territorial Park outside of Dawson. (Yukon hint: If you go to Takhini hot springs you want campsite #25.) Only campground in the Yukon that I do not care for is Marsh Lake outside of Whitehorse. My wife recently got a gold detector, we plan on working the old tailing piles this summer, should be interesting.

The only place that isn’t dog friendly is Denali National Park. If visiting, I would find a place to board the pooches. September is our favorite time to visit the Yukon. Scott

Scott, Lori and Fritz the Schnauzer
Fat bikes are FUN!
Thanks for the tip on the campsite...... hot springs are on the list

Some of the U.S. national parks seem to frown on dogs which i get if the area is sensitive

I have never panned or sluiced but it looks like a fair but of work for an old guy. It will be fun to give it a try though.
alan in alberta is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2016, 07:08 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Vermilye's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Oswego, New York
Trailer: 2017 Escape 21C, 2018 Ford F150
Posts: 5,362
I carried a gas 2 1/2 gallon gas can in the Stowaway on the back of the 17, but never needed it (I tow my 17B with a 2010 RAV4 Sport). The only time I came close was when the generator at one of the fuel stops in the Yukon was broken & they couldn't pump fuel. I made it to the next stop with at least a gallon in the tank. Ask for a Campground/fuel list at the visitor center in Dawson Creek (the start of the Alaskan Highway). Very useful for determining fuel stops. We also used both the Church campground guide & The Milepost. I preferred the Church book - the Milepost was very filled with ads & appeared to be designed for large RVs, although the additional information was useful.

I went with friends towing a Scamp 16 with a Toyota Sienna van. A journal of the trip is here.

We enjoyed two hot springs - Chena Hot Springs in Alaska (easy access & a dry campground) & Liard River Hot Springs in BC (a bit of a hike on a boardwalk to get to the spring, dry camping at the campground).

Many of the campgrounds along the highway are at restaurants - while we did cook, there were many times we went to the local restaurant.

While others have stated they didn't have problems getting reservations at Teklanika Campground a few weeks in advance, we made our 2 months ahead of time. When we arrived, there were signs at the entrance to the park stating all the campgrounds were full. The inexpensive rate ($7.00 per night with a senior pass) had quite a few empty spaces at Teklanika even though it was "full".

One advantage of reserving a site at Teklanika is you pay for one day of bus pass even if you stay for a week rather than having to purchase one daily. Unlimited on/off on the busses in the park, the only allowed transportation beyond the campground.
__________________
Jon Vermilye My Travel Blog
Travel and Photo Web Page ... My Collection of RV Blogs 2018 F150 3.5EB, 2017 21
Vermilye is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2016, 07:17 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
AK snowbiker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Alaska, Washington
Trailer: 2014 5.0 TA
Posts: 451
Alan, had another thought on my ride home. If you are into trains, the White Pass railroad out of Skagway is a great day trip. After the train ride you can take the ferry to Haines, hour and half trip then either head back to Whitehorse or head towards Tok and take the Top of World highway back towards Dawson.

If you do camp at Skagway there is a very nice campground run by the city next to the old Dyea town site out past the slide cemetery. The road out there is not big rig friendly, but made for small trailers. Free, with nice campsites but no water. Nice views of the Dyea inlet with hanging glaciers on the peaks to the west. (Sorry Whitehorse and Skagway residents, this jewel now appears on google maps.) Edit: I just looked on street view and you can actually "virtually drive" out to the flats now. The campground is at the end of the road to the left right before the parking lot for the salmon stream. My, my the world IS getting smaller.

In addition to the Milepost, my favorite camping guide for Alaska is Camping Alaska by Montana Hodges,
http://www.amazon.com/Camping-Alaska.../dp/0762743875 very easy to use and up to date. Have fun, Scott

Scott, Lori and Fritz the Chilkoot trail schnauzer
I like bikes!
AK snowbiker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2016, 09:56 AM   #6
Member
 
alan in alberta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: St Albert, Alberta
Trailer: 2006 Escape 17B
Posts: 87
Jon

I read quickly through your blog this and it looks like you had an awesome time.
good tips on the hot springs
My son ordered me the new Milepost but it has not arrived yet
i will use you blog to to help me plan and make s

Scott
We will be looking for some out of the way spots so this is a great tip
we see to be good for 3-5 days off the grid if i take out my portable solar panel
i will check out your guide too

thanks
Alan
alan in alberta is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2016, 11:24 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Kamloops, British Columbia
Trailer: 2024 Bigfoot 21RB
Posts: 254
Our preferred campsite in Dawson Creek, mile 0 of Alaska Highway, is Northern Lights RV park.
gharper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2016, 01:58 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
AKCamper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Juneau, Alaska
Trailer: 2016 Escape 19
Posts: 555
I second the vote on Laird Hot Springs. A not to miss spot. I plan on stopping there every time I drive the Alaska Highway. I still have not made it to Chena Hot Springs.
AKCamper is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:36 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.