Alaska 2025

[Pender]

Hey Donna. I live in Whitehorse, and have driven to and from Vancouver numerous times. I have the following comments:

The B.C. Provincial Campgrounds may require a 3 day minimum stay during weekends with a holiday attached. This is a bit frustrating as we like to travel on these weekends as construction crews, line painting, etc., are usually paused. We like the Stewart Cassiar route since it’s shorter and the distance between campgrounds tend to fit our itineraries. Piper’s Glen at Fraser Lake is a private RV on the lake with a large grassy area and boat ramp. There is a free potable water fill and sani dump at the visitor centre beside the highway at Hazleton. The Cassiar RV park at Kitwanga is great! Meziadin Prov. Park is very nice. There are a few sites with power. The lakeside spots are close together, so privacy and dog control may be an issue for some. Kinaskan Lake campground is very nice, tho’ can be buggy.

Bouncing around here… We have a 6 sided Cabela’s Clam Shelter with mosquito netting plus wind screens that roll up. Worth it’s weight in gold for northern camping. Obviously for the bugs, but also for corralling the dogs and for enjoying a warmer evening outside with the propane camp fire lit (1/2 the wind panels down).

We generally take the Fraser Canyon route, crossing over the Fraser River from Hwy. 1 to 7 at Bridal Veil Falls to Agassiz for a quieter drive. We stop at Hope River General Store (about 10 minutes before Yale) for gas and deli sandwiches. There is a provincial campground across the road and the ‘store’ has a RV park. I can’t comment on either of these.

Check out the Blue Lake Resort which is about 8 miles north of Boston Bar. Reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting, this is a top rated tho’ simple campground with a non-motorized lake and hiking trails. 5 minute drive off the highway, up a narrow switchback road.

We like the rest stop at the historic 108 Mile Ranch. Nice washrooms, picnic tables on a grassy area, and usually no bugs. The Lac La Hache Provincial Campground is very nice. The Salmon River private campground, about 20 minutes north of Prince George is terrific. If going north on the Alaska Hwy., we take the road from Chetwynd to Hudson Hope to Ft. St. John. Parts of this highway has been recently upgraded and relocated due to the flooding associated with the new dam. There is a gas station at the junction with the Alaska Highway. A nice rest stop is reasonably close as you head north. The owner of the Sikanni River campground doesn’t care about 3 day minimums!

Ft. Nelson gas prices are steep! The Tesla River Regional campground, about 60 miles northeast of Ft. Nelson, is usually not busy, can be buggy, with the roads a bit muddy if raining. The Tesla River Lodge has great coffee and cinnamon buns. We stayed there a couple of years ago. While the owner’s had low staff, they made an effort to have a friendly place with clean facilities. Toad River is a nice stop with a restaurant, cabins and RV sites. The Summit campground is exposed and could be miserable in a cold, rainy, windy day. Otherwise, there are numerous hikes in the area. The two campgrounds at Munch Lake are great. Don’t arrive late and expect a site to be available. There are some dry camping spots in that area that could be used in a pinch. Liard Hot Springs… don’t need my comments on this fabulous spot!

Watson Lake campground is nice, as are all Yukon campgrounds. At Whitehorse, the Wolf Creek campground (about 10 miles from city centre) is very nice with a great trail system that includes a 20 minute wheelchair accessible trail to a Yukon River lookout. The campground can be full on weekends with locals. Downtown Whitehorse is a short drive off the highway down to the river. There are access roads back to the highway on either end. The Visitor Centre downtown has RV parking, with tourist shops and banks two blocks away. On the other end of ‘downtown’, the big box grocery stores, Walmart, and Canadian Tire are located. There is a private liquor store adjacent to the Superstore which has a pharmacy. The Yukon Government liquor stores are not open on Sundays and holidays, Watson Lake seems to have more days off. Places with ‘off sales’ are not numerous so best to stock up while you can.

All for now, I’m developing a blister on my index finger.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Pender

Piper’s Glen at Fraser Lake is a private RV on the lake with a large grassy area and boat ramp.

We find the free White Swan Fraser Lake Municipal Campground meets our needs. On the plus side there seems to be a lot of space and large pull through spots. Could be good for an assembly point for folks traveling that way.

Peterson Beach on Fraser Lake is the opposite. Extremely crowded and some tight spots. We managed to utilize this beach front site but there was a crowd of onlookers betting against us.

Ron

[Pender]

Thanks for the info, Ron. I wasn’t aware of the White Swan campground. How is it on a blustery day?

I like Hwy. 16, despite the constant changes in speed zones due to the communities that you have to be aware of. There are now numerous passing lanes and rest stops that have made the drive less stressful for all. There is a lot to do. https://visitnorthwestbc.ca/itineraries/route-16/ We haven’t had a chance to sample the renowned Swiss cuisine at Stellako Lodge, nor the mountain bike trails at Burns Lake. In the past we tended to be more destination oriented. Now with the Escape trailer, our intent is to spend more time exploring on the journey.

Have you seen any of the Youtube videos that Dustin Porter (look up Destination Adventure) has made his trips in BC, Yukon, and Alaska? While there are a number of videos about abandoned places, he has one about Hwy 37 with drone footage.

[land’SCAPE]

Hi Donna.* We were planning to go up to the Yukon & Alaska again this year, but our plans have changed as we won’t have as much time as we’d like. So, not wanting to rush, we’ll now plan to go up in ‘25 instead.* I’ll look forward to seeing your agenda when you publish it! We’re hoping that this year won’t be another record year for forest fires in BC, however with our mild winter so far, who knows. Nothing we can do but see what the spring & summer brings.

[bborzell]

Whatever else one plans to do on an Alaska trip, you might be well advised to avoid a stopover in Ennis.

[Ron in BC]

Don't know anything about Ennis but one thing that I'm not sure has been mentioned is crossing the border between the Yukon and Alaska with food.

We've crossed with one situation and then 2 weeks later the rules had changed depending if there's been an outbreak of something or other.

So just before leaving time it'd probably be good to have a couple of folks do some checking for the group for the current situation about food in or out of Alaska.

Not necessarily the same as for the Southern border.

Ron

[Maureen & Chris]

Chris and I have been enjoying this entire thread without weighing in, mostly because it all sounds great. We are on board with all the fun excursions Donna has suggested and trust the itinerary she's coming up with.

Our question at the moment is whether we should bring our e-bikes for the trip. We have a new heavy duty Hollywood bike rack and installed a Class 3 receiver hitch on the back of the Bigfoot.

Would we have enough occasion to ride around the local towns on our e-bikes? We realize we probably wouldn't be able to use them in many of the parks. But it is fun to ride them around otherwise when we're camping. Anybody with Alaska experience have advice on bringing bikes?

Maureen

[bborzell]

Ennis, Alaska is the location for the 4th season of "True Detective: Night Country" starring Jodie Foster as a grizzled Police Chief faced with several arctic researchers found naked and dead out on the ice. There are elements of occult, supernatural and just plain rotten luck throughout the season.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) it's a fictitious place so don't make changes to your itinerary just because of Ennis.

[splitting_lanes]

Originally Posted by Maureen & Chris

Chris and I have been enjoying this entire thread without weighing in, mostly because it all sounds great. We are on board with all the fun excursions Donna has suggested and trust the itinerary she's coming up with.

Our question at the moment is whether we should bring our e-bikes for the trip. We have a new heavy duty Hollywood bike rack and installed a Class 3 receiver hitch on the back of the Bigfoot.

Would we have enough occasion to ride around the local towns on our e-bikes? We realize we probably wouldn't be able to use them in many of the parks. But it is fun to ride them around otherwise when we're camping. Anybody with Alaska experience have advice on bringing bikes?

Maureen

We are bringing bikes, we’ll have stopovers that will afford some cycling!

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by bborzell

Ennis, Alaska is the location for the 4th season of "True Detective: Night Country" starring Jodie Foster as a grizzled Police Chief faced with several arctic researchers found naked and dead out on the ice.

I feel sorry for those actors and actresses who have to play the part, out on the ice... (J/K)

[TZBrown]

Originally Posted by Maureen & Chris

Our question at the moment is whether we should bring our e-bikes for the trip. We have a new heavy duty Hollywood bike rack and installed a Class 3 receiver hitch on the back of the Bigfoot.
Maureen

The roads are sometimes pretty muddy and the backdraft to the trailer will really cover everything in mud.
If the covers are really good it could work.
If you could get them inside the tow vehicle it would be much better.
One error in slowing down for a frost heave could have quite a devastating effect on the loaded rear rack

[bborzell]

Originally Posted by Mike G

I feel sorry for those actors and actresses who have to play the part, out on the ice... (J/K)

It did look quite inhospitable.😬

[TimJan]

Donna, this trip sounds fantastic. My wife Jan and I have been considering an Alaskan adventure for a while now. This sounds like it would work for us. Please add us to your list of travelers. I hope that we’re not too late to join the party.
Tim & Jan

[land’SCAPE]

Donna, a friend of ours suggested the Adäka Cultural Festival is worth consideration if the timing works. It takes place in Whitehorse this year from June 28 to July 1, so likely the end of June is their normal timing. They have a website if you'd like to have a look.

[Okie Dave]

Hi Donna,
Dave and I acquired our 'new to us' Escape 21 late last year after having traveled in our Casita for the past couple of years. We have been learning about an Alaska adventure and would like to be added as travelers who are highly interested in joining in the Alaska 2025 excursion. Thanks for your work on this endeavor.
I apologize if this is a double post, this is the first forum I have ever been on and I'm trying to learn how to post/follow and such! Thanks for your patience!
Teresa

[wackyburggeezer]

For the Escape owners who are considering Alaska in 2025, and aren't going to use the Alaska Ferry System to skip Canada, Take a look at https://explorenorthblog,com. The gentleman who owns the site is Murray Lundberg, who lives in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Rather than try to blitz to Alaska and back to the States, all those miles in Canada should be put to good use. There are lifetimes of things to see and do between the US border and Alaska The deeper you dive into this site, the more things you'll find to see and visit in Canada.

[Ron in BC]

Yes, and there's another use for Alaska Ferries besides skipping Canada.

Take the ferry to Prince Rupert and see a bit more of a different area of Canada than you saw heading for the Alaska Hwy or the Cassiar Hwy.

More importantly it allows you to reach Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Wrangell that aren't reachable by road.

Ron

[iamunique127]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Yes, and there's another use for Alaska Ferries besides skipping Canada.

Take the ferry to Prince Rupert and see a bit more of a different area of Canada than you saw heading for the Alaska Hwy or the Cassiar Hwy.

More importantly it allows you to reach Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Wrangell that aren't reachable by road.

Ron

We loved that stretch between Prince Rupert and the Cassiar Highway. We drove it 4 times the summer we were in the area.