Best alberta travel guides according to redditors

Camping: Depends on what you mean. If you're the kind of person who wants to pack everything you need for a week into a backpack and walk off into the wilderness, then you will be utterly amazed at the opportunities Central Alaska offers. Camp just about anywhere you want. The area abounds with inviting-looking hills. Pick one that isn't too near town & go for it.

On the other end of the scale, if you like numbered campsites, picnic tables, fire pits, and outhouses, then you can start by driving 40 miles east of town on Chena Hot Springs Road to Granite Tors Campground. There are a couple of nice trails nearby. 10 miles more down the road is Angel Rocks, a nice day hike around interesting rock formations that a reasonably fit family can take. Various longer trails are in the area as well.

Regardless, get yourself a copy of a book called Milepost. It lists every major road in Alaska, and everything there is to see on each road. It's very comprehensive. You can buy it in Fairbanks in gas stations, grocery stores, etc. (or here). A new version is published each year.

If you go, you need to get a copy of the Milepost (https://amzn.com/1892154358), which will give you info on gas, food, and accommodation. Don't expect to pull up Google Maps on your phone to find the next gas station. Even in the summer months (I've done it) these facilities can be far apart, and if you let that gas station go because you've still got half a tank, you need to know where the next one is.

Outside of the summer season, many of these places close up tight for winter, making the distances between even greater.

Have fun! Definitely don't turn around before you get to Atigun pass (if you aren't going all the way), it's only a few hours past Coldfoot. There is something awe inspiring about the land once you get past the trees, you can literally park your car and walk hundreds or thousands of miles in any direction before you see a person. On our way up we saw a moose, prints from about six different bears, more caribou than we could count, bald eagles, and met a wolf in the middle of the road who chased us for half a mile. The drive up to Deadhorse and back is the reason I'm planning a move out to Alaska in May. If you do end up going all the way, be aware that if you want to swim in the Arctic ocean (you do) you need to sign up 24 hours in advance and provide information for a background check (you have to go through the oil fields). You can also go on a wildlife tour, rumor has it you can occasionally see a polar bear.


A few other things: you can get gas at the Yukon camp, in Coldfoot, and in Deadhorse. Definitely bring at least 5 gallons with you and have at least one spare tire for each vehicle and a patch kit. Most people will tell you to bring two full spare tires. If you don't feel like buying one for a rental car we were able to talk American Tire & Auto into renting us a tire for a grand total of $15. Bring plenty of food and ammo, and buy some swag at the Yukon Camp and Coldfoot. Breakfast in Coldfoot is amazing as well.



Also, this can't be said enough, get the milepost!

This will be your friend. I'll leave a more detailed response to others because I haven't been up here too long myself yet, but the Milepost is a wealth of info and a great guide to have for the kind of trip you're hoping for. Good luck with planning, Alaska is an amazing place!

I smell a cheechako. :)

Ive been gone from Alaska for a number of years now. But even back in the 70s we drove between haines (north of Juneau) to Anchorage and back several times in a VW squareback. So it isnt quite the Lewis and Clark trek you might imagine. And RVs were very very common in the summer up there by the 80s.

But since Ive been away so long all my detailed knowledge is surely out of date. One thing we did keep handy was The Milepost.
It gave details on services available on every highway.

https://www.amazon.com/MILEPOST-2017-Kristine-Valencia/dp/1892154366

If you are budget minded, you could find a used copy thats a year or two old.

If you arent well versed in firearms use and safety, you are better off without it. You are more likely to hurt yourself or just piss the bear off. Bear Spray and adhering to bear country camping rules are probably a better bet.

Campsites are often wherever there is enough room to pull off the road

All of the parks in alaska are worth visiting. many are larger than entire states in the lower 48

Ferries - are you meaning the Alaska Marine Highway? (I cant imagine that by the route you are going) Or are you imagining a ferry to get into fairbanks? If you mean river crossings - there might be some that im not aware of. I would think that river crossing ferries are either running several times a day or...not at all

Stocking up - pretty much everything will be more expensive. But most things are available.

In general I would say: Pack patience and good humor. Be ready to adjust your plans. Be ready to improvise repairs and help yourself out (if something goes awry with your vehicle, for example) Be ready to cheerfully help others.

I live in Anchorage and have only been here a year, so it's difficult for me to give advice about the rest of Alaska. I can second what the poster above said about checking out Seward and the Sealife Center, and I highly recommend you pick up a copy of The Milepost for your trip. Look around in /r/Anchorage if you plan to be in the area, there have been lots of similar questions asked there with a lot of good info in the replies! :)

I did the drive in late winter (March) from Connecticut in 2004. The hotels were very inexpensive since it was off-season. Went to portage Glacier and I was the only person there. Got stuck in Anchorage during a snow storm and went to the zoo and I was just about the only person there too. Fun trip.

Buy the current Milepost guide off Amazon and spend some time flipping through it.

The Alaska Highway is all paved except any short sections they are working on. You don't need a second spare tire or anything like that. I'd recommend a tire patch kit and a small 12v compressor. Also bring a spare headlamp bulb if you have halogens, some wiper fluid, and maybe a spare set of wiper blades in the trunk. Towing for breakdowns is super expensive so amp-up your roadside assistance plan and make sure it works in Canada. The distance from the last dealerships in Dawson Creek to the next ones in Whitehorse is ~900 miles.

The road is good with wide margins all the way to Whitehorse. Expect to see a lot of wildlife. If you're traveling alone bring some sort of tripod so you can take an occasional self-portrait with the timer function on your camera.

This is the must get book I mentioned. It’s WELL worth it.

The MILEPOST 2018: Alaska Travel Planner https://www.amazon.com/dp/1892154374/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_GUTXBbHX016PP

Passports make the boarder crossings easier.
No guns in the vehicle transiting thru CAN.

A current issue of Milepost will tell you what businesses are still open and when. They drive the AlCan every year and call out just about every culvert and crick.
https://www.amazon.com/MILEPOST-2018-Alaska-Travel-Planner/dp/1892154374/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520835866&sr=8-1&keywords=milepost+alaska+2018

Shop for Jade in Cache Creek.
http://jadeshop.ca/
Darn, looks like the teepee camping is no longer available.
https://www.historichatcreek.ca/

Make sure you set aside a couple of hours to stop at Laird hot springs for a soak in the woods.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/liard_rv_hs/

Aquire your hometowns' city signs and nail 'em up at the Sign Post Forest at Watson Lake, Yukon Territory

Parks Canada reservations system for your camping nights:
https://reservation.pc.gc.ca/ParksCanada

Buy the Milepost book
The MILEPOST 2019: Alaska Travel Planner https://www.amazon.com/dp/1892154382/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NBZXCbSC732AJ