Ferry from Washington to Alaska (Anchorage, Whittier: renting, price, cabins)

[stiffnecked]

Originally Posted by steve and carol lewis

The ferry is the best way to go..... Driving on the highway sucks. my friend just drove it south, 5 flat tires....

Steve

I have driven it twice this year already and have not had one flat. In my last 18 trips up and down the Alcan I have not gotten a flat. Start out with tires in good shape and you won't have these problems. Sounds like your friend needs to make some adjustments in their driving and maintenance habits.

[ASpilot2be]

Originally Posted by AADAD

"Trailer" I would not haul a trailer in winter even with 4wd. it gets loose and you are over the edge.

If you go slow and take your time you wont have that problem.

[warptman]

I've done the Alcan 17 times now and not one flat, thankfully. I start out with new tires for each trip down and back. The next drive comes along I get a new set and I'm good to go. Nokian makes a great All season!

[warptman]

I drove down and back last month, no problem at all!

[Rance]

I pull my 18' trailer all winter long. I've never had a problem with it slipping or sliding. Set them trailer brakes just right and you can hardly tell it's behind you.

[roxynak]

I drove the alcan in november with only my 8 yr old son, we went slow and took our time, not 1 problem. As far as fairy it runs i believe up till jan.9th then not again until spring.you can catch it in wa. and go to juneau then whittier which is only 39 or so miles from anchorage. problem is it is expensive i just called them other day to check prices for leaving alaska, with my car and two children, you may also get stuck with a layover in juneau so you will be looking at motel fees up to 7 days.. I myself have decided to ship my truck and fly out it will be cheaper in long run and less trouble. gl 2u

[AK-Cathy]

We drive the Alcan in the winter or shoulder seasons and haven't had any problems even in extreme weather (-65 degrees) but (and this is a big but ) we drive a newer, very reliable AWD vehicle with sound (plenty of tread) tires (also Nokian) that has been checked out by the shop with routine servicing (oil change etc) before we go. The biggest problem that we encounter is that we haven't been able to escape a cracked windshield on the Cassair (low flying trucks throwing rocks by the dozens) but the Alcan hasn't caused us any glass problems at all as the gravel is confined to road work areas or the frost heave sections with slower speeds.

Aside from just plain bad luck which occasionally happens, the people that we run into on the roadside with problems are folks predominately that were in too big of a hurry. Driving too fast for conditions and off the road they went, only to get stuck in a snow bank 60 miles from nowhere waiting for a motorist to either be able to pull them out (we were able to get a few smaller cars out of the ditch) or report the situation to AST or RMPC in the next town. Or bottomed out on a big frost heave and broke something critical as indicated by fluid leaking out from the bottom of the vehicle, or hit a big critter going too fast to stop in time. Forget cell phone service to call AAA, it pretty much doesn't exist on large stretches of the run so one must rely on the kindness and responsibility of fellow travelers.

Or they were traveling 24/7 and got into trouble at night or o'dark 30 am. On the last deep winter trip we ran across a guy that had been sitting in his car for 6 and a half hours waiting for help to come in -60 weather. Fortunately he still had gas and a running engine (so he had heat) but he had hit a large mostly intact truck tire (semi) around 3 am that had been shed but was unseen on the dark road. (BTW, at those temps we saw lots of truck tire parts on the road and shoulder.) It pretty much destroyed his front end. He had a puppy with him and he said that he thought that he would wait for a tow truck (that was supposed to be coming) but we had him get in with us to ride to the nearest service area (Beaver Creek) to wait for the tow truck there as it was far safer than his car which was partially on the road. He told us we were only the third vehicle he had seen in that time The other two were tractor-trailer rigs.

Finally there are the marginal vehicles. Most of those that we have aided at one time or another tended to be owned by Canadians, however you don't want your steering, brakes, transmission, alternator or other important system to head south as you are going north. The definition of "expensive inconvenience" is breaking down 100 miles north of Fort Nelson (or insert any other city north of Fort St. John) in the summer. The definition of dangerous is to do so in the winter especially at night.

We have towed trailers in winter as well but I would issue one caveat, make sure that what you are towing is nearer the bottom end or middle of your vehicle's towing capacity weight range rather than near the top. If you get into adverse braking/traction on a steep or winding grade, a trailer that is heavy for your vehicle that is going to be one load that you wished you left at the border.

YMMV. Good luck.

[polley pocket]

how much does a ferry from seattle washington to anchorage alaska cost and what would the gas cost from oregon to seattle in a 27" motorhome. like a 1993-96 model????????

[ArcticState]

Originally Posted by polley pocket

how much does a ferry from seattle washington to anchorage alaska cost and what would the gas cost from oregon to seattle in a 27" motorhome. like a 1993-96 model????????

You're looking at upwards of $1,300 + $353 per person, one way, for an RV on the marine highway to Haines (I'm not sure how much additional from Haines to Whittier):
Alaska Marine Highway System - Fares
and if you get 8MPG with your rig, seems like that will be an additional $460 or so depending on where in Oregon you live. By the way, the ferry leaves from Bellingham, which is 90 miles N. of Seattle.

So - this is a very expensive option for getting to Alaska.

[AKStafford]

Originally Posted by polley pocket

how much does a ferry from seattle washington to anchorage alaska cost and what would the gas cost from oregon to seattle in a 27" motorhome. like a 1993-96 model????????

Just to clarify... You would be departing from Bellingham and traveling to Whittier. Then it's about 40 miles on the highway to Anchorage.