Driving the Alcan in late December w/no snow experience (Anchorage: fit in, hotels)

[light_shimmer]

Sorry, I had to chime in on this one. I've lived in northern MN my whole life and know how to drive in blizzard conditions...but would still think twice about driving that highway at night....and that's only hearing about it.

[AADAD]

so your wife is right.

[hc5831]

Thank you all for the replies. We have 5 animals who don't eat while traveling, one of which is diabetic. Which is why we wanted to drive it as fast as possible. I'll definitely look into pet friendly hotels after your suggestions.

Does anyone here have driving experience towing a trailer in the dead of winter? We really would rather not have to sell everything and start over if it wasn't necessary. We won't have much room in the extended cab for storage with 5 animals in there. 3 cats and 2 - 75 lb dogs.

I watched a video on youtube of a guy towing his 4 wheeler and other supplies on an open trailer in the dead of winter on the Alcan and he had no problems. Of course he looked like he had plenty of winter driving experience.

[warptman]

Pet-Friendly Hotels, Lodging/Accommodations, and Vacation Rentals in Canada

[arcticracer]

Listen to AADAD and Marty, ship the goods if possible. You don't want to be towing a trailer that time of year. You said your tires were too big for chains? Are they wider than stock? Wide tires suck really bad in the snow, you will be fighting the wheel all the time. At least you have great tires, same ones I use on my Civic.

DON"T DRIVE AT NIGHT, which creates a problem since the days are very very short that time of year, especially N. BC and beyond.

Not mentioned, take a serious view about emergency supplies and arctic gear for all.

[Marty Van Diest]

Here is the deal with the trailer. While people do use them in the winter all the time here to haul their snowmachines etc. They are experienced on ice and the trailers usually aren't very heavy.

I'm going to assume yours will be fairly heavy otherwise why bring it?

Imagine this...it's dark, you are going downhill on an icy curve and a moose/bison/elk etc walks out in front of you. You slam on the brakes and start sliding on the ice. Your trailer is pushing you and starts to jacknife, you let off the brakes to try to get straightened out while the moose gets closer. You are barely in control and you are wishing you left the trailer at home.

[warptman]

Don't let your tank go below a half tank, fill up in each town no matter how much fuel you have. Have a mechanic install a engine block heater on your truck. This will keep it warm at night at the hotels which have outside plugs to keep your truck engine warm.

[starlite9]

A few years ago I got a wild hair and bought a sailboat on Ebay in Baltimore, MD. Had to drive down there from Alaska, buy a flatbed trailer, build a cradle to hold it and drive it back to Alaska in -40 weather in December.

Before that, I went down to Virgina and bought another new trailer, bought two thousand board feet of kiln dried red oak and towed it up in the dead of winter.

Sold both the sailboat, lumber and trailers at a profit and had a blast.

Unless you drive like a mad man, you and your family willl have a great trip! Try to keep your gas tank topped off, when you get to half a tank, start looking for a place to fill up. That will keep you out of any issues of not making the leap between towns or gas stations. Carry a five gallon can in the Uhaul won't hurt either as well as spare tires for the truck and trailer. I carry a tire plug kit and 12V compressor with me, seem to fix other people's tires more often than any of mine.

Make sure your trailer has brakes (electric or hydraulic surge is fine) and with the family, drive during the daylight so you can see the place. With kids that will be from about 8:30 AM to about 4:00 PM and they will be ready for a break.

Throw a few extra sleeping bags in the truck and have winter gear for everyone!

Enjoy your trip and take lots of photos and buy a Milepost to have with you, tells you all the places to get gas, food, lodging and other stuff on the trip up! You will have a very good adventure!

The MILEPOST: Alaska Travel Guide and Trip Planner

Have driven the AlCan dozens of times hauling trailers both ways with no problems, just don't get in a hurry and watch out for critters on the road, take photos of them instead of imprints on your hood.

About -40 up by Distruction Bay in Canada in December towing my sailboat...

[Marty Van Diest]

Starlite...that's you. Experienced and knowing your limits.

Can you imagine a family in from LA with no experience on ice and snow...and in a hurry to boot?

I definitely agree that if you are very careful it will be no problem.

[AADAD]

Dude. All respect. Start over and consider options.