Best highway to take through Canada? (Wasilla, Gateway: appointed, credit card, hotel)

[sunshine813]

I am looking to drive through Canada in the late summer and have heard things about both the Cassiar highway and the Alcan. I'd like to know opinions on the best one to take . Things I'm taking into account.....drive time, difficulty of drive, scenery, remoteness, gas, etc. Any info is helpful!

[akck]

It depends on where you're traveling from. If your traveling from the West Coast, the Cassiar is more direct. If from east of the Rockies, the Alcan is the way to go. The Cassiar is more remote than the Alcan for services, but both have good scenery. If you were traveling in winter, the Alcan is your best option. Be aware that local conditions can change your best option. One year when we drove down, there were fires along th Cassiar that closed the highway. I remember seeing a line of RVs backed up as we passed the turnoff. I was glad we planned on going down the Alcan as we drove by.

[AKStafford]

No matter which one you choose, I would highly recommend have The MILEPOST: Alaska Travel Guide and Trip Planner . In my opinion, it's the best guide to the drive.

Personally I would take the Alcan. I've done the Cassiar twice and it's a lot more remote with less services if you run into trouble. It doesn't save you that much time.

[stiffnecked]

If you want scenery and views the Cassiar is the way to go. In the summer and fall I think it provides a superior experience over the Alcan. There are 3 reliable places to get gas. Fill up when you need it and you'll be fine.

[tablemtn]

It also depends if you want to go straight through without much delay, or if you want to take some side-trips or see some other (relatively) nearby sites along your route. The Cassiar would get you closer to Prince Rupert/Haida Gwaii, Stewart/Hyder, Telegraph Creek/Glenora, and the western side of the province. The Alcan passes through the eastern side until the two highways converge in the southern Yukon.

[Dakster]

I'm with akck... The best road to take is the one that is open... Seems like the last couple of years issues on the highways have caused some of the routes to shut down, become really slow, or are unpaved/chip seal.

There are websites for road conditions in Canada. Here is one for the Yukon - notice that if you decided to take the top of the world highway thru Dawson City, which is VERY scenic and historic, you could NOT continue on to 'Chicken, Alaska' as the road is closed. We took that route 'up' last year, but skipped it on the way back.

Website: Current Road Conditions - Highways and Public Works - Government of Yukon

There is one for the other provinces as well.

I never, ever, plan a stringent route from A to B when it involves interstate (or intercountry) travel. Weather and road conditions change frequently and without much notice and therefore, your route should be felxible too. I also include different stop points for the night, when possible. Mental note is that rural Northern Canada doesn't really allow for route or stopping point variations. There is only one highway and the towns are too far apart. FWIW, I didn't take the cassiar, but we did take two different routes just east of the cassiar last summer for the North/South routes thru BC/Alberta. Alberta typically has the cheapest fuel prices.

If you decide to take the Alcan route, take a route that goes thru Banff National Park and the Canadian Ice Fields. It starts out in Southern Canada, you won't be dissappointed. There is a fee to enter and it depends on how far you drive - I cut over early on the way up thru Red Deer to get to Edmonton and it was $8/CN and I think on the way back it was $20/CN. I diverted to take that route and I am very, very glad I did. From there, the scenery just continues on all the way to and thru Alaska.

I will take the Cassiar on my next trip so that I can get a good comparison. Assuming road and weather conditions allow it.

Have a fun, safe trip.

[warptman]

ExploreNorth.com - Your Gateway to the Circumpolar North

[YellowstoneDate]

I took the Alaska Highway all the way from Montana coming from Florida. I had GPS and Sirius XM Radio. It took 12 long day's each way from Florida to Denali National Park area. I think it's best to use Canada Money to pay for gas and not use a credit card. Carry American Express Traveler Checks and cash them in at the gas stations along the way. I did this in the year 2009. Got bragging rights too!

[Dakster]

I see you took your time - not saying that is a bad thing either. I didn't have the time to 'take my time'. So we were a little hurried on the way back. From Wasilla to Miami in ~7 days. We spent three actual nights in a Cabin or Hotel. (Muncho Lake, Grande Cache, and Wall - SD) The rest were roadside rest stops. I don't recommend it though!

I took the Montana route too - went thru Glacier National Park on the way up, but missed it on the way back.

You do get bragging rights doing the drive from Florida - I actually wanted to start at the Southern most point marker in Key West when I left, but I will have to settle for southern Miami-Dade County.

[YellowstoneDate]

Originally Posted by Dakster

I see you took your time - not saying that is a bad thing either. I didn't have the time to 'take my time'. So we were a little hurried on the way back. From Wasilla to Miami in ~7 days. We spent three actual nights in a Cabin or Hotel. (Muncho Lake, Grande Cache, and Wall - SD) The rest were roadside rest stops. I don't recommend it though!

I took the Montana route too - went thru Glacier National Park on the way up, but missed it on the way back.

You do get bragging rights doing the drive from Florida - I actually wanted to start at the Southern most point marker in Key West when I left, but I will have to settle for southern Miami-Dade County.

Muncho Lake Northern Rockies Lodge is the best to stay at in Canada. Along The Alaska Highway.

Alaska Highway Hotel & Lodging at Muncho Lake Muskwa Kechika - Northern Rockies Lodge Alaska Hwy Mile 462