How safe is it for a young, women to drive the AL-Can and camp by herself? (Anchorage: crime, hotel)

[JD2AK&ME]

I am not one to overly worry but I do believe in being prepared and realistic. My daughter (28) is planning on driving her car from Maine to AK this summer. It looks like she will be doing it alone, taking some side trips to visit friends. She is an experienced camper and plans on camping a lot on her way through Canada. When she was 13 she flew to Iceland by herself to visit friends and at 20 she backpacked alone around New Zealand for 2 weeks, where she bungy jumped, skydived and glacier climbed, so she is not unaccustomed to traveling on her own. Any suggestions for safety precautions she should take? She doesn't have and isn't trained to use a gun. Plus I'm not sure what is legal to take into Canada. It's just good to be prepared to take care of yourself.

[JavaPhil]

I would worry more about bears than human predators tenting along the Alcan. Hand guns are illegal to take across the border. Shotguns and long guns are okay if registered.

[SityData]

By Yourself ??? This is Alaska - don't even think about doing something like that !! This state has a much higher indicent rate of (I don't even want to type that awful word). GIRL - SMARTEN UP.. sorry to be so blunt - you have no idea how dangerous of a situation that would put you in.

That's just my OPINION based on: what I 'hear' men always talking about.

This state has more unsolved murders... gosh I shudder just thinking about what your attempting to do.

30 years ago; that would be no problem; Now a days, uh uh.. PLEASE re-consider what you want to do.. UNLESS you have one fine man-eating dog 'team' with you at all times.!!

That's just my honest opinion... based on 40 years experience!!

There are just too many 'wolves' running around .. .. I am not talking about the four legged type!!

[heathen]

^You've got to be kidding...

When she was 13 she flew to Iceland by herself to visit friends and at 20 she backpacked alone around New Zealand for 2 weeks, where she bungy jumped, skydived and glacier climbed, so she is not unaccustomed to traveling on her own.

Sounds to me like she'll yawn her way through camping up the Alcan. Tell her to do it on a bike to keep her interest, haha. It is remote, and you've got to be smart about the wildlife, but it's a completely reasonable thing to do, at least reasonable for anybody who's willing to accept the risk of walking out the front door in the morning.

Seach up some of Sity Data's other posts before taking his advice seriously. I'm not usually that blunt, but christ...

[warptman]

Sity has no idea what he's talking about.

She'll be fine. Plenty of camping areas, you can even put up at tent at RV stops.

[warptman]

How to Drive to Alaska in the Summer - ExploreNorth

Alaska Highway: Alcan Highway Campgrounds Alaska.com

The MILEPOST: Alaska Travel Guide and Trip Planner

[bortstc37]

canadians have a habit of being very helpful and friendly.
it doesn't change when you cross into alaska.

the alaska crime stats are skewed and not representative of the towns along the alcan (at least not until you get into the fairbanks area). places like tok and delta junction are notoriously friendly. as long as she's not camping in the middle of anchorage, there is nothing to worry about.

[tigre79]

She'll be fine. I didn't do the Alcan solo, but I drove around and camped by myself for a couple of weeks my first time in AK. I'm female, a few years older than your daughter, and a fairly small person as well, and had no serious problems. I have a female friend up here visiting who's doing the same thing right now for almost three weeks. Heck, I went all over Peru by myself for two weeks this winter and it wasn't any big deal from a safety standpoint. It's still good to have some situational awareness, but the vast majority of people she'll run into will be friendly and helpful. For the few who might not be, Canada makes weapons difficult. Maybe have her keep a tire iron handy near the drivers seat and a pocket knife when she's out and about. Better than nothing. And definitely make sure she has some sense about how to avoid bears and deal with them when they can't be avoided. Being from Maine, I'm assuming she knows to be aware of animals in the road. That may be the biggest hazard on the more remote stretches.

[bigjojo]

I wouldn't feel comfortable with my wife (age 21) driving the AlCan alone, but she doesn't have the outdoor experience your daughter has. I don't think it would be a bad idea to carry a knife and possibly long rifle if she plans to string out the trip, simply because of wildlife. I drove to the Kenai Peninsula from Southern Oregon a couple years ago. 18 hours of driving per day, and I pulled into Soldotna on the third day. Going that fast, and sleeping in my car, there was no danger of wildlife attacking me haha. I wouldn't worry about dangerous people except for some places in the lower 48 and Anchorage. The AlCan is an awesome stretch of road; I can't wait to drive it again, but next time I'll take my time along the way. There are some beautiful landscapes on the way.

[acg515]

It's not completely unheard of but see if she can have a friend do it. I am about to drive the Alcan and I'm having my dad come and do it with me. If you have a blowout or a breakdown it's really nice to have someone with you to get things sorted out. Also it's nice to have someone to talk to because to be honest, once you get past Fort Nelson the radio selection is pretty slim. I could do the Alcan camping by myself if I wanted to but it gets really boring. Also, the camping selection in Alberta can be very slim at times so that might be a nice spot for her to just get a hotel.

That being said, make sure she is taking a car that can be trusted and make sure she has a phone, and see if she'll take a friend or a family member up with her because it is a lot better to do it with someone else, although it is completely doable.