Moving to Alaska. How's the drive through Canada? (Haines, Tok: transporting, how much)

[Living & Loving Life]

Hi! New to the forum. We are moving to Alaska from Texas and will be driving. There are a few things I'm concerned about and thats getting through the into and back out of Canada. We have a dog and a pet rabbit. Wondering how much of a hassle that's going to be and also we had planned on stocking our cooler full of food to help with the eating out expense. Will that be a problem at the border? We're a fairly young family. It's me, my husband, and our two children aged 12 and 13. We really want this trip to go smoothly and with the least amount of hassle as possible. Which I know there will be some especially since we are making a move and not just taking a trip. Thanks for any help and advice.

[bortstc37]

Have passports for every human, recent health certificates for animals, and enjoy the drive. Fill up on gas before you cross, it's a lot more expensive in Canada. You also might want to buy new tires first if you need them. I'm going to buy a set of tires today, and they're a lot more expensive than I remember them being in the lower states. Do some camping if you can, there are lots of great places for it.

[akck]

One other thing that can be a hassle is transporting guns through Canada. Certain types are prohibited and you'll need proper paperwork for the ones that are not. Check with Canadian Customs website to get the forms. Also, if anyone has a felony conviction, including a DUI, you could be barred from entering Canada.

I've never had problems with food for personal consumption. Passports aren't a Canadian requirement, they are a U.S. requirement to cross back. The pet health certificates need to be dated within 30 days of entering Alaska (they are an Alaskan Requirement). You might call the number on this page to make sure you have everything you need for the rabbit:

Pet Import/Export

[AKStafford]

I highly recommend ordering a copy of The MILEPOST: Alaska Travel Guide and Trip Planner . In my opinion it's the best guide to the drive.
Also do a little research on this forum. The in's & out's of the drive has been discussed often.
What time of year are you looking at doing the trip?

[Living & Loving Life]

Thanks for all the info. : )

[starlite9]

Make sure you have a good camera.

Enjoy your trip and fill up every time your gas gauge shows half!

[Living & Loving Life]

Originally Posted by AKStafford

I highly recommend ordering a copy of The MILEPOST: Alaska Travel Guide and Trip Planner . In my opinion it's the best guide to the drive.
Also do a little research on this forum. The in's & out's of the drive has been discussed often.
What time of year are you looking at doing the trip?

We're moving the middle of August.

[AKStafford]

Then weather won't be much of an issue, other than rain. There's more services open in the summer too.
You'll find plenty of gas stations until you get further north. Make sure you leave Watson Lake, Whitehorse, Haines Junction, Beaver Creek and Tok with a full tank of gas.
The visitors center in Haines Junction is a nice stop.

[AADAD]

If you have any convictions including DUI you will not be allowed into Canada.

[tigre79]

I believe you only need health certificates for air travel, but you will need a rabies cert. for the dog and possibly the rabbit as well. We brought my dog and they didn't ask to see anything except our passports, though. If you have questions, call the Canadian customs service. They're generally pretty friendly and helpful.