Motorcycle Trip Houston to Alaska - June 6th (Anchorage, Fairbanks: motel, home)

[thebog]

I believe I found an active forum - searching for some sound advice especially from good people living in Alaska.

A buddy and I want to take our bike trip to Alaska this year. Plan on leaving June 6th. We do long distance trips regularly and figure this one to push 12,000 miles, no issues there.

Originally, we allowed 3 weeks…we can push things to a month.

We don't plan much..stop where we want to stop and stay as long or short as we feel. Typically, we average about 400 miles per day and have done many days of 1000 miles. We planned to go from Houston to Bellingham in 4/5 days, take a ferry to Skagway (3 days), spend about a week from Skayway toAnchorage/Denali area...then home, perhaps riding the Alaskan Highway.

Here's the issues...in researching travel sites I'm getting the impression that travel books long in advance in Alaska. Getting a room in places like Denali seems unlikely. The trip seems more costly than anticipated. (Ferry appears to be nearly $1000 per person each way) $350 passenger fee, $350 vehicle and $400 cabin.

Here are the questions:

Can we get to Denali and home in time or are we trying to see too much?

Can we obtain low-cost last minute rooms?

Should we consider staying in the lower portion of the State?

Roads ok to travel on 2 wheels, anything we should be aware of?

Suggestions for must sees?

We'd like to see salmon run/bears feeding, where should we go?

Are we insane?

Thanks in Advance for all that advise us...Oddball

[stiffnecked]

Go for a month, skip the ferry and ride the whole thing. You won't be alone. Many motoheads do it every summer. You can usually find a room somewhere but don't expect Motel 6 rates.

[akck]

As an alternative, you might consider taking the ferry from Prince Rupert. The cost drops to $393 per person without a cabin. The ride from Bellingham to PR is nice with all paved roads. I suggest you get a Milepost to plot out your trip. During the summer, you can be more certain if you make reservations. My father-in-law made the trip about 10 years ago. What he did was to figure out where he'd be at the end of the day the prior evening and then call the next morning to make a reservation. If by cheap, you mean $100-150/night, you should be able to find something. As an alternative, you can camp out. Most RV campgrounds have tent camping spots for $15-30/night, with shower and bathroom access. If you want to stay at Denali, I'd call in case there are cancellations.

Most of the roads are paved, but you will hit some gravel patches and will need to look for road frost heaves. I'd suggest heading to Fairbanks and then coming down the Parks Highway. That way when you get to Anchorage, you can decide if you have time to hit the Kenai Peninsula. You should see all the wildlife you want on the trek.

[0fatboy362]

Originally Posted by thebog

I believe I found an active forum - searching for some sound advice especially from good people living in Alaska.

A buddy and I want to take our bike trip to Alaska this year. Plan on leaving June 6th. We do long distance trips regularly and figure this one to push 12,000 miles, no issues there.

Originally, we allowed 3 weeks…we can push things to a month.

We don't plan much..stop where we want to stop and stay as long or short as we feel. Typically, we average about 400 miles per day and have done many days of 1000 miles. We planned to go from Houston to Bellingham in 4/5 days, take a ferry to Skagway (3 days), spend about a week from Skayway toAnchorage/Denali area...then home, perhaps riding the Alaskan Highway.

Here's the issues...in researching travel sites I'm getting the impression that travel books long in advance in Alaska. Getting a room in places like Denali seems unlikely. The trip seems more costly than anticipated. (Ferry appears to be nearly $1000 per person each way) $350 passenger fee, $350 vehicle and $400 cabin.

Here are the questions:

Can we get to Denali and home in time or are we trying to see too much?

Can we obtain low-cost last minute rooms?

Should we consider staying in the lower portion of the State?

Roads ok to travel on 2 wheels, anything we should be aware of?

Suggestions for must sees?

We'd like to see salmon run/bears feeding, where should we go?

Are we insane?

Thanks in Advance for all that advise us...Oddball

just wondering is your trip still on? what are your plans? how long will it take? i too am considering going from Dallas to alaska, on a motorcycle, but i'm seeking info from others who have already made the trip. do you think it can be done in 3 wks? your not insane at all, maybe a lil on the demented side, but not insane.

[RAMFEB31]

Is it not nice to be young again and think about trip w/a bike even the pedal type? That dream of mine went out the door 50 years ago. Good luck guys. The last time I've seen my Honda 1500 was about 20 years ago when some guy was loading it onto his truck. When I ask why he was stealing my bike, he said 'ask your wife'. It seem she gave it away without telling me. We did not speak to each other for a month. In the end, it was just as well. I have not ridden it in 5 previous years. I still have my pedal type though.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by thebog

Can we get to Denali and home in time or are we trying to see too much?

Given that you have allocated three weeks, yes, you can make it to Denali National Park and back home to Houston within that period, with a few days to spare.

Originally Posted by thebog

Can we obtain low-cost last minute rooms?

No. Room rates go up during the summer in Alaska. The only way to obtain low-cost rooms, last minute or otherwise, is to visit Alaska during the winter. It is advisable to make your reservations 3 months in advance.

Originally Posted by thebog

Should we consider staying in the lower portion of the State?

Considering that there are no roads that lead anywhere in the Alaskan panhandle, until you get to Skagway, I'm going to assume by "lower portion" you are referring to south central Alaska.

The Kenai Peninsula should definitely be on your list of things to see. Anchorage is about 350 miles south of Fairbanks. Denali National Park is closer to Fairbanks than Anchorage by about 50 or 60 miles.

Originally Posted by thebog

Roads ok to travel on 2 wheels, anything we should be aware of?

Roads are passable for two-wheeled travel, not great, but drivable. One thing you should be aware of are "frost-heaves." Frost-heaves are when permafrost, or deeply frozen ground is pushed up as a result of pressure. They cause ridges to form in the road that are perpendicular to the road.

Also many roads that cross our limited highway system in Alaska are gravel. Also the roads through Thompson Pass near Valdez or the Seward Highway south of Anchorage follow the mountain contours, and have had regular rock slides. So keep a close eye out for gravel or rocks on the highway.

Originally Posted by thebog

We'd like to see salmon run/bears feeding, where should we go?

That depends on the time of the year you arrive. June is when the salmon start returning. Since you will be on the road system, the usual fishing holes were you will be will probably be packed with people. Denali National Park is the only place on the road system where you are most likely to see bears, but not feeding on salmon.

Bears prefer to avoid people when they can.

McNeil River on the Alaska Peninsula would be the best place to see bears feeding. See also http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/viewi...wing_sites.pdf

Originally Posted by thebog

Are we insane?

Of course, but that doesn't make it any less of an adventure.