Driving from Haines to Anchorage.....any suggestions/advice (Fairbanks, Tok: hotel, home) - Alaska (AK) - City-Data Forum

havhon · 09-13-2010, 08:14 PM

I am relocating to ANC in a couple of weeks. I was torn between two different ways to get up there....both of which were a result of zero automobile space on one leg I needed on the ferry.

My first option, which I decided not to go with, was drive from Vegas all the way up to Prince Rupert, BC. From PR, I was planning on takling the ferry to Whittier. From Whittier, drive to ANC. The drive from LVNV to Prince Rupert would have taken me 4 days, the cruise 2-3 days. After all was said in done, I really did not feel like driving 4 days just to get to the ferry. NTM, this way would have cost me more $$.

My second choice, the choice I decided to go with, is I plan on driving from LV to Bellingham. From Bellingham I take the ferry to Haines, AK. From Haines, I need to drive to Anchorage. It appears as though it is approx 750 miles from Haines to ANC. I thouroughly understand that Alaska mileage is not the same as lower 48 mileage

. Eventhough it is only 750 miles from Haines to ANC, I am expecting this drive to take me 2 days (unless you guys/girls state otherwise).

So, what can I expect from the drive from Haines to ANC?

Can I do this drive in a day, or will it take two days?

If it wil take me 2 days, where is a decent place to overnight (inroute).

I plan on taking extra gas (15 gal), blankets, cold weather gear, food, emergency eqpt, etc. I will be driving a 4 door Saab 93....I know, not the best Alaska car....I plan on getting a more suitable vehicle once I get there....for now, I just need to get there.

Any and all advice/suggestions will be appreaciated. Thanks!!

warptman · 09-13-2010, 09:07 PM

Drive all the way!

stiffnecked · 09-13-2010, 10:35 PM

Do not bring extra gas!!!! There is absolutely no reason to do that. 2 days is plenty of time to drive from Haines to Anchorage. If you are leaving in 2 weeks I'd skip the ferry and drive the whole way. It'll be faster and cheaper.

warptman · 09-14-2010, 04:44 AM

If you haven't booked a ferry all the way up to Whittier months ago you are probably too late to now. I've done 17 crossings of Canada with the most recent one in June/July this year. All those crossings I've never carried spare gas. The longest stretch of road is roughly 100 miles. There are plenty of places open year round that has gas and food. Driving is cheaper than the ferry.

From Haines to Anchorage can take a day, we have a member here from there that does this when he goes home or drives to Anchorage. You can spend a night at Young's Hotel in Tok, Ak. Don't forget to eat at Fast Eddy's! The road is rough from Destruction Bay to just outside of Tok, take it easy here.

Last October a friend and I drove down from Fairbanks to Whitehorse in a day for the weekend. There was no snow going down but it snowed on the way back to Alaska.

Driving up from Vegas shouldn't take you more than a week. I drove from Mt Vernon Washington to Alaska in 3.5 days with stops every night in a hotel/motel.

stiffnecked · 09-14-2010, 11:30 AM

I drive from Anchorage to Oklahoma City a couple of times a year. 6 1/2 days with motel stops at night. Though my longest driving day is a little over 900 miles.

akck · 09-14-2010, 01:35 PM

Normally, I recommend taking the ferry from Prince Rupert instead of Bellingham for the cost savings. Since we're approaching the winter schedule I see that the sailings to Haines from there can be a problem so Bellingham may be the wiser choice. In either case, a key factor in traveling is when the ferry arrives in Haines. The Canadian border crossing closes at 11:00 pm, so if the ferry arrives at a late hour, you'll need to spend a night in Haines.

From Haines to Tok takes about 8 hours and from Tok to Anchorage takes under 6 hours. There are plenty of gas stations along the way, but leave Haines with a full tank (top off in Bellingham). I've driven from Haines to the first gas station across the border on one tank (380+ mile range on a tank). Eat at Fast Eddy's in Tok and Young's Motel is next door. Staying in Tok allows you to get into Anchorage during the day, whereas driving the whole way will definitely get you there at night.

You will be driving on some gravel road sections. To avoid rock chips in your windshield, first keep a long distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. When a vehicle is approaching you, slow down and pull as far to the right as you can. There will still be some idiots who don't slow and drive in the middle of the road, but at least the impacts are reduced.

Google Maps suggests you can drive from Las Vegas to Whitehorse, YT in 2 days 1 hour. That's total driving time so figure 4-5 days for that section. Whitehorse is about 8 hours from Tok too.

Sava_baby · 09-14-2010, 01:48 PM

We drove form Haines to Anchorage last week with about a 2 hour stop. We left the ferry at around 2 p.m. Monday and made it to Anchorage 9 am Tuesday. Driving at night most gas stations will be closed. We passed the US Border at 10 pm and couldn't gas up until Tok. We literally almost ran out of gas, but we were also pulling 1200 pounds of weight in a RAM. We were at a quarter tank at the border, so during the day you should be fine, because you can gas up. Don't put yourself in the situation we were in :-)