Oh me, oh my...driving @ this time of year! (Tok: rental, credit card)

[Chicken sh..]

Ok, here's the deal. My boyfriend, child & myself are moving to anchorage from Albuquerque NM. He's likely to tackle the drive in a uhaul truck w/ the car on a trailer. I'm sick to my stomach about this. What do you think is best? Should we leave everything behind & try to find things there, car, house hold stuff. I'm very nervous about him driving during the first weeks of December. What is the best route? How much is gas in Canada? Are we out of our minds? Ideally this sounds awesome in the summer, but we have to be up there pretty soon & don't have much time to plan. I'm a total chicken **** though, so am I over reacting? :o

[warptman]

Look in the "winter travel" thread....theres answers there.

[User 2]

If you're not used to driving a large truck with a car in tow, just be advised that you will probably hit every type of driving conditions that you can think of, sunny days of dry pavement, or gravel, rain, mud, snow, slush, ice, and sometimes these conditions will repeat themselves in varying order.

I've driven the highway a number of times in varying times of year, it can be done, but be prepared, the Canadian roads are plowed well, but no one can guarantee you won't hit a big storm and you may be delayed waiting for the next segment to be cleared.

You said you were under time constraints, so know that there is some chance that your hoped for schedule might not match your expectations.

Road condition reports can be accessed on the web for Canadian roads and Alaska roads. They are kept up to date and it wouldn't hurt to preview a few of those sites before making your decision of whether to drive or fly.

[Rance]

Swing by here and seriously consider ordering one. Lot's of info on the website alone.
Alaska Travel Guide and Alaska Trip Planner, The MILEPOST: Alaskan travel guide and Alaskan trip planner for Alaska, Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Alberta and Northwest Territories

You can access Alaska's road weather system info here, just scroll over the bold blue titles. The Tok area may be useful as you get closer.
Road Weather Information, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska

Major connecting routes to the Alaska Highway in Canada are the West Access Route through British Columbia; the Cassiar Highway; the East Access Route through Alberta; and the Yellowhead Highway between Edmonton, Alberta, and Prince Rupert, BC.
Alaska-bound motorists will save 132 miles/213 km by taking the Yellowhead–Cassiar route (744 miles/1,197 km long) instead of the all-Alaska Highway route (876 miles/1,410 km long.) The Cassiar Highway is a somewhat rougher road than the Alaska Highway, and has fewer (but sufficient) fuel and service stops along the way.
Route number: BC Highway 37

Connects: Yellowhead Highway 16 and the Alaska Highway

Length: 446 miles

Road surface: 80 percent paved , 20 percent gravel

Road conditions: Fair to good. Although much of the highway is asphalt-surfaced, keep in mind that seal coat is subject to deterioration from weather and traffic. Also, a few bridges are still single lane. Watch for potholes at bridge ends and slippery bridge decks. There are several 8 percent grades. Drive with headlights on at all times. On gravel stretches of highway watch for washboard and potholes. Gravel road may be dusty in dry weather and muddy in wet weather. Watch for logging and freight trucks on the highway. Exercise extreme caution when passing or being passed by these trucks; reduce speed and allow trucks adequate clearance.

Season: Open all year

Highest summit: Gnat Pass 4,072 feet

I have no idea of fuel prices in Canada right now. YOur gonna basically be in the middle of nowhere at times. It could be extremely cold, or snowing feet at a time. There will be times when fuel stations are a couple hundred miles apart with nothing in between. Have you guys got any experience with driving in severe weather or snow? This is seriously taking your lives into your own hands for at least a week. You'll need emergency gear and clothing for Arctic conditions.

[rotorhead]

Having just made the drive up from ABQ to AK a couple months ago, I'd recommend that you go for the diesel truck, if you can. Diesel is usually a bit cheaper than gas (though the gap lessens in the winter) and those big boxy trucks get LOUSY mileage, especially with the gasoline engines. We drove up to SE and it was about 3400 miles or so going through CO, WY, and Montana, crossing at the Sweetgrass station into Canada. It's even further up to ANC, estimate just short of 4000 miles. Fuel will be very expensive (>$4/gal for sure) in many parts of Canada, especially through the Yukon territories.

A bigger issue is that many of the smaller gas stations don't stay open year-round, only in the summer. With a big rental truck getting maybe 8-10mpg (if you're lucky) even those heinously expensive fillups (plan on swiping the credit card two or three times per tank) aren't going to get you very far between tanks. Also keep in mind that the exchange rate isn't working for you any more, the Canadian dollar has gotten expensive lately.

See past threads for customs issues concerning firearms, pets, etc. for some good info. By all means get a MilePost book, the "bible" for ALCan drivers.