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My family and I are driving to Alaska via the ferry to Haines. I had a few questions to ask about driving from Haines to Fairbanks.
How impossible is this going to be? I have heard both sides of the story and I want to get as much information as possible. We should be arriving in Haines by the 15th of February and have plans to stay at Haines Junction and then again in Beaver Creek before driving into Fairbanks. I am planning on having snow tires put on my car and have a block heater installed too. Any info on how the drive will be will be a great help.
Also if anyone has travelled the ferry with dogs can you give me a few pointers on the travel. I have 2 dogs going with us and they are our kids so there is no option to leave them behind.
I know there are many people who are very familiar with these things on here and I want to learn from the ones who have done it! Thanks.
Many military families have orders to move up in the winter & make do just fine. The roads are fairly well-maintained. I sure someone with experience of that stretch of road will jump in.
I've only traveled on the ferries with my dog for short trips: Whittier-Cordova-Haines-Skagway-Juneau. The hold of the ferry is noisy & i thought our dog, who hates fireworks & gunshots would be nervous, but he seemed just fine. There is something to be said for being in the security of one's known backseat with a favorite doggie blanket. We were able to take the dog out for a break when we landed in Skagway on the Haines-Juneau trip. Plus I walked him a long time before we got on the ferry. Make sure of course the dogs have water & a window cracked for fresh air.
We are leaving from Bellingham. The schedule is below. Fromwhat I can tell we will have sometime with them in Ketchikan to get off the boat and walk around and the other treks on the boat will be shorter.
DepBELLINGHAMFri, Feb 12, 20106:00 PMArrKETCHIKANSun, Feb 14, 20109:00 AMDepKETCHIKANSun, Feb 14, 20102:00 PMArrWRANGELLSun, Feb 14, 20108:00 PMDepWRANGELLSun, Feb 14, 20108:45 PMArrPETERSBURGSun, Feb 14, 201011:45 PMDepPETERSBURGMon, Feb 15, 201012:30 AMArrJUNEAUMon, Feb 15, 20108:15 AMDepJUNEAUMon, Feb 15, 201010:45 AMArrHAINESMon, Feb 15, 20103:15 PM
I want to make sure that we will be ok travelling on the Alcan from Haines to Fairbanks. I know that many people do this and I hope that we will have good luck on the roads. I am orginally from Cleveland so I have driven on ice and snow and I know that if you just take your time things are much better. I do not want to chance driving the whole way so I think we will do it in 3 days.
My family and I are driving to Alaska via the ferry to Haines. I had a few questions to ask about driving from Haines to Fairbanks.
How impossible is this going to be? I have heard both sides of the story and I want to get as much information as possible. We should be arriving in Haines by the 15th of February and have plans to stay at Haines Junction and then again in Beaver Creek before driving into Fairbanks. I am planning on having snow tires put on my car and have a block heater installed too. Any info on how the drive will be will be a great help.
Also if anyone has travelled the ferry with dogs can you give me a few pointers on the travel. I have 2 dogs going with us and they are our kids so there is no option to leave them behind.
I know there are many people who are very familiar with these things on here and I want to learn from the ones who have done it! Thanks.
akvarmit and I took the same route. It could be interesting depending on your winter driving experience and well, the weather. On the flip side it is a beautiful trip both on land and water.
As far as the doggies you get three trips to the car deck for them to do their thing. If you are in port and are allow off the ship you can take them with you for a stretch. If your dog's are older and have difficulty getting in and out of the car easily you may want to get a sliding doggie ramp like we did. It makes it easier for them to get in and out. We put the food and water bowl in the vehicle since they don't get enough time to stretch and eat during breaks. There are a couple of spots in the trip where you hit open seas and it can get rough. Our doggie doesn't get motion sickness but other dogs did and lost their cookies in the vehicle. I don't know if they make it by doggie motion sickness pills from the vet or something may be in order for you. Lastly, they can't leave the car deck.
The drive out is something else. The boarder opens at 8:00 am but you may want to check that before you leave. Wouldn't want you heading out at 2:00 am and waiting until 8:00 am.. Oh, and you will go through the bald eagle preserve on the Chilkat river flats right outside of Haines. Make sure you go through when there is light and take a camera. You will see so many eagles your head will spin! There will literally be 30-40 in one tree. If your lucky you'll see some hunting fish.
Here is what we hit the year we can through in October. It was 22 below.
As far as things to take.. MAKE SURE you have emergency supplies. There are sections of the road that you will be the ONLY one for MANY miles compared to what your probably used to. If something happens at -30 and you can't keep your car running you can get into trouble really quick. Phones and Onstar do not work out here (at least ours does not) you will be required to have chains for your vehicle. Put them on before you head out. A SAT phone would be a great thing to have if you can afford to rent one. Take stuff like an emergency medical kit, tow line, solar heating blankets, sterno, extra blankets etc etc.. Anything that keeps you warm and comfortable. Extra grub is a good idea as well.
Watch for frost heaves. They will put you in a ditch before you know what happened. Heaves are when the road freezes and the water under the road lifts the surface into "humps". Hit one of these to fast on icy roads in the ditch you go and that is the LAST place you want to be out there. The heaves are usually marked by a florescent stake on the side of the road. Sometimes you can see them sometimes you can't.
I don't want to make the trip sound scary but there are certain things you do up here that require a certain preparedness. If your not prepared you could end up in bad shape. They don't call it the last frontier for no reason.
Finally, the trip will probably be the most memorable and beautiful trip you will ever make. The inner passage, Wrangell straights, Alcan highway, Haines etc.. are just unbelievably beautiful. You will also find Alaskans are friendly people and willing to help when they can. Make sure you stop at Fast Freddies in Tok for some breakfast. Get the reindeer sausage..
Hope you have a safe trip and let us know how you make out. If you have any other questions you would like answered either post them up and one of us will be happy to help (well, Warpt might help.. he's new to Alaska )
Oh, and the people you see on the Ferry will most likely be Alaskan's since the tourists are home were it's warm. Make sure you spend time on the observation deck talking to us.. We are a VERY diverse group of individuals and some can be very very entertaining as long as you keep an open mind..
Your dogs can be walked twice a day and those times are announced on the Ferry. They typically last about 30 minutes. No other access is allowed to the car deck other than these times and the ship is strict about this. Provide warmth food and water and they should be fine. In an emergency you can check with the purser's office.
The Ferry is comfortable with ample room for seating. If you booked a 4cabin it should be large enough to accomodate you. You might want to bring an ice chest to keep sodas snacks. The food is good and filling and prices are a little high. coffee is ready typically around 0530. Depending on your children's ages they will need to be supervised. The ship can rock and roll and decks in winter can be slippery.
It is a very fun trip and you can take excursions off ship to small towns as you pass. Bring your camera.
Haines to Fairbanks is weather dependent. I would make reservations in Beaver Creek, Yukon and Tok, Alaska. Others here may have additional ideas and I encourage you to map it and have backup plans in case weather hits. Frost heaves dominate this road, slight rises which in Canada are marked by tiny flags. My average speed in winter conditions was about 45 to 50. Gas is available about every 150 -250 miles. It will be very cold and don't use bare hands on the gas pumps. Travel only during the day.
Crossing the Canadian Border happens about 1 hour after you leave Haines. Passports, no weapons and a smile go a long way. Just be smart and you should not have any issues. When you cross into the United States there is about a 2 hour period where services are not available in my experience so gas up before especially if you are travelling early morning.
An emergency kit IMO is essential. cell phones will not have reception except in towns. make a plan and let family know where you will be. One day I passed no cars in either direction. Hypothermic emergency happens in 15 minutes (the Air Force wrote the book on this) so I recommmend renting or buying a Sat phone. Worth it's weight in gold. You will need excellent tires, 4WD or AWD. Warptman has published How to drive the Alcan in Winter with many excellent suggestions and links. Carry water MRE's and a way to make heat.
Properly prepared it is an awesome trip. Simply awesome. Keep us posted? and good luck.
What is the weather normally like in the middle of February? Will we have longer periods of light? I have a 2009 Ford FUsion that we are driving and I plan on having all of the vehicle stuff done before we leave. I will look into getting tire cables as I hae heard that they are good to have. We were thinking of stopping at Haines junction the first night and then in Beaver creek the second. Do you think that this sounds like a good plan? I have already called and spoke with the motels in that area and they were very helpful. I am so looking foward to this trip and I can't wait to be back in Alaska. I was there for a one month trip when I was six and I have wanted to go back ever since and now thatnks to uncle sam I have a chance.
What is the weather normally like in the middle of February? Will we have longer periods of light? I have a 2009 Ford FUsion that we are driving and I plan on having all of the vehicle stuff done before we leave. I will look into getting tire cables as I hae heard that they are good to have. We were thinking of stopping at Haines junction the first night and then in Beaver creek the second. Do you think that this sounds like a good plan? I have already called and spoke with the motels in that area and they were very helpful. I am so looking foward to this trip and I can't wait to be back in Alaska. I was there for a one month trip when I was six and I have wanted to go back ever since and now thatnks to uncle sam I have a chance.
That is a good plan esp with children. what exactly is the Ford Fusion is that an SUV? February roads can be the coldest of the winter.
The Canadians take good care of keeping the roads clear during and after a snow storm. The highway is great for the first hour or two, when you pass Destruction Bay the frost heaves start up. There is no service between Destruction and Beaver Creek in the winter, but you should be fine gas wise. A lot of people gas up in Beaver Creek before they cross into Alaska, but there is a gas station open year round no far from Port Alcan. From the border to Tok there is no services for gas but you'll make it to Tok with no problem. Once you pass the only bridge you will get cell service back the closer you get to Tok. There are a couple of small climbs between Tok and Fairbanks but they aren't that big. Long boring straight roads though! Watch out for bison in between Tok and Delta Junction. In Tok, stop in at Fast Eddy's, great food!
Alaska Road Traveler Information Service (http://511.alaska.gov/default.asp?display=all&area=STATEWIDE_AK&textOnly =False - broken link) Alaska Road conditions and the Yukon reports.
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