driving to fairbanks ak from ohio on 12 Nov (Beaver: rental market, hotels)

[chris f]

Iam relocating to fairbanks AK in nov from Ohio I have to drive I would like to get adv on a good rout to take along with any other info you can gave me and my wife you can E-mail me At fcfluharty@hotmail.com thank you

[RAMFEB31]

Originally Posted by chris f

Iam relocating to fairbanks AK in nov from Ohio I have to drive I would like to get adv on a good rout to take along with any other info you can gave me and my wife you can E-mail me At fcfluharty@hotmail.com thank you

My gosh, U are really going up very late in the season. There will be snow on the ground in the lower 48 as well as Canada and Alaska. That means chains and/or snow tires If U must drive, I suggest staying on the U.S. side as long as possible. U have 2 good hiways, #80 and #94 unless U have all kinds of time. There are lots of stop and go on the Canadian #1 w/lots little towns enroute in several areas. Though I have not travelled during the cold season on these hiways, gut feeling is take the southern most route which is #80. U probably will head North on the #15. toward Calgary and Edmonton via #4 and #2. I think it maybe too late in the season to take #1/#93. I hope someone else will say I am wrong. Great scenic route though it is further. You will pickup the Alaskan Hiway at Dawson Creek which terminates Fairbanks. It is a long trip. U probably have already ask AAA to map a route for you. GL!! Have a great trip. And the same advice I give everyone heading into the North Country. Pick up a copy of Milepost. It is worth every cent. And if U can afford the price, a GPS. In this time of season, it could be a life saver

[RAMFEB31]

Originally Posted by chris f

Iam relocating to fairbanks AK in nov from Ohio I have to drive I would like to get adv on a good rout to take along with any other info you can gave me and my wife you can E-mail me At fcfluharty@hotmail.com thank you

Another item. Fill up in the U.S. Canadian fuel is high. In Canada, most of the fuel are shipped from the Edmonton area. Translated: Gas prices go up further East. The big cities in Canada normally have better prices than the small towns. On the other side of the border of B.C. on the Alaskan Rd is the Yukon Terr. and the first town is Watson Lake. If U need fuel, the Watson Lake Garage is a good place. Bring along a rememberance sign to post on the City of Signs next to them. If U need to park overnight dry camping, Pat and Donna the garage owners, will try to accommodate. Just say the Chinaman sent U.

Henry

[warptman]

I've done about 5 winter trips on the Alcan. Whichever hotel you stay at, see if there is a place to plug your vehicle in for the night. Most of the hotels/motels have them, just have to ask. The Fort Nelson Hotel has outlets for guests all around the hotel. The Canadians take good care of the highway in the winter, if a big storm comes through, they're out that same day clearing the road. One caution, make sure you slow down when you see a semi approaching, they lay down small pea-gravel down on the highway for traction and the semis throw the gravel at a high speed. This will put a chip or a crack on your windshield. In the Milepost, they have a section on winter travel and what to bring, follow it closely and you should be fine. Have a safe and fun trip!

[RAMFEB31]

Originally Posted by RAMFEB31

Another item. Fill up in the U.S. Canadian fuel is high. In Canada, most of the fuel are shipped from the Edmonton area. Translated: Gas prices go up further East. The big cities in Canada normally have better prices than the small towns. On the other side of the border of B.C. on the Alaskan Rd is the Yukon Terr. and the first town is Watson Lake. If U need fuel, the Watson Lake Garage is a good place. Bring along a rememberance sign to post on the City of Signs next to them. If U need to park overnight dry camping, Pat and Donna the garage owners, will try to accommodate. Just say the Chinaman sent U.

Henry

Correction. I meant further West. Warp' is right. U will probably need a crankcase heater for your auto if U don't have one. Yes, do go slow and stay as close to the right as possible when U approach oncoming traffic, especially a high speed truck. It is not a bad idea to have a bra for your car.

[Arcticthaw]

This is important enough to be worth repeating. 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
Buy a milepost. Read and use it to plan your trip north. Pay special attention to who is open in the winter, some places are seasonal. Very important. Plan your Fuel stops to hit Watson Lake during the day and not on a holiday! The only place for miles and miles in any direction.

Don't hug the sholders in Canada, they plow the snow into the ditch and sometimes you get a false sense of comfort as where the edge of the road it. You may get sucked off the road. Though it has ben several years since I have driven the road.

[Rance]

I'd go up through MN, over into ND, into Canada in the northwest corner of ND, up through Edmonton etc. I would also enter Alaska in the southern border (through Beaver Creek) where you can stop and get a photo of yourself at this sign, then take the awesome nice highway up to Fairbanks. I believe the gravel road is closed in winter from Dawson into Alaska.

[warptman]

You can cross at Plentywood, Montana and up through Regina and through Saskatoon and Highway 16 thru Edmonton, this is all on relatively flat ground. You don't have to worry about hill and snow too much like on Highway 97 in British Columbia. This is the way we came back up last month and I really enjoyed it, not very challenging and a bunch of small villages on the way with hotels/motels. Gas stations were plentiful and the roads pretty much a straight shot.

[pw72]

One of the things to keep in mind regarding weather, is winter tends to start earlier in the west than the east. Where you can still have real nice days in the midwest in November, this is THE storm season from Oregon, Washington, BC, and into Alaska. You've got a lot of courage moving to Fairbanks in November. You will hit the height of the cold and dark real quick! If you make it through to April, you will "see" a whole different world!

[fjellmann]

I'll second a lot of what other posters have said.

We moved to Fairbanks at about that time of year five years ago. We came on great highways through Great Falls, MT then through Calgary and Edmonton to Dawson Creek. You need to be prepared for winter driving on the Alaska Highway. By the middle of October, Fairbanks has its winter snow cover so you will hit snow sooner or later. Temperatures will normally be in the +/- 10 degrees F. range but could also be -30. You want to be prepared to spend the night in your car at those temperatures in case something should happen. Also, keep your gas tank filled, especially if you plan to drive through the night, because some fuel stops may not be open all night or may even be closed for the season.

All that said, lots of people drive the Alaska Highway all year round. And even five years ago, many motels had email addresses if not web pages, so you can touch base with lodging in advance. I loved driving up that time of year, but I've never minded driving in winter. I will say that winter driving in Alaska has a couple of notable hazards. One is semis that kick up huge clouds of snow, aggravated by the dryness of the snow and the relatively few snow plows. If I see one coming up behind me to pass when there is fresh snow on the road, I start looking for a place to pull over. The other is the lack of markers on the side of the road. In Wyoming, we could struggle through white-out conditions by driving from reflector pole to reflector pole. Not fun, but sometimes those markers made all the difference. Alaska DOT doesn't seem to believe in them.

Since you are relocating to Fairbanks, you might as well get the winterization of your car done before you leave, as others have suggested. I have an engine block heater, an oil pan heater and a battery warmer. Some folks add a trickle charger to the battery. On the other hand, I made it through our first winter here with no winterization because I had a heated garage. On -40 days, I just went out to my car a couple times during the work day and started it for a few minutes. No problems at all. Without the garage though, you will have problems. For the drive up, you'll probably be OK but if you hit really cold weather and you stop for the night.... Of course, you need a good heater/defroster in your car.

The other thing about moving to Fairbanks is, the rental market is very tight. If you're coming to town in November needing housing, be prepared for a bit of a shock. What is left will likely be ugly and expensive. We stayed in the Aspen hotel on Airport Way while looking for a house. The price wasn't too bad and they didn't fuss about our kids staying with us in one room. Some of the hotels/resorts have monthly rates (Wedgewood Resorts comes to mind) but they are pretty pricey and maybe not a reasonable option if your family isn't small. But if you get desperate, they will be better than a motel.

Have a great trip and welcome to Fairbanks.