Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Driving to Anchorage March 5th from KC

Also the DOT crews are pretty good and stopping to ask if everything is ok if you are pulled over. As noted ask these little roadside gas stations how the roads are they have up to date info from the truckers. We had a lady at a restaurant in Whitehorse tell us take your time the plow trucks are out plowing give it an hour or so. Everyone I talked to in Canada were very helpful and never said ph uck off lol.

You've got all the shelter-in-place and vehicle prep instructions that you need in the thread above. That and some attention to gas planning takes care of the cold.

I'd prep a few different-sized pieces of cardboard + zipties etc. for a radiator block-off options. Start with the smallest.

We made the trip up April 2007 in a clapped-out caprice and an old diesel F350. Got cold in places and the drive went well. We took the Cassiar but I'm guessing the main highway is better in winter.

I drove back down 5.5 years later with the same old F350 towing a 12k lb boat trailer in mid October, with a 4yo. We slept in the truck on the Tok Cutoff (left Anch in the early afternoon), again on the south Cassiar, and again south of prince george. The kid did fine.

Sounds like fun to me.

Also Ft St. John runs off Alberta time It’s a gas/oil town and a lot of companies their are out of Alberta. When you walk in a hotel they have two clocks. I was told because all the wells are on Alberta time whatever that means. I would avoid Dawson creek far as staying the night over the years heard more stories about Americans cars getting broke into. Toad river if you arrive after they close and want a room walk in the door that’s unlocked be sign stating find a room door open that room is available. Settle up in the morning talk about an honor system.

Vern said it right ......I'd go get me the best four studed tires you find to start with ......you don't have to worry about them then and u stick to the road ...studs... you can get Summer tires from gi's moving around once you're here..... the zero Mark for the Alaska Highway starts at Dawson and then it's 1500 more miles!... when you get towards the Rockies after the F Nelson area it's pretty lonely around there lots of animals to dodge to .....but there'll be other people headed this way ( to AK )
too .....THE road after Nelson on the way to Watson lake can be ugly and then from Haines Junction to Tok is double Coyote Ugly ...... if it looks like or you hear it's going to snow when you're leaving a Big Town you stay in the Big Town. Lol...deer sheep Buffalo yokes moose will be checking u out so look your best ! It will be fun !

Thank you 79
las
BC30
Vek
T_inman
and everyone else.

This is happening more quickly than I would like for a trip like this, and I don't think my daughter understands the gravity of the situation. I am looking forward to seeing some beautiful country, and hoping not to freeze to death or hit a bison in the road.

I appreciate the information.

Vern mentioned Fast Eddy’s in Tok. Good food, reasonable prices. And a great salad bar. Three Bears just a bit to the west and across the highway from Fast Eddy’s has decent groceries and fuel. There are other fuel stops there too. If open the visitor’s center is a fun stop.

As others have mentioned plan your gas stops before you leave and run on the top half of the tank. Be very careful with any night driving. The wild critters like to travel the roads so that they don’t have to travel through the deep snow. Keep your headlights clean! Moose and bison are huge and dark colored, they don’t show up well at night.

Make sure you have a good (NEW) battery in the vehicle. And think about taking along one the power packs that you can use to jump start your vehicle if needed. And REAL snow tires as others have mentioned. Keep food in your car in case your planned eating stops are closed. Try to get your hands on a Mile Post publication. LOTS of info in one of those about traveling the Alcan and other hiways in Canada and Alaska-lodging, gas, eating places, etc. We always get the most current one when we make the drive from Nebraska to Alaska.

Oh, don’t forget to put winter air in those snow tires! Good luck!!!

One thing I forgot and no one has mentioned, the roads up there can be deceiving.

In places the road will look like an airport runway, make damn sure to stay in the middle. Those double plows will have the shoulders looking like the road. If you get over too far and you're sucked into snow a couple of feet deep.

If you have tow hooks, two 30 foot straps might not be a bad idea.

In my trips the closest thing I came to hitting was the horses that roam free. I was told the horse were from guide services. Couple very close calls at night and night is very long. Edk

I hope the OP, "davet", will keep us posted on the progress, might be interesting.

Davet, Lots of good info posted. You might show this thread to the daughter and have her read it all the way through. It is enough prep to make most GUYS think, so she might realize the risk involved. Also, she might see this is not a cheap scamper across half the continent. All the prep and equipment upgrades and checks will add up quickly.

Another thought is keeping your cool as two adults cooped up together for days on end in close quarters can rattle the nerves, especially when things are stressful to start. Maybe get a couple of audio books/CDs

Another consideration is how the weather has gone so far in the western half of the country. You never know but it seems to me that it has been tougher in the west this year. BC might give you a little info on that.

I have done a lot of winter traveling in the western U.S mountains and can tell you about being snowbound for a couple of days in the middle of the road with 4WD and chains...twice with the snow up to the door handles. Front End Loaders had to dig us out both times. So it can get nasty. Heed the advice here and be prepared. I would make make sure she knows all the prep, maintenance and how to put on tire chains.

Safe Travels and let us know how it goes.

Thanks Diesel.

That is a damn long time for a 2 or 3 year old to be in a car seat. Make sure to pack lots of entertainment and snacks …

Just got word that a local met a snowplow going the opposite direction. Unbeknownst to the local a semi driver from back east thought it was a good time to pass the plow.

Dodge met semi head on. Snowplow driver never knew the crash even happened. Driver died, passenger liver, truck driver lived.

Lots of two lane roads going north.

You won't die. You may wish for death though. Things will not go as planned. There will be much suck. You may end up having to hole up some place for several days. I'd rather slam my dick in a sliding glass door than do that trip. Best wishes.

What a jabroni!

I’d take the trip, but I’ve driven it I winter.

If you have a cordless torque wrench, take it for lug nuts. Don't let the battery freeze. Or buy one. It's worth it.

Best wishes for a true but non-life threatening adventure. Probably you will do fine but if something (anything) goes wrong, you will be in serious trouble. Plan for some things to go wrong.

BTW, great thread guys. Things like this almost make the BS worthwhile. Glad to see the solid guys showing up.

P.s. if that thing has the spare underneath on the outside get it the hell out of there. Edk

I agree I do it right now if a bud needed help. It can be a fun trip. Even in the winter.

I had to look that word up.

"Jabroni is an insult that is used to demean others."

You are so unfriended.