Alaska Journey

[sambob]

I have been planning a trip to Alaska for most of my adult life and have finally decided to just do it. I had originally planned on taking the trip on my BMW motorcycle in the 70's but never did. Then I bought a new 2000 Outback with dreams of venturing into the wilderness but the journey never materialized. I recently purchased a 2010 Outback Premium and will make the trip in April of next year. I realize that is a long time to plan but was wondering if anyone in Outback-land has made the journey and what, if anything, I need to do to my Outback before I leave. I have thought about a "bra" for the front of the car to protect it from rocks being thrown about by trucks and other cars. I have also thought about buying some kind of covers for the lights so the lenses won't break from the gravel. An extra full size spare tire for sure but other than that, i am open to whatever suggestions come my way. Look forward to feedback.

[oceanruss]

Made the trip a few years ago in an 87 Oldsmobile with <100K miles. Only suffered a chip to the windshield (following too close to a truck) and broken alternator. Drove the Alaskan Highway on the way up. It's paved the entire way except where road construction was resurfacing the highway. Drove the Cassiar Highway on the trip back. Some dirt roads but in good condition. Recommend both routes. Should be lots of fun in the new Outback.

[duallydave]

The light covers and full size spare tire are both good ideas. I've been there three times, drove from Seattle twice, flew to Anchorage and rented once. We had flat tires twice, but had full size spares that got us to a place to get a repair - one repair was at Coldfoot on the Dawson hwy. We also got a cracked windshield and would have had a broken driving light except that it did have a plexiglass cover that took it instead. A plastic gas can or two on the roof can be handy if you take the more lonely routes, but make sure the caps are on tight.

On the gravel roads, cars and big trucks tend to drive more in the middle and swerve over when approaching an oncoming car, when they swerve over that throws up gravel at the oncoming car, that's how our windshield got cracked. The Dawson hwy from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay is 900 miles round trip of dirt/gravel road, with the only gas stations at Coldfoot and Prudhoe Bay, but the Brooks range and North slope are worth seeing. Mt Sukakpak is where I want my ashes scattered when I'm gone. The Klondike hwy through Dawson City is a lonely stretch, but worth it, Dawson City is an interesting place.

April is kind of early in the season, some of the more northerly places may not be so accessable, not sure. I've only been there in July and August. You may beat a lot of the mosquitos, though. We discovered that a dust buster hand vac comes in very handy to remove mosquitos inside the car, there are often quite a few that get inside, instead of trying to smash them with your hand, you can suck them out of mid air, and out of the cracks and crevices.

The Cassiar hwy shortens the route by several hours, but taking both routes is a good idea. Check out the sign forest at Watson Lake in the Yukon. We took a plane flight out of Kluane Lake, flew by Mt Logan, the tallest peak in Canada, then low over (down) a glacier on the way back, buzzed some mountain goats on a hilltop, very cool.

If you want to come up through Alberta, I would also recommend going through Calgary and up the Banff Jaspar hwy, then over to Prince George, this is some of the best of the Canadian Rockies. That would probably be the more direct route from where you are coming anyway.

If you are in the area, a side trip to Valdez and a day cruise down Prince William Sound to Columbia Glacier is also highly recommended. Denali Park is also another great place, but the school bus ride is slow and bumpy. If you are lucky, the clouds will part and let you see the mountain.

Have a great time, take lots of pictures!

[noahrexion]

so...

trip report?