GBEngineer
So Cal
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I am planning a trip to Alaska next summer (2010) and am interested in input on the best route through Canada to Alaska. I don't know anything about which roads are better and which routes have the best scenery. Any advice would be appreciated along with any good campground in Canada to stop at along the way.
Matt
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MSU74
California
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I went straight North from LA on I15, crossing into Canada then to Calgery. From there I took the Icefields Highway to Grand Prairie then on up the Alcan. Get a copy of Milepost. It has a wealth of info you can use.
There are a few rough sections on the Alcan, but I thought most of it was fairly good road.
It was a great trip. I'm sure you will enjoy it.
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joe b.
Florida
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I have never done south to north on that route but I have done the reverse from Fairbanks to San Diego. I would take Interstate 5 north and cross either at Sumas or a Blaine, then north to Prince George, west to Kitwanga on Hwy 16, north on Hwy 37, the Cassiar, to just north of Watson Lake and join the Alaska Hwy there.
On the way back after making the tourist's circle in Alaska, I would stay on the Alaska to Dawson Creek, cut south at Grande Prairie on Hwy 40 to Hinton, AB then west to Jasper and south on the Ice Fields Parkway to Banff. From there wander back south to LA however you wish.
You could reverse the trip and go up on the Alaska Hwy and come back on the Cassiar. Some folks like to stop in the fall on the Cassiar at Stewart/Hyder and watch the bears eat salmon.
It is a great trip, no longer a wilderness road but still a good paved road through a beautiful wilderness. There will be some construction zones where it is necessary to slow down to a speed appropriate to the road conditions.
Good books to have to study before hand and to take with:
www.rollinghomes.com Alaskan Camping Mike and Teri Church
www.themilepost.com lots of info and advertisements
www.bellsalaska.com does specifie regions and many are free
These are available from many sources, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and/or your favorite book seller or the publishers.
I also like the Delorme topo Atlas in paper form. www.delorme.com
* This post was
edited 10/26/09 03:37pm by joe b. *
joe b.
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skipnchar
Topeka Kansas USA
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You would be a good candidate for the Cassiar highway as it runs down the western part of Canada and joins the Alaska Highway near Watson Lake.
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HarryWM
Wherever we are parked this time.
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I agree with joe b. above. We crossed at Sumas, a very easy border crossing. I recommend head up to Dawson Creek and take Alaska Hwy to Alaska or to Whitehorse and N to Dawson City, Top Of the World Hwy and on Tok etc. Save Cassiar for return trip to see Grizzlies at Hyder. I also agree with his recommendations on Church book and Milepost.
Harry
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tcman
Aldergrove, BC
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Cross at Sumas (a few miles from my house BTW). There is an RV park right on the US side of the border on your right before entering Sumas, or you can also boondock in the Walmart parking lot in abbotsford on the Canadian side (first left at the lights immediately after crossing under the freeway - you can't see it til after you have turned & gone a block. That allows you a full day to travel after crossing the border. You may want to go one way by taking hwy 3 at Hope & up through the okanagan Valley - Penticton, kelowna, etc. Nice arid area with very large lakes & wineries. Go up to Kamloops, clearwater, see spectacular Helmekin falls then take hwy 24 back over to hwy 97 & up to Prince George. Definitely do the Cassiar hwy one way.
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Craig Nold
Gilliam, Missouri, USA
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Many people like to start their first trip up the Alaska Highway from Mile 0 for historic reasons and that's not a bad idea. I agree with Joe and others when it comes to the Icefields Parkway and Highway 40 to Grange Prairie. That is a great way to start your trip and the scenery only gets better as you go. From Jasper, Highway 16 to 97 at Prince George is slightly longer but more scenic than Hwy. 40.
There are actually two reasons to save the Cassiar Highway for your return trip. First, is to see the bears at Fish Creek, but later in the season, the road to Salmon Glacier is more likely to be snow free. One RV park with hookups and a great view, is Mountain Shadow. It is located two miles north of Iskut at Mile J 254.1 on the Cassiar Highway. http://www.mtshadowrvpark.com/
The Cassiar combined with the "West Access Route," as outlined in the Milepost, is slightly shorter than one that takes you via Grande Prairie but if you include the side trip into Hyder, the mileage and estimated driving time to or from LA is virtually identical.
Another and often overlooked route to the Icefields Parkway is Highway 95 out of Winnemucca, NV. After crossing the border at Kingsgate, you inter Kootenay National Park at Radium Hot Springs, BC. Set aside a day or two to explore the Cranbrook/Fort Steele area.
http://sandpoint.web.infoseek.co.jp/cities/fortsteele.html
Craig Nold
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