OCONUS part of the trip:
I am leaving from Oklahoma and I have plans to stay with friends/family on the way out to the Seattle area so I am not concerned at all about this section of the trip. Right now I am looking to take 10 days but hopefully I will be able to take 14 days to make it up to Alaska.

Option 1:
From the Seattle area I originally planned on driving up north through Canada on the BC-97 N and linking up with the Alcan highway to take me into Alaska. Growing up in the Midwest I do have experience driving through hazardous and inclement weather but never over distances this long or in such remote areas.

I will be driving a 4x4 Toyota Tundra with brand-new all-season tires. From what I have read I understand to call ahead to locations where I would be staying to check on room availability. Try not to go below half a tank of gas. I have also purchased tire chains and a 2016 version of "The Milepost." I plan to carry an extra 10 gallons of fuel in my truck, along with normal roadside emergence gear.

The "pinpointed" cities are projected cities to stay overnight, after doing some reading on other forums on what others have done but again I don't know if this is possible this time of year with the weather or limited sunlight.



A family friend that has a son in Anchorage said she would not recommend driving that route this time of year but I thought I would get ARFCOM's opinion before completely ruling it out.


Option 2:
Her idea was to drive straight up through the Dakotas and go across Saskatchewan/Alberta until linking up with the Alcan because she said the mountainous terrain over on the western side of Canada is a nightmare this time of year.

I liked the idea of staying out of the Canadian wilderness until I absolutely had to cross the boarder. (No offense Canada) Are those mountain ranges on the west too treacherous this time of year?


Option 3:
This option was to drive west across the United States and take a ferry from Bellingham, WA to Haines, AK and then drive on to Anchorage via the Alaska Marine Highway System

I like this idea but the ferry only leaves once a week on Friday from Bellingham and from what I've read it takes close to five days to get to Alaska.


Sorry for the seemingly sporadic thoughts and questions, but if there is anybody that has embarked on this adventure I would love to hear about your experiences. I have read a few older archived threads about traveling to Alaska but either they had more time to travel or were during the summer season. If there is any more information that anybody needs to help me with my decision, let me know.

Thanks ARCOM!

Go in June....all I got for ya man.

If starting from Seattle, take the boat..if heading to ak from okc, go to great falls mt, and head north to Calgary..
Awesome experience ahead for you..

My wife and I drove your option two from Seattle this past July. We were planning to return on your option one, but were informed in Fort Nelson that the western highway was very torn up and devoid of services for extremely long stretches. It was very strongly recommended not to take the western route. We did not take the western route. The Alcan Highway was a beautiful trip. The roads were fine, except for many construction zones. You would not have as many of them as I understand most of the work is done in the summer. Having said all this, if I were you, I would, without hesitation, choose  your option three, the ferry. I would save the Alcan Highway for a return trip, hopefully, when the weather will be better.

I took the ferry in January for a PCS to Anchorage and then back again a few years later, also in the winter. Honestly, I thought it was pretty fun and easy. I would do it again. Bring a good book and relax. But I hate sitting in a car for 10+ hours on long road trips.

I did Phoenix to Anchorage in 2001.

Take the scenic road to prince George,It's beautiful and it's worth it

Route 1 and 2 either are good. No matter what you hit the ALCAN at Dawson Creek and North from there. Route B you are driving through a lot of Canola fields. It is flat and good interstates.

Get yourself a copy of the "Milepost". Watch for critters to include Bison, Moose, and bears in the road. Personally I would drive up, and ferry back. ALCAN is fun once

Oh, and make sure you stop at Laird Hot Springs. It is worth it. Even if it is after hours you can walk back and sit in them.

ETA: Be very careful from Destruction Bay YT to Beaver Creek. There will be a lot of bad frost heaves. Loot for markers on the side of the road, they will somewhat warn you.

Aviator

Here are pics from one of my drives.

Can I go?

I've done the AKMHS trip to Juneau in winter, AWESOME. Don't bother with a room sleep on the sun deck, they have heaters, just make sure you have a decent sleeping bag and you'll be GTG. IIRC they only allow you to go to your vehicle twice a day, make sure to pack the booze up with you during these times. There is a bar on the boat but it's pricey

This is a PCS move as well. I am really leaning towards the ferry as I know I'll get sick of driving since this is more of a rush to get up there compared to a leisurely vacation.

I have driven it a pile of times.... Although January of 02 was the last time..I prefer to drive it in the winter, you just need to keep an eye out for bad storms...my preferred method was taking the Casiar hyway, but it is real mountain passes and might not be good for someone not used to winter conditions...my favorite crossing has always been Sweetwater on US-15, mainly because it was the straightest shot toward Nevada/ Arizona where I was headed....I have crossed all the way over at Sumas and on I-5 at peace arch..seemed like a lot more out of the way driving to get where you are going...normal drive time from Seattle to Anchorage was about 50 hours if I wanted to get there..pretty much straight thru driving...Canada used to do a pretty good job keeping the hiway open and plowed, but in some areas it's nothing to be sitting for a couple days due to storms..be damn sure you have tow straps, chains, shovel, tools.. and warm survival gear, food and water.And pay close attention to truckers..very common for them to fall a sleep at the wheel...spare fan belts oil, antifreeze and such are also a good idea...

If you hammer down, you can get from the US border to Anchorage using route 2 in 4 days. I have done it a couple times.

Aviator

I've done the Alcan 5 times now in a semi in the winter. The stretch from Watson Lake to Tok will be longer than you think. Try to make it to Whitehorse from Ft Nelson or stop in Haines Junction. This time of the year the roads can be bad. Steamboat Pass will be the worst part. Take it easy, smooth movements with the steering wheel, easy on easy off of the throttle. Don't be this guy,

I saw him wreck. Back end just came around. The road was nothing but ice that day.
Watch out for wildlife around Muncho Lake. The wildlife likes to stand in the road there including the bison.

The path through Sask is horribly boring and that is coming from a person who likes driving in Kansas. You will not hit any mountains in Canada until Steamboat Pass. You will hit mountains in MT if you go on I-94 and I-15. To get around this and make the drive nicer take a state route out of Billing to Great Falls MT. Much nicer drive.

Drive it, but be ready to hunker down if the weather gets it's worst. Leave engine run all night or plug in a battery blanket, oil pan heater, radiator heater if the temps go below -40*f.  There are a few towns in Canada that have lots of auto break-ins at the hotels.  One in particular, can't remember the name....

http://511.alaska.gov/alaska511/mappingcomponent/index

Those are some of our road conditions right now.

Looks like you can check out Yukon territory as well.

I googled 511 Yukon

They don't have bars on the ferries any more it's byob only now.

Drive to Seattle.  Put vehicle on the Tote freighter heading to Anchorage.  Pay about a grand. Head to SeaTac, jump on Alaska Airlines.
Your welcome.

This is what I am leaning towards. From what I've read that ferry has a great view as well. I want to make that drive at some point but I'd rather not have to do it under such stringent time constraints. It's not like Alaska won't have plenty of wilderness for me to see anyways.



I was hoping that you would chime in. I remember seeing some of your posts of your adventures up around that area. (At least I believe it was you) What time of year did you do this? Great photos btw, what camera do you use?



Yes, tho I'm not in NC anymore.

i think that will be an awesome drive!!!

stay in Banff, Alberta on your way up, its beautiful

We drove a uhaul truck and trailer to AK last year last week in April.  I think the steepest grade was 10%.  There was no snow in Canada but would have been the year before.  Roads were in good shape other than the last 40km before getting to AK where it was very dusty.  We crossed at Sumas from US.  We had powder, primers, cases, and ammo, but no guns.  No problems.  (almost)Everyone speeds in Canada.

We thought Canada was pretty expensive.  We followed the half tank rule.  We carried 20gal extra gas.  Didn't need, but poured 10gal into tank in Canada to avoid some of the gas taxes in Yukon.  Spent night in Tok, had a nice dinner, good room, and big breakfast for less than the so-so room in Canada the night before.

I took our little truck up on the ferry to Whittier the year before.  Snow/sleet was blowing sideways when we docked.  Very nice trip.  I had one of the simple staterooms to sleep in... and a small window to look out ( Uncle Sam's Navy cured me of having a cabin with no view outside).  Towel &wash cloth was $1 and the hot water was free.  I thought the food was a bit expensive, but was OK.  If you take your own stuff you could use a microwave.

http://www.canadianbucketlist.com/experiences/liardhotsprings/

Liard Hot Springs mile 477 in BC. You will be ready to soak! Regards

Boise to Fairbanks, in 56 hours total time... summer of 2001. danm I was stupid back then... took longer in 2014 when I drove it.

Expect to get stuck in Watson lake because the gas pumps wont take your credit cards and you are too away from next town to safely make it. Be SURE you call your credit card company and tell them you will be traveling(had mine shut off unexpectedly), 10 gallons of gas is only like 200 miles in a Tacoma... keep them full, or get another 5(cuz we are paranoid here on ARF). In 2014 I got screwed and had to make a 300 mile east detour due to an avalanche, there was ONE gas station that I remember and it had gas at 5 something a gallon, I used my gas can parked in front of the gas pump glaring at the owner, then took a SMELLY NASTY dump and bought a mint for .25 cents. The town of Thunder Bay has the best cop car ever... (plywood cut out painted like a real mountie car, don't worry you will slam on your brakes and then get close, then remember this laugh and speed up).

It can easily be done, just don't count on cranking the heat and driving the whole way in shorts, pack accordingly and dress accordingly, (minimum of jacket on inside truck, if you roll off the road you may be alone a while). Some places require you have chains on to go over certain passes in some seasons, others just require you have them, the milepost will let you know which ones are which. If you wanna bring a long gun you gotta fill out a form for Canada and US customs will want the info on it prior to departure(I don't think pistols are an option). call ahead to check.

They have good food at the gas station and restaurant there. If you are hungry and you are going by there stop. There isn't much food to be had past there until Beaver Creek which is a bit of a drive to from there.