Alaska or 8411 miles

[netllama]

I've just returned (with my son) from a (likely) once in a lifetime road trip to Alaska (from the SF Bay Area). Over 19 days, I drove 8411 miles, and saw tons of stuff from Seward in the south all the way up to Deadhorse on the Arctic Ocean in the north. Thankfully, I had no car problems (not even a flat tire or damaged windshield).

Here are the photo highlights of the trip.


Along the Alaska Highway in the western Yukon Territory by netllama



Mushrooms along the Skookum Volcano Trail in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska by netllama



The Copper River near the McCarthy Road, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska by netllama



A lake along the McCarthy Road, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska (this road is 60 unpaved miles) by netllama



The Portage Glacier, south of Anchorage, Alaska by netllama



Matanuska Glacier, as seen from the Glenn Highway (AK-1), Alaska by netllama



The Exit Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska by netllama



The Exit Glacier from Marmot Meadow on the Harding Ice Field trail, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska by netllama



Mount McKinley, Denali National Park, Alaska by netllama



Caribou grazing in Denali National Park, Alaska by netllama



Dall sheep inside Denali National Park, Alaska by netllama



Seasonal streams in Denali National Park, Alaska by netllama



Three grizzly bears spotted from the (only) park road in Denali National Park, Alaska by netllama



Looking westward towards Denali along the (only) park road in Denali National Park, Alaska by netllama



Grizzly bears spotted from the (only) park road in Denali National Park, Alaska by netllama



A random moose leisurely crossing the Alaska Highway (AK-1) somewhere between Fairbanks & Tok, Alaska by netllama



Northbound on the Dalton Highway heading towards Deadhorse, Alaska by netllama



Fireweed in bloom along the Dalton Highway, in northern Alaska by netllama



Driving north on the Dalton Highway, towards Deadhorse, Alaska. by netllama



Looking southward towards the Brooks Range, along the Dalton Highway in northern Alaska (about 145 miles south of the Arctic Ocean) by netllama



Mount Sukakpak looms on the horizon, along the Dalton Highway, heading north towards Deadhorse, Alaska. by netllama



The extreme northern end of the Dalton highway, about 40 miles south of the Arctic Ocean, in northern Alaska by netllama



Prudhoe Bay, and the Arctic Ocean of which it is a part, along the north Alaskan coast by netllama



needs a wash by netllama


Keep in mind what I've posted above are merely what I've selected as the highlights. There are hundreds more posted here: https://netllama.linux-sxs.org/pix/trips/2011-07-alaska .

 

[ETAV8R]

What an incredible journey. Great pics.
:luxhello:

 

[netllama]

What an incredible journey. Great pics.
:luxhello:

Thanks. It was definitely a monster of a trip. I had several days where I logged over 800 miles in an effort to get up there (or back) as quickly as possible. A few thoughts & comments from the trip:

* Of the 19 days, we were camping for 14 of them.
* Oddly, the warmest day of the entire trip was when we were camping over a hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle and the high was 76F with bright sun (all night long)
* If I did it again, I'd bring a lot more long pants/shirts, not because of the temperature but to keep the bugs off. We had bug repellent with 30% DEET, and it did almost nothing. The mosquitoes up there are absolutely horrific in some places. At one camp ground, any time we were not moving, literally *dozens* of mosquitoes would land on us.
* Americans are absolutely spoiled on the cost of gasoline. After converting to US dollars & gallons, gas in Canada was, at cheapest, about US$5.16/gallon. When I was in New Zealand last March, I was paying upwards of US$8/gallon for gas.
* I found wifi in the strangest places. One night we were in this incredibly isolated camp ground in Dease Lake, British Columbia, which didn't have running water or electricity. Yet they were running a generator to get internet access over satellite.
* Grizzly bears are HUGE animals. Respect them, as they will never respect you.
* If you're taking a child into Canada, and *both* of its biological parents are not present, you must carry a notorized letter signed by all absent parents authorizing you to bring the child across the border (with specific dates of travel). Canadian customs is very stringent about this (to avoid kid-napping situations, etc). Oddly, US customs didn't care at all.
* If you drive through mud, sand, rocks, gravel that is not completely dry, make sure to clean out the wheel wells and inside circumference of the tires as soon as possible (preferably before it dries out). Once that stuff dries, it becomes like cement and will completely screw up the balance/alignment of the vehicle.
* The standard rules of the road do not apply on the Dalton Highway. Expect all sorts of crazy stuff, like road graders travelling the wrong direction (towards you), large water trucks dumping onto the road to suppress dust, creating massive mud pools for miles, private contractors stopping all traffic to allow trucks to use the entire road to avoid pot holes, a complete lack of signs for a hundred+ miles, etc.

I'd be happy to answer questions from anyone considering a trip like this. It definitely requires a lot of advanced planning.

thanks!

 

[conifers4]

Absolutely awesome pictures, you did what I dream of doing one day. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Soobarubin]

I plan to do this soon! Hopefully this fall! Thanks for the inspiration again!

-Jaren

 

[SLOwag]

Thanks for sharing your photos. You got to see Denali on a clear day, very nice.

 

[taggart_lumpy]

A trip i would love to do with my son when age/time permits

 

[Ranger Steve]

nice pics. sounds like an amazing trip

 

[java]

i too want to do this trip, just waiting for the munchkin to grow up a bit, and out of the car sickness......

 

[BIGGUY]

Very nice!

 

[Adventure Jeep]

Awesome! and on my list. Thx

 

[scanny]

That's the trip I always wanted to do and I hope I make it one day. Thanks for sharing!

 

[haven]

Thanks for sharing.

Do you have any comments about the vehicle you would choose, if you were planning another trip like this? Bigger, to provide inside sleeping option? Smaller, to improve gas mileage? More ground clearance and off-road tires to let you travel on unimproved roads? On board refrigerator? And so on.

 

[JCMatthews]

I am sooooooo jealous. I hope to be able to go back to Alaska soon. I am currently on the look out for a camper for my truck in preparation for a summer long trip to Alaska with my wife and three kids.

 

[Co-opski]

Skookum trip! Your Subby is now looking Alaskan with all that dirt. :smiley_drive: I did notice one thing, what you are calling Portage Glacier is Middle Glacier on the left and Explorer Glacier on the right in Portage Valley. :elkgrin: It was named to honor all the explorers who made it throught Portage Valley, like you and your son.

The Portage Glacier, south of Anchorage, Alaska by netllama

This picture the ice is washed out with the sun but you can see Explorer Pond and Glacier with Middle in the distant back ground.