ALCAN Road Trip Itinerary

We are officially one week away from heading out on our next big adventure. Cody, Specks, Luna, and I will be driving off at sunrise on Monday, July 18th.  This will  be our third time driving to or from Alaska, and I anticipate that it won't be our last.  The more times we do it though, the better and more well prepared we are for the trek.

  

The first time we drove to Alaska we took I-70 across the Midwest and into Colorado, and then jumped on a few more highways (heading through Utah and Oregon) that would eventually deposit us in Bellingham, Washington. In Bellingham, we jumped on the ferry and spent three days touring the Gulf of Alaska and eventually ended up in Juneau.  This trip was our shortest in terms of road time, but it was also the most stressful because we'd both never done a trip of this caliber on our own before.  The ferry was my favorite part of this particular trip.  We slept outside, watched the northern lights, and toured a bunch of tiny towns in SE Alaska.

The second time we took a big Alaskan road trip, we were leaving our home in Juneau and heading for Michigan. We drove the ALCAN highway for ten days.  First, we took the ferry from Juneau to Haines, and from there we headed through Canada and entered the United States in Babb, Montana. The drive was longer, but we were much more prepared and relaxed about the travel.  Our car was full of less stuff, we were able to stop and take a ton of pictures, and we got to do some camping (which we'd been to nervous to do the first time around).

Both trips had their pros and cons, and both were completely wonderful adventures in their own unique ways.  This time, we thought we'd try it out a bit of a different route and drive through Canada the entire time.  We will be adding two extra Canadian provinces to our itinerary this time around (Ontario and Manitoba). Our thought behind planning this specific route was that we wanted to camp on the north shore of Lake Superior and spend some time in either Banff or Jasper National Park. Both of these goals were possible with the adjusted itinerary. Here is our tentative schedule:

Day 1: Holland, MI to Wawa, ON (Border Crossing)

Day 2: Wawa, ON to Thunder Bay, ON

Day 3: Thunder Bay, ON to Winnipeg, MB

Day 4: Winnipeg, MB to Moose Jaw, SK

Day 5: Moose Jaw, SK to Lake Louise, AB

Day 6:  Banff or Jasper National Park

Day 7: Banff or Jasper National Park, AB to Grand Prairie, AB

Day 8: Grand Prairie, AB to Fort Nelson, BC

Day 9: Fort Nelson, BC to Watson Lake, YT

Day 10: Watson Lake, YT to Haines Junction, YT

Day 11: Haines Junction, YT to Tok, AK

Day 12: Tok, AK to Anchorage, AK

This schedule is tentative, and it puts us in Anchorage about five days before our flight leaves for our new home in Pilot Point, Alaska. I anticipate we will want to take at least one "rest day."  Our rest days usually consist of getting a hotel room, binge watching cable television, and ordering room service. This schedule also allows us to camp roughly every other day, which we've found to be more fun and MUCH cheaper.

If you're ever interested in driving through Canada and Alaska, and more specifically driving the ALCAN, I highly suggest picking up The Milepost. The Milepost, also known as The Bible of North Country Travel, is a travel guide that gives detailed highway information, community profiles, hotel and campground suggestions, gas station updates, tourist attractions, and so much more. It is updated yearly to keep it relevant. This kind of information is highly valued on this drive because there are long stretches without cell service, gas stations, hotels, etc. It's a beautiful and dangerous trek, which should not be done without proper preparations. Plan ahead, book hotels in advance, keep an emergency car bag with you (medical supplies, tools, etc), make sure you have everything you need to change a flat tire, and be hyper-aware of wildlife.

 If you're prepared, this drive across the vast northern countryside can be the adventure of a lifetime. And, if you're lucky like us, maybe you'll get to do it more than once. 

Your turn...What are some of your top road trip tips? 

Currently listening to... Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones