To Alaska and Back

[JuanValdez]

Figured I would share my trip from this summer with the 2010 LE

Drove from Minneapolis to Thorne Bay Alaska and back - 5400 miles - 23 days - 1 wife - 1 dog

Minneapolis, through ND, northern Montana, Calgary, Banff, Jasper, Prince George, Prince Rupert, (Ferry), Ketchikan, (Ferry), Thorne Bay, (Ferry), Ketchikan, (Ferry), Prince Rupert, Prince George, Kamloops, Moscow, Hightail home.

Slept most nights on the road in the back of the 4runner with the cargo tray slid out. We used two camping pads under a bed sheet + pillows + comforter, it was very comfy and a nice alternative to the tent/hotels.

We also had a generic SUV tent from Amazon that worked well for sleeping with the back open for airflow while keeping the bugs out. A small Ryobi lithium fan from Home Depot worked great for airflow on hot nights.

We used a Thule box for most of our food and gear and kept the stuff in the car to a minimum as the dog had free range of the back while we were driving.

We also had a RoadShower for freshening up, water for cooking/cleaning, and washing off the dogs after muddy hikes, etc. We filled up and pressurized the 5 gallons upon leaving Minneapolis, and it lasted all the way to Alaska.

We got into some nice jeep style trails / disused logging roads in BC and once on Prince of Whales island in Alaska and the rugged road capabilities were great (I have plenty of branch scratching as a badge of honor)

Notes on traveling with the dog (45 pound shepherd husky mix). There will be lots of hair with any shedding dog in a small space, just deal with it. We had him setup with a bed in the back seat with the seat bottoms up but the seat backs still up, that provided lots of room and was a lot more stable for my dog that does not like to sleep in the car. Food kept in this container worked out very well . Also, if time allows, having a dog with you forces you to find a hike or activity on the road each day which definitely helps break up the day and forces you to see more than you might otherwise.

Here are some photos!

 

[adam2562]

sweet! i wanna do a trip up to Alaska and that furthest north point.. but being on the east coast, that will be a LONG trip!

 

[8086bruce]

Great pics! Very jealous!!!

 

[Semi-Hex]

I hope you liked the road shower as much as we do ours.

 

[dcaero]

I would love to do an Alaska road trip, someday...

 

[4FL]

Wow! Nice trip you had. My wife and I are getting ready for a trip to Alaska next year, driving from Florida up to the Dalton Highway to the Article Circle line.

Did your items like the roadshower, suv tent, and fan work well? I know the fan is a big concern as I like ventilation, but to keep the bugs out. I was thinking of rigging up a screen to attach to my sunroof to allow more ventilation.

Any tips on how/where to find to pull in for camping while traveling up there?

How well did the roadshower work? Was it practical to invest in? I was thinking it would be nice to go a few days camping, then one day hotel, something like that, but really would like to enjoy the nature by camping.

 

[JuanValdez]

So in terms of what worked:

We used the Road Shower mostly for cooking water (we used a lot of pre-made Indian Food) we would put the sealed packet in boiling water for a few minutes to heat it up. Really easy and it allows for less cleanup, tasty too.

We also used it in the mornings for freshening up on non-hotel days but it is chilly in the morning, so more of a spritz than a full shower. I never used it as a full shower per-say.

The SUV tent was nice once we figured out how to rig it to fit over the back (I practiced a lot a home). We never had any bug issues, and the back open + the Ryobi fan were great albeit we never had any scorching nights, I also rigged up a way to suspend the fan between the two rear clothes hooks and point it down at the bed, and that was nice.

I thought about the bug net over windows/sunroof idea as well and brought some with, but never needed to use it.

We did similar to what you were thinking, car camp for 2-3 days and then get a hotel to refresh, but after each hotel I was kind of disappointed and wished I had just slept at a campsite or in the car. The only nice part about the hotel was a clean/hot shower.

In terms of campsites and where to pull off for camping we used Map of Free Camping Areas | Go Camping for Free! for places to park and camp, we also used a few RV type campgrounds and just pull into a tent spot. We also used State Parks (in the US) and Provincial Parks (in AB and BC) for their camp sites which were typically the nicest and cheapest $10-20 per night. We also did a few pull off at wayside/rest stops and slept in the back without the SUV tent when we just needed to rest after driving late into the night. Also, if you are going through Banff and Jasper they are both like Disney World, so try and find a place to camp a bit outside of the area (they are fun for a stop during the day).

Send me a PM if you want to chat more.

Wow! Nice trip you had. My wife and I are getting ready for a trip to Alaska next year, driving from Florida up to the Dalton Highway to the Article Circle line.

Did your items like the roadshower, suv tent, and fan work well? I know the fan is a big concern as I like ventilation, but to keep the bugs out. I was thinking of rigging up a screen to attach to my sunroof to allow more ventilation.

Any tips on how/where to find to pull in for camping while traveling up there?

How well did the roadshower work? Was it practical to invest in? I was thinking it would be nice to go a few days camping, then one day hotel, something like that, but really would like to enjoy the nature by camping.