TX to AK in December Set-up Advice

[Swede71]

I drove the Canadian side last fall going up to canoe the Yukon River then catching Salmon in Alaska. Good tires, extra fuel, being prepared for no cell reception and having the right gear for if you are stranded for 24hrs or more is all you need. It is mostly paved with the odd gravel spot that if covered in snow/ice does not matter if it is paved or not. When I drove in warm weather I experienced one town with no power meaning fuel pumps did not work, however a nice lady on the side of the road offered her fuel for her ATV's for 5x the price, bless her heart. Either way as a precaution have 2-3 jerries of fuel, candle lantern for warmth in the cab, this way you will not get hot wax dripping, 2 sleeping bags, a small portable camping stove to heat tea/coffee/soup for warmth if stranded, you can always heat snow. Also if you have not done so upgrade your headlights/foglights for driving through fog/snowy conditions and for seeing wildlife quicker. The winters in Alaska are not as harsh as the winters in Northern/Central BC so once though that you will be fine. Only buy down sleeping bags, synthentic suck in real cold, pay extra for good quality.

Also if you want to, dehydrate a bunch of meat and vegies to snack on, as well as cook with spices, these will take way less room than conventional food and if you are like me it is fun to do.


https://www.rei.com/product/830341/msr-whisperlite-international-backpacking-stove
https://www.rei.com/product/624320/uco-candlelier-candle-lantern

 

[mrevilandy]

Tires definitely, love my ko2 in th snow. Compliments the 4Runner nicely imo. Lift? If u haven't tried off roading stock yet u night be surprised what it could do. Decide after.

 

[96r50]

...dehydrate a bunch of meat...

Mmmmmmm, jerky :whoo:

I need to make some jerky again.

 

[MattAK]

I would not suggest taking the Steese highway in the winter. There's no cell reception, you'll need to carry at least 10-15 gallons of fuel and 2 tires. That's not a great road to travel on in the winter. Be prepared that if you stop it will drop the temp on your engine even idling. Make sure you have a engine block heater. Honestly you aren't going to need a lift or anything like that, you just need to have those spare tires and extra fuel. Emergency equipment to make sure you can survive in the freezing if you go that direction. I would suggest crossing in Montana, south of Calgary and going north to Edmonton, then white horse, tok, then on from there. Just my thoughts.

I second this. I've driven to/from Utah to Alaska 5 times, most recently last June. I've never gone the middle of the winter but I've talked to people that have. The Cassiar highway (37) is a lonely highway even in the summer and parts of it may be closed in the winter. Better to go up through Edmonton and follow the actual Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek. Also lots of the little places that you can fuel in the summer will be closed in the winter so carry extra for sure. That stretch from Fort Nelson to Watson Lake is the worst for fuel. I usually tossed in some at the Northern Rockies Lodge at Muncho Lake and they're the only thing open on that stretch in the winter. Good luck!

 

[alaskaman]

Here is a thread of my last trip down. I carry my Scorpion ATR on the top rack and run Nokia SUV 5 Studded. I also carry a Satt phone and carry water and food. All the preparations for winter travel are worthless if you don't have a way to COMMUNICATE. There are many good products now both emergency and satellite based. You cannot make an error on your drive as vehicles are few and temperatures plummet. It was -74 in Destruction Bay Yukon CN at night so cold that a block heater was really not enough. At those temperatures you can buy it within 30 minutes. Go to the Alaska forum on city data for more tips. Anyway it can be there trip of a lifetime if you're prepared.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/gener...4runner-challenge-traversing-arctic-cold.html

 

[live_discover]

No advice for the trip, but when you come through Washington I can get a few of us together and maybe grab a beer or something. Keep that in mind just throwing it out there.

 

[alaskaman]

I would run your regular tires and change over in Bellingham WA at Discount Tires. I think that they charged me $35.00.

Also be advised (and this is important) that if you have ANY felony or DUI you will not be able to drive into Canada. If you carry weapons check the Canadian laws.

 

[WhiteLightning]

SITREP: went with the 5100/Daystar setup. Took the ferry from Bellingham to Haines. Rear Bilstein​s failed between Tok and Anchorage. Wish I went with a full OME setup.

 

[49Runner]

SITREP: went with the 5100/Daystar setup. Took the ferry from Bellingham to Haines. Rear Bilstein​s failed between Tok and Anchorage. Wish I went with a full OME setup.

Did Mt to AK in mid October, when did you get back up to AK?

Interesting to hear about your rear shock (that road out of Tok SUUUUUCKS), looking at suspension options now.

 

[RedST4R]

I recently just moved to Eielson AFB, AK last month. I drove all the way from SC but I took the ferry from Bellingham, WA to Haines, AK. I expected the weather would be warmer in march but it was still in single digits or below lol. Driving on the Alcan was not bad, although I didn't drive the whole highway, roads are well maintained. You'll see a lot of plow tractors along the way. I have on Kumho AT51s and it handled pretty well on snow but it sucks on ice even though it's m+s rated. However, I didn't experience losing traction cause I was on 4wd and driving below the speed limit. So my suggestion is to do the same since you'll be traveling in the middle of winter. Also, gas stations are at least 100 miles apart so definitely plan ahead ie have an emergency kit (extra gas, sleeping bag, food, fire starters, etc). I didn't carry an extra gas can but I made sure I got gas every time I saw a gas station.

When it comes to lift, I did a mild lift and change the rear springs just for the purpose of compensating for heavy load. I had on about 900# with family included. Besides that, not really needed. I would just install an airlift 1000 if you'll have a heavy load to avoid squatting.

Other than that... take your time, have your camera ready cause it's an awesome drive. Here's a pic of what you have to look forward to.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kott3670]

I read the first page of posts and tend to agree, didn't read the second page so I don't know if this was covered. I'm stationed on the west coast, gone TDY all over the west coast- DO NOT LIFT BEFORE THE TRIP! I've done the drive from TX to the far West coast and all around here more than I've wanted to- The wind is hell! Especially in the winter. When you get to Alaska give her a lift, compared to my jeep I had, the 4Runner does not like the wind. Keep her as low as possible, you shouldn't need a lift for the trip, just get high rated tires that can handle severe snow / rain and honestly that's all I would want for the trip across the west. Maybe upgrade the shocks to prevent the nose dive in this trucks but otherwise leave it stock height till you get to Alaska

 

[WhiteLightning]

I read the first page of posts and tend to agree, didn't read the second page so I don't know if this was covered. I'm stationed on the west coast, gone TDY all over the west coast- DO NOT LIFT BEFORE THE TRIP! I've done the drive from TX to the far West coast and all around here more than I've wanted to- The wind is hell! Especially in the winter. When you get to Alaska give her a lift, compared to my jeep I had, the 4Runner does not like the wind. Keep her as low as possible, you shouldn't need a lift for the trip, just get high rated tires that can handle severe snow / rain and honestly that's all I would want for the trip across the west. Maybe upgrade the shocks to prevent the nose dive in this trucks but otherwise leave it stock height till you get to Alaska

So if you read the last page you would have seen that I did lift with Bilstein 5100s. The load/road caused the rear shocks to fail so going stock would have been worse. If I could do it again I would have gotten OME setup.

 

[WhiteLightning]

Here's a couple pics from the trip. The second one was taken at the same cabin about 5 years apart. 4th gen leaving AK 5th gen coming back. Sorry the first image is huge, on my iPad and not about to start editing stuff.

 

[kott3670]

So if you read the last page you would have seen that I did lift with Bilstein 5100s. The load/road caused the rear shocks to fail so going stock would have been worse. If I could do it again I would have gotten OME setup.

Glad you made it safe! I guess I'm still a bit in the full-size truck mindset, the idiots with 8" lifts and crappy tires in the snow getting blown off the side of the road where I'm from was always a good time. In the southwest the winds are hell and it just takes the fun out of driving battling a 50+MPH crosswind on the highway!

 

[Mello03]

How'd the KO2s do on that trip?