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Old 10-16-2015, 09:08 AM   #1
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Best Way to See Alaska

DW and I are trying to plan an Alaska trip for next summer. We're trying to decide on the best way to do this. We are both retired so no time limits. Options are 1)pull TT to Alaska, 2)fly to Alaska and rent camper, 3)drive to Alaska and rent camper, 4)fly to Alaska and rent car and "Hotel" it, 5)drive to Alaska and "Hotel" it.
We love to camp but setting up and tearing down daily is cumbersome and much more planning is required as well as shorter travel days because it is harder and more time consuming to get into and setup at campsite. If the trip can be planned for useful 3 or 4 night stays this becomes much less of an issue. Hotels are very convenient... However, staying in hotels I am afraid I might miss the real experience of the wilderness of Alaska (or not?). I am concerned about how well my "Ultralight" camper (Whitehawk 27DSRL) will hold up to the less than smooth paved roads in Alaska?
We've only been camping for about a year so I would be very interested in hearing your opinions from your varied backgrounds and experiences.
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Old 10-16-2015, 09:26 AM   #2
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KYCamper...there are a few Youtube videos on seeing Alaska via RV, you can start with this one
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Old 10-16-2015, 09:45 AM   #3
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I would fly and rent either a TT or a 5th wheel with a large rear picture window. You'll find many,many camping areas with fanomial views and at many you back right up to water and mountain views.
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Old 10-16-2015, 01:11 PM   #4
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Two sites to check out would be Gone with the Wynns and Technomadia. They both went to Alaska this summer and did it differently, each mentioning some of what you are thinking of. Definitely worth a look.
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Old 10-16-2015, 01:23 PM   #5
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Ak.

My wife and I pulled a 21 ft Trail lite with a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.9 engine from N.W. Wi. to Ak. in 2013. 8,500 miles in 6 weeks loved it. Never moteled it, cooked most of our own meals. Never had a camping reservation. End of July and all of August. Yep there is rough roads and bad weather sometimes but that's part of it. Even camped in Denali without a reservation. On the road by about 8:00 a.m. and looked for a spot by 3 to 4 p.m. Camped at Wal-mart, Shopco, Flying J when we needed to. If you want a private message I'll send you a write up about our trip. We now have a 2011 X23B and plan on returning in 2016 or 1017. I will have a truck with the next size engine 5.3 by then. There is a lot of beautiful country between here and AK and all part of the adventure.
Fuel was our major cost.
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Old 10-16-2015, 04:41 PM   #6
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DW and I have talked about this a couple times, although not pulled the trigger. Right now I would lean towards flying and a combination of Hotel and RV. Although I presonally prefer a towable, I would likely rent a MH for part of the time for camping then a car and hotels the balance.
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Old 10-19-2015, 05:26 PM   #7
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We did a 6 1/2 week trip to AK this summer. I had only one night under my belt of camping in our White Hawk 28DSBH prior to the trip, so experience is not mandatory as long as common sense is present. There are rough roads in the Yukon on the Alaska Highway prior to reaching AK, but most folks can manage them just fine. There are a lot of hills / mountains! We drove from MI to Washington State then up through B.C. Trip totaled 11,000 miles. The scenery ism outrageously beautiful. Feel free to PM for any specific questions you may have!
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Old 10-19-2015, 06:13 PM   #8
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Problem with driving or towing to Alaska is that when its over, you still are facing a 4000 or more drive home. We are vets of multi fly and rent MH's and highly recommend that method. If you want to see Alaska, that's the way to go. If you want to see parts of Canada and Alaska, then drive.

Our next trip to Alaska will likely be a fly and B&B plan. Have several locations we would like to spend more time at. All are remote and more or less off the grid. Only a few lodges scattered out there so helps to be familiar with the layout. We do not like to spend time in cities [can get as much of that as we want down in the lower 48].

We have always rented from ABC in Anchorage. Would give them a top rating and our Mhomes have always been current year models. Last one only had 7500 miles and the bulk of that was driving it from Elkhart In.
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Old 10-19-2015, 06:23 PM   #9
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My DW & I did Alaska twice once in 2012 & again in 2013. First trip with 3 other couples & it was nothing but planes, trains, and automobiles. Saw some great scenery but felt too rushed. Saw many Motor Homes, 5ers, TTs on the highways and decided to Fly and rent an MH the following year. Found a great company in Anchorage with a clean, current year MHs at a reasonable prices that were fully stocked. Had Camping reservations the First & Last night only. Spent over 2 weeks cruising the State and talking to people at the Campsites, stores, restaurants, etc. who gave us some excellent info. Saw more and experienced more in that trip than the first one. There are so many places to stop on and off the Map, many great sites for Boondocking, Campsites in SP, NP, and BLM Lands. One thing I do recommend is to buy a copy of MilePost (or go Online)now to get an idea of the vastness of Alaska. It has more info then you will ever need, including roads, campsites, places to see, etc. Might give you a general overview of what to see & do. One caveat that the driver that picked us up at the airport mentioned, NEVER let your fuel Tank get below 1/2.

And the best part, once you are ready to head home, Drive the MH back to the rental place, pull out your clothes out and head Home. They take care of everything. No worry about Cleaning, Dumping tanks, etc. It got my DW & I back into RVing and we are planning to do it again very soon. PM if any questions or additional info.
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Old 11-30-2015, 08:27 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RSerendipity View Post
My DW & I did Alaska twice once in 2012 & again in 2013. And the best part, once you are ready to head home, Drive the MH back to the rental place, pull out your clothes out and head Home. They take care of everything. No worry about Cleaning, Dumping tanks, etc. It got my DW & I back into RVing and we are planning to do it again very soon. PM if any questions or additional info.
X2, X3, X4!!! There and back home trips in 24 hours, if goal is to see Alaska, why spend 3/4 of your time driving thru lower 48 and Canada? If you would like to drive Canada, an option is to contact an RV rental co in Anchorage and contract with them to drive up a new MH from Elkhart In. Will cut you a deal w/ reasonable time to make the drive and sitesee at the same time. If Alaska is the goal, FLY and rent.
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