Towing a Trailer to Alaska

[Sandybar]

Retiring next year! Whoopie!

Want to go to Alaska for 2-3 months. Anyone here ever tow a trailer to Alaska from Oregon?

Pros and Cons? Do's and Don'ts. Recommend or not recommend?

Thanks in Advance.

kc

[sirrealone]

I know someone that talked about this. He's said that the drive is pretty tough on a trailer, and that if he does, he'll probably buy one that's already got some wear and tear on it, then resell it when he gets back home, rather than beat up the one he wants to keep for a few years.

[bankr63]

Not personally, no. But check out the last season of KYD (Keep Your Daydream) on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEh...t8McryMf_DHLZQ

They documented their trip really well, and there are great tips in several episodes. Mark's got a really good eye for video, with great scenery. They are Arizona based, so an even longer journey for them.

Less Junk More Journey https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I...c6kRtIiAGPRKZA was also there last summer. I don't follow their Vlog as much, although I do regularly check out their All About RV's Vlog.

[SkyBound]

Leave your guns at home! Be familiar with Canadian laws and border regulations.

[pamanc]

We did this trip summer of 2017. We drove a new Jayco Melbourne 25 foot Class C and our friends drove a new 28 foot bumper pull. We travelled from Bend Oregon and entered Canada at Osoyoos. Drove up the Cassiar Highway (beautiful!) initially and caught part of the Alaska Highway on the way to Homer. Also visited Fairbanks, Anchorage, Took a short ferry to Dawson City. Can’t recall all the places we visited. We were on the road for 6 weeks. We eventually completed the entire length of the Alcan. Yes there were parts of the road like washboard as well as frost heaves. But you just take it slow. We never felt we were not going to be able to find gas or diesel. The roads in our opinion were not nearly as bad as ppl say they are. Gas was not scarce in our experience. The mosquitos were fierce in Canada but tolerable in Alaska. And mosquitos and I have a love/hate relationship... they love me and I hate them. We used a Clam pop up screen room and was able to be outside with mosquitos and/or rain. Neither of us had ANY damage to tires, windshield or body of the rigs.
Dates we traveled were June 1-July 12. Earlier than most of the crowds. It was a great trip. Don’t miss “Top of the world Highway”
You might think about reservations at some spots, especially closer to July.

[Redwing]

My brother towed his trailer to Alaska from Michigan and loved it ! Only issues they had was a couple of flat tires both on the truck and trailer . They spent a month in Alaska and it was not enough. They had no damage to the tv or tt. Just be prepared and plan ahead.

[bankr63]

Originally Posted by SkyBound

Leave your guns at home! Be familiar with Canadian laws and border regulations.

True for hand guns; almost impossible to get into (or through) Canada. But long guns aren't really that tough. That is actually part of an episode in the KYD mentioned above. They had a skeet rifle along with them, and with a little pre-planning and some simple paperwork, they were able to easily bring it along.

[Kim Gass]

We towed a trailer to Alaska in 2017 but not from
Oregon.
We came cross country from Maine and found the Alaska Highway in excellent shape. We went up through the Yukon to Dawson City. The Klondike higway waa under repair and partly tough mud
Top of the World Highway in Yukon was fantastic. Gravel then when you cross to AK its oaved but paved roads sonetimees havecworse heaves due to discontinuous permafrost
We were in AK some three weeks. . went on the Dempster Highway between Carcross and Paxob
120 miles gravel road in good shape stunning scenery
We went back through the States via the Stewart Cassiar highway. Gorgeous
We had no issues with tires or breaksoebs and found the Alaska Highway very tame

We prefer the AK state parks to the RV pparks which were pretty ugly forvtge most part
The municipal park in Seward an exception

[Chiggins]

Just have a good set of quality tires... Also I would suggest if you are concerned "Beef up" your suspension with Mor/Ryde cross members and probably other options. I was considering them for my 5th but havn't pulled the trigger on them yet as it probably isn't really necessary for me as East Coast roads are not rough compared to Mid West / West coast.

[RPR]

The Alcan hwy has been improved a lot in the last 5 years. There is always certain amount of road work due to the harsh winters. Made the trip from Indiana to Alaska back in 2017 in new 31’ Class C. Took our time and drove smart. Plenty of gas stations, food stores etc. Do a LOT of pre trip research on roads. Google Earth satellite view all though not real time view helped us get a feel for type of roads we would be driving on. Which ones to avoid and ones to take it easy on. Went in May and beat the mosquitos.

[Nodaker]

Just do it! We went for 2 1/2 months in 2016 from late June to early Sept. Bought the 321 rsts in late summer 2015 so had several 'shakedown' trips before launching to Alaska.

Put new tires on truck (it was due) and replaced the el-cheapo's on the camper with new Sailuns. Kept one tire of each set so I had a spare plus an un-mounted tire for both the truck and trailer - never used any but felt good to have backup. Also carried a 5 gal gas can but never used that.

Went up across Saskatchewan and Alberta and back down the Cassiar. Roads were mostly very good. There were construction zones and frost heaves in places but with some alertness, caution, and slowing down there were no problems.

After the first couple days we never drove more than 300 miles (usually 2-250) so we had time to look around and relax.

Made the full loop in Alaska up through Fairbanks, Denali, Anchorage, Kenai Peninsula, etc. It was number one on the bucket list and it didn't disappoint! We hope to go again in the next few years.

[ifallsguy]

First, if you want to insult Canadians, call it the Alcan Highway. It's the
Alaska Highway.
Second, if traveling with pets, make sure all shots are up to date and you have records from vet proving it.
Third, don't believe anyone who says you cannot get gas after 6pm. Maybe in remote areas, but the route isn't wilderness.
Fourth, easiest way through customs, both US and Canada, is either an enhanced driver's license or passport. The latter is easiest. Also make sure you check regulations for entry into both countries. Entering the US (lower 48 and Alaska) has agricultural restrictions as does Canada.
Fifth, make sure you know entry regs for Canada. Previous convictions for, say DUI can prevent entry.
Sixth, you don't really need a gun of any sort. I've driven the highway more than a dozen times and never had a reason to carry a weapon.
Seventh, check to see if the credit card(s) you plan on using has a foreign use charge (usually 3% per transaction). If it/they, get yourself and use a card that doesn't have one. Those charges can add up really quick.
Eighth, remember, the speed limit is in kilometers in Canada. If you want to driven at 100 mph rather than 62mph (100KPH) you will enjoy some time speaking with the local law enforcement types.

Ninth, bug repellant.....you will need it. Ben's work well.

Tenth, get yourself a copy of the Milepost. It will be your bible for the roads both ways. But remember, the route is for northbound, so you will be paging backwards on the way south.


Eleventh, plan for rain. You could go for days with overcast and rain. One of those things Alaskans live with. And it will bring out the bugs.

Twelfth, be aware of frost heaves and road construction. You will be traveling while crews are out repairing winter damage to pavement.

Thirteenth, don't be in a hurry. Enjoy the scenery, expect to be held up in construction areas and just experience the trip.

Some tips from someone who has driven the Alaska Highway too many times and former AK resident.

[Kim Gass]

Originally Posted by Chiggins

Just have a good set of quality tires... Also I would suggest if you are concerned "Beef up" your suspension with Mor/Ryde cross members and probably other options. I was considering them for my 5th but havn't pulled the trigger on them yet as it probably isn't really necessary for me as East Coast roads are not rough compared to Mid West / West coast.

Permafrost heaves are something you have to contend with
As far as E coast roads. PA roads make AK roads look like silk
And ME has some wicked heaved roads

[bankr63]

Fourteenth, always follow Bob. You know Bob right? He's the guy a respectable distance up in front of you; when he bobs you brake. Best way to avoid frost heaves.

The corollary: don't BE Bob...

[EOD1]

I towed a 41 footToyhauler with an F350 in 2013 all the way to Dead Horse Camp on the Artic Ocean. Only had a flat tire up in Dead Horse Camp. Since they have a lot of Ford Fleet Trucks there it was nothing to get a replacement tire. I had a 50 gallon fuel tank installed in place of the 27 that came with the truck. This kept me from having to worry about fuel stops. The trip from Fairbanks to Dead Horse Camp is about 500 miles. So we split the trip into a stop a Cold Foot to fuel and sleep overnight and then on the way back from Dead Horse Camp we again stopped in Cold Foot. It was a beautiful trip and was better than taking the tours up to Dead Horse Camp and back. We could stop when ever we wanted to and take pictures or setup for a short spell and rest and eat. The Truck and Toyhauler handled the trip just fine. We did rearrange stuff in the back of the toyhauler on some significant frost heaves, but we were used to putting stuff back in place everytime we stopped. I highly recommend getting the Alaskan Highway Guide- Mile Post. It is a MUST for a trip on the Alcan. Have fun. We can't wait to go back.

[DavidSD]

I been to Alaska twice now. I towed a 20 ft travel trailer. No problem. Make sure to bring a new spare tires for trailer and tow vehicle. Make sure that shock on TV and spring on TT are in good shape. Roads can get pretty rough. I took extra fuel and water in the back of my truck. There are some long stretches between fuel stop. Old gravel pits make a great place to set up camp for the night. If you want the best experience plan on taking 8 weeks. Spend time in Canada. Stewart Alaska is must

[rickrockport]

+3 on the Milepost. DW had it in her lap from Glacier NP to Prince Rupert and from Skagway back down to Okanogan. Didn't need it on the ferry but did look at it for a couple of the layovers. We also travelled the Cassiar back south and like a woman from AK said at the RV park before we left Yukon, "I guess everybody should do it once, but I'm going down the Alaska Hwy". Cassiar does take a more direct route to Oregon. We were in a truck camper for that trip in 2017 and always drove on the top half of the tank but never had trouble finding fuel, however, paying for it in Canada can be a bit painful. Enjoy.

[taviking22]

We will be making our 4th trip from Nebraska to Alaska this spring going about 3400 miles oneway to get to our base campsite. We stay until Labor Day. We have never taken the route you most likely will: entering Canada in British Columbia, so can't speak to that.

Check and recheck your equipment prior to going. Buy the Milepost. Make sure you have quality tires (which should be true even if you are traveling the lower 48). Take your time and plan for construction and areas where you might only go 30 mph. Check your tire pressures daily. When in Canada look for the saw-toothed signs: bad pavement. Stop at the museum next to the 2 elevators in Dawson Creek and ask for the current list of fueling stations along the way.

Most of all, enjoy the trip!

[Marmot]

The AlCan Highway is not a difficult road. Just take it slow. Plenty of gas stations and food stores.

[putz]

One of the most important things to buy are tire air pressure sensors.
Don't buy cheap ones but good ones like TST. You should also put on
metal valve stems & have the tires balanced. On my 36' 5th wheel
I needed the antenna booster.
Before you leave be sure to check the air pressure in your spare tire.
On a bumpy road you will not know a tire is going flat until it damages
the trailer.

If you have a towing service plan be sure it covers you in Canada and Alaska.
Read the fine print on miles from the service provider.
Also carry enough cash because some tow services will not take a card.
It some cases it's a lot of miles back to there shop and you will pay by the mile.

On my new Jayco toy hauler, Discount Tire was able to still sell me there
tire warranty on my Goodyear tires even when the tires came stock
on the new unit.

The main thing is get rid of the stock Chinese bombs (Tires)