Alaska
- Thread starter stevenmd
- Start date
yep, i did it in a 1964 109 carawagon back in 1989, a trip worth taking. one you will never forget.
sold it to a gentlemen from Wasilla Ak, paid for my whole trip up,kept me a week and paid for my trip home after spending a week up there with him,working on other landrovers.
get yourself a mile post magazine, will help with info,
gas stops about evey 100 miles.
be prepared to loose headlights ,crack windscreen due to the large volume of truck traffic...some parts were gravel back then, frost heaves are a problem and am sure you will still see alot of gravel,especially in the Yukon...have fun, i recommend the trip!!!!!!:victory:
Steven-
Did you follow the 'North by Rover' trip when that went down a few years back? I think the website is gone sadly, but the pics are still on EE. Not sure what his name was but I'd be someone on here knows him, I think he was out of Tx and had a pretty good write up on what he did when he took his family up from down there all the way to Alaska. Very cool trip it would seem and something I want to do one day, especially after watching a pretty cool documentary on the ALCAN highway's construction during WWII.
Good luck,
R-
Ray
Did you follow the 'North by Rover' trip when that went down a few years back? I think the website is gone sadly, but the pics are still on EE. Not sure what his name was but I'd be someone on here knows him, I think he was out of Tx and had a pretty good write up on what he did when he took his family up from down there all the way to Alaska. Very cool trip it would seem and something I want to do one day, especially after watching a pretty cool documentary on the ALCAN highway's construction during WWII.
Good luck,
R-
Ray
Great trip. Definitely get a milepost to plan gas stops and its best not to drive through the night as you will inevitably end up sleeping at a gas station waiting for it to open. When I did the trip last year I didn't think there was an aweful amount of gravel, I there there was more in years past. Definitely be careful of the frost heaving if you're in a vehicle that's low to the ground. Have fun!
wasn't that article also in LRM? the guy with his wife and two kids in a DI.
a frost heave is when the ground freezes and thaws, thus expanding and contracting and leaving the roadway buckled. this happens due to the moisture content in the ground.
a frost heave is when the ground freezes and thaws, thus expanding and contracting and leaving the roadway buckled. this happens due to the moisture content in the ground.
It was Alan and Gina Stewart (?) that did the trip from Dallas, Texas and wrote the amazing story. I will see if I can get a hold of their email and if they have another website with the story. They came to Houston for a story and slide show presentation and the trip sounded absolutely amazing.
Their story is definitely worth getting a hold of and reading.
Melissa B.
Their story is definitely worth getting a hold of and reading.
Melissa B.
A
AndyThoma
Guest
Yes .. 2002 From SLC Ut to AK
My wife and I did the big trip as our honeymoon. Used a 2000 A4 avant 1.8TQ with a rocketbox on the roof. We drove 8700 miles in 4.5 weeks, started end of july came home september . SLC to Burley ID for a triathilon my wife did. Gave the bike to a friend also competing to take back to UT. Straight up I-15 to CAN, stopped in Baniff NP through to Jasper NP. Alcan to fairbanks. Fairbanks down denial highway to Denali state park to backpack. We had dogs, no dogs in the NP, plus the view from the SP is way better of the brooks range. From there to anchorage. From anchorage we explored and fell in love with Steward AK. It took alot for us to leave, we where ready to move there. Anchorage to the Yukon then the BC, straight down to Seattle. Back through OR to ID then Home.
Car did great, we chose not to take to my 95 d1 at the time because it was a gas hog and probably would have blown up in the Yukon. We drove the audi through lots of dirt roads and no issues. Chipped windshield, one fog light cracked, main grill cracked, more bug guts on the car than I though possible and driving 125mph through montana with a car loaded for a long haul = priceless.
We took, backpacking gear, engle fridge (35) , car camping stuff(lots of backpacking crossover, 2 70lbs dogs, lots of CD's, Garmin 76s, laptop with garmin US/canada soft ware. Alaska Gazetter, Canada and US atlas.
Car supplies, Extra bulbs .. we had HIDS for the main lights so no extras there, Layim-Xed my headlights for protection, Air compressor(little cig. lighter type), Tools.... I put together a kit of everything I thought I could need. I put a lot of thought into, if I had to do this, what would I need? Duct tape,electric tape, wire, bailing wire, Tire plug/patch kit ... look at EE for the high quality type and that's what I had. Water, for the car and us. Had food, extra dehydrated. Antifreeze, extra hose clamps, and lots of faith in god and my ablity to solve problems.
Tips ... never run low on gas, refill at 1/4 tanks. No joke, no gas stations even in a car making 28mpg loaded highway. The main roads have people on it during the summer. Take a camera that doesn't have a defective light meter:banghead: :banghead: Plan extra days into trip, coming home for us was a mad rush that sucked.
Have fun, bring home lots of Alaskan beer!
My wife and I did the big trip as our honeymoon. Used a 2000 A4 avant 1.8TQ with a rocketbox on the roof. We drove 8700 miles in 4.5 weeks, started end of july came home september
. SLC to Burley ID for a triathilon my wife did. Gave the bike to a friend also competing to take back to UT. Straight up I-15 to CAN, stopped in Baniff NP through to Jasper NP. Alcan to fairbanks. Fairbanks down denial highway to Denali state park to backpack. We had dogs, no dogs in the NP, plus the view from the SP is way better of the brooks range. From there to anchorage. From anchorage we explored and fell in love with Steward AK. It took alot for us to leave, we where ready to move there. Anchorage to the Yukon then the BC, straight down to Seattle. Back through OR to ID then Home.Car did great, we chose not to take to my 95 d1 at the time because it was a gas hog and probably would have blown up in the Yukon. We drove the audi through lots of dirt roads and no issues. Chipped windshield, one fog light cracked, main grill cracked, more bug guts on the car than I though possible and driving 125mph through montana with a car loaded for a long haul = priceless.
We took, backpacking gear, engle fridge (35) , car camping stuff(lots of backpacking crossover, 2 70lbs dogs, lots of CD's, Garmin 76s, laptop with garmin US/canada soft ware. Alaska Gazetter, Canada and US atlas.
Car supplies, Extra bulbs .. we had HIDS for the main lights so no extras there, Layim-Xed my headlights for protection, Air compressor(little cig. lighter type), Tools.... I put together a kit of everything I thought I could need. I put a lot of thought into, if I had to do this, what would I need? Duct tape,electric tape, wire, bailing wire, Tire plug/patch kit ... look at EE for the high quality type and that's what I had. Water, for the car and us. Had food, extra dehydrated. Antifreeze, extra hose clamps, and lots of faith in god and my ablity to solve problems.
Tips ... never run low on gas, refill at 1/4 tanks. No joke, no gas stations even in a car making 28mpg loaded highway. The main roads have people on it during the summer. Take a camera that doesn't have a defective light meter:banghead: :banghead: Plan extra days into trip, coming home for us was a mad rush that sucked.
Have fun, bring home lots of Alaskan beer!
I drove up in 99 to visit the parents...
Best idea my Dad ever had was taking a ship back to Seattle. it was amazing seeing it on the way up... Didn't feel like I needed to repeat it.
Best idea my Dad ever had was taking a ship back to Seattle. it was amazing seeing it on the way up... Didn't feel like I needed to repeat it.
Andy, sweet write-up! To make matters worse... er...I mean more adventurous... thinking of using a series IIa for the trip... if you have that list of items you thought you might need, please email them to me at stevenmsw@yahoo.com
Thanks!
Thanks!
Suggest you invest in some protection for the gas tank. With all the stones, etc. flying around on the road I was sure glad I did everything possibe to avoid a punctured gas tank. Also, plan on repairing some flat tires, but hope you don't have to. Good luck and happy trails-- its a great trip.
The Road To Alaska Is Allmost All Paved And Not Such A Challange Anymore But Still Fun Have Driven It Several Times In The Past Few Years And My Dad Got Back In September On His New Harley Drove Striaght Up From Humbolt County And Found Only About 20 Miles Of Unpaved Road. Hope This Helps And Have Fun. Watch For Moose And Bison Around Whitehorse.
Ed
Ed
TOTALY DEPENDS ON YOUR STAMINA IT TOOK MY DAD 5 .5 DAYS ON A HIS BIKE. I HAVE DONE THIS IN 4 DAYS THATS NOT ALOT OF STOPS BUT THEN AGAIN IVE DONE THIS TRIP OVER A DOZEN TIMES. SO I KNOW MY DAD AND HE WAS AVERAGING 55 THE WHOLE WAY SO IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOURS YOU DRIVE A DAY. I RECOMEND TAKING YOUR TIME ATLEAST ONE WAY AND HAULING @$$ THE OTHER.
DEPENDING ON TIME OF YEAR THERE IS SOME AREAS THAT CAN BE AS FAR AS 200+ MILES WITH NO FUEL SO I RECOMEND NOT PASSING TO MANY FUEL STOPS IF YOUR AROUND 1/2 TANK:banghead: OR OOPS!
ED
DEPENDING ON TIME OF YEAR THERE IS SOME AREAS THAT CAN BE AS FAR AS 200+ MILES WITH NO FUEL SO I RECOMEND NOT PASSING TO MANY FUEL STOPS IF YOUR AROUND 1/2 TANK:banghead: OR OOPS!
ED
A
AndyThoma
Guest
Well, I drove a car 40 years newer than yours so my advice is buy a newer car! J/K
Heated leather sport bucket seats were nice though ...
The drive to AK is not that extreme of an adventure, just lots of driving if you stick to the main roads. Mind you, I wanted my disco to drive the Demsey Highway to Nome, but we didn't have that kind of time. I hope to do it someday, but time is the biggest issue with a big drive like that. Once you hit Canada, watch for moose and such on the road. AK Rover is right, that will make your trip suck big time. But map planning can make an extreme adventure, or just a hard one. We had 4 weeks to do our trip, and we pushed it overtime. If I had 8 weeks I would have wanted to add backcountry driving.
Plan your trip with reasons to stop. Meaning we planned in legs, SLC to Banff, Banff to Jasper, Jasper to Whitehorse, Whitehorse to Fairbanks ,... etc. If you plan drive days to have a break time, you'll like the trip more. Just driving to get to a somewhere will become tedious. Making good time one day then being slow or not driving at all keeps the trip fun.
Again take a good camera! Here is one of the pictures that worked, many where overexposed and look like ass:banghead: This is from Denali SP looking to Denali, aka Mt McKinnley and over the Brooks range. My dogs loved the hike!
J/KHeated leather sport bucket seats were nice though ...
The drive to AK is not that extreme of an adventure, just lots of driving if you stick to the main roads. Mind you, I wanted my disco to drive the Demsey Highway to Nome, but we didn't have that kind of time. I hope to do it someday, but time is the biggest issue with a big drive like that. Once you hit Canada, watch for moose and such on the road. AK Rover is right, that will make your trip suck big time. But map planning can make an extreme adventure, or just a hard one. We had 4 weeks to do our trip, and we pushed it overtime. If I had 8 weeks I would have wanted to add backcountry driving.
Plan your trip with reasons to stop. Meaning we planned in legs, SLC to Banff, Banff to Jasper, Jasper to Whitehorse, Whitehorse to Fairbanks ,... etc. If you plan drive days to have a break time, you'll like the trip more. Just driving to get to a somewhere will become tedious. Making good time one day then being slow or not driving at all keeps the trip fun.
Again take a good camera! Here is one of the pictures that worked, many where overexposed and look like ass:banghead: This is from Denali SP looking to Denali, aka Mt McKinnley and over the Brooks range. My dogs loved the hike!
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