Croce Loc: Earth

I did that 5 years ago but since a pilot sunk a boat somewhere in the inland passage because he was screwing a woman while he should have been driving the boat (really!) the line was one boat short so I could not board at Port Hardy. Instead I had to drive all the way to Port Rupert via Prince George (A nice drive but an extra 1200 miles) to catch the ferry. It cost me $910 for me, my wife and my car to ride the ferry to Haines. I enjoyed the boat but the berths are akin to prison beds. Steel slabs, thin mattress. Worth the price? No. I love AK and have driven there 4 times and flown several others. Also the train to Denali thru Talkeetna is very enjoyable. Great photo ops from the rear platform which is seldom occupied. Slow train. 30 mph makes for good photos. Good light so fast shutters are possible.

Pinenuts Loc: Genoa, NV

I agree. We did this trip in 2003. I would invest all of my time in Alaska and the YT. We took the Klondike highway up to Dawson and then the Top of the World highway to Alaska. The return trip was via the ACAN highway. Northern BC is spectacular as well. Enjoy!

DoninIL Loc: East Central Illinois

My wife and I took a trip to Alaska with my daughter and her housemate a few years ago. I insisted we had to go to Kodiak because I wanted to see those big brown bears. There, we flew to the bear sanctuary. Afterwards we rented a SUV and drove to all the spots from one end of the island to the other. My daughter hadn’t been enthusiastic about going to Kodiak, but afterwards both girls said that was one of the two best parts of the trip – even better than Denali.

willie-83

Don't Leave Home Without A Copy Of The "Milepost" $34.95 Tel. Nbr. 1 800 726 4707. Covers The Hwy. Start To Finish. It's A Must For The Hwy. In A Vehicle. Don't Believe The Comment That The Hwy. Is The Same As Anything You Will See Driving Down Here.

Eberhard Brunner Loc: Alaska

GOOD MORNING FROM ALASKA;
The "MILEPOST" IS THE BIBLE FOR DRIVING TO ALASKA.
DRIVING FROM YOUR HOME TO ANCHORAGE IS ABOUT 5500 MILES.
IT YOU DRIVE 600 MILES A DAY IT WOULD TAKE YOU 1O DAYS OF NON-STOP DRIVING TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION. I AGREE WITH APAFLOW. FLY TO ANCHCORAGE AND DRIVE OR FLY.
FLYING IN ALASKA IS EXPENSIVE.THE TICKET FROM ANCHORAGE TO HOMER -A 55 MINUTE FLIGHT COST $450. FLIGHTS TO THE VILLAGES
APAFLOW MENTIONED ARE NEVER LESS THAN $800 AND MORE.
YOU CAN SEE SOME BEAUTIFUL PARTS OF ALASKA WHILE DRIVING THE HIGHWAY SYSTEM. RENT A MOTOR HOME IN ANCHORAGE.
I DROVE THE "ALCAN" 51 YEARS AGO. 4X4 WAS A MUST THEN.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

That is not even close. If you book a round trip to Barrow or Kotzebue for tomorrow it can be done for less than $600 and those are the worst case possible.

Book flights now for next June and Kotzebue will run $340 round trip and Barrow $350 round trip.

Granted flying in Alaska is more expensive than in the Lower-48, but lets not exaggerate it by that much!

On the other hand, a decent hotel room here in Barrow will run $300 a day... Dinner will be $24-$30. And what you get for all that is priceless too.

Edit: I just checked the Anchorage to Homer cost too. That is $210 one way, not $450.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Right. I forgot to mention that. We used that 50 years ago. I expect you can get a more recent copy.



They must have made a lot of improvements in that one year. We drove it in a Plymouth 2-door sedan 50 years ago. The only thing we did was put plastic bubbles over the headlights since we heard that since the road was gravel, you were likely to lose a lot of glass. We had no problems that way at all. The worst part of the gravel road was that when a truck passed you either way, you had to stop because you couldn't see anything from the dust kicked up.

Eberhard Brunner Loc: Alaska

Last summer a day trip from Anchorage to King Salmon for three (3)
passenger came to $2100. The trip for the same group from Anchorage to Point Hope came to $2400
Anchorage St.Paul last summer was $1200 Anchorage to Cold Bay $850
A 6O MINUTE FLIGHT FROM KENAI TO LODGES IN CHINITNA BAY
RUNS ABOUT $600 THE SAME FLIGHT FROM ANCHORAGE $800
A DAY TRIP FROM ANC TO KATMAI $835
What you find on your screen in the winter and what you get in the summer when forced to travel on short notice is not the same. Why so expensive? A GALLON GAS IN the villages can cost up to $12. ALASKA
is a expensive place to operate. Regardless, a trip to the Alaska bush is priceless>

Jackdoor Loc: Huddersfield, Yorkshire.

You're selling your state very well -another entry on the bucket list. But I sure won't be driving there!

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

There are so many facets to Alaska that it is not possible to see it all in one trip. I think you really need to do is pick one or two parts of Alaska and concentrate on that.

Now, that said, I think at least one drive up the Alaska Hwy is a great thing to do. British Columbia, and the Yukon are amazing places with some amazing things to see. I think it would be sad to not experience that. The Alaska Hwy is is a decent drive. It's long, but if you have the time to do it, why not? It is definitely not like anything else you might have in the lower 48 states.

To be sure, air travel up here is not cheap, but if you want to get out to any of these "bush" areas, you'll have to pay the price. Just know that it's not cheap. I don't know how accurate the fare prices mentioned above are, but they're probably not far off. Summer rates are a lot more than the winter rates. And while you could fly to Kenai or Homer, why? Driving would be a lot less expensive, and you'd miss out on a lot of beautiful scenery, besides.

Like I said, Alaska is so big and so diverse that you really need to see it in more than one trip. To try to do so in one trip would be shorting yourself. You'd just be getting a gloss over, while missing a lot. There are birding opportunities, wildlife opportunities, opportunities to experience the various native cultures and the scenery. You can't imagine the vastness and raw beauty of the Arrigetch Peaks in the Brooks Range in the arctic, or the amazingness of floating the Koyokuk River in the interior. Or taking a boat trip to Tracy Arm, south of Juneau. Not to mention all sorts of other great experiences. But you can't to it all in one trip. We do have a lot to offer the photographer.

Eberhard Brunner Loc: Alaska

Driving the Alcan;
It was not the year, but the time of year that made the difference.
Flying rocks and dust was a problem during the summer month.
We drove in October after a week of heavy rains and pulled numerous
cars from the mud. I drove the Alcan in the winter too.There are no construction sites and the surface is smooth.
Last spring/summer part of the Dalton Hwy was closed for some time because mud and over flow.
During the summer season Alaska's road system is well maintained.
The scenery is incredible.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Driving to Alaska? Don't you need Click and Clack?

Keldon Loc: Yukon, B.C.

Click & Clack???? What the heck is that?

Eberhard Brunner Loc: Alaska

You said it all.
As long you stay on the road system ALASKA is affordable.
But do fly if your budget allows.

SonyBug

So, since I went up the Alcan 2 years ago and took the ferry back, here is my take. If you stay on the Main Hy, it is paved, but parts will be under resurfacing. Maybe up to 40 miles at a time, so count on gravel.

You will go thru Whitehorse on the Alcan. So, just enjoy it. Always gas up when in town, since the tanks in some of the outposts are really expensive, up to $6.00 a gallon and the gas is stale. It can cut you mpg by a third.

I took the ferry back. Make sure to get reservations well in advance, as the cabins sell out. If so, you can sleep on the deck. I did (74 yrs old) and paid to have the motor home in the hold. Can not stay there due to safety. Cost with cabin should be near $600, but it will be one of the best parts of the trip. Food is fabulous and cheap. No taxes or tipping.
You can get off in various towns along the way. It will take 4 days and you get off in Bellingham, Wa.

Take a plane trip out of the Denali park to see the mountain. Fabulous.

Have fun.