Travel to Alaska

polarlys wrote: There is a publication called " Mile Post". From what I hear from Alaska travelers it is an essential resource for " All things" critical to making this trip by road...

I agree that the Milepost is very hand to have, but keep in mind that the listings for campgrounds and businesses have been written by the vendors themselves. A book I found even more helpful was: "Traveler's Guide to Alaskan Camping: Alaska and Yukon Camping With RV or Tent ". They give you their opinions of which campgrounds they liked and why.

Here is link: www.amazon.com/Travelers-Guide-Alaskan-C...ds=camping+in+alaska

Greetings. I am new to this www site. My wife and I are currently stationed at JBER (Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson) in Anchorage, Alaska. We've been here 19 months.
We have traveled the ALCAN (Alaskan Canadian Hyw) twice, both one-way to AK from 1. Travis AFB (Sept 2011) 2. Ft.Lewis/McCord (April 2013).

We are hoping, and will do our best, to PCS on a FERRY home, when the time comes.

First, crossing the boarder into Canada...Go to: www.canadawelcomesyou.net/firearms.html READ CAREFULLY!

There are other crucial pieces of information to know regarding what you can and cannot carry through Canada on their www sites.

From experience, Canada does not allow knives that even APPEAR to be automatic, like switchblades. If you have a knife that the boarder guard does not feel meets the requirements (probably any folding, lock blade), he/she will confiscate the knife, delay your travel and you will receive a fine (usually $500.00), lose the knife and go on permanent record with the CND Gov. as having attempted to bring in an illegal weapon. This recently (2013) happened to a young, unknowing Airman.

Be truthful about the questions asked, and don’t try and hide anything you think might be contraband. If you are found to be withholding information or you fail to disclose accurate information, (they DO conduct periodic vehicle and cargo inspections) you can be denied travel into Canada. Yes, this has happened.

When entering back into the US (heading west towards Anchorage), the US boarder guards will ask you similar questions as when you entered through the Canadian boarder. If you are a US Citizen attempting to reenter the US and you are found not to provide accurate information, or are found to be transporting illegal items, you can be arrested and charged with a felony crime and cited, leading to a mandatory court appearance in Anchorage at a specified date and time. Should you fail to appear, a warrant will be issued for your arrest, processed and upheld. Yes, this happens.

In Alaska, the State Troopers tend to have little tolerance for military folks, period! The Sheriff’s on the other hand are more forgiving. So, be upfront and answer the questions truthfully and straightforward.

The journey through Canada can be beautiful and pleasant, but it can also be frustrating and harsh; we’ve experienced both. In my opinion, the best scenery with the best WOW factors comes when you get closer to the US boarder, after most of your travel through Canada (the Yukon territory) is over, and through the rest of your travel into the Anchorage area.

Decent rest and fuel stops are far and few between, and most places have limited supplies with high prices. Yes, there are sufficient places for refueling within the 200-300 mile range, but don’t chance it. Stop about every 200 miles, refresh and refuel. The area between Fort Nelson, White Horse and on into Anchorage leaves many businesses with uncertain operating hours with most businesses closed from 1 Oct through 1 May. Fuel in Canada is expensive, at least by US standards. In Canada, I paid over $6.00 per gallon (charged in liters) for diesel, with credit card surcharges assessed once the statement came in. Some stores will not accept US dollars, but most will accept US credit cards. Diesel prices in most AK areas outside of the Anchorage area runs between $4.19 to $5.89 per gallon.

On my last trip through (April 2013) I found several businesses closed and up for sale. A once popular fuel and food stop had recently burned to the ground. This stop was a long time listing in the Mile-Post.

A word, my word, about the Mile-Post…”whatever”.

Our sponsor sent us a copy of the Mile Post. Thanks to our sponsor for this; however, one can google Map quest and get accurate travel distances and locations sufficient to travel from point A to point B during your journey. The Milepost takes up a lot of space, is hard to dig through while driving and most information is dependent on changing road and weather conditions and store closures, which changes frequently. After we toiled over ours, we used it to start fires. We also burned the AAA maps we received.

CAUTION! Before travel, call your credit card companies and let them know you will be traveling through Canada and will be using your credit cards for purchases, if you are going to do so. Tell them NOT to cut off your cards!

Cell Phone: There are very few areas during your travel where you will have cell phone coverage. If you can get connected, it will be sparse and you will be on an extended international network, and you will pay for it. I would say that 95% of the time, I did not have coverage even on an extended network. We had AT&T and Verizon. Both were crap.

Hotels: Buy an RV! But, if you must stay in a hotel, be prepared for poor facilities with little amenities, and expensive rates, period.

Food: Make sandwiches, bring snacks, and eat all your citrus before reentering into the US. We did find one very expensive but tasty German restaurant about 10-15 miles just before entering into Whitehorse, heading west. I believe the name was Wolf Creek, it was next to a campground we just happen to find. We were the only customers and we had Wiener Schnitzel, salad and fries, and Spatan Oktoberfest beer. The meal was delicious. Everywhere else we attempted to eat, the food sucked, period!

Hope this summary helps.

Thanks for all the info. I need to get off my ass and get my passport. I guess I need to find a place to store my 9mm close to the border.

Well that pretty much seals the deal. Staying in the USA. Was going to go through Canada from Maine.

Why stay in the US. save some cash and go have a great time Canada is not all bad. also you only need a passport card not the booklet the card cost $55 per person and last for 10 years is also good for mexico you only need to booklet which cost 110+ if plying into a different country