I flew there and back recently on Continental. It sucked. The flights were delayed, cancelled, they never fed us, my bags smelled like salmon. It took two days!!! All I want to do is visit my son who is stationed in Fairbanks
2006-07-31 23:24:26 · 5 answers · asked by beth m 2 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Other - United States
Four answers and only AC/DC Rocks got anything right!
Even if Mapquest doesn't know it, you CAN drive the whole way and almost all of it on pavement (excepting those sections of the Alaskan Highway in BC and YK that are undergoing road construction any particular year - maybe 50-80 miles each way).
You DON'T need a AAA card or similar service once you're above southern Canada. People in the north woods look at for each other. Maybe the next car won't stop or can't help but the third or fifth car will. That has happened for me repeatedly in a way that just doesn't happen in the 48 states.
There ARE gas stations every 250 miles or so the whole way on the main route. Only if you're doing any of the remote side roads or hauling a boats that needs fuel should you haul jerry cans. An extra spare tire is great if you're doing the side trip to Inuvik (Northern NWT) or Prudhoe Bay (on the Arctic Ocean) - those roads have some sharp gravel. But the Alaskan highway itself? Drive sensibly and you can bring a tent trailer with 12-inch tires. If you do take a side route or the Cassier Highway option, you shouldn't count on 24 hour gas like on the main road. So you might be sleeping at a gas station until it opens.
Last people I meet from South Florida were at Prudhoe Bay! On motorcycles! Miami to the fricking Arctic Ocean. I was impressed. They'd made it in 2 weeks but that is some serious riding - 500 miles a day on a bike is like 1000 in a car.
I've made Seattle-Anchorage many times in 2.5 days with adverse conditions (moving van or overloaded compact car or -44F in the Yukon). In ideal conditions (new, compact car. April so no snow, no road construction or motorhomes yet), I've made it Seattle-Anchorage in 48 hours solo. That's 2500 miles.
So absolute minimum time for full-on gonzo road warriors ("I'll pump, you pee, we switch roles in 300 miles") would be 4.5 or 5 days.
2 weeks in a compact car? Piece of cake. 8-9 hours of driving each day. Time to see the sights, get a full night's sleep in a motel or campground every night.
Expenses? 7500 miles each way, divided by your mileage. Alaskan and USA gas at $3/gallon currently. Canadian gas at about US$4/US gallon. Have your son ask other inlistees if one of their families might want to catch a ride. There is safety in having two drivers and you make better time. You can also save money on lodging if you are able/willing to sleep as the other person drives. If you sleep in the car, there are lots of campground and roadhouses that offer showers for drivers for $3 to $5.
Oh, and Alaskan Airlines flies Miami-Seattle-Fairbanks. It can be one stop in Seattle, but most routing would also stop in Anchorage. I find them to be more civilized than Continential and much better than Northwest.
The milepost is a great idea. The satelliete phone is not. You'll be helped by fellow drivers, not by NASA
Hope that helps.
2006-08-02 23:00:11 · answer #1 · answered by David in Kenai 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I drove from NYC to Fairbanks with a partner. It took us 75 hours (3 1/2 days) without stopping. Be sure to get (at least) $1,000 US dollars exchanged to Candian money before you go, and bring your US Passport!
You will spend most of your money on gas and food if you choose to drive it. I found "The Milepost" travel book--expressly for the Alaska Highway motorist--invaluable!
Just make sure your vehicle is in tip-top shape and ready for the trip. Also, consider renting a satellite Iridium phone. If you need to stay in touch with people (or have a dire emergency in the middle of the night with no one around) there was no cell phone service for thousands of miles. Enjoy your trip!
(I would consider flying if I had to do it all over again. The drive is exhausting.)
2006-08-01 01:14:34 · answer #2 · answered by loaferpost 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
south florida to fairbanks huh? it will probably take at least 2 to 3 weeks depending on how far you drive every day. it will be qquite a trip and dont forget your passport so you can get into canada. have a nice trip
2006-07-31 23:33:12 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Well i have attempted to check it on mapquest and google earth... and according to a map there is no possible roads to even take to drive up there. and even if you could your car would cost alot to operate because of gas and my not possibly make it between gas stations due to the lack of them on the way up in canada. but if you were to drive my estimate would be that it would take about 10-12 days to drive it and that drive would be extremely difficult seeing there is no highway to take and that you would be taking small backroads made of gravel or stone that arent paved. so the flight may have suck but dont drive. next time just take another airline... like united... my dads a pilot for them and they usually take really good care of their passengers and make sure your bags dont smell like salmon. well good luck with that and see ya on the flip side yo....
2006-07-31 23:37:22 · answer #4 · answered by sickllama7 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I would think about five days
2006-07-31 23:29:21 · answer #5 · answered by jhnedrmr 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋