road tripping....Colorado to Alaska?

Question

how long would you take to get from boulder, CO to Fairbanks, AK.....it's a little over 3000 miles.....52 hours of driving.....figuring on goind west to the NW coastal area then head north....last trip i took was a little under 2000 miles and we did it in about a week....but i'd have way more time to do this trip....so i want to make the most of it....

Answer 1

Forget the route you are planning. Somewhere you must pick-up the Alaskan Highway, the sooner the better. I understand there is another highway, the Cassiar Highway in the Western area, but you must still join the Alcan near Watson Lake.

I have friends who took the Cassier in late September, on their way back to the US and wished they had taken the Alcan all the way to Dawson Creek. Fuel stops are not as frequent along this road as the Alcan.

We drove from Central Florida to Fairbanks last year and entered Canada at Sweetgrass, Montana. That is where I-15 becomes Canada 4. At Lethbridge, Alberta the road becomes Canada 3 all the way to Ft. Macleod. Here the road becomes Canada 2 to Edmondton.

Rather than me give you every road to Dawson Creek, BC, pick up a copy of the Milepost, either from the publisher http://www.themilepost.com/ or from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Milepost-2007-Kris-Valencia/dp/1892154196 We got ours from Amazon because of the lower price. The Milepost will have alternate routes to Watson Lake, study them and then decide.

Once you get to Dawson Creek, every mile of the road is explained for sights, fuel, eating, and sleeping stops. All side roads are explained as to what's on them. This book is a must for traveling the Alaskan Highway.

An interesting note is that the Alaskan Highway ends at Delta Junction, 1,422 miles after you leave Dawson Creek. You are not yet at Fairbanks, you must now take the Richardson Highway on to Fairbanks.

I couls spend the rest of the day telling you what to see along the highway. The Milepost does a much better job. Take plenty of film or data cards for your camera. Watch the road for moose, bison, caribou, rabbits, "Airplanes" they all have the right of way.

As for time, we took about two weeks from Dawson Creek to Fairbanks, we wanted to see the sights. This may be the only trip to Alaska you take, enjoy it.

Look at my blog on Yahoo 360 for comments and pictures of Alaska.

Enjoy your trip, we will be crossing into Canada, headed for Alaska on April 15th. We'll be driving a Damon Ultrasport motorhome, towing a green Saturn Vue, honk as you go by.

By the way, our trip to Alaska and back was 15,000 miles. The highest fuel was at Ft. Nelson, BC at $1.29.9 per liter, that's about $4.14 per gallon counting the exchange rate.

Answer 2

When I drove to Alaska I was on a self-imposed time schedule and drove drove drove. It was a matter of time over substance. It was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made. If I could do it all over again I would have spent leisurely days taking in the sights, taking photographs, enjoying the wildlife, etc. Instead I drove 3 straight days and caught only fleeting glimpses of the natural beauty and wildlife that was all around me. That was 10 years ago and I've regretted it for a decade. Do what the other guy said. Get the milepost and consider the trip the vacation.

You might find that the trip getting there is better than being there.