How Bad is the Drive to Alaska?
10-13-2015
Author: Blog Editor in JeepandRV
So everyone asks us "Is the drive as bad as they say?" Yes and no. Yes, the roads are hard on the RV but by slowing down, really slowing down, you can not only survive them but see more wildlife than you will see in all of Alaska. That being said we did sustain damage on our return trip even though we were by and far the slowest one on the road (we know this by how everyone passed us except the tractor that was mowing the grass). We had two rocks chip in our front window, another rock shattered the driver's sliding window, our generator's thermostat died so our generator would shut off within a minute of starting, our passenger windshield wiper motor died (we had to repair the driver side after it got caught by a gust of wind in June), and one of the water lines shot off the valve which lead to loss of fresh water and a very wet basement. That being said except for the frost heaves the roads are no worse than Louisiana, Indiana, or California.
On the bright side the wildlife was up close and personal. In the first 48 hours after crossing from Alaska into Canada we had a grizzly bear walk down the road, a black bear cross, multiple groups of caribou, a huge male moose chase a cow (female moose) across the road less than 25 feet from our windshield, a fox, coyotes, stone sheep, eagles, bison, and elk. If the animals were not enough the views out the huge front windshield of snowcapped mountains, blue/green lakes and rivers, and dramatic cliffs makes this a great drive.
We also made a pit stop at the Liard River Hotsprings for a chance to soak our muscles. This is a neat little spot that can be an overnight stop as there is a campground attached or like us park, dash in for a soak, and then hit the road again. The hot springs is not like in America, the Canadians do not coddle guests or worry that they do not understand the danger of hot water. They allow it to flow out full force and cool as it travels through the first pool and into the river. This allows you the luxury of going as hot or cool as you like and I do mean hot at over 114 degrees. We started at the midpoint to get used to the heat and then went up to the hotter water where we made it for about 5 minutes before turning a bright red and calling it quits. The walk to and from the springs is along a wooden path with warning signs to watch for moose and bear who like to come into the marsh for the salty flavor. We didn't see any but had a great time people watching. Of course my glow in the dark white legs did get a few glances since we were the only folks in shorts during our visit, it was a balmy 47 degrees which seemed comfortable based on the temps we experienced in Alaska.
On the bright side the wildlife was up close and personal. In the first 48 hours after crossing from Alaska into Canada we had a grizzly bear walk down the road, a black bear cross, multiple groups of caribou, a huge male moose chase a cow (female moose) across the road less than 25 feet from our windshield, a fox, coyotes, stone sheep, eagles, bison, and elk. If the animals were not enough the views out the huge front windshield of snowcapped mountains, blue/green lakes and rivers, and dramatic cliffs makes this a great drive.
We also made a pit stop at the Liard River Hotsprings for a chance to soak our muscles. This is a neat little spot that can be an overnight stop as there is a campground attached or like us park, dash in for a soak, and then hit the road again. The hot springs is not like in America, the Canadians do not coddle guests or worry that they do not understand the danger of hot water. They allow it to flow out full force and cool as it travels through the first pool and into the river. This allows you the luxury of going as hot or cool as you like and I do mean hot at over 114 degrees. We started at the midpoint to get used to the heat and then went up to the hotter water where we made it for about 5 minutes before turning a bright red and calling it quits. The walk to and from the springs is along a wooden path with warning signs to watch for moose and bear who like to come into the marsh for the salty flavor. We didn't see any but had a great time people watching. Of course my glow in the dark white legs did get a few glances since we were the only folks in shorts during our visit, it was a balmy 47 degrees which seemed comfortable based on the temps we experienced in Alaska.
Comment
WanderLusterNovember 2, 2015 | 01:41 PM
Alaska is on the bucket list!
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