20 Honest Truths We Wished We Knew Before RVing to Alaska (RV Travel)

How are the roads going up to Alaska? Do I need to make reservations for campgrounds up there? What kind of upgrades should I be investing in before I make my trip? Today, we are doing 20 most asked questions related to RV travel in Alaska. We just spent an entire summer in our RV in Alaska, so we have all the data for you. Things we wish we would have known before going to Alaska. Ooh, Cassier Highway or the Alcan Highway? I love the Cassier Highway. It is the most scenic highway up there. I feel like you get to see so much wildlife. You're up close to the mountains. The drive is spectacular. But the Alcan Highway is also high up there. I think if we went back and we were heading towards Alaska, we would take the Alcan Highway. Do you remember the Canadian Rockies, how gorgeous they were? Yeah. And we did see some wildlife on the Alcan. That's true. And there's a lot more resources to refer to when you take the Cassier. It is actually a little more desolate, so the fuel stops are few and far between. They're pretty much the same when it comes to travel time and distance, but I feel like you can get a little bit further and travel a little bit faster on the Alcan because the roads are slightly better. But are they? We'll get to that shortly. Should we rent an RV or bring our own rig? I would say it depends on how your current rig is. Is it up to snuff for long travel days and harsh road conditions? I feel like if we got a brand new RV that wasn't paid off, I would be very nervous to take it up there. That too. But if we rented one of those small RVs and spent three months up there, I would kind of go a little stir crazy in a smaller living space. Well, let me ask you this. If we went back, would you take our RV again or would you consider renting an RV? I'd take our home back up with us. You would? I would. Go for the gusto. How many days should I plan to drive through Canada? I was so naive going up there. I did not fathom how big those parts of Canada really are. If memory serves me correctly, if you're to go from the border anywhere in Canada, let's just say where we started in Washington all the way up to Alaska, was it over 2000 miles? Yeah, something like that. Ridiculous. That's almost the width of the United States of America just flipped on the vertical spectrum. I would give yourself at least two weeks, especially if you want to stop and see some stuff along the way. Leeard Hot Springs, anyone? Where we always run into rough situations is we don't allot enough time to our trip. Dang, I wish we would have just gave ourselves a little bit more time, take some of that stress off our shoulders. So if I were you, I would just overshoot in your planning. Ooh, this is a good one. Do I need to make reservation for RV parks now? This is our bread and butter, baby. We are the last people to make reservations. I swear, you take all the 11 million people out there that RV and the hanks are at the bottom for making reservations and going up there, we never need to make any reservations. We did for some situations, but for the most part, I mean, there was so many open spots when we went up there. And I noticed that some campgrounds were sold out if you wanted to stay for a week, but what we noticed when we were there is there were so many cancellations. And if you're in one spot, but they require you to move sites, they usually will have some openings and can move things around and they'll be able to accommodate you. So yes, we did make reservations because we also didn't know about this. Now the only caveat to this is if it's 4th of July weekend or if the salmon season is in full swing and you're really big into fishing and you must be there, then I would consider maybe making a reservation. Do you recommend a caravan or can we travel alone? I would say you don't need a caravan. If you're going up north, we initially thought we did, we thought strengthened numbers, but it's just not the case. You're able to make it on your own going north. And I don't want that to be the factor to hold you back and be like, well, I need to wait for some friends to go up there with. Listen, so many people do it solo all the time and you'll be just fine. If your concern is driving through desolate areas of Canada and you're like, what if I break down? Hold on. Listen, we stumbled upon a motorcycle crash in one of the most desolate parts of Canada and there was just an abundance amount of help. People pulled over to help. So with the amount of people that are traveling on these desolate roads back and forth, if you need help, you're going to be able to find help. You're going to have strength in numbers by default. What extra parts should I bring? Definitely. You're going to want all the things needed to change a tire, a good breaker bar, just in case your impact drill isn't working. You want to have a jack that is going to be able to jack up that RV nice and safely. Make sure you actually have a good spare tire on hand. Make sure it's not from, you know, the late nineties and it's been sitting up there and collecting dust and just rotting away. Yeah. Maybe take it down and check it before your trip starts. For sure. Maybe bring an extra spare tire. I don't know. Listen, you can bring a million things on the trip and just weigh yourself down, bring the whole house, but that's not realistic. Oil filters, leaf springs, everything you can imagine. If you really want to be prepared and that brings you extra peace of mind, heck, go for it. But from our situation, just cover yourself with a spare tire and then figure it out as you go along. Yeah. Cause there's plenty of resources along the way. Whitehorse is a really big city and well for the Yukon territory, it's considered a big city and they had everything there that we needed to get repairs done after we had a blowout. The tool I would definitely bring with you that goes along with the tires and needing to change tires up there is the ViAir. It hooks up to the 12 volt battery. It gives you compressed air on demand whenever you need it. So if you don't have access to a gas station up there with compressed air, hey, you have it in the back of your truck at all times. Guys, you should have the ViAir no matter what, no matter where you're RVing. Are campgrounds in Alaska similar to campgrounds in the lower 48? Not quite. They don't maintain them as well up there and to be honest, why should they? I mean, they are such a seasonal destination. So there's really no need to go dumping a ton of money into them. Yeah. What you can get for $80 in the lower 48 is not the same as you would get for $80 in Alaska. Listen, there are no hot tubs, there are no pools, there are no spas. An RV resort in Alaska basically means they have a store and some laundry and full hookups. And even full hookups, it's not even 50 amp all the time. Sometimes you're only going to have access to 30 amp or maybe even 20 amp at some locations. We stayed at 12 different campgrounds, something like that, when we were in Alaska and I was like, one of these campgrounds has to have paved sites. No campgrounds had any paved sites. You're dealing with gravel and dirt and that's okay because you're in Alaska. You got to feel like you're there, right? Speaking of the roads inside a campground, what about the roads outside of a campground? How are the roads? I think Alaska has a bad reputation for having the worst roads, but they're not as bad as you think. They do a really good job maintaining them while dealing with the frost heaves and the permafrost. They got a lot of road related issues up there, but with the amount of construction they do every season, they're always improving. That's interesting because I was going to say they were worse than I thought they were. There was so much construction out there, so many frosties. Roads were non-existent in certain areas. You were driving on just dirt and up and down. It was bad. But that's because they were doing construction on that section. Yeah, but that's what I'm saying. How much construction you're going to run into up there, it's just nonstop. There are some rough roads up there, but as I always say, take it slow and you're good to go. Well, think about driving from, let's say, Palmer to Anchorage. How are those roads? Because that's Alaska. Yeah. All right, Judge Judy. I mean, I guess we're just going to turn this into a debate here. Aren't we all entitled to our own opinions? I felt like those roads were normal because you're in such a normal area. But I guess your answer is the more desolate you become, the worse the roads can be. This kind of goes back to the whole, should I rent an RV or bring my own? Because we had so much time in Alaska and we spent the whole summer, we were able to take it slow. And I think if you have plans to take it slow, you will be fine. But if you only have a month up there and you know you have to boogie around Alaska for a month, then maybe renting an RV is the better route to go. Which upgrades are recommended before you go? That's another situation where we're not upgrade people. So we like to just have the bare minimum and see how far that gets us. We didn't even upgrade our leaf springs. A lot of people say upgrade the suspension like the Morine. Not needed. Just take it slow on the road. You don't need to be dumping thousands of dollars into an already expensive trip. That's just my opinion. What about having mud flaps, though, or like those rock tamer things? You know, our RV is used and we've already taken a beating just on the normal roads down here in the lower 48. I didn't really notice a difference. The front of the RV got some mud and stuff on it. I'm sure there's a couple rock chips here and there. And trust us, we would know about it because we have massive tires on our truck that has those big grooves that really catch on to those rocks and then release them and fling them. So if anyone's going to really take some hits on the RV, it's going to be us. I want to touch on the solar and the generator thing. If you go dumping thousands of dollars in solar, just know that Alaska rains so much during the summer. We had so much rain up there. Not a lot of sun exposure. So we weren't able to use the solar panels as much as we had hoped we would. Well, what about the generator? Because we bought one when we were up in Fairbanks, knowing that the solar wasn't able to charge our batteries. Depends on how much you want to get off grid. If you want to do a lot of boondocking up there and save some money on those expensive campgrounds, then heck, dish out some money for a generator. Best place to boondock in Alaska, Dead Man's Lake Campground. Do you remember staying there as soon as we crossed the border? Yeah, that was really cool. Yeah, that was cool. That was nice. It was free. They were designated sites and we were able to fit our 35-foot fifth wheel in there. Here are some other places that were popular through internet search for boondocking in Alaska. Upper Lake Trail Pullout, Saseetna River Dispersed. That's alongside the river, so that's cool. And Stampede Road. I think that one's near Healy. And we have all the coordinates there for you, so make sure you take a screenshot or a picture on your phone. And while you're at it, if you enjoy this video, make sure you hit the like button and subscribe because we come out with new videos every Thursday. But let's go on to the next one. Oh, I love this next question because I don't really know what they're asking, but it's just bears question mark. They're there. I think we finally stumbled into a few. A mom and her cubs, luckily not head on, but from a distance down the river, we were able to get some shots of them. That was super cool. And I think we were pretty fortunate to be able to see some bears because watching other people and listening to other people's stories, it could be a big hit or a big mess when going to Alaska. Yeah, some people make it seem like you'll be at the grocery store and there's a bear down aisle five. Would we recommend bringing bear spray? Well, once again, it's another peace of mind thing. We were out on some hiking trails. We noticed some fresh scat on the actual hiking path. And at those moments, we're like, Ooh, I wish we had some bear spray. So we ended up getting some, maybe get some. Yeah. Have some bear spray. Ooh, I like this one. Oh yeah. How is the fuel situation? So many people told me you need to have an extra fuel tank going out there. You better get that upgrade on your truck, Carl. And I was like, well, listen, first of all, my name's Kyle, but, um, the whole fuel situation is so blown out of proportion. I just, I can't tell you if you've been through death Valley in the lower 48, it's no different. You're up there. And it will say, this is the last stop before fuel. It will give you the distance until the next fuel stop. Make sure you feel up. That's all you got to do. Simple instructions. If you have a basic fuel tank, you'll make it just fine. And even on the Cassier highway, the distance between the different fuel stops was maybe 30 to 60 miles. So it's like you can frequently fill up to the point where you're stopping every hour. Will I have internet and cell service? The answer is similar to the one I just said, the more desolate the less options. But if you go into all the major areas, like if you're in Homer or Seward, if you're in Kenai, like the cell service is fantastic. There were spots where we didn't have any Starlink internet, but we knew we were going into those desolate areas. So we made sure that we downloaded our maps before we're heading into those areas. What are the best months to go to Alaska? December. December? Just kidding. I say May and June, right? Yeah. May and June is when we would go back up and try to stay during those months because you're less likely to experience the rainy season. If you're looking to do some great fishing and you want to be there for salmon season, then July is your best option. What are some must-see places in Alaska or what places should I visit? Where was your favorite? Valdez. Yeah. Valdez was my favorite too. Would definitely go back. And just because if you're taking your RV up there, it has the most beautiful scenic drive I've ever been on in my entire life. And I think it's arguable to say that around the world, it's kind of on the top of that list as well. For us at least. Yeah. The drive through Valdez, one way in, one way out, but wow, it's incredible. Besides Valdez, if you can't make it there, I would definitely hit up somewhere in the Kenai Peninsula because that part of Alaska is so different from the inland part of Alaska. The weather is different. You get to see the mountain ranges across the ocean. Fishing. The rivers are just such a deep blue. Oh, that was so cool. And that is one place I wish we would have stayed and hung out was Cooper's, Cooper Landing. It was so gorgeous and we didn't stay there. We should have. What should I do to increase my chances of seeing Denali? Even on a clear day. Isn't it like 30 or 40 percent chance that you actually see it? Yeah, even if it's clear. It's hard to see. So I would say our best bet was taking that airplane ride. Yes. Oh, that was cool. Talkeetna Air. A little pricey, but it pretty much guaranteed us to see the mountain. And they also included glacier landing. We were unable to land on the glacier due to weather, but we still got to see the mountain. It was so cool. But if you don't have the money, because like we said, it's pricey, maybe consider hanging out in the Talkeetna area or Denali State Park or Denali National Park and spending like a good amount of time there because there might be a day where it's clear enough that you could see it from a distance. Get some good boondocking in while you're at it. Oh, that's Stampede Road near Healy. That's close to Denali. So. Oh, nice. Yeah. Maybe you could post up there for a few days and hope that you get some clear views of the mountain. This question we have been getting since we started our Alaska trip and we are finally going to answer it. What? Are the mosquitoes as bad as they say they are? I'm a walking magnet, so I feel like if anyone would know, it would be me. Well, you have sweet blood. Mine's like tart. I'm a sweetheart. Yeah, they they bite me and they're like. The mosquitoes are not as bad as I thought they were going to be, but they were really bad on the eastern side of Alaska when you first cross over from Canada into Alaska, right around the Toke area. Oh, you know how we just talked about that Dead Man's Lake campground? The mosquitoes there. Do you remember we were going for a morning walk and we had to almost like. That's right. Walk really fast. And they were right behind us. You could literally turn around and see like a group of them. It was the weirdest thing. It was like being hunted by mosquitoes. Coolest excursion or experience that we did in Alaska. Definitely the dog sledding. The dog sledding for sure. Yeah. Oh, that was awesome. You take a helicopter ride out of Girdwood, Alaska. Flies you up on top of a glacier and there's a whole team of dogs, like 50 dogs up there, and they take you around the glacier on a dog sled. Yeah, those dogs are Iditarod champions and they hang out up there kind of to keep up their training during the summer months. A good backup, I'll just throw a little icing on the cake, is the Valdez like when we went with Fred. What was the name of that boat tour? Lulu Belle. Lulu Belle, yeah. You got to see some amazing wildlife. Whales, sea otters, sea lions, and best part is you're right up near glaciers. Wow, that was worth it and a little cheaper than the dog sledding tour, so if budget is an important thing because we stand behind that, do that. Try to add some kind of glacier tour in your Alaska stay. Which resources should I have on hand before the trip? Milepost. 100% the milepost book. They come out with a new edition every year and what's great about it is when you don't have cell service driving through Canada or in Alaska, that will give you details mile by mile of what to expect, how the roads are, also what you could pull over and look at. Another one that we refer to quite frequently for finding the actual spots to stay was RV Life. That's an app you can use on your phone. You do have to pay for it, so I wouldn't say go out and get it. You must have it, but if you are looking for that, then we do have a discount code. You can use the discount code thankshanks. It'll save you 25%. We'll put that in the description below just to save you a little extra money on the side. We are big when it comes to looking at photos before we book any campgrounds and that's what's great about RV Life is that you can see accurate photos and not just rely on the ones that the website has. That's true. It's actual people that stayed there and are unbiased and they're like either it's really good or really bad. When it comes to boondocking, we recommend Campendium and a newer app that we discovered called iOverlander. Now iOverlander is more of like a quick pull-off, like where can you just pull off the side of the road and get sleep. It worked really great for us and it's a free app, so I really enjoyed that. Great pictures, great reviews, so that was really nice to have on hand. This is one of the biggest questions we see online and it's a question we got a lot. How much does it cost to RV Alaska? There's a lot to say about this and we actually made an entire video and you're gonna be surprised because the biggest expense was not excursions. We'll leave that video linked right here for you. Go check it out next and as always we'll see you guys next Thursday. Love y'all. Bye guys!