Alaska

[STman]

I'm thinking of riding up to Alaska this summer just because I can. Has anyone done the Alaskan Highway before? I'm probably going to ride up through the Rockies up to Glacier Nat'l Park and then on up to Edmonton and north from there. I have the added bonus of someone taking the same route via RV that I can meet up with here and there and take a break from the tent pitching.

Any suggestions other than route planning?

[Janet]

I'm thinking of riding up to Alaska this summer just because I can. Has anyone done the Alaskan Highway before? I'm probably going to ride up through the Rockies up to Glacier Nat'l Park and then on up to Edmonton and north from there. I have the added bonus of someone taking the same route via RV that I can meet up with here and there and take a break from the tent pitching.

Any suggestions other than route planning?

Sounds like fun. Search "alaska" and check out the bunches ot threads that pop up on the subject.
I hope to get up there some day.

[jredford]

I did it in 2007 Houston to Prudoe Bay and back in 17 days. I would highly recommend Canadian Glacier Park on the way up as it is spectacular.

I have the routes gps ready if you have mapsource. It's a great trip, good luck!

[Valker]

100% DEET spray.:giveup:

[sharkey]

100% DEET spray.:giveup:

That ain't no lie, they are huge. We traveled that way 15yrs ago. We were in a 4WD truck though. We went 1st week of June and potholes were many.
Seward is a great town and fishing was incredible.

Sorry, got nothing useful to offer.... I will swear that the best pizza I ever ate was in Tok Alaska at a hotel. Restaurant was open late -midnight. We'd been driving for 15 hours so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

[Valker]

Yeah, I think the best burger I ever ate was in Hyder on my second trip up there. Fella cooked it on a grill, outside, under the awning of an abandoned gas station.

[bushwhacker]

Just remember the further north you go the longer it stays lignt until it is light 24 hours a day.

Sometimes you have to force yourself to stop and rest but also this allows you to schedule yourself differently.

When we went to the Arctic Circle on the Dalton Highway we stopped at our Hotel at Yukon Crossing around 5 pm, unloaded the bikes, had dinner, sat around for a while and then headed north around 8 or 8:30 pm.

When we got to the Arctic Circle and took photos it was between 10:30 and 11 pm.

Here is one of the photos -

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/wfsjr/Alaska.jpg

[M38A1]

Austin to the Circle and back on an F650 for me.

Make the trek to Prudoe Bay if you can. I kick myself for stopping at the Arctic Circle.

[STman]

Austin to the Circle and back on an F650 for me.

Make the trek to Prudoe Bay if you can. I kick myself for stopping at the Arctic Circle.

I don't own a dual sport yet. How good is the Alaskan Hwy? Do you think a strictly street bike can handle it OK?

[bushwhacker]

I don't own a dual sport yet. How good is the Alaskan Hwy? Do you think a strictly street bike can handle it OK?

When I was up there there were a bunch of people on strictly street bikes. Lot of Harleys.

I would not want to do it but they did not seem to have any problems.

The concern is that summer time is the only time they can do road maintenance so there is lots of road construction.

It was not unusual to sit at a road construction site for 10-20 minutes and then have to follow a lead vehicle thru a single lane unpaved section for several miles while they were working on the other side.

They also had a tendency to spray water in the construction zones to minimize dust so now you are riding on a well watered dirt road.

The Dalton highway (also known as the Haul road) up to the Arctic Circle is near 90 miles of Dirt. I do not think I would consider that one on a strictly street bike.

When I was up there (2003) there was also a fairly long section of the Cassiar that was dirt.

[Calgary-Yogi]

Check this Ride report out

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29025

[Valker]

I've done the AK trip twice on GoldWings, but I did not take them on the Dalton or Dempster.:rider:

[tejasbusa]

I don't own a dual sport yet. How good is the Alaskan Hwy? Do you think a strictly street bike can handle it OK?

Miss Busa made it all the way up there the last of June/first of July

My son and I did it from Longview to Prudhoe Bay to LA and home in 16 days. 10,500 miles. It was a GREAT time.

[STman]

Check this Ride report out

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29025

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out!

Miss Busa made it all the way up there the last of June/first of July

My son and I did it from Longview to Prudhoe Bay to LA and home in 16 days. 10,500 miles. It was a GREAT time.

Well Heck, if a Busa can make it.........what am I worried about? :rider:

[DFW_Warrior]

It was fun... buy a bug hat, it works better than the spray. Don't go all ballistic and try to make the trip in x amount of days. Take your time, and enjoy. I laugh at all the guys saying "well, I did 640,345 miles in 12 days!!" Well good for you, you saw a bunch of pavement, and that's about it. What a waste of a trip.

We did it in three weeks, and that was trailering up to Calgary, and trailering home. We drove 24hrs a day to get to Calgary, and get back (pretty much), and I still think three weeks was too short of a time span to do it justice. So my only tip other than the bug hat, is don't get caught up in the destination. Enjoy the ride and the destination will be wherever you happen to get to.

[STman]

It was fun... buy a bug hat, it works better than the spray. Don't go all ballistic and try to make the trip in x amount of days. Take your time, and enjoy. I laugh at all the guys saying "well, I did 640,345 miles in 12 days!!" Well good for you, you say a bunch of pavement, and that's about it. What a waste of a trip.

We did it in three weeks, and that was trailering up to Calgary, and trailering home. We drove 24hrs a day to get to Calgary, and get back (pretty much), and I still think three weeks was too short of a time span to do it justice. So my only tip other than the bug hat, is don't get caught up in the destination. Enjoy the ride and the destination will be wherever you happen to get to.

Good Advice. I'm probably taking a couple months. I'm not worrying about any iron butt awards.

[Hemibee]

Check out the following links
Uly - Anchorage to Dallas - ADVrider
(http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246789)

Hoon on the loose - ADVrider (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=223032&highlight=Hoon+loose)