Alaska Highway

[DOSZORROS]

There was some comment the other day regarding driving the Alaska Highway. When we moved to Alaska in 1973, the road was 1200 miles of gravel from 60 miles north of Fort Nelson to the Alaska border. The Alaska side was paved but the pavement was worse than the gravel road.

The Alaska Highway has been all paved for many years now and is generally in good condition. However, you can always expect some construction zones in the summer time. It is about 2600 miles from the U.S. border to Fairbanks and you cannot travel across the U.S. in the summer without running into some road construction.

You have to drive it at whatever speed the road will allow. Much of it, you can put the hammer down and let it roll; some of it, you have to slow down and drive cautiously.

Most of the Yukon Territory is very good road now but from Destruction Bay on Lake Kluane to the Alaska border is about 94 miles and this is always rough with frost heaves. You can normally drive it with a motorhome between 25 and 45 mph.

An Alternate route to the Alaska Highway is to drive the Cassiar Highway west of Prince George. This is all paved now except for 6 miles at the Stikine River which is highway grade but still gravel (fall 2012). This route is about 240 miles shorter. This is the route that most of the produce trucks are running now from Washington State to Alaska. Most of these trucks run two drivers and are doing a turn per week between Seattle and Fairbanks or Anchorage. You always see quite a few black bear on the Cassiar Highway.

We have had all our coaches to Alaska except the one we have now and I would not be bashful about taking it up there except we simply don't need it in Alaska. Our pickup and camper serve us better up there in the summer.