Alaska Vacation

Let’s start with a quick introduction on getting around in Alaska during your Alaska Vacation. There are three main modes of transportation used in the far north during the summer vacation months of June through August.

Option 1: There are many Alaska Tour Companies that operate the fully catered outdoor expeditions that include your instate transportation and lodging needs as part of their Alaska Vacation Package. These are becoming one of the better options if you have never been to Alaska or do not have a friend or relative living here. We will be looking deeper into these tour companies later in this site, but for now, we will try to remain focused upon those people whom desire to explore Alaska via the highways and byways from behind the wheel of a RV type vehicle.

Option 2: For the do it yourselfers, there is the automobile, most notably some sort of SUV as four wheel drive and sturdy tires are highly recommended. The SUV is well suited for Alaska camping trips especially for those living here of those that fly in and rent a vehicle in the state for their outdoor adventure vacation. Most of those that utilize the SUV are backcountry campers or tent campers but others use the available public use cabin system or one of the many Alaska cabin rentals available. But for as well as the SUV fits the needs of some, they are limited in room and lack the necessary amenities that many camping enthusiasts desire.

Option 3: So now we enter the world of the dedicated Recreational Vehicle, from here on, referred to as “The RV”. RV’s can be anything from a specialized conversion van complete with a bed, TV, plush seating and more to the full blown motorhome, rolling house on wheels, complete with the kitchen sink and all necessary facilities to be self sufficient during your Alaska camping trip. Additionally, you need to add pop-up trailers, camp trailers, fifth-wheelers, pickup campers and some unique and often indescribable home made carriages that we don’t care to get deep into here into this category.

Planning your trip to Alaska.

In preparation for your Alaska vacation you will need to start out with a good quality map of the state that shows the major highways as well as the side roads that you might be interested in traveling. You will want a map that shows the rivers, lakes, national parks, wildlife refuges, scenic highways, points of interest and mileage between cities and locations. This is very important as the state of Alaska is larger then most realize and a good reference is necessary during the planning stages as well as during the camping trip itself.

Alaska doesn't have the super highways nor the freeways like those you are use to in the mainland states. What you will find is a triangle of paved two-lane highways connecting the town of Tok near the Alaska Canada Border to the cities of Fairbanks, and Anchorage. From this triangle we will refer to as the loop from here on out, you will be able to take one of the few side roads that reach out to the many discrete destinations that we consider a must if experiencing the real Alaska is important to you. These paved and/or gravel roads lead you into and through the mainstream areas of the Alaska Bush that is accessible by road. Most of the Alaska highways and roads are on the narrow side and many are little more then twisting and winding strips of asphalt or gravel leading through a stunning wilderness unlike any you will experience in the continuous 48 states. This is God’s Country without any question or reservation, wild and alluring with a hint of unknown thrown into every mile. Sense my first visit; I have never been the same. There is that feeling of being an explorer venturing out into the unknown; there is the reassurance of our Almighty God’s love for the earth and all its living creatures.

So let’s take a look at the various roads in Alaska that you will be experiencing during your upcoming trip. We will be assuming that you are driving to Alaska via the Alaska Highway in this section of the text. So lets get ready as planning for your Alaska vacation begins here.

Coming soon, the revised 2008 workshop for
Planning Your Alaska Vacation. February 2008