Long post warning.

So you think you want to drive the ALCAN Highway?

Driving the ALCAN to get to Alaska has been a bucket list item for me for a long time. Growing up dad and I always talked of making the trip but other things always seemed to get in the way. This fall I finally made the trip, not in the way I had planned and somewhat of a surprise but I made it just the same. So for what it’s worth, here are my thoughts and experiences on driving the ALCAN.

First off, go to this website and buy the book and included map. It is considered, “The Bible of the ALCAN” and is worth far more than what it costs for the information contained.

https://www.themilepost.com

Planning the Route

While it is really tempting today, “Fuck it” and go, it takes some planning to make it happen. The father north one goes the fewer and more distant spots to stop become. The problem with relying solely on mapquest is that the dot on the map gives no information on how big the town actually is, what facilities are available and it they are open longer than, “The season”. Between mapquest, the Milepost and www.hotels.com I was able to plan the route. Making hotel reservations in advance was critical. Some towns in the north literally have only one hotel and it may be booked by a road construction crew. One does not want to find oneself in the dark and the cold without a hotel reservation in northern British Columbia or the Yukon Territory.

I was fortunate in that my friend Mike was able to ride shotgun from Denver, do some navigating and share in the driving. I may have been able to make it on my own, but having Mike along made it a hell of a lot easier. Besides what better way to spend time driving over 3,000 miles than making fart and beaver (there’s a lot of things named after beavers in Canada) jokes with your best friend? Having my firearms transport paperwork approved by Canada (more on that at the end) we had to enter and cross the border at Coutts, Alberta on Sunday, Oct 7th and exit at Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory on Wednesday, Oct. 10th. So we were locked into a 3 day transit of Canada, adding extra time was not an option. The last two legs; Fort Nelson, BC to Whitehorse, YT and Whitehorse to Anchorage were long with challenging road conditions. The long distances on those two legs were somewhat out of necessity since there is nothing substantial along them.

Our planned route below. The actual driving times on the last 2 legs were longer than what was planned due to road conditions.

Day 1, Friday, Oct 5
Phoenix, AZ to Denver, CO
- 13 hours 6 minutes, 836.92 miles

Day 2, Saturday, Oct 6
Denver, CO to Great Falls, MT
- 10 hours 50 minutes, 771.91 miles

Day 3, Sunday, Oct 7
Great Falls, MT to Edmonton, AB
- 7 hours 41 minutes, 502.41 miles

Day 4, Monday, Oct 8
Edmonton, AB to Fort Nelson, BC
- 10 hours 50 minutes, 649.44 miles

Day 5, Tuesday, Oct 9
Fort Nelson, BC to Whitehorse, YT
- 10 hours 40 minutes, 592.56 miles

Day 6, Wednesday, Oct 10
Whitehorse, YT to Anchorage, AK
- 13 hours 1 minute, 708.81 miles

Total
69 hours 55 minutes, 4.062 miles

Time of Year

We made the drive in early October and I would not want to make it any later in the year. We passed countless gas stations and hotels that were boarded up and closed for the season. For the most part the weather was great but we did have some “fun” road conditions. Leaving Fort Nelson, we had some very slick roads. The hardpacked snow was not bad, actually it was kind of fun. The combination of slush and ice absolutely sucked more than a Whitehouse intern. It would literally pull the truck sideways and I was always fighting the wheel and making corrections constantly. As I told Mike, “Doing power slides in a parking lot is fun, doing continuous power slides over a few hundred miles, SUCKS!”

After crossing the border into Alaska and making our way towards Tok, we had a new challenge, freezing rain. Well, it started as rain, then we started to notice that the cars in front of us were actually leaving tire tracks in what looked like a wet road, then we noticed a little fishtail when we started to head uphill, that’s when we thought engaging 4 HI might be a good idea. Some of the road we travelled had been plowed, some had been sanded, but there were long stretches of road that had not experienced either. If slick roads cause you anxiety, this is not the time of year to drive the ALCAN.

Tires

We thought it was strange when the Canadian Customs officials did a walk around on the truck and commented on the tires. They made the comment that we would be running into snow along the way. We didn’t think much of it since it is October in the Great White North and somewhat expected. What we didn’t expect was the large orange diamond shaped signs all along the route in northern British Columbia and the Yukon Territory stating,

“WINTER RATED TIRES REQUIRED FOR PASSENGER CARS, TRUCKS REQUIRED TO CARRY CHAINS FROM OCT 01 - MAY 01”

In all of my reading and research for the trip I never ran across this little tidbit of information. It may have been there and I just missed it. Fortunately, the BF Goodrich All-Terrain tires on my truck are winter rated and have the mountain and snowflake symbol molded into the sidewall. I have no idea what if any additional actions the customs officials at the border would have taken if my truck had the craptacular OEM all season tires that originally came on it.

Vehicle

I liked my truck before the adventure started and I positively love it now. For those that don’t know it, it’s a big bright red Ford F-150 Crew Cab 4x4 with a hard folding tonneau cover. It provided a lot of room to pack stuff in for the move. Four wheel drive was definitely needed for this trip, the road conditions were that bad. The hard tonneau cover was a necessity in keeping everything dry in the weather. The digital driver’s display was great since I could configure it to be a digital speedometer in kilometers for the Canadian’s socialist system of measurement known as the metric system. Having a huge gas tank provided a lot of comfort when the distances started getting long up north. And being a truck with 33” tires, leveled front suspension and FX-4 Off Road package was huge after the Tok cutoff with the frost heaves in the road, we probably caught air on a couple of them. It was the one time I actually wished for a different vehicle to make the trip in, a Ford Raptor. Being able to fly over the whoop de doos the frost heaves made would have been our own arctic version of the Baja 1000 in the Raptor.

Most of the vehicles we saw on the ALCAN were other pickup trucks. We did see a few SUV’s, a few all wheel drive sedans and Subaru wagons, but front wheel drive sedans were definitely in the minority. After this trip I definitely would not drive the ALCAN in anything that was not four or all wheel drive this time of year. This time of year, I wouldn’t drive it in a vehicle that cannot go 400 miles between fill-ups either.

What to Pack in the Truck

Well, first off since I was moving up here, every cubic inch of my tuck was packed with something. I have to admit I did feel somewhat like a prepper on a reality show for what I packed in the truck, “Just in case”.

Tow strap
Clevis loop for trailer hitch
Jumper cables
First aid kit
Folding shovel
Toilet paper
Hatchet
Emergency blankets
Jump pack (lithium battery that can be used to jump start the truck and charge electronics)
Basic tools
Breaker bar with deep well socket sized for the lug nuts
Flashlights (several)
Matches
Lighters
Firestarter
Duct tape
Electrical tape
Drinking water
Snacks
Gloves (several)
Heavy waterproof jacket

How much of this stuff did we actually use? Except for the snacks, gloves and jacket, none of it. How screwed would we have been if we ended up off in the ditch or broken down without any of it? More than Stormy Daniels. I cannot stress enough how long distances are, how isolated one is and how many miles one can go without even seeing another car on the highway. Self reliance isn’t an option, it is a necessity.

If I was making the drive in the summer and didn’t have to worry about packing every cubic inch, I’d definitely pack some camping gear. There’s a lot of gorgeous improved and primitive campgrounds all along the route. It would make for a great trip if we had more time and it wasn't getting down into the teens at night.

Food & Drink

As soon as you see a Tim Horton’s in Canada, stop and get Timbits for the road, you’ll thank me later. If you have friends in Alaska, stop at one of the two Tim Horton’s in Whitehorse and get at least one box of Timbits for them. Tim Horton’s is kind of the redneck Canadian version of Dunkin’ Donuts except way better. Timbits is their take on donut holes.

Like I mentioned, in the north it can be a very long distance between stops, make sure and have food to eat along the way. More important, make sure you have food to eat in case you get stuck in a ditch along the way. Canadians seem to love A&W, there’s at least one in every town. Just like I remembered growing up, their rootbeer is good, their rootbeer floats absolutely rock and their burgers are mediocre at best.

Also have enough water and whatever your drink of choice containing caffeine may be for the long stretches of driving. I’ve mentioned the long distances before. We drove 5-1/2 hours straight from Fort Nelson to the border of the Yukon Territory on snow packed and slushy roads without stopping. We had to pull over and make yellow snow on the Yukon side to mark our territory and have the claim to fame of making yellow snow in the Yukon. We were slowed due to the road conditions, but there was literally no place to stop and pee on that stretch. It was then that I thought, I could’ve driven from my house in Phoenix and been on the beach in San Diego in less time since I last peed at breakfast.

Gas

First impression in Canada is, “Holy shit gas is cheap!” Seeing signs with $1.41 seems great. Then one realizes it’s the communist measurement of the metric system and it’s liters not gallons. So now it’s $5.33 per gallon, at least realizing that it’s Canadian and converting to dollars brings it down to $3.99 which is a little better but still leaves one feeling like Ned Beatty in Deliverance. The prices only get worse the farther north one goes.

Then there’s the whole distance thing. Even with a 36.5 gallon tank in my truck, we topped off regularly only going below 1/2 tank once. As mentioned earlier we did pass a lot of gas stations that were closed and boarded up for the season, having the big tank in truck gave us a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Crazy Canadians

Canadians are nice but there also some of the craziest drivers I’ve ever seen. We were on snow packed roads in the Yukon, I was driving at a good pace and Canadians towing 5th wheel RV’s with their dually pickups would be absolutely hauling ass going the other direction. The first time we saw it Mike and looked at each other and simultaneously said, “Can you believe that crazy bastard?” The next time we looked at each other and said, “Nope” After about the 9th or 10th it was, “There’s another one.” Americans do not have a monopoly on rednecks and pickups. Some of the homebuilt stuff we saw in northern Canada would make even Red Green proud. My personal favorite was the 8x8 Jeep Wrangler we saw, yes dually axles front and rear.

We stopped at the Tags Gas Bar in Watson Lake to top off the tank. Went inside, Mike and I looked at each other and said, “This place is cool!” So it’s a huge steel building, convenience store, Department of Wildlife hunting and fishing tag office, hardware store, restaurant, bar, showers and laundromat. Where else could something be this multi-purpose?

Traveling with Firearms in Canada

Yes, it is possible. Don’t believe the hearsay and horror stories. Do your own research well in advance. If you are planning a trip to Canada and taking firearms, start with researching their website.

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/cont/index-eng.htm

You may have to call their offices with questions and clarifications. Their agents are extremely nice and helpful on the phone but getting in contact with them can be extremely frustrating. Most of the time it’s a recorded message, “Thank you for calling… Due to the unusual volume of calls please try you call again later.”

CLICK!

When one gets lucky the recording is, “Thank you for calling… Due to the unusual volume of calls please hold for the next available agent.” Plan on being on hold at least 30 minutes before initial contact and then being on hold for an additional 20 if they need to transfer your call to another office. I had to go through this process twice, once initially and then again after HR changed my start dates in Anchorage and I had to change the dates of entry and exit on my application.

Bringing typical hunting style rifles and shotguns into Canada is not that big of a deal. They require that a Firearms Declaration Form be filled out and a $25 transportation fee paid. It is a one time fee and does not limit the number or firearms. The Declaration Form can be filled out at the border, but I highly recommend filling it out in advance, it is available for download on their website. The form does require that all firearms be individually listed by manufacturer, model, barrel length, caliber/guage and serial number.

Bringing handguns into Canada is another story. Handguns are considered Restricted, must have a barrel length longer than 4.1” and not have the capability of holding more than 10 rounds. In addition, one must file an Application to Transport and have it approved in advance. Their website recommends allowing 5 business days, my initial application was approved in 2 days. The application requires that all Restricted firearms be individually listed by manufactuer, model, barrel length, caliber/guage and serial number. Be extremely careful, double and triple check everything. Their firearms office researches all of it and will call with questions. The application also requires dates and places for entering and leaving Canada. The application is only good for the days listed. In addition all Restricted firearms must be transported in a locking case and have trigger locks in place at all times. This is also where having a conversation with the Canadian Firearms Office over what is considered Restricted and Prohibited is invaluable.

Prohibited is any handgun with a barrel length of less than 4.1”, the capability of holding more than 10 rounds or is chambered in .25 or .32 caliber. Anything meeting their definition of an, “Assault Rifle” is Prohibited. Guess what, Prohibited means you cant take it into Canada. There’s also wording on their website about firearm and vehicle confiscation if found in violation. It’s not worth the risk trying to sneak something past.

We arrived at the border and I was fully expecting to be asked to pull off into secondary inspection and have the whole truck tossed. On initial contact we were in the vehicle and the customs agent was in the booth. Typical conversation why were we driving into Canada, where were we from, how long were we staying. Mike and I were both being polite and as nice as we could be. However, we both really struggled to keep a straight face when he said, “Welcome to Canada, EH!” Then the dreaded question,

“Are you transporting any firearms?”

“Yes I am…”

Before I could even finish, “Well, shotguns and rifles are ok, but handguns are not allowed.”

“But, but, but, I’ve got my Application to Transport!” and then I handed over my paperwork for him to review.

“Oh, you’ve done your homework, EH! (We got another EH!) Park over in the lot behind me, leave all of your firearms in the vehicle and take your paperwork inside the customs building for review.”

We thought so far so good, but the truck is probably still going to get tossed. Go inside, the exact opposite of American Post Offices, there’s more agents than customers. Get called up to the counter by a customs agent asked why we were there, I explained that I had an Application to Transport and was instructed to come inside and have it reviewed. Go through the same typical questions again, where are we from, where are we going, etc., then told to have a seat and wait. Lots of rubber stamping and copying and then called backup to the counter. Was told to see the clerk at the next position and pay my $25 transport fee which I was given the choice of paying by plastic or American cash. Then we were told because of the amount of firearms they would have to inspect them.

OK, here comes the truck tossing…

Walked out into the parking lot with two customs agents. I was asked where the firearms were stored and I told them in the bed of the truck underneath a locked tonneau cover. I was asked to drop the tailgate and pull out the cases. I pulled out the first case which contained all of my Restricted firearms. I unlocked the case, they saw the top layer and then asked if there was anything underneath. I slid the dividing layer partially back to expose the handguns underneath. They saw that everything was individually stored inside a, “Sack Up” storage sack. One of the officers asked if he could inspect one of the handguns and I said, “Sure”. Of course he had to grab the most valuable handgun in the case, my 1 of 12 ever manufactured Smith & Wesson 627 revolver. His partner grabbed one of my 1911 pistols. They both uncased them, saw the trigger locks on them and then the first officer looked at his partner and said, “Well, I’m satisfied, do you to see anymore?”

“Nope.”

They then proceeded to thank me for being the most organized gun owner they had ever encountered. I was surprised, I was like, “I’m just following your laws I didn’t think it was that hard.” They then proceeded to tell me about the American last week with 25 firearms that he didn’t declare. Their comment was, “That cost him a lot of money.”

As far as exiting, there was no contact with Canadian authorities. Our contact with American Customs entering Alaska lasted all of 3 minutes and didn’t even have to get out of the truck. We handed our passports over and the officer said, “I saw you Canadian firearms paperwork when you grabbed your passport, can I take look at that please?” Handed everything back and that was it.

So it is possible. My advice, do your own research, fill out paperwork in advance, call their offices with anything that may even be questionable, and just be polite at the border.

Epilogue

It was a hell of a road trip that turned into an adventure with the road conditions after Fort Nelson. I can honestly say after driving in the ice and slush all day, the Yukon Gold on tap at the Gold Pan Saloon in Whitehorse was the best tasting beer I have ever had in my life.

I definitely would not make this trip any later in the year than we did. The weather and road conditions would not make for a fun drive. The one advantage to this time of year, minimal traffic, like none for miles. I’d like to make the drive again sometime but have more time to do it. I had my digital SLR camera with me but it never came out of the bag. With only a couple of exceptions, the only pictures we took were with cell phones through the windshield of the truck. That’s not to say it wasn’t beautiful or worthy of pictures, it was actually some of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever experienced.

I’d also like to have more time to walk around some of the towns we were in. Whitehorse in particular was just this funky little town with a lot of history to it. Watson Lake is tiny but had the sign post forest that would’ve been fun to walk around in. Edmonton may have been fun to see. We drove around it on the ring road while it was dark and rainy so I have no idea what it’s like.

While it was a quick trip for the distance that was covered, it had a lot of memories; Timbits, the waitress in Stoney Point with the thick Canadian accent that talked just like Bob & Doug McKenzie, the manager of the hotel in Stoney Point that talked just like the waitress, “OH, sucks to be you EH!”, the frozen tailgate, the spontaneous opening of the frozen tailgate at 80mph, The Sheared Beaver (I told you Canadians name a lot of things after beavers), the recently pleated seat covers in the truck, making yellow snow in the Yukon, the yuppie couple asking for an air freshener at the front desk of the hotel in Whitehorse, the Unimog that ate the Ford Escape, Wicked Wanda the bartender in Chilkoot Charlie’s, the other bartender in ‘Koots, fart jokes, the homebuilt Subaru station wagon that still runs, and last of all camping out in the offices of the Alaska State Board of Nursing.

Most of all, thanks to my friend Mike for making the trip with me.

That would be an adventure for sure. I’ll have to admit, I thought handguns were a no-no for transport, regardless of the paperwork one filled out.

I may of missed the reason for the trip? Is there a new job up there? Has to be a big change from the mainland SW.

My ‘big trip’ was flying up to AK in a 1966 Cherokee 140, back in 1992. The soon to be wife was my co-pilot. We started from MS, most buddies said we wouldn’t make it. We had a most EXCELLENT trip.

Ive made the drive 12 times, 6 each way so far and headed back up in May with another Uhaul truck full on the PCS move. Most beautiful drive there is.


Ive never crossed the border wifhout firearms but I’ve also never ONCE had them inspect or check my guns. I always cross with a 12ga, .22 rifle and a bolt action.

Thank s for the trip report!
We're going in 2020 and will be taking our time...

Cool recap! How long will you be staying in AK for?

Interesting comments on timing. I rode up on a motorcycle at the beginning of September back in the '90s. The word I was given was that I had two, probably three weeks to get in and out before the snows really hit.

Then I rode across an iced-over metal grill bridge on the way to Tok and found myself profoundly grateful that I was riding a fairly stable bike on tires meant for long-distance travel rather than cornering. I probably would've been fine, but it was a new enough experience that I was jazzed to have a milder pucker factor than I would have otherwise.

And then there was the part about going reeeal slow over the unpaved and cracked pavement parts of the road, and playing chicken with the local horned fauna as the females of the herd crossed the road diagonally at an amble, and sliding out the back tire in the mud in the hills just before getting into Anchorage. I took the ferry back down from the panhandle to Seattle just to say I'd taken the ride, but I think that might've made for a slightly more relaxing trip overall.

Sounds like a real adventure and something I would love to do someday.

quote:

Originally posted by Copefree:
Cool recap! How long will you be staying in AK for?

With the sign on and relocation bonuses it's a 2 year commitment. I'm sure I'll be building frequent flier miles on Alaska Air with their direct flight between Anchorage and Phoenix.

9 years ago today, I departed Houston for my ALCAN adventure. I got lucky as the week before and week after were extremely snowy, but I only had it in 4wd for 60 miles.

Technically, you didn't drive the entire ALCAN Highway--Mile Zero is in Delta Junction, Alaska and you missed that by heading SW on the A1 at Tok. The A2 does extend past Delta Junction all the way to Fairbanks, Alaska.

I have not driven the ALCAN myself, but I've been on parts of it from Whitehorse to Delta Junction during coach tours of Alaska and the Yukon.

Anyone wanting to travel that road but not able to do it oneself might check out this tour: https://www.kissalaska.com/ala...anadian-rockies.html. I've traveled 3 times with John Hall's Alaska and they are a top-notch tour provider. This tour is also available as a 17-day land-only from Seattle, WA to Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska (without the cruise) if desired. (I'm considering this tour land-only myself.)

My original JHA tour in 2009 was a figure-8 affair, beginning in Anchorage, AK and heading up the A1 to Tok, AK, then south on the A2 and CA1 to Whitehorse, YT. We had a side trip from there to Fraser, BC where we took the train down to Skagway, AK and the coach back to Whitehorse. From Whitehorse we headed up the CA2 to Dawson City, YT and then the CA9 and AK5 back to Tok. At Tok we rejoined the A2 to Delta Junction and Fairbanks, AK. From Fairbanks it was a train ride down to Denali NP and coach from there down the A3 to Anchorage. That tour did include a cruise down to Vancouver, BC. Unfortunately, that route is no longer being offered, due (I think) to some of the hotels we used having been closed. Photos of this trip at https://www.flickr.com/photos/...s/72157601967848026/.

My 2014 tour began at Anchorage, went north to Fairbanks, SE to Tok, NE to Dawson City, and south to Whitehorse and Skagway, where we boarded a small ship (Baranof Dream) for a cruise among the islands ending at Sitka, AK. Photos at https://www.flickr.com/photos/...s/72157648510965310/.

Both tours were wonderful. I can recommend this company highly (and I don't get a commission!).

flashguy

Welcome! My condolences on living in Anchorage.its been an odd fall, we seem to be about a month behind.

I rode it on my motorcycle, gas stations get thin on the ground and often close early.

^^ A much wiser man that myself. BMW K75S.

Excellent post!!! I spent 23 years up there 66-89. I drove the Alcan 8 times, plus many of the other roads all the way up to Invuik and Coldfoot.

The road has been straightened out and paved considerably since the early 70's. In the beginning only the first 100 miles were paved along with a bit in Whitehorse. I imagine there is a bit of the old twisty banked dirt road left .

In the old days if the warning sign for a curve said 35 you did not want to be doing 40.

Again, excellent post.

Thank you for making THE item on my bucket list a little easier !

Out of curiosity, can you carry ammo of any kind?

You can carry limited amounts of ammo, it needs to be stored separately. However, large amounts will have to be permitted and that is under the authority of a different office.

I did have a few boxes of ammo but I was never asked about them. Firearms are required to be transported unloaded. We were told a few times by the customs officials that we were not hunting and all firearms needed to remain unloaded.

Bump,
Will be moving on PCS orders to Cordova Alaska from Biloxi, Mississippi sometime in June...
Gonna read this thread and probably have a lot of questions

quote:

Originally posted by sjp:
Bump,
Will be moving on PCS orders to Cordova Alaska from Biloxi, Mississippi sometime in June...
Gonna read this thread and probably have a lot of questions

You do realize that you can't drive to Cordova? It's either going to be driving up to Valdez or Whittier and taking a ferry over, or taking a ferry up from Bellingham, WA.

Yes, ill be driving to Valdez and hoping a ferry to Cordova, most likely driving to valdez via the alcan in my ram 1500 pulling a 16ft trailer with my yj on it.

Will be driving through in june.

Is it a pain to ship the few pistols that i want up there?