The Alaska Highway
An Adventure Any Time Of The Year
Before you start planning your trip down the Alaska Highway, get “The MILEPOST: Alaska Travel Planner“. It is an invaluable 768 page book that documents the entire trip including every gas station and motel along the way. The Alaska Highway (also called the ALCAN Highway) is a long 1,390 mile road stretching from Delta Junction, Alaska at its northwestern end to Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada at its southeastern end.
5 Important Tips
- Keep an eye on your fuel level. Gas stations are few and far between
- If you’re hungry get food the next time it’s available. It could be a few hours until your next stop
- Cell service is non-existent in many places for hours on end
- Beware of serious potholes in Canada
- Buy The Milepost (without cell service the book is your only source of info)
Alaska Highway History and Facts:
The road was originally built mostly by the US Army as a supply route during World War II. There were four main thrusts in building the route: southeast from Delta Junction, Alaska toward a linkup
at Beaver Creek, Yukon; north then west from Dawson Creek (an advance group started from Fort Nelson, British Columbia after traveling on winter roads on frozen marshland from railway stations on
the Northern Alberta Railways); both east and west from Whitehorse after being ferried in via the White Pass and Yukon Route railway. The U.S. Army commandeered equipment of all kinds, including local riverboats, railway locomotives, and housing originally meant for use in southern California.
Although the Alaska Highway was completed on October 28, 1942 and was celebrated at Soldier’s Summit on November 21st (and broadcast by radio, the exact outdoor temperature censored due to wartime concerns), the “highway” was not usable by general vehicles until 1943. Even then, there were many steep grades, a poor surface, switchbacks to gain and descend hills, and few or no guardrails. Bridges, which progressed during 1942 from pontoon bridges to temporary log bridges, were replaced with steel bridges where necessary only. One old log bridge can still be seen at the Aishihik river crossing. The easing of the Japanese invasion threat resulted in no more contracts being given to private contractors for upgrading of specific sections.
In particular, some 100 miles of Alaska Highway route between Burwash Landing and Koidern, Yukon, became virtually impassable in May and June of 1943, as the permafrost melted, no longer protected by a layer of delicate vegetation. A corduroy road was built to restore the route, and corduroy still underlays old sections of highway in the area. Modern construction methods do not allow the permafrost to melt, either by building a gravel berm on top or replacing the vegetation and soil immediately with gravel. However, the Burwash-Koidern section is still a problem, as the new highway built there in the late 1990s continues to experience frost heave.
Road Signs:
In Alaska, the distances and signs are posted in miles and miles per hour. However, Canada uses the metric system, so signs will be in kilometers (km) per hour. One mile = 1.6 kilometers. Also, gas in Alaska is measured in gallons, and in Canada, in liters. One gallon = 3.79 liters. In general, you should expect to pay around 15 – 20% more for gas along the ALCAN. American debit and credit cards are accepted everywhere along both the Canadian and the Alaskan portions of the highway, so you needn’t worry about exchanging currency.
Are there gas stations along the Alaska Highway?:
During the summer, gas, food, and lodging are available about every 20 to 50 miles. Hotels, motels, campsites, and RV sites are open from May until September.
Alaska Highway During The Winter:
Winter services are VERY limited, especially food and lodging. Many gas stations are automated so a credit card is mandatory. Service hours are short and after 5pm it is pretty much credit card only. HEED THIS ADVICE: Get gas when you are near half a tank since several towns are entirely closed during the winter.
The Alaska Highway is plowed in the winter by both the Canadian and the Alaskan governments, so it is in good condition and driveable year-round. Keep in mind that some vehicles (especially older cars) have trouble starting in such cold weather.
It is also important to note that many of the businesses (including gas stations and motels) along the highway close for the winter. So if you’re planning on stopping at motels on the way, call before your trip to verify that they will be open. In the winter, there’s a business open around every 100 miles or so. The The MILEPOST: Alaska Travel Planner lists all of them!
(Example: During a February 2012 trip, some gas stations were sold-out of fuel which made it 200 miles between fill-ups! It dropped to -54 F so screw-ups are not an option. Keep plenty of gas.)
Connects: Dawson Creek, BC, to Delta Junction, Alaska
Length: 1,387 miles
Road Surface: Paved (Mostly)
Season: Open all year
Highest Pass: Summit Lake, 4,250 feet
what gas station so are there along the way and possible addresses please help!
You want me to write all of the addresses down for gas stations all along the nearly 1,400 mile Alaska Highway? You’re joking right? Buy “The Milepost”.
In February, I drove from Fairbanks to Haines (via Haines Junction) to catch the Ferry to Seattle. Only saw 15 cars. Road was completely snow-packed. Plenty of opportunities to get into trouble. Could not even find people on a CB radio. Fill up at every gas station and have full survivor gear.
I am planning on driving this route from Fairbanks to the lower 48 in Jan/Feb time frame if anyone wants to convoy. Feel free to email me at michael.stewart.obrien@hotmail.com I will be driving a Toyota Tundra with a 34 ft travel trailer.
Good luck with that. My son, his dog and I drove from Anchorage to Denver the second week in November, 2016. It was a tough trip. It took seven days, and three of the days, the roads were snow covered and slippery in many areas. We had 2, five gallon cans of gas we took with in case we needed them, but made sure to gas up when ever possible. Never let gas tank get below half full, and you may need to get a block heater installed and carry an extension cord. Have an updated “The Milepost” handy, since no cell service in many areas. Good luck with your trip.
Michael, you’re foolish to try that drive in January/February. Especially pulling a 34 ft trailer! I made the drive during the last week of April 2014 in my F150 4×4 without a trailer. In Yukon and BC I hit 3 bad snow storms. The roads were not plowed and many of the curves with steep drop offs had no guardrails. Semi trucks chewed up the snow on the road during the day but the ruts froze at night. The frozen ruts destroyed all four of my tires and buying replacement tires in Canada cost over $900. The same tires in the states cost only $500. Luckily, I carried extra gas because some of the stations were still not open in April. Crossing into Canada from Alaska the frost heaves are terrible for many miles.
How far are you of us
Pulling a trailer in Jan or Feb is suicide.you will not make it,guaranteed.July or August,yes.if you try this trip in that time frame,tell your family and friends goodbye.
This is not true at all
I have driven the AK Hwy 68 times over the past 13 years. I’ve driven in in every month except Dec. I haul RVs to Anchorage from IN Yes the roads can be a B….., but common sense, caution and a good vehicle with good tires can make it most any time of the year. I have only had to wait 1 day one time when the highway had a bad washout in BC. Take your time, keep your tank filled when possible and enjoy the ride. It’s beautiful all year round!
John I could sure use some of your wisdom. Is there a way I can contact you regarding an upcoming trip? thanks! Chuck
Hi John, I plan to drive my 31 ft RV to lower 48 over this winter if my house sells. So per your post I should be ok to do the trip with RV (gas fuel type)? Any other advice? Are chains advised? TY very much, J. Scott
See all of the above. Depends on the weather that week if you need chains or not.
John, I am driving from Seattle to Anchorage at the end of May or first week of June. My sister has an RV and I pull a rig with my Tundra most of the summer. I am wondering if you have an RV for me to tag team up to Anchorage with my sister?
Excellent driving record.
Traveling to Fairbanks from Texas starting September 18th returning October 8, 2017. Ford f159 pulling 7x14ft enclosed trailer. Awaiting delivery of the Milepost. My daughter and son and law have made the trip x2 and are very nonchalant about driving that Alcan. My wife and I are more concerned. Any advice for us, number of spare tires to bring & so on.
My wife says we have to update our will before we leave. . . :-)
One spare tire ought to be fine. It’s rainy season now so make sure your wipers are in decent shape and your fluid is topped off. It can freeze overnight starting mid-September up there so icy roads are possible in the mornings. Should be good fall colors along the way in the southern part of your trip, the North should still have a few leaves hanging on. Good luck!
Thanks, Dennis.
I am trying to decide what month(s) are the best for making this trip. I plan on driving a Monaco Class A RV (45’x8.5′), Cummins 515hp Diesel w/212 gal. (US) fuel tank [Range ~ 1,400 mi. (w/250 mi. reserve)] I will be towing an MB – “G-Wagen” [I am planning to install An ~ 50 gal. (U.S) Gasoline Fuel Transfer Tank to use for fueling the G-Wagen. I wish that it would be possible to add another fuel transfer tank for Diesel fuel, but tha would add another ~450# on the trailer tongue, which is not a great idea for a “Bumper-Pull hitch, so I went with the ~250 mi. Range Reserve. Navigation will be by using GPS/DGPS,GLONASS & hard copy Road Maps. I plan on carrying two (2) firearms, a rifle & a shotgun + send a pistol up to AK (as a ret’d LEO there are now CCDW Issues to resolve in any U.S. location but Canada is not a “handgun-friendly” nation. I will be traveling with my 14 yr. old grandson & my two (2) English Mastiff. What am I missing in my planing, + I am open to suggestions & recommendations.
Can’t help you with the details on your RV but the first question Canadian customs will ask is “Do you have any firearms with you? Not a gun guy so don’t know if you can bring them through or not. You need a US passport and traveling from May through August is best to avoid ice on the road.
You can Bring long guns (shotguns, rifles etc) and up to 5000 rounds of ammo. Don’t even attempt to bring a hand gun or any AR style rifles.
Thanks for that info sir
I drove the Alcan February 15, 2017 . Drove to Anchorage Alaska to visit my sister and go to the Iditarod . Most places were closed along the way . Every time we saw anything open we stopped . The area between Fort Nelson Liard Hot Springs to Watson Lake there was no phone service . The roads were bad totally covered in snow we had several snowstorms . We just drove slow and enjoyed the scenery . We had two flat tires . And found that it was better to pull over to the right and slow way down when passing trucks because they put sand and rocks on the road whenever it snows and it cracked our windshield . It was a long time between gas stations and finding restrooms was nonexistent for hours so we had to potty outside Several times . When driving in Canada in the winter it’s always good to check your head and make sure roads are open they do close roads in the winter due to snow on them and we got rerouted and it took us eight hours to drive a detour around Jasper Park. Because Ice Rd., Parkway was closed. We slept in our van. The coldest was 30 below zero. We had a full-size mattress in the back of the van and a 20 below sleeping bag and was very warm all night every night . We did run out of water between Fort Nelson and Watson lake because we slept in Liard Hot Springs and there’s no water there so we were always sure to have water after that . We melted snow while we are at Hot Springs . Lots of animals were on the road . I’m going to post some videos to YouTube about our trip it was amazing and I would do it again . Just another note there was no lines to follow the road because the road was snow-covered so you never know if you were on the right side of the road and the roads go straight up and down and sharp right and sharp loves like roller coasters it was so much fun driving them .
If you have posted the videos on YouTube, would you provide the links?
I made the drive originally in July of 15 and it was beautiful. However this time Ill be making the drive end of October, 1st week of November. Still recommend not pulling a trailer at that time frame? Any other tips besides keep extra gas, and winter gear?
All depends on the snow and ice in Canada when it comes to a trailer. I found a cool website (http://images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/www/index-Northern.html) that has webcams along the route. That can give you a heads up to what it looks like.
Are you driving from Alaska or to Alaska?
What is the best time of year to drive the Alaskan Highway from Montana?
Summer. Always in summer. Warm weather, beautiful green leaves, and all of the gas stations are open.
And from mid-July (usually) on, the skeeters are thinning out.
Planning on making the trip from Anchorage to Haines to catch the ferry in December/early January. I’ve been told by a few people that British Columbia now REQUIRES studded/winter tires. I checked the government website and all I saw was “it is the responsibility of the operator to understand the conditions on the roads and equip their vehicles for those conditions”. Since I’m moving to the lower 48 I don’t want to buy studded tires for a one-time use (I have a 4wd truck & good all-season tires). Anyone else have knowledge (or preferably first-hand experience) with the BC winter tire requirements? Thank you!
It is not mandatory to have studded tires in BC, but here is what it says on the BC.gov.ca website about having proper tires for the winter : “It is the responsibility of the operator of a vehicle to understand the conditions on roads they regularly drive and equip their vehicle for those conditions. A legal winter tire (on a standard passenger vehicle or a four-wheel/all-wheel vehicle) MUST have at least 3.5 mm of tread depth.”
I seriously doubt they will stop you at the border and ask about your tires unless your vehicle looks shaky and in terrible shape. But, don’t quote ME on that!
Anyone making a trip down to Seattle in January??
Leaving Fairbanks Dec19 2017 headed to California , Anyone else?
I want to hook up on a round trip from Seward to Anchorage & turn to Seward on the train, I want to find out if I can return via ALCAN highway driving back to the lower 48
You can take the ferry from Whittier (near Anchorage along the road to Seward) over to Haines and connect up with the ALCAN via the Haines Highway. The ferry doesn’t actually go into Seward.
How about a small air compressor and a tire patcheing kit
Family of 4 + Dog heading south on the road next week. Hopefully our F150 does fine. It may take us a while to get through Canada. Not sure how many miles we can put on in a day with the kids. We will soon find out…
Driving solo with the dog down the Alcan December 16th, leaving from Glenallen, heading to Vancouver, BC. I’ve got a 2017 4Runner and studded tires. Any interested in caravanning?
Traveling the Alcan Feb 28 2018 Any updates I should be aware of
How are the roads…I am driving all the way down to the Lower 48 to the South…will check back and hope someone posts–thank you
Heading that way now with a 30 ft toy hauler. Should cross into Canada tomorrow from Montana. Anyone come down recently?
Driving from Alaska to California in mid May 2018, will we need chains for our car at any point? We have driven the Alcan before but not sure if we should get them for driving in May or not. Any suggestions?
Very likely not. But it could snow! We had 3 feet of snow in one day here in Anchorage about 10 years ago. On May 3rd I think. But it melted the next day or so. The streets are very warm so I’d say it’s a 99% chance of being just fine and beautiful with fresh green leaves along the way.
We intend to drive from Fairbanks via Whitehorse to Dawson City the last 2 weeks in April. How are the road conditions during that time? Thank you.
Could be anything at that time of year. Snow, muddy roads and rain is likely.
We are moving from Anchorage to North Carolina next month. We will be driving a truck and pulling a small trailer. We have 2 cases of wine we want to bring with us as the moving company won’t ship them. I cannot find any information about bringing that through Canada. I will have the cases taped up and won’t open any of the bottles on the way. Does anyone know if this is okay?
I’m fairly certain it is fine. They only ask about transporting weapons through Canada. Google “Canada Customs” and it will have a list of what you can’t bring.
We are planning on driving and pulling a trailer from Alaska to Idaho the first week of October. What type of weather should we expect? Also which route is the best for that time of year.
Could be icy north of Prince George next week. Always take Route 97. Better view and gas stations along the way.
Me and husband are planning a trip up around Fairbanks are futher,we are gold miners looking for a claim,also would love to find others going that way so we can travel in group,we want to leave around may 2020
Rudolph Express- Heading north into the great white beginning of December. SW Colorado to Fairbanks, leaving Durango Colorado December 9th if able to stay on plan. Can’t wait.
How was this drive?
I am hoping to make the trip from Denver to Anchorage April or May.
What is the best radio for the Alaska highway for Communication CB or VHF or UHF or HF?
Planning an Rv trip from WI to Alaska starting June 2023. Are there height restrictions any where along the Alcan HWY? Our Height will be 13′ maximum
I doubt there is. Semi-trucks drive it and it’s full of 1000’s of RV’s. But I can’t say 100%.
I drove my 1962 Pontiac from Fairbanks to Kansas City in November 1968 bringing with me, my wife and our two month old daughter. Somewhere near 1,500 miles was on gravel in northwest Canada. We learned that the Canadian people are among the greatest; gracious, thoughtful, and willing to help a simple Army Specialist and his family on their way home. The trip was made on the Alcan hwy that was only created 25 years ago.