2025 Trip to Alaska, advice welcome

Sam_Julier

Sam_Julier

$100 Site Donor 2026
Staff member
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
2,180
Location
Connecticut
Jennifer and I are planning to drive to Homer Alaska via the Canadian Rockies, Alaska Hwy to Whitehorse YT, Klondike Hwy to Dawson, Taylor Hwy to Tok and on to Homer. Return route to Haines SK and ferry from Haines to Bellingham WA.

We arrive in Banff on May 1, Homer on May 17.

We’re driving the Mercedes 300D 2.5 turbo. Diesel engine. 18 gallon tank. 33 mpg at 65 mph. It appears that diesel fuel is available at each town. I plan to fill up often.

The car will have 4 new snow tires. Plus the full size spare, 2021 date code. I will pack chains.

We will have full winter clothes including down parkas, food, water, a jet boil, Yeti cooler, etc.

Plus a wicker cocktail case. If I’m gonna die I’d like to sipping a rye old fashioned. 😉

I’ll be carrying tools, NOCO jump starter, spare bulbs, top off oil, etc.

The engine will have HPL CK-4 HD 5W40. I don’t plan on an oil and filter change.

Plus enough cash to pay for all fuel and food in case the internet is down.

Questions:

1) Should I carry extra diesel fuel?
2) Should I carry a second spare tire?

Any and all advice is welcome and greatly appreciated!

Sam
 
Last edited:
Carry as many spares as possible. We didn’t need any, but some gas stations on the map were no longer open. We fueled every time we got past 1/2 a tank.
Roads can be rough, but most bad areas were marked with cones.
The policeman at Destruction Bay was a fake silhouette police car, where our credit card started to get declined. Be sure your credit card company knows the difference between Al. and Ak. for state abbreviations.
Go to MacBride museum and the sternwheeler in WhiteHorse.
BC Ferries from Prince Rupert to Vancouver island are/were much cheaper than US ferries.
Latest iPhone with satellite sos.
 
Sam_Julier said:
Jennifer and I are planning to drive to Homer Alaska via the Canadian Rockies, Alaska Hwy to Whitehorse YT, Klondike Hwy to Dawson, Taylor Hwy to Tok and on to Homer. Return route to Haines SK and ferry from Haines to Bellingham WA.

We arrive in Banff on May 1, Homer on May 17.

We’re driving the Mercedes 300D 2.5 turbo. Diesel engine. 18 gallon tank. 33 mpg at 65 mph. It appears that diesel fuel is available at each town. I plan to fill up often.

The car will have 4 new snow tires. Plus the full size spare, 2021 date code. I will pack chains.

We will have full winter clothes including down parkas, food, water, a jet boil, Yeti cooler, etc.

Plus a wicker cocktail case. If I’m gonna die I’d like to sipping a rye old fashioned. 😉

I’ll be carrying tools, NOCO jump starter, spare bulbs, top off oil, etc.

The engine will have HPL CK-4 HD 5W40. I don’t plan on an oil and filter change.

Plus enough cash to pay for all fuel and food in case the internet is down.

Questions:

1) Should I carry extra diesel fuel?
2) Should I carry a second spare tire?

Any and all advice is welcome and greatly appreciated!

Sam
Click to expand...
Get "The Milepost" its very detailed and updated often (y) on amazon, etc
 
I've gotten into the habit of calling the credit card company/companies so they don't cut you off when they see a change in your spending patterns.

This one is a YMMV tip - it works for me though; put the camera down and *look*. My personal experience shows me that a) the camera never captures the scene as you see it and b) are you really going to have time to sit down and look at the pictures later? I was on one tour where it seemed like one guy never removed the camera from his face and I wondered how much of the moments he'll actually remember from the pictures. I'm not saying that I never take pictures, but I've cut back on the number because I realized that I never had the time to go through them when I got back.
 
We drove from Edmonton to Whitehorse with a Toyota Solara, in the spring, about 15 years ago. We drove on 4 Michelin all season radials with a full size matching spare. We tented along the way. The roads were good quality 2 lane pavement with the exception of 2 stretches of gravel of about 100 yards each. We had no trouble whatsoever. We had no difficulty finding fuel.

Most semitrailer trucks had heavy duty catchers on their fronts which I assume meant there was a risk of animals on the road.

We tented for an extra day at Liard Hot Springs. There was a hundred yard walk through the bush to get to the springs and there were bears in the area. It's certainly worth a visit.

May is springtime. Expect highly variable weather - a mix of hot sunny days and a few cold days possibly even (light) snow. It's early in the season but there may be bugs (mosquitos and black flies). You're more likely to need light summer clothing than winter wear, and you'll need swim suits for the hot springs.

In my opinion you're worrying too much.
 
We went at the end of May first of June, you won't need snow tires or chains. Gas fillups.. or diesel in your case isn't that big of a deal if you know your vehicle and fill up accordingly. I only messed up once but still didn't get close to running out. Just watch the frost heaves, hit one of those wrong and it'll make your day bad.
 
ecotourist said:
We drove from Edmonton to Whitehorse with a Toyota Solara, in the spring, about 15 years ago. We drove on 4 Michelin all season radials with a full size matching spare. We tented along the way. The roads were good quality 2 lane pavement with the exception of 2 stretches of gravel of about 100 yards each. We had no trouble whatsoever. We had no difficulty finding fuel.

Most semitrailer trucks had heavy duty catchers on their fronts which I assume meant there was a risk of animals on the road.

We tented for an extra day at Liard Hot Springs. There was a hundred yard walk through the bush to get to the springs and there were bears in the area. It's certainly worth a visit.

May is springtime. Expect highly variable weather - a mix of hot sunny days and a few cold days possibly even (light) snow. It's early in the season but there may be bugs (mosquitos and black flies). You're more likely to need light summer clothing than winter wear, and you'll need swim suits for the hot springs.

In my opinion you're worrying too much.
Click to expand...

Good advice. I tend to worry too much.
 
Sam_Julier said:
Good advice. I tend to worry too much.
Click to expand...
My only unusual suggestion:

If you have car trouble don't leave your disabled car at the side of the road. Stay with it and have it towed.

In many northern areas (no idea about this route) vehicles left at the side of the road may be stripped and vandalized (wheels gone, windows broken, possibly torched).

With that possible exception, the area is very safe and you'll find people friendly and more than willing to help.
 
Went to Alaska once. Stunned by the beauty. Locals are very interesting. Want to do your trip sometime right after I win the lottery. My ride will be one of these,

1735247025833.webp


My advice, absent a lotto win, ditch the Benz and load up something like this mule;

1735247268689.webp
 
We really liked Whitehorse. It's a small city with real northern style. I could live there.

Suggest you read the Robert Service poems about the Klondike. My wife's great great aunt and her husband were Anglican missionaries at Fort Selkirk on the Klondike River in the late 1880s - early 1890s. They watched the rafts and hand built boats sail by during the Klondike gold rush. The log school house they built at Fort Selkirk is the oldest standing building in the Yukon. We accessed Fort Selkirk with a chartered boat which set off from about half way between Whitehorse and Dawson City. We made the arrangements in Whitehorse.
 
I'd say normal maintenance precautions. I don't have a diesel but I've seen many that the fuel filter gets cruddy if not done accordingly. Not sure how hard that change is on yours if you have a spare. I know my friend used some of the Ruel Right in his boat and other diesels to keep the sludge/bio film from causing issues.

Take in the scenery 1st, then since you are not on a timed tour, grab a small tripod/selfie stick and get the nice back ground pictures with you and Jennifer in them. Download to a video photo frame when you get back.

The cell phone signals thing I always think about when traveling. We just got my son a Garmin InReach Mini 2 for when he goes hunting and travelling. The use plans for basic are pretty cheap ($15) and can be stopped if not using it and can upgrade. It allows for some texting so you can update locations and plans with family. Hopefully never happen but satellite based SOS at a button is nice to at least get help coming toward you if needed. It has an app that links it to your phone also. Battery life is like 14 days with USB-C charging.

1735329258405.webp


My daughter travelled to Bahamas and we didn't activate the hot spot for her phone prior. That caused some issues trying to get it done once she was there for communicating. That of course different cell provider but even Wi-Fi was not great until fixed. Those are good for the iPad, laptop if you bring one and need to get signal.

All of my cars have a collapsible shovel from Costco as well as a 20 or 30 foot recovery strap, hitch pin for tow receiver and shackles by the spare tire all the time. Might be different there but many have nothing with them around here. If I (or wife/kids) mess up and slide off I know we have what we need for someone to help us if willing to help pull GENTLY. Hopefully no need and since you have the snows on, the lugs should be able to come off. Make sure correct torque so you can use the tolls on hand to get them free not 200 ft/lbs from tire store impact gun.
 
Don’t plan on taking a handgun with you into Canada without the neccesary paperwork done ahead of time. Also, I see you don’t plan on on coming back through the same crossing, so storing your gun at a place near the border is not an option. If you try hide it in the vehicle, be aware they are pretty good at finding guns, and you may get it confiscated and worse.
 
Last edited:
Never been on the road to Alaska, but have driven to Labrador and Newfoundland, and Hudson's Bay. I would think that, with all the trucks and construction equipment up that way, diesel would be easier to find than gasoline. Make sure you carry a fuel nozzle adapter.

But running out of tires could delay you for days while a replacement is shipped to some remote location. 2 spares is prudent.

I don't know what ATMs are like up there, but when I travel, I put money for the trip into a US checking account that allows me to make cash withdrawals all over the world, with a favorable money conversion rate and refunds all ATM fees. Last trip to Europe, I was making 500 Euro withdrawals from bank ATMs Many merchants prefer cash to avoid the credit card fees they have to pay.
 
If it were me, I would carry extra fuel/proper funnel-adapter. If only to take advantage of good prices when found. The extra spare is something I probably would not carry. Instead I'd make sure to have a good tire plug kit with fresh glue and a big can of Fix a Flat. They do sell tires there, and unless your car takes a very unusual size..

Having been to Alaska many times I always have to take the prices into account. As some things can be very expensive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom