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Alaska Trip Info

Started by Qweaver, January 24, 2014, 12:50:57 PM

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Qweaver

Our plan is to outfit a new 1200lb 6x12 single axle enclosed trailer for basic camping and pull it with our V6 Explorer.  Furby has made this trip and emailed me to say NO NO NO.  I just have to listen to the voice of experience on this...but I'm really out of options here.  I'm picking up the trailer in Georgia and will have to drive home thru the mountains to WV.  This should give me a good idea of how it will handle hills. 
I could build a camper on my 3/4 ton diesel pickup and maybe pull a small trailer with my gator on it.  What are the rules for running an unlicensed 4 wheeler on the roads?  I really don't want to buy a $20,000 truck camper for this one trip.  Maybe carry my 650cc motorcycle instead of the gator.
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

OntarioAl

Qweaver
Maybe you could rent a camper for your truck rather than purchase.
As for your gator different jurisdictions different rules go on line to the states/ provinces that you intent to travel through.
I envy you going up the west coast and returning via the Alaska highway traveling through the most magnificent country side in the world.
Al
Al Raman

Raider Bill

What about pulling the trailer with your Pick-up?
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

sandhills

Or you could take old Bessie Blue


 
She pretty well knows the way  ;)


 
You have no idea how much I envy you!

Qweaver

I've pulled 3000+ lb trailers all thru these WV mountains  with my jeep and the Explorer.  The road up to my farm is more steep than any paved road that I have ever been on ( you have to be in 4wd) and the Explorer walks up it without a hitch with a 3000lb  trailer.  Our "camping" trailer will be less than 2000lb loaded.  I have never been on the Alaskan roads but I have driven some doozies here in WV.  Try the road to Dolly Sods sometime.   I really feel like the Explorer will handle this ... but I have to take notice of what those with experience say.  Pulling the trailer behind my truck will add $500 to the ferry fee and hundreds to the fuel bill also. We think we will do at least 15,000 miles before we get back to WV.  My truck gets 13 MPG with a trailer and diesel costs 50 cents per gallon more than gas.  I will know how the Explorer gas mileage is after I get back from Georgia.
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

Magicman

You might possible get 10 mpg pulling the trailer, but that is iffy and also empty.

I can not think of any reason whatever to take a Gator. 

Except for some frost heaves and road re-construction, all of the roads that you will travel on are very good.  The only exception would be the Top of the World highway from Tok to Dawson City.  The Haul Road North of Fairbanks is rocky but still good.

Yes, I have driven to Alaska and back.  13K miles round trip.   :)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Qweaver

"You might possible get 10 mpg pulling the trailer, but that is iffy and also empty."

I get 19 to 20 on my truck with no trailer.  12 to 13 pulling my goose neck loaded.    I don't recall ever getting less that 12 and did get 21 on a long highway trip.
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

Magicman

I was referring to you towing the trailer with the Explorer, not the truck.   :-\
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Raider Bill

Does your new trailer have brakes? Pulling it uphill could just burn up a motor or transmission. A week or so lost and a credit card fixes that. Not being able to stop going downhill could cause other issues and expenses.

Never been to Alaska but I have been to the Rockies and it's steep in a lot of places. I figure Alaska's got some pretty hairy downhills too.
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

Magicman

Not really.  Yes there are some like Valdez and Homer, but those are really exceptions.  What I am saying is that it is not up and down all day each day.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Qweaver

Living where I do in West Virginia, I'm driving up and down mountains almost every time that I drive.  Often pulling trailers over really long, steep grades.  I've made dozens of towing trips over 30 years between south Texas and WV and the only time that I had transmission problems was pulling a really over loaded  dual axle trailer behind a 1/2 ton van.  This will be a lightly loaded trailer behind a fairly low mileage Explorer.  The trailer will have brakes. 
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

Qweaver

Sarah and I are going to spend the day with Milepost and a table top full of brochures trying to plan our Alaska trip.  Any tips are greatly appreciated.   Any tips on places that we should avoid are also sought. 
Quinton
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

Magicman

Good idea.  I would avoid building a strict regiment of things to do or schedule to follow.  Talk with the other travelers each day to get ideas from them on things that they have seen and done.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Warbird

Gotta love The Milepost.  :)  You definitely want to see Denali National Park.  They've camp grounds and you can take a bus tour all the way into the park for some extra sight-seeing if you want.  Lots of wildlife to see but it's a loooong ride.

Depending on how your rig is doing and if you've got really good tires, you might want to do the Denali Highway (one of my favorite roads in Alaska.  Gravel most of the way and sometimes pretty rough).  Denali National Park is on one end of that highway and Tangle Lakes camp ground is at the other end.  You need to plan out where to fuel up, as the Paxson Lodge recently shut down.

You may want to contact these folks:

http://www.tangleriverinn.com/gallery.htm

http://www.maclarenlodge.com/

When Asy did her big Alaska trip with her mom and daughter, we rented a heavy duty pickup and drove them across the Denali Highway in a day.  Stopped at Maclaren Lodge for lunch.

Valdez is beautiful.  If you're into fishing, bring a rod.  You can also fish Tangle Lakes.  Just make sure you get permits.

The Kenai Peninsula is also beautiful and offers fishing.  Taking the road to Homer all the way to the end will get you right to the ocean and a great hotel the Mrs and I stayed at once.  Here's it's info:

http://www.lands-end-resort.com/

Lots of camp grounds around Homer, too.  The Milepost should help you locate all of 'em.

Let's see....  again, if you've got a really dependable rig, very good tires, and gas cans for extra fuel, you might want to drive up the Haul Road (aka. The Dalton Highway).  I've driven that one a couple of times.  It's as remote as you will get in a vehicle but it's a dangerous road (truckers hauling large loads and moving fast).  Atigun Pass is dangerous but achingly beautiful.  So is the Chandalar Shelf, on the south side of the pass.  As for camping along the Haul Road, there are pull offs now and again - people just pull off the road as best they can to get out of the way of the semis, go hiking, sleep, etc.

Oh, back to the Denali National Park - are you guys into hard core hiking?  When you take the tour bus in, you can ask the driver to let you off where ever you want.  We just pick a mountain we want to climb over and have them drop us off.  You can catch a different bus heading out of the park when you're ready to head back to camp.  Be sure to get all the rules/regs from Park staff if you do this.

That's probably enough for now.  Alaska is an adventure and I hope you get the most enjoyment possible.  It's been a true pleasure to be visited by 3 different FF members.  If you make it as far north as Fairbanks, please do send me a PM and we can meet for a cup of coffee or lunch.  We're doing good now and I can probably even offer to buy lunch.

Oh!  Speaking of lunch, if you do make it Fairbanks, I can suggest all of the good places to eat.  One member who visited really liked the Pikes on the waterfront (of the Chena River).  :)

Qweaver

Thanks Warbird.  This is the kind of info that we need.  We do have Fairbanks on our list.  There just seems like so many places to go and things to do that it's hard to choose.  I'm taking Furby's warning seriously but I've pulled trailers a lot with the Explorer and it really is the combination that I would like to use if possible.  What do you think? 
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

Warbird

I've never pulled a large trailer on the Alaska Highway.  My father-in-law did it a few times but he had large Dodge pickup with a Cummins turbo diesel and a fifth-wheel hitch/trailer.  You're going to be in some of the most remote places you've likely ever been.  Roads can be rough and tough on vehicles and there are lots of hills/mountains you'll be pulling that trailer up and down.

You know your abilities and limitations better than me or Furby but yes, I agree with him.  You need to plan accordingly.  How many people will you have with you?

Qweaver

This is a 12' single axle lightweight trailer.  1200lbs empty,  less than 2000lbs loaded.  Just Sarah and me in the vehicle.  I'll be pulling it thru the mountains in a few weeks and that should give me a good idea of how it tows.  I often pull a much heavier trailer with my Gator on it and the Explorer handles it easily. 
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

Warbird

Sounds like it'd be okay but again, you're the one that has to make that call.  Things look lots different when you're thousands of miles in the middle of nowhere.

Oh, another thing that gets some people...  Alaska is HUGE.  You can drive for 12 hours straight and still be in Alaska.  ;) 

Qweaver

The ferry trip is 6 days From Bellingham to Homer.  Then our route looks like Homer to Anchorage Hwy 1, then Anchorage to Denali, then to Fairbanks Hwy 3, then south to Canada and back to the USA.  We will be taking side trips all along the way...we just don't know where yet.  I think we will take a guided tour where they are offered if that makes sense.  We are going to spend a lot of time looking at Milepost to come up with ideas. 
I really want to take a flight or two also.  Maybe even jump out of a few planes if there is a DZ where I can rent gear.  There is just nothing more stunning than being in freefall above pretty country.

We have friends in Powell River, BC that we want to visit also.  We are also going to spend several weeks visiting parks and friends along the way back to WV.

Suggestions please!
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

Qweaver

If I can find a used truck camper for a reasonable price,  I'll take the truck.  It's hard to ignore the advice of people that have done it.  So I'm looking. 

Quinton
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

Warbird

You won't have to worry about avalanches during the time of year you'll be visiting, but this is probably one of the roads you'll drive on while you're here.  As you can see, it's currently buried:

http://www.adn.com/2014/01/26/3292513/avalanche-danger-keeps-crews-from.html


Warbird

Pretty sure this guy posted this video publicly.  If so, you should see a helicopter fly-over of the road (where it used to be).

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10153777611315215

Magicman

Forget the highway numbers.  All highways are referred to by their names.

Take the bus all of the way to the end in Denali and take snacks, etc. because it is an all day trip.  The Discovery boat trip in Fairbanks is very informative and well worth the ticket. 


 
We did not travel the Haul Road (Dalton Highway) all of the way to Deadhorse, but we did go to the Arctic Circle which was about 125 miles and watched the Sun not set.


 
And have the certificates to prove it.


 
And the cap.

Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Warbird

Oh yeah, MM mentions something else that takes some serious getting used to - we call it The Land of The Midnight Sun for a reason.  ;)  Bring good curtains on your camper.

Magicman

It caught us off guard.  In Dawson Creek we were buying stuff to cover windows because at 10:00PM the sun was was still at 2:00PM.  At 6:00AM the sun had been up for hours.  At midnight kids were still playing baseball in the campground in Fairbanks.  Forget sleeping.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

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