Alaska here we come

[stitche]

We are headed to Alaska this year...all the way on the bikes. Anyone out there been there done that? We've got extra belts for both our bikes. DH has a Road King, I have a Victory King Pin Tour. We both pull trailers, he carries all the "stuff" and I pull an older Kwik Kamp. We've done 3 week trips before, but this is my DH's retirement dream trip and we are planning on being gone about 2 months. We hope to see it all! Any advice is most welcome. I've never thought about getting on a motorcycle forum before! This could be fun.

[Johnj]

Hello Bobbie and welcome to the forum. All I can say is have fun.

[sunshine229]

Hello Bobbie and welcome!

I've never been to Alaska, but being born and raised in British Colombia I can tell you that you are going to be visiting one of the most beautiful places in the world. (no bias!)

I am sure someone around here can give you advice on Alaska, and we would love to hear about your plans!

[Wrider]

Definitely envious! A friend and his son do an Alaska trip from here in CO every other year. I will warn you to beware the bears up there. They showed me GoPro footage of a grizzly running toward the road on an intercept course with the son on his DL1000.

Oh and bring cold weather gear. I was up there 10 years ago during the height of summer (late July/early August) and it got into the 40s at some points. (And we never went north of Denali.)

[stitche]

Plans? We don't have too many. We have found that making plans when on a ride sets us up for disaster! We are "planning" on heading out of Northeast WY around May 24 - 26. We are going to go interstate (yuck) up to Tacoma to see my BIL, go to Victoria - Vancover Island, then back into Canada, and up to AK. We want to go to Skagway and do the train that goes into the wilderness, up to Denahli and take the road trip into the park, and we are hoping the weather will be decent enough to take the Dalton Highway up to Deadhorse. On the way back we want to go through Jasper and Baniff national parks and into Montana that way, and maybe make the Red Lodge, MT Ralley the 3rd weekend of July! Other than that we just want to see as much as Alaska as we can see from our bikes!

[roady]

Sounds like great fun, make sure to post some pics.


Take care

[Hanson]

I hope you have a great time and that you will share your adventure with this community. I dream all the time of riding to Alaska.

Safe Travels,
Richard

[MmeMagpie]

I grew up in Alaska and went back for a visit this last August. You're in for a treat.

I hear the entire AlCan is entirely paved as of a couple of years ago. There's a publication called Milepost Magazine for it, too. Get one. It'll show you where all the gas stations are (and help you locate the ones you absolutely cannot skip), as well as campgrounds and other handy info.

Bring your woolies and your rain gear. It's generally damp and overcast. Expect lots of drizzle. Highs won't go much above 75 (high 60's are more typical), so you won't need any hot weather gear. Summer gloves, maybe, but you won't need a mesh jacket if your regular jacket is well vented. Lows can easily go into the 30's and 40's.

Mosquitoes. Get a bottle of repellant as close to 100% DEET as you can possibly manage, or you will be eaten alive.

If you get down into the Kenai Penninsula, visit Homer or Seward. I'm partial to Homer. It's the most beautiful place on Earth, but I'm biased (I grew up there). If you choose Seward, you can walk right up to Exit Glacier. My husband and I hiked to the top to see the Harding Ice Field. Breathtaking, and nothing has made me feel smaller and more insignificant, not even the Grand Canyon. It was brutal, though, and we were in a fair bit of pain for several days. Fish n chips and beer at the brewery downtown afterward never tasted so good.

Denali Brewing in Talkeetna is worth a stop. Great food and excellent beer (I recommend the sampler. Have you ever had a sour beer? Delicious). Take a walk down to the Susitna River while you're waiting for it to wear off Can you tell I like beer?

I also took a few pictures. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 864&type=3