Leedel

I have read a lot of older forums in relation to driving to Alaska by car from Vancouver and am wondering if they are still relavent. My wife, daughter and myself will be flying to Vancouver from Australia at the end of July to start a road trip North and we have 16 days to complete it, so my question is this, is it doable as well as are we able to see the sights that are a must see? I'd say the weather should be warm enough but what sights are a must see, what's the best the better of the renter cars (remembering there will be 3 adults and 2 of them are women with HUGE suit cases and me and my back pack) Lol.
There is so much to ask and see so that is why I'm putting it our there for you fellow explorers to help. Happy travels all and thanks for reading my plea.

sludick

Leedel, although I cannot really comment from direct experience except Vancouver to Williams Lake, here is a website that you might find very helpful:

http://www.northtoalaska.com/

tomfuller

I'm thinking that you can't rent a car in Vancouver (Canada) and leave it in Alaska. I could be wrong.
Fly from Vancouver to Fairbanks. See Fairbanks area. Take the Alaska Railroad south to the jump off point for Denali National Park and take a bus or Jeep tour. Take the train or bus south to Anchorage and see that area. Take a 3 or 4 day cruise south ending back in Vancouver.

sludick

tom, I believe all the cruises will be 7 days, aren't they? Well, unless you mean the Alaskan Marine Highway, but that takes you into Bellingham, Washington, and not Vancouver.

Leedel, you are thinking of a round trip? A one-way rental would be hard to find, I agree.

NorthwestMale

Yeah, Leedel, we need more clarity as to what you're trying to "complete" in 16 days.

Vancouver to, say, <I>Anchorage</i> is 2330 miles (40 hours of just driving) (via Dawson Creek, BC), but the good news is that much of that is such that you can <I>see it</i> merely by driving by.

<b>IF</b> it is your vision to have a one-way trip, then the logistics of being able to pick-up a vehicle on one end and drop it on the other, <b>are likely to be terrible</b>.

I doubt that many 'mainland' U.S. rental car companies would want their cars transported to Alaska, and you are potentially multiplying that by the idea of picking-up in one country and dropping-off in another.

I halfway suggest that you look into the <b>details</b> of what you're going to do about a vehicle (in terms of what rental companies will permit) be<b>FORE</B> you bother too much here with specifics of your trip.

I suspect that your impression of <b>much of</b> the Alaska Highway will be that of nothing but <b>You, the road you're on, and a dense forest of trees in all directions</b>. Hours go by like that, and many of the overnight choices are <b>pre-determined</b> for you by the hundreds of miles between the most popular/sensible stopping points.

<b>There WILL be plenty of nature in all directions, and some captivating viewpoints dotted throughout the path</b>. I liked the Kluane Lake area in the Yukon the best.

The drive itself is certainly long, and <I>adventuresome</i>, and I would generally recommend it to anyone with the time and interest.

I drove it in early April, and <I>traffic</i> conditions turned out to be optimum (drove for 9 hours one day and saw just 7 cars going in my direction)... but by July, you'll have tourists and campers and a few related slow-downs.

In April, I knew the luxury of seeing a great view, and being able to stop quickly, right in the middle of the highway lane, to take my photos. I could get out of the car knowing full well that I'd hear any vehicle in the area 5 minutes before it got to me. You won't likely have that in July.

The nature and wildlife will be impressive, and Alaska itself has enough mountains to offer your full of those for quite some time.

But just... work-out the specifics of a rental vehicle, and tell us what you're able to secure, so we can tailor any answers to your parameters.