kejohnson166

My husband and I love road trips from our home in South Dakota. We typically drive as far as we can sit in a day--depending on side trips or stops to see sites along the way this might be 250-600 miles per day. We don't make hotel reservations in advance. About an hour from where we decide to stop for the night, we make online reservations via cell phone. We would like to spend at least a month in Alaska, with more time in Canada on the way up.
1) is this possible to do in Alaska or are we crazy to try?
2) are there enough towns with lodging that we could limit our miles per day to 200-250 to allow time to explore along the way?
3) what time of year is best--early June into July or mid-August into September?
4) should we buy a camper and skip motels?
Thanks!

janisj

>>1) is this possible to do in Alaska or are we crazy to try?

thursdaysd

And it's not like there's a lot of roads in Alaska, or are you planning to drive the AlCan to get there?

kejohnson166

We would drive the AlCan.

dfrostnh

We did something like this in 2004 but I expect there are even more visitors than then. You need to get some guides so you know where gas stations are located and when they are open. On a previous trip we had taken the Alaska Marine Ferry to Skagway and then drove to Anchorage which required one overnight in Tok. Between Skagway and Anchorage there weren't many choices for hotels. For the 2004 trip we made reservations for the weekends in late June/early July. I expected not to have a problem finding a hotel room in Talkeetna but it was the summer solstice and even on a weekday places were full. Someone at the visitors center found us a cabin to rent. It was a little inconvenient ( no nearby restaurants) but kind of an adventure. We also had a problem finding a room last minute in Seward but a B&B owner knew someone who rented out a room over their garage but didn't advertise. It wasn't bad but not great. We were happy to have a bed even if it wasn't very comfortable. What might be ideal for you is having a vehicle like a mini van large enough to sleep in if necessary and the necessary gear. Read up on camping in AK since the state is pretty liberal about where you can camp. Although towns can be far apart, in some areas you could drive another couple of hours and find more availability. For example. not a lot between Anchorage and Kenai but Kenai and Soldotna have more options. North of Anchorage, not much after you get past Wasilla until you get to Fairbanks. If you really want to go to Denali, I would have reservations for there but you might be able to wander the Kenai peninsula and find something last minute if you are flexible. I would not wait until end of day, however, but make a reservation a day ahead. Say you are in Anchorage and want to head to Seward and Homer. Go to the one where you can find a room and then cross your fingers you can get something in the other one. Kenai/Soldotna are in between and might be a fall back. There is less flexibility north of Anchorage. Also, we ended up staying an extra night in Skagway to get tickets on the train. Cruise ships were visiting and made tickets hard to get. Between Skagway and Tok we had to put in a long day of driving, more than 250 miles. Alaska guide by mile (Milepost) should be a good help to you.