RVing in Alaska Trip Report- June 2012
Aug 7th, 2012, 11:05 AM
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RVing in Alaska Trip Report- June 2012
Thanks to all who have posted trip reports on Alaska. I used this info to help plan this trip and wanted to share our wonderful experiences.
We flew into Alaska on 6/3/12 and spent 2 nights at the Fairfield Inn & Suites near the airport b/c it had a free shutttle and was only 5 blocks from an off-airport site of Enterprise rental car. The airport shuttle was quick and there was a Marriott Courtyard and Motel 6 side-by-side our hotel that shared the same free shuttle. The rental car was great for 2 days in getting around Anchorage to see the sites. Enterprise picked me up from the hotel..no problem!
6/5/12- Went to Wal-Mart and Sam's Club (across the street from each other and just down the street from Great Alaksan Holidays-GAH) in the morning for provisions and then picked up our 22' motorhome from GAH. The motorhome was a new unit and a perfect size for me and my husband. We stowed our 2 1/2 weeks worth of food/wine/supplies and then returned the rental car and headed out of town. The advice to stock up on food in Anchorage is great advice..........food outside of Anchorage is very expensive! Also, our experience with GAH was awesome! The unit was new, well equipped and a joy to handle/drive. They answered all of our questions before we pulled out of the lot ...and we had lots of questions as we had never been in an RV. We do have boats and are used to towing things but not the ins/outs of an RV. There really is nothing to it if you watch the video and keep the guide handy! We paid extra for the premium Weber BBQ grill and this was worth the $$ as we grilled out meat/veggies often! Spent the night in Houston along the way to Denali.
6/6 to 6/8- Spent 3 nights in Denali at Savage River Campground. Loved it! We did the shuttle bus to Wonder Lake one day and the other days used the free shuttle to get aournd the front part of the park. Saw lots of wildlife and Mt. McKinley most days! Great campground hosts at Savage River campground and very well run! They kept us all well aware of moose with calves and bear in the area/campground. Saw and heard a wolf outside of the campground early one morning on the park road while waiting for the Wonder Lake shuttle bus.
6/9- Spent the day driving the old Denali Highway (gravel road) across to the BLM Tangle Lakes Campground. Fantastic drive.......just plan on all day and go 10-15 mph. Be careful of the bridge crossing the river...the bridge is made out of wood and slipppery when wet. We came to a complete stop on our end and then just inched across the bridge.....no problems! Tangle Lakes Campground has just been redone and a super BLM campground!
6/10 - Terrbile salmon float trip on the river. Fish were not running yet and it was cold and rainy....ugh! (Husband's bucket list item!) Really enjoyed the Tetlin Wildlife Refuge!
6/11- Spent the night in Tok on the way to Whitehorse, Canadian Yukon. Do fill up on the American side before you enter Canada....cheaper gas!
6/12- Wolf Creek Campground just outside of Whitehorse....wonderful provencial park!
6/13-Really enjoyed Whitehorse and the SS Klondike and hiking along the Yukon River Loop in the Wolf Creek Campground. Also, great artists co-op in Whitehorse on Industrial Blvd. Drove on to Skagway.
6/13 and 6/14- Spent 2 nights in Pullen Creek RV Park owned by the city. Best of the 3 options. Awesome views but picnic tables in bad shape and bathrooms not clean. Really enjoyed ranger talk/tour of Skagway and then hiking on the Dewey Lake Trail system. NIce laundromat at gas station in town...walking disance from Pullen Creek RV Park. Did my bucket list item...steam excursion on the White Pass And Yukon Railroad........too awesome!
6/15- Back to Whitehorse and the Wolf Creek Campground.
6/16- Back to Tok. Did some hiking in Canadian National Park along the way.
6/17- Drove the Glenn Highway (lovely views) to USFS Williwaw Camground close to Portage Glacier. Another fantastic find! The Blue Ice Trail was nice for hiking!
6/18- Visited the Begich Boggs Visitor Center at Protage Glacier...fun and informative! Then drove on to Seward, spent 3 nights at the Seward Waterfront Park! Perfect location/views and we had a waterfront site!
6/19 to 6/20 Did the Kenai Fjords 8.5 hour tour......saw sooooo much.....wonderful! Also recommend the Alaska Sea Life Center, hiking at Exit Glacier, the movie at the public library about the "Earthquake in Seward", excellent dinner at the Salmon Bake, good salmon fishing! Good laundromat in Seward too!
6/21- Nice drive back to Anchorage, turned in RV, and flew home that evening.
Hope this info helps some folks! We had a super vacation and for a first-time, I cannot imagine seeing Alaska and the Canadian Yukon without an RV!!
We flew into Alaska on 6/3/12 and spent 2 nights at the Fairfield Inn & Suites near the airport b/c it had a free shutttle and was only 5 blocks from an off-airport site of Enterprise rental car. The airport shuttle was quick and there was a Marriott Courtyard and Motel 6 side-by-side our hotel that shared the same free shuttle. The rental car was great for 2 days in getting around Anchorage to see the sites. Enterprise picked me up from the hotel..no problem!
6/5/12- Went to Wal-Mart and Sam's Club (across the street from each other and just down the street from Great Alaksan Holidays-GAH) in the morning for provisions and then picked up our 22' motorhome from GAH. The motorhome was a new unit and a perfect size for me and my husband. We stowed our 2 1/2 weeks worth of food/wine/supplies and then returned the rental car and headed out of town. The advice to stock up on food in Anchorage is great advice..........food outside of Anchorage is very expensive! Also, our experience with GAH was awesome! The unit was new, well equipped and a joy to handle/drive. They answered all of our questions before we pulled out of the lot ...and we had lots of questions as we had never been in an RV. We do have boats and are used to towing things but not the ins/outs of an RV. There really is nothing to it if you watch the video and keep the guide handy! We paid extra for the premium Weber BBQ grill and this was worth the $$ as we grilled out meat/veggies often! Spent the night in Houston along the way to Denali.
6/6 to 6/8- Spent 3 nights in Denali at Savage River Campground. Loved it! We did the shuttle bus to Wonder Lake one day and the other days used the free shuttle to get aournd the front part of the park. Saw lots of wildlife and Mt. McKinley most days! Great campground hosts at Savage River campground and very well run! They kept us all well aware of moose with calves and bear in the area/campground. Saw and heard a wolf outside of the campground early one morning on the park road while waiting for the Wonder Lake shuttle bus.
6/9- Spent the day driving the old Denali Highway (gravel road) across to the BLM Tangle Lakes Campground. Fantastic drive.......just plan on all day and go 10-15 mph. Be careful of the bridge crossing the river...the bridge is made out of wood and slipppery when wet. We came to a complete stop on our end and then just inched across the bridge.....no problems! Tangle Lakes Campground has just been redone and a super BLM campground!
6/10 - Terrbile salmon float trip on the river. Fish were not running yet and it was cold and rainy....ugh! (Husband's bucket list item!) Really enjoyed the Tetlin Wildlife Refuge!
6/11- Spent the night in Tok on the way to Whitehorse, Canadian Yukon. Do fill up on the American side before you enter Canada....cheaper gas!
6/12- Wolf Creek Campground just outside of Whitehorse....wonderful provencial park!
6/13-Really enjoyed Whitehorse and the SS Klondike and hiking along the Yukon River Loop in the Wolf Creek Campground. Also, great artists co-op in Whitehorse on Industrial Blvd. Drove on to Skagway.
6/13 and 6/14- Spent 2 nights in Pullen Creek RV Park owned by the city. Best of the 3 options. Awesome views but picnic tables in bad shape and bathrooms not clean. Really enjoyed ranger talk/tour of Skagway and then hiking on the Dewey Lake Trail system. NIce laundromat at gas station in town...walking disance from Pullen Creek RV Park. Did my bucket list item...steam excursion on the White Pass And Yukon Railroad........too awesome!
6/15- Back to Whitehorse and the Wolf Creek Campground.
6/16- Back to Tok. Did some hiking in Canadian National Park along the way.
6/17- Drove the Glenn Highway (lovely views) to USFS Williwaw Camground close to Portage Glacier. Another fantastic find! The Blue Ice Trail was nice for hiking!
6/18- Visited the Begich Boggs Visitor Center at Protage Glacier...fun and informative! Then drove on to Seward, spent 3 nights at the Seward Waterfront Park! Perfect location/views and we had a waterfront site!
6/19 to 6/20 Did the Kenai Fjords 8.5 hour tour......saw sooooo much.....wonderful! Also recommend the Alaska Sea Life Center, hiking at Exit Glacier, the movie at the public library about the "Earthquake in Seward", excellent dinner at the Salmon Bake, good salmon fishing! Good laundromat in Seward too!
6/21- Nice drive back to Anchorage, turned in RV, and flew home that evening.
Hope this info helps some folks! We had a super vacation and for a first-time, I cannot imagine seeing Alaska and the Canadian Yukon without an RV!!
Aug 7th, 2012, 02:41 PM
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Yes, the view every night was amazing.....Dall Porpoise, sea otters, bald eagles, etc. The sun did not set until about midnight each evening so good time to sit by the campfire watching the water! The free shuttle aroud Seward (with stop at the campground) was convinient too! Thanks to this forum for the recommendations!
