TRAVELING BY RV
 

Can anyone give me info on traveling by RV in Alaska? Anyone had any good experiences with a particular RV company? I'm thinking that traveling by RV will be cheaper than renting a car and paying for a hotel each night. Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

We love our camper but we stayed at B&Bs and with family on a recent trip. Most of the RV parks we saw were pretty much gravel parking lots and tightly packed. We spoke to one couple who said they knew that before they came but were on a fishing adventure and had a freezer in their RV which they had driven up from the lower 48. When we go someplace in our camper we love being able to pull over and have all the comforts of home which is probably helpful in AK where there can be many miles between places. But, we put many miles on the car, gas was around $2/gallon, and B&Bs probably averaged $100. It also depends on how you travel. Sometimes I like to do some extra exploring while my husband does something else. If you have a travel companion who doesn't like driving around in an RV by themselves, it might be a little restricting for them.

We are leaving in a few days to do just that!!! Will be renting from Great Alaskan Holidays, concentrating on the Kenai Peninsula.I will report on it when we return.It may not be cheaper than renting a car and hotels,but we get tired of eating out,we like our privacy,and after exhaustive research on this board, decided that RV'n really was the way to go for us. Also the fact that at the end of August,first of Sept. the RV parks and campgrounds are not supposed to be as crowded. Do a search on this board for RV and Alaska and I think you will find lots of opinions and info.

We used a Great Alaskan Holidays RV several years ago. Very clean. Staff was very helpful.
Search this forum for RV in Alaska (or similar) because I asked and received wonderful advice for our tour from Anchorage to Fairbanks.

We rented from Great Alaskan and found them to be excellent. For us, an RV was cheaper than renting a car and one or two rooms per night.

We stayed in two state parks (park pass is included with the Great Alaskan RV) and they were excellent with a big space and plenty of room. One commercial campground near Denali was not fancy, but we had plenty of room - we stayed there both coming and going from Fairbanks. The campground in Fairbanks was a little more crowded but was no problem and had a great location right on the river.

Because the weather in Alaska is so unpredictable, we found the ability to alter our itinerary without having to worry about finding a room to be a great plus.

If you do RV, be sure to get a copy of the Milepost - a book that lists what there is along every mile of highway.

Just a note: the State Park pass is no longer included with Great Alaskan Holidays.

I too have rented from Great Alaskan Holidays and no it won't be cheaper- probably. I am a many time Alaska visitor and found the experience a little too isolating and greatly prefer Alaska B&B's. One big consideration- rent 24 foot or larger. The smaller ones are a big pain putting up and taking down the lower bed every day, far more comfort with the permanant beds anyway. On long runs- dump before you head out to lighten up your weight some, also - if going to a campground with water, don't load up your tanks. They are very easy to drive in Alaska so no problems there, just don't expect over 10mpg. :)

We did it and loved it. It was great not having to pack and unpack, over and over; the RV became our home away from home; we saved tons of money cooking our own meals; but mostly, we were completely flexible.

We had an itenerary but no reservations and it was a good thing. After visiting the Kenai Pen. and the Denali area, we quickly realized we wanted to spend more time on the Kenai and ran back down there after doing the Denali tour.

Campgrounds are pretty much parking lots but in places like Seward and Homer, you are parking right on the waterfront with fabulous views.

If you decide to go up to Denali (about 5 hours from Anchorage) you will need reservations at the national park c.g. We stayed at the Denali state park, again just a parking lot but with awesome views of Denali (we were lucky--it was out in the open for the two days we were there).

Another c.g. that was more like we are use to was the Russian River National Forest c.g. east of Cooper Landing on the Kenai. Besides being a nice c.g., it's very convenient for fishing, if that is something you are interested in doing. They do take reservations and I highly recommend it.

We spent around $150/day for the RV plus gas and groceries ($150 total for two people).

We had to stay in a hotel the night we got there and it cost $145. Seems to me it would cost more staying in motels and renting a car. Plus your locked in because of reservations.

We rented from Great Alaskan Holidays in May and had a wonderful experience. Their RV's are near new, very clean and include just about everything you need. Our family of four spent 8 days on the Kenai and had a WONDERUL time. I think if you like camping you would like RVing, but if you are use to hotels it may not be for you.

From what we saw on the Kenai the private campgrounds are usually parking lots but all of the state campgrounds had beautiful, heavily wooded private sites. The exceptions to this were, as Connie said, Homer Spit and the waterfront in Seward, but having bald eagals and sea otters playing on the beach in front of you more than made up for it.

I would recommend going either early or late in the season to allow you to travel without reservations and avoid the crowds. At any rate however you go , just go, it is truely one of the most amazing places on the planet.

Thanks very much for all the helpful info. I was planning a 2 week trip for early June 2005 for me and my son...he's 14. I was hoping to see Anchorage, Fairbanks, Denali and the Kenai Fords area. Hotels seem to be very expensive plus I would still have to rent a car and pay for the gas. I'm not a huge fan of camping but since the RV would be a "home away from home" it seem a good alternative to very expensive hotels (and they have showers!!). I also like being able to make meals instead of eating out all the time. One of the RV renters I looked at on line was Great Alaskan Holiday. Their prices seem to be good and they provide almost everything you need. One thing that does worry me is the need to fill water tanks and dump the holding tank. Anyone have a problem with this??? Does the generator have to plugged into an electrical outlet or does it operate on gas? My son was most interested in the fact that they have TV's. Do they get any reception? Your responses are truly appreciated.

Everything in the rv is set up to run on propane and finding water and dump stations are not a problem. You do not need an electrical outlet or need to turn on your generator unless you want to run the a/c (you won't need it early June) or plug in electrical appliances. As for the tv we didn't use it so you will need input from someone who did.

There will be hundreds of RV's there and the area is set up for it. Most campgrounds will have a dump station and a place to fill your water tank. If one does not some gas stations have water and dump stations or you can go to other campgrounds and use theirs, sometimes for a fee. We never had to do that.

If you'll do a search here you will get lots of great advice on all that. Another great website is www.rv.net/forums. They even have a forum for new RVers to ask questions.

The stove, oven, hot water heater and refrigerator run on propane. The lights can run on battery, electricity or generator if there is no electricity. Just don't run it all the time--it will drive your neighbors crazy. The only time I needed it was to use my blow dryer and to run the microwave, neither of which took very long.

The RV company will give you instructions on how to do everything.

You need to make reservations ASAP, even for next year. The only campground you need to make reservations for is Denali National Park. I would advise staying in the c.g. nearest the entrance.

One thing we did when refilling water was to wash down the hose outlet with chlorine bleach before filling the tanks. I read somewhere that vacationers who rent RVs have been known to mistakenly fill their tanks with the wrong hose (waste one) and the chlorine will kill any bacteria. When you are picking up your groceries in Anchorage (it's cheaper to stock up there before you leave), buy a spray bottle, gloves and a small container of bleach and spray both the outlet on your RV and the hose which provides the fresh water in the campground.
We toured Alaska with 2 boys and NO TV. We brought cards and books. With the beauty of the area, we wanted them to appreciate what was there and not what was on TV.
Alaska is beautiful. Enjoy.

Back 4 weeks now, rented from Great Alaska. Great unit. 24' + units have queen bed on floor. We played it by ear & glad we did as Denali to Fairbanks south was covered in smoke @ the end of June. The only reservations we had were over the 4th of July weekend @ Allison Point in Valdez. The most we paid for parking was $20 on the spit in Homer. Most commercial campgrounds are like gravel parking lots. the state & nat. campgrounds are much nicer & are wooded with lots of room. Paid $3-10 per nite. water & dump stations only. We stayed on the side of the road with other RV's for free 3 nites free. In 3 wks, we never used the electricity. Didn't need it. Got dark around midnite & light @ 4-5 AM. Cooked most nites on the included grill & gas stove. Generator use is free, used it twice for the microwave. Drove 1700 miles, didn't stop in Denali or Fairbanks, Freedom! 1st time RV'er but @66 hopefully not the last.

With costs- also factor in the insurance- I wouldn't consider going without it. Any little stone will add up bucks they will bill you upon return. I wouldn't rent less than 24 feet so to have a permanant set up bed. Expect at the most 10mpg. In my experience it is NOT cheaper than a rental car and B&B's. I kept this last trip below $80/night and $149/wk rental car special. Last big grocery between Anachorage and Fairbanks is Wassilla then nothing until Fairbanks. Consider a TOURSAVER for activities- the saving can add up.

Big Jerry,

So glad you had a great trip. We too enjoyed our trip so much in our rented RV.

LIke you, it was great having flexibility to play it by ear.

Don't buy additional insurance before you check your own policy. Have your insurance co. answer you in writing. Ours covers 50 states and Canada too. Kinda like rental car insurance, don't need it if you already have a good policy. But I do agree with Budgetqueen in that it can in the long run for 2 people add up to more than a car and B&B's, that holds pretty true for everywhere you travel. It just depends on the experience you are looking for. No matter how you go it will be an incredible experience, Alaska is amazing, have fun!

No one answered about tv reception. We turned on our tv at our b&b in Whittier and discovered why there was a pile of videos on the table. There wasn't any reception! But Whittier is probably cut off by the mountains. You can only get there by boat or thru a mountain tunnel. It was a secret military base during the war.
If you want to stock up on reading material, the Title Wave in Anchorage (it's in a strip mall) is a huge bookstore with a lot of books about Alaska. Have your 14 yo pick out several books. Also check the schedule of events at visitor centers and libraries. We missed a free Hobo Jim concert at the Kenai visitors center by one day and ended up paying $40 for a dinner show in Soldotna (it was worth it) but he was also one of the entertainers at the Forest Fair in Girdwood July 4th weekend (free craft fair with 2 music stages). Hobo Jim is Alaska's official balladeer, famous for the Iditarod Trail Song. You might also consider stopping at Iditarod Trail Headquarters in Wasilla/Knik where you will probably meet some future Iditarod sled dogs and one of Joe Redington's grandchildren. Encourage your 14 yo to ask questions about the Jr Iditarod and daily chores on a dog farm.
If you are in AK for 4th of July, many of the towns have a big parade. There are also parades for other events.
We spent almost a month without tv when our son was about that age. It's a good age to learn about living without electronics for a week.

Good idea checking your own auto policy but a LOT do not cover RV's, verify this in writing if they say they do and have a copy. If your deductable is $250- the insurance can be cheaper via the RV company will everything covered and no deductable. Compare the worse case for you and what you are willing to loose. There are no disputes, delayed claims nor added time with their insurance.

For a small fee my auto insurance company added a rider for the RV for just the length of time I used it. All they needed was the VIN number.