Alaska remote trip Prep

Yep, I’ve seen it every time I’ve driven or ridden up to Deadhorse and Tuk. They’re maintained roads the entire way. Sure you can drive a little faster and worry about road conditions less in a truck but nothing stops a Corolla from doing the drive easily. I’ve never had a flat, cracked a windshield or had a rock get shot through my radiator which are absolutely unavoidable if you read stuff on the internet.

 

You have fuel, comms, tools, recovery gear etc. sorted out...

No need to overthink it... just make a list.

I would suggest two things:
1.- prioritize keeping things as light as possible overall.

It will make driving the trip much more pleasurable if you are not too far overweight. And your taco will also thank you.

2. *Reconsider your driving distance, - or trip length...*
Driving 400 mi every day is more of a chore than a trip.

I try to keep the daily driving down to 4 hrs / day max, in order to actually see stuff and enjoy things. stop for lunch with a good view.

It always takes longer due to things to do / see, on the way, - lunch, snacks, enjoy a nice view, take a cool track you may run into, Cook a great dinner and have a leisurely beer before bed, have a leasurely morning cup of tea, etc...

This is what makes trips memorable - not the driving or mileage.

You are looking at some 8 hrs DRIVING per day at your stated time/distance. That is way too much in my travel experience.

3. Bonus point
Take some paper maps with you. Just in case. And I enjoy planning /navigating on maps in addition to navigating on a phone / pc.

4. Bonus #2
Mosquito netting? I hate getting bites. All mosquitos within a 5 mile raduis will find me...

This ^

 

I have sort of related travel experience to an extent.
I live in the Edmonton area, and in 2022 I made an attempt to get up to Tuktoyaktuk in NWT.
Similar to your plan, I had sort of limited time off work and the plan was maximum driving each day with a few highlight touristy things to do and see, and a couple spare days for "just in case".

A few things threw a wrench into my plan. I was taking highway 1 and was leaving Ft Nelson in the morning when my GPS decided it was going to recalculate 30 minutes into the drive north. "new route" to Whitehorse went from like 10 hours of driving to like 36 hours. WTF?. Turns out a big beaver dam at a lake let out, and entire lake of water hit a highway culvert and blew the highway out. I have pictures from my way back and it was huge. Only way to keep going was to go all the way back down to the center of BC and up Stuart Cassiar (HWY 37) Now I don't regret that at all, as Stuart Cassiar is probably the most beautiful road I have ever driven in my life. But out of a trip that had 3 planned days of wiggle room that little "detour" cost me a day and a half.

I get to Whitehorse and the highway north to Dawson city had a huge forest fire on both sides of the highway around Carmacks. Highway is shut down, no ETA. I didn't bring passports to go through Alaska at Alcan and up through Highway 5 to Chicken Alaska into the back side of Dawson. So I was hooped and out of time to wait it out and I had to turn around. That is as far as I made it.

So. Sure, if everything goes right and according to plan, cool. If it doesn't, that area of the world has little options for detours and bypass. We are probably slated for another big fire season and that can mess with a lot of stuff. So make alternate plans. You may be planning to drive up, but research the ferry system and know it. There is always a chance that ends up being your way in or out of Alaska.

I didn't make it to the Dempster highway so I didn't hit any gravel roads. But the recommendations are either two spare tires or make sure you have really good tires. I am risking it on the stock wrangler territory AT's.
Fuel. Extra fuel, and have a look at fuel stops. I don't know about Alaska but Yukon and NWT have laws around just driving past people/cars on the side of the road that need help. You have to stop to render assistance/see if they need help. Often that seems to be either a)fuel, b) a flat. C) stuck in mud/ruts
So even if your rig is sorted, be prepared to render assistance to others.
Not only considering your tire condition and type (P/SL/E ect) but also the SIZE. I was warned about this by people that I talked to in person that have done the trip. Common tire sizes, 265/70R16 as an example is easy to get and may be in-stock where you happen to end up, or at least a relatively close shipment away. Say you are running sort of an odd size / brand like my Jeep at 315/70/R17 Procomp MT2's. And you only need one tire? That could be weeks waiting for a shipment from Canada or the lower 48, or you gotta buy all new set of tires if you need to get on the road ASAP. So its something to think about.

I did the trip before I had a RTT or a bed rack so all my crap was in bins or strapped down in the back of the truck. I was warned about theft in remote areas. So a cover/canopy or having gear locked away is important if you plan on walking away from your vehicle. Wheel locks ect. I have been told stories about people breaking down and walking to get help, or being picked up and taken to the next town, and by the time they get back to their vehicle to tow it, its on blocks.
I did the trip with my SWAG (ground tent). Great tent, thick walls to block out light/mosquitos ect. Works fine and would work fine for anyone on a budget. But I have never in my life seen more bears added up as I did in those two weeks. Is something going to happen? Probably not. But I couldn't shake the feeling of just being a bear-burrito in my ground tent every night. So its good you have some sort of camper/whatever to get you up off the ground. Not going to stop a Grizzly that decides you are a snack, but at least its more piece of mind than a ground tent.

Music was another lesson learnt. I love Serius XM. But it doesn't take long in northern BC and the mountains to lose all reception. At a certain point far enough north I think you are at such an angle to the satellites that just some trees will block your signal. I had lots of hours driving in silence that trip. I hate that I don't have a CD player. So plan to bring a drive / USB or whatever with some music if you don't really love silence.

Other than that people have already mentioned a lot of stuff that would be normal for any remote/long distance trip. Common tools/sockets, repair stuff like tape/tip ties. Extra windshield washer fluid and an extra set of wiper blades (you can't underestimate the amount of bugs there are up there in summer) I would even consider bringing a squeegee and a spray bottle. Extra oil filter and oil.

That was just from my experience, and my attempt.

That said, this summer I am making attempt #2 at getting to Tuk. All the lessons learnt from last trip, Passports and I took a month off work to allow for detours, waiting and to sight see a little more.

 

1. I'm a planner, so I already have a spreadsheet of things to pack, broken down by vehicle (tools, recovery gear) , backpack (camera, hiking ), and duffel (clothing) as well as a separate list for camping gear. There is also tab with POI, etc, and a rough itinerary, and to-do prep list.

2. I'm not to worried about the driving distance. For example, to get to Calgary from my house, it's almost 1,500 miles. I use this as a point, because that's where the trip really starts. Though I would love to hit a few places like Glacier Park, I will make a separate trip in the upcoming years. We'll make this trek rather quick, as there are two of us driving. We will mostly definitely take our time on plenty of days. Also, I can work remotely, so if the trip extends a bit, so be it. We can pop into a hotel in a major city and take some rest days while I work.

3. I will have some backup paper maps. There is going to be a lot of redundancy, two phones with Google/Gaia, as well as a Garmin GPS.

4. Actually, the mosquitos are a concern, but I'll be bringing Deet 100%, or whatever is the strongest. The camper has venting windows, and I plan to work on closing any gaps to reduce dust/moisture, as well as the mosquitos.

 

Music, I have a subscription service where I can download music, and I always have a ton downloaded. Just checked, and there are almost 1500 songs stored locally (refreshes whenever I have Wi-Fi, or allow it to download over mobile data), so I am set.

Wipers/Wash/Squeegee are a good idea, I'll add them to the list. In regards to the tires, I'm almost certainly bringing two spares, just need to find a takeoff, as well as repair kits. Tape/Zipties are part of my tool kit, so set there.

I completely understand about your trip, about a bridge/highway being out and having to reroute. If that happens, it happens, it's a very loose trip. We'll drop some places as necessary. I always consider my first trip to somewhere as the scouting trip. This will not be my first time up there, as one of these days I want to do the full Dempster. One example is Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay, it's currently on the plan, but we may consider dropping it, because that alone is at least 4-5 days.

 

A few of my customers drove to the artic and they all said the same things.. E-rated tires and bring 2 full size spares. The gravel chunks are big and sharp and regular tires will get torn up. Also expect to get passed by semi-trucks doing 80+ mph

 

12,000 miles in a month? Are you going to spend the whole time behind the wheel. If you can cut back on the miles, get out from behind the wheel and spend some time actually enjoying nature.

 

I'd say the scenic parts of the trip don't really start until after Fort Nelson. Dawson Creek to Fort Nelson is nice but still pretty overrun with big rig and oil traffic. If you're going that route up then take the Cassiar and CA16/BC97 back south.

 

Agreed, I definitely have a couple days dedicated to Banff area, but after that, It's going to be another mad dash to get up more towards Dawson Creek. I want the majority of my time spent in Alaska, and the Yukon area.

 

Sorry about the poor image of the washout, that was after it happened and it was a pic from a guys phone screen that was flying a drone to check it out. Just to give an idea of the scale.

Don't forget about Watson Lake and the signpost forest. I need to plan for more time to look around then I did. Its a lot bigger than I thought.
Also, slightly funny story. After I got back and was talking to my old man about the trip he pulled the "O back in the 70's I did that trip with dad (my grandpa) and we put a sign up there"
Great, now I know.... So I gotta spend time looking for that next time I go, but its so big now that's a bit of a needle in a haystack.

 

Re Alaska driving. I am not an Alaskan, but I have driven the Dalton and Steese Highways numerous times. It has now been more than 10 years since my last trip, so some things may have changed. This is what I learned.

• For the Dalton Highway, you'll need a CB radio and a good antenna. This is for short range communications between you and the big trucks that are the primary Dalton Highway users. By "Big truck" I mean very big trucks, of the size you seldom, if ever, see in the lower 48. Expect trucks with multi-axle lowboy trailers carrying all sorts of oil field equipment. Some of those loads will be 24 or more feet wide, so getting advance warning of their approach helps you find a place to pull over.
• If you can manage it, a second full-size spare tire is good. The Dalton especially is prone to odd shapes of tramp steel that can tear up a tire beyond repair. (Do not ask how I know this, particularly as it pertains to a transmission.)
• Carry a good tire plug kit. We used a Safety Seal brand several times. Lesser brands tend to dry out, or not fill the puncture.
• 12 volt compressor. A huge one is not necessary, but the toy ones from Harbour Freight won't do. I carried a mid-range VaiAir that connected to the battery. I chose the lower-output version that had a 100% duty cycle. It also got used.
  
• A basic tool kit that'll also work on your wheel lugs. You may need to change out your battery somewhere, for example.
• Lots of cash will be handy to have.
• We carried satellite telephones. Some sort of communication can be helpful.
• Although this seems elementary, each driver should have a dedicated set of keys. 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle, not near any help, the driver of one Chevy truck left the keys on the driver seat. In that part of the world, it's normal to do that. It was the only set of keys. He closed the door a little more firmly than usual and that caused the electric locks to engage. After spending a few minutes deciding which window would be the cheapest to replace, one member of our team unscrewed the antenna and used it to poke the "unlock" button.
• Some sort of scan tool, to help you determine what that Check Engine Light means, and that also explains what the P Codes refer to. It'll usually be a clogged air filter or a loose gas cap. But it might not.
• Several rolls of paper towels and a lot of glass cleaner. The dust is astounding and it turns into gritty mud quickly. In some places north of Fairbanks, the dust/mud smells like decaying mastodon poop. That's because it does contain decaying mastodon poop. You will need to clean your headlights and tail lights often.
• You'll also need to carry extra windshield washer fluid. Get the kind that's good down to -20F.
• Buy a copy of "The Milepost" Alaska travel guide. Do it now. It'll help you get ready and plan. Every single truck in my group had a copy. The maps are supremo.
• In Fairbanks, Anchorage and Coldfoot, visit the local office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). They will have more maps, information, and fun books. Most are cheap or free.
  
• The interagency visitor center in Coldfoot can eat your whole day. And you will enjoy it. Look for the rock garden that has a sample from all the rock formations in the region.

Small and minor things that turn out to big and important when everything goes to heck:

• A good first aid kit. Plan on spending a couple hundred bucks or more.
• One or two rolled emergency splints.
• A coffee can filled with hose clamps ranging from tiny to about 3 inch diameter. These are not necessarily for hoses. A hose clamp-and-soup-can patch can get you out of trouble. I have used hose clamps to re-brace broken engine mounts, for example.
• A roll each of PVC electrician tape, tesa cloth tape, self-vulcanizing emergency tape, and definitely a brand new roll of duct tape.
• An extra engine oil pan drain plug and gasket. Vibration from the road is astounding.
• A roll of baling wire. It doesn't have to be actual baling wire; something of a smaller gauge is OK.
• A half-handle shovel larger than an entrenching tool. A new tow strap, which you never, ever attach to your hitch ball or shank.

If you have time, take a class in wilderness or back-country first aid, with CPR. I never needed to use the CPR, but . . . I may add more as I think of stuff.

 

Agreed on all your recommendations. I also have received (pre-ordered ) this years Milepost. My normal tool kit has a scanner, wire, fuses, a variety of tapes, hose clamps, etc, compressor, etc, med kit, various spare bolts/washers/nuts. I've been off-roading for many years, my previous ride was a '99 Landcruiser. You should have seen all the stuff I took when I dragged that beast through the Rubicon. I've done several first-aid/CPR training in the past. If I get a chance for a refresher course, I will.

Thanks for the tip on Coldfoot. I'll definitely put that as a POI. Also a spare plug is a good idea.

So far my Taco specific items : Spare Wipers, Wiper fluid, Oil filter, Plug, Gasket, Serpentine Belt, Headlight/brake light bulbs. Considering additional Lug nuts

 

To headline the Chingon handle OP, gotta pack some saws just in case! Firewood, removals…

 

I did 15k in 3 months and felt like I spent alot of time riding. 12k in a month feels nuts.


Also, as a counter to people saying to bring half the house in emergency supplies, I highly recommend watching your weight. More weight breaks more shit. I helped change a three tires on the dempster and one was on a family car moving to inuvik, another on a fully loaded suburban full of people, and the laat was a 2500 dodge with a slide in camper. The dodge was on its 3rd spare and we broke the factory jack in the process. Too much weight. Keep it well under gvwr if possible.

 

Not sure when you’re going, but be aware of the Canadian holiday calendar. I found out that Banff is VERY popular on July 1st the hard way and I had no reservations. Ended up camping on crown land and that was better anyway, just didn’t get to see lake Louise

 

Alaska Rig.. & Alaskan Load “OverSized”

 

& Yesterday in Thompson Pass

 

I'm definitely planning ahead for the more populous areas and making reservations.

 

Well said. My thoughts in regard to tires. I have no personal experience with this area/route. But if one finds a need to lower tire pressure for the road/trail conditions you will also need to take that into consideration on what your load capacity would be. I think limiting your load to about half of what the vehicles max capacity is would be reasonable.

 

Thats the way we always did trips out of Texas, did 4,000 miles in 10 days on a motorcycle. One of the riders said, I dont want to run more than 300 miles a day (he backed out). Our destination is 1,500 miles one way and we have 10 days off, 300 a day aint gonna happen. We ran two 800 mile days, spent 5 days in riding country, then took a leisure three 500 mile days to get back to Dallas. Piece of cake.

Only advice I can give is carry your own booze, carry a bunch of quarters in case you end up eating out of vending machines at cheap hotels, and enjoy the shit out of this. It's quite an opportunity to put together. Hardship and discomfort aint life threatening. I rarely remember any leisurely beautiful weather trips, but I remember every time we hit snow on the motorcycle (and once dancing around near Teec Nos Pas on one leg trying to get my rainsuit on by the side of the road while hearing the drum roll of rain and crashing thunder heading our way) or drove on ice for 8 hours and fell into a cheap motel exhausted. Go for it and make some memories, your son will remember it till the day he dies.