One Way Drive to Alaska

[donaldsc]

I am planning to drive from Las Vegas to Alaska, spend some time driving around Alaska, and then taking the Alaska Marine Highway ferries (which qualifies this question as cruise related) back hope. Talking my car back on the ferry is extremely expensive so I am trying to figure out alternatives.

 

One option would be a one way long term car rental. My guess is that my options here would be limited and also expensive.

 

Another option is to buy a used vehicle in Vegas, drive it to and around Alaska, and then sell it in Alaska.

 

Has anyone done either of the things? Have I missed an alternative option?

 

DON

[mapleleaves]

Selling a used car in Alaska could be tricky. First of all you'd have to choose a car that is popular with locals, and where would you sell ? in Skagway or Haines where you'll catch the ferry? Those are very small communities. Or would you sell in Fairbanks, then bus and train to Skagway to catch the ferry? Sounds like a lot of research will be necessary to pull this off successfully.

Another option would be the BC ferry. In the summer they run an "Inside Passage" trip, between Prince Rupert (on mainland BC just below the Alaska border) and Port Hardy at the north end of Vancouver Island. It's not a 3 day trip like Skagway-Haines, more like 16 hrs 7am - 10pm. but still pricey.

http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/inside/ip-current.html

[bearbait]

Drive up, drive back. Take the Alaska Highway up, on the way back come down the Cassiar Highway. It would still be cheaper then the ferry.

[donaldsc]

Drive up, drive back. Take the Alaska Highway up, on the way back come down the Cassiar Highway. It would still be cheaper then the ferry.

 

Good idea but I really want to take the ferry.

 

If I do decide to drive back and want to do it in a minimum of time as I would take my time going up, how long should I allow for coming back.

 

Have you ever done it on a 2-way drive? If so, I would love to make direct contact with you.

 

DON

[bearbait]

I've made 19 round trips from Oklahoma City to Anchorage. Only took the ferry one time. And that was in the winter when they are offering discounts. On just a straight drive without too many stops I can make it from Anchorage to Seattle in an easy 4 days.

[Gardyloo]

You could also ship the car back to Tacoma from Anchorage, fly to Juneau, and take the ferry south from there. Or vice versa - ship the car north, train to Bellingham, ferry to Juneau, fly to ANC, collect the car there, drive back. http://www.totemocean.com/

 

Remember from LV your fastest driving route is going to be all the way up on I-15, then all the way through Alberta to Dawson Creek, rather than via the Pacific NW.

[mapleleaves]

It would help to know what your main goal is. Is it to drive thru BC and the Yukon? or a ferry to see the coast? or just the drive around Alaska?

You should get a copy of the MILEPOST. It suggests several different routes to drive up to Alaska as well as other good info, like maps, sights, activities, gas stations,etc.

Other options to consider:

- Fly R/T to Anc and rent a car for a few weeks; drive around Alaska, the Yukon, down to Haines, ferry to Ketchikan, then drive back to Anchorage.

- RV rental companies in Anchorage buy new RV's every yr from the midwest and need them in Anc by the end of May. You pick up the RV May 15 and have 10 days to get it to Anc. You get a discounted rate but it still adds up, especially the cost of gas, but you'd save on lodging and meals. Then rent a car in Anc for 2 weeks and fly home.

[frugaltravel]

Other options to consider:

- Fly R/T to Anc and rent a car for a few weeks; drive around Alaska, the Yukon, down to Haines, ferry to Ketchikan, then drive back to Anchorage.

 

For the OP's info, it is not possible to drive from Ketchikan to Anchorage. You would need to take the ferry to Skagway or Haines. No roads lead out of Ketchikan (or Juneau for that matter).

[donaldsc]

It would help to know what your main goal is. Is it to drive thru BC and the Yukon? or a ferry to see the coast? or just the drive around Alaska?

You should get a copy of the MILEPOST. It suggests several different routes to drive up to Alaska as well as other good info, like maps, sights, activities, gas stations,etc.

Other options to consider:

- Fly R/T to Anc and rent a car for a few weeks; drive around Alaska, the Yukon, down to Haines, ferry to Ketchikan, then drive back to Anchorage.

- RV rental companies in Anchorage buy new RV's every yr from the midwest and need them in Anc by the end of May. You pick up the RV May 15 and have 10 days to get it to Anc. You get a discounted rate but it still adds up, especially the cost of gas, but you'd save on lodging and meals. Then rent a car in Anc for 2 weeks and fly home.

 

What I want to do is to drive to Alaska through BC and the Yukon taking maybe 2 weeks to get there. We then want to spend probably 4 weeks driving around Alaska. We would take the ferries to places that we could not get to by car.

 

My wife thinks that we should fly to Alaska, skip the drive up, and then do an extended rental in Alaska. However, the road up sounds really neat and I like to make interesting drives just for the sake of making them.

 

As I mentioned, the return is a problem. We have done several Alaska cruises including one on a boat that held only 50 people (that was our best Alaska trip) but have never done the car ferry. I realize that the car ferries are just transportation and not a cruise but they would also get us into neat small towns and the trip would still be really pretty.

 

As everyone knows, taking the car back on a ferry costs a lot of money. However, if we just took the ferry down w/o the car, we would be sort of stuck in the towns that we stopped at.

 

I think that you guys have convinced me that my idea of selling the vehicle in Alaska will not work. Driving a delivery car or RV up to Alaska will not give us enough time to make the trip.

 

So, the decision I have to make is whether I want to pay the money and put my car on the ferry or drive both ways.

 

I have yet another question with regard to highways and type of vehicles. I own 2 vehicles - a 11 year old jeep that gets horrible gas mileage and a Honda Accord. I don't totally trust the jeep to make the trip. The problem with the Honda is that the spare tire is one of those donut tires which is probably not the best option for the trip. How bad are the roads going up and how bad are the interesting Alaska roads? I am tempting fate with a donut spare? When I was thinking of buying a vehicle and then selling it in Alaska, I was thinking of a small pickup. I may still do the small pickup option and sell it back home in Vegas.

 

Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated so I can reassure my wimp wife.

 

DON

[frugaltravel]

I have yet another question with regard to highways and type of vehicles. I own 2 vehicles - a 11 year old jeep that gets horrible gas mileage and a Honda Accord. I don't totally trust the jeep to make the trip. The problem with the Honda is that the spare tire is one of those donut tires which is probably not the best option for the trip.

 

The roads are generally really good, but I would never take such a trip with the donut spare you have. It doesn't cost all that much to buy a "normal" spare tire. In fact, the cost of that will pale in comparison to the total cost of your trip.

[bearbait]

Drive the Honda. Find a cheap rack to put on the roof and stow the spare up there. The first thing you should do is plan your route and what you want to see and do....

[PennyAgain]

I agree about the Honda and having a real spare, but also a good set of tools and spare parts.

 

Among other things you want reasonable gas mileage and certainly reliability.

 

Old Jeeps are not the best for this sort of thing. Really.

[vbmom87]

Maybe I am spoiled, but for a trip of that length, I would want a car larger than a Honda Accord.

[vbmom87]

There is another option, but I am not sure how to research it. Sometimes people need their cars driven to a certain location. If you could find someone that needed this service, you could drive their car up to Alaska and then rent a car once you get there. Once you are ready to take the ferry, you could fly into whichever city you want to start the ferry from. Good luck with whatever you decide. It is sure to be a very memorable vacation.

[bearbait]

Maybe I am spoiled, but for a trip of that length, I would want a car larger than a Honda Accord.

 

Not unless your going to be sleeping in it. I've made this drive many times and I actually prefer the smaller cars. Mainly for fuel economy reasons. I hate spending all that money on gas. Plus when I pull off the side of the road to take photos a small car makes it easier to find spots to do that.

[vbmom87]

Not unless your going to be sleeping in it. I've made this drive many times and I actually prefer the smaller cars. Mainly for fuel economy reasons. I hate spending all that money on gas. Plus when I pull off the side of the road to take photos a small car makes it easier to find spots to do that.

 

I have two problems. One is I never learned to pack light. ;) I don't like feeling confined in a smaller car especially for long distances. Fuel economy is a great plus, but I always factor in safety. Safety always wins out when we are renting or buying a vehicle.

[Texas Tillie]

I have two problems. One is I never learned to pack light. ;) I don't like feeling confined in a smaller car especially for long distances. Fuel economy is a great plus, but I always factor in safety. Safety always wins out when we are renting or buying a vehicle.

 

This is a perfect example for how opinions vary and how that's all we're doing here - just giving our opinions. I drive a Toyota Camry, the same size car as a Honda Accord, and I certainly don't think of it as small or unsafe. Also, I don't see why someone on an extensive driving trip in Alaska needs anymore clothes than you'd take on a 7 day cruise - actually, there would be no use for the formal and/or "elegant" clothes for evenings.

 

vbmom87, please don't take this as a criticism for what you said, just pointing out how people of good faith really do see things differently. :)

[Yukon]

I have yet another question with regard to highways and type of vehicles. I own 2 vehicles - a 11 year old jeep that gets horrible gas mileage and a Honda Accord. I don't totally trust the jeep to make the trip. The problem with the Honda is that the spare tire is one of those donut tires which is probably not the best option for the trip.

 

In well over 100 trips up and down the Alaska Highway in all manner of vehicles I have never had a flat tire.

[vbmom87]

vbmom87, please don't take this as a criticism for what you said, just pointing out how people of good faith really do see things differently. :)

 

I do not take it as a criticism at all. I fully understand that I do see things differently as my husband worked in auto safety. He never let our children drive small cars nor do we. My son survived a very bad car accident when someone crossed the center line and hit him head on at about 50 mph. He was hit by a pick up truck. Had he been in a smaller car the outcome would likely have been much worse than it was. So, yes, I do see things differently.

[bottom-dragger]

In well over 100 trips up and down the Alaska Highway in all manner of vehicles I have never had a flat tire.

 

i've only had one flat, in dawson city. that's in the yukon isn't it?

on a weekend and it was fixed before i'd blown my allowance in the casino. nice service.

 

we still see vehicles that have been rigged out like they were in a madd max movie; big grates over the grill and windshield. they are reacting to info from the old days. other than less than positive interactions with us customs agents, frost heave and construction are the only impediments i've ever encountered.

[tetleytea]

You might want to check the rental car and/or RV agencies for some shoulder season deals. I have found it not uncommon for the agencies to offer free one way rentals from/to Seattle, such as Seattle to Alaska in May or vv. In September. It's a good deal for them. You're relocating their cars for them.

[donaldsc]

So far you guys have been very helpful. I am working on my trip plans as I write.

 

I do have a question as to how far I can reasonably drive per day allowing for time for sightseeing and also considering that I do not want to spend all day driving. As I lay out my stops, it seems that most days, I will be doing 250 - 300 miles per day on the way up to Alaska. I have not yet figured out my itinerary within Alaska but I assume that my mileage will vary considerably depending upon where I am and I want to see.

 

Is this reasonable or am I pushing it? I generally tend to overestimate what I can drive in a day when I also want to stop and see things.

 

Thanks all.

 

DON

[MayasWay]

Don --- Since you don't seem to be getting response on this from cruise critic, you might want to take some of your driving questions to the forum at roadtripamerica.com --- I've found the community there to be extremely helpful in planning car driving trips.

[Yukon]

RVNet has a very active Alaska-Canada board for questions such as yours - http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings/forum/65.cfm There are probably only about 3 of us on CruiseCritic who have ever made that drive.

 

Everybody, though, has their own driving style and interests so you're asking impossible questions now. While going through Muncho Park on a sunny day with no time limitations may cut my mileage for the day to 100 miles, on a different stretch of road 600-650 miles would be closer to my reality.

[vbmom87]

So far you guys have been very helpful. I am working on my trip plans as I write.

 

I do have a question as to how far I can reasonably drive per day allowing for time for sightseeing and also considering that I do not want to spend all day driving. As I lay out my stops, it seems that most days, I will be doing 250 - 300 miles per day on the way up to Alaska. I have not yet figured out my itinerary within Alaska but I assume that my mileage will vary considerably depending upon where I am and I want to see.

 

Is this reasonable or am I pushing it? I generally tend to overestimate what I can drive in a day when I also want to stop and see things.

 

Thanks all.

 

DON

 

You can also try the Alaska Forum on Trip Advisor. There are many locals and frequent travelers to Alaska who are very good planning land trips.