Friday, May 9, 2025

Advice for a Winter Camping Trip on the Alcan Highway

Before we planned our winter RV trip up and down the Alcan Highway, we availed ourselves of blogs and videos of other travelers.  They were very helpful in many ways.  HOWEVER, since there are so few detailed reports of travel in the winter, I hope that our experience (which was very positive) will help fill that void.


Based on our experience, I have penned three related articles.

This article provides comments about weather, road conditions, fuel, communications, supplies, and prices.  A second article (link) outlines our itinerary and describes where we camped.  A third (link) focuses on the travel aspects of bringing a dog in an RV across national borders and for 65 days.

I welcome your comments beneath this blog or write me through my email, listed on my home page.

WEATHER:

Temperatures:

The lowest daytime temperature (on March 1) was 0 F in the Copper River Valley.  Temperatures were below freezing both night and day except for a balmy 42 F at Liard Hot Springs in Yukon (with snowy berms around each campsite).     Heading north in late April, we awoke to temperatures 28 – 34 F many mornings.  Temperatures rose quickly on sunny days, to a high of 61 near Chetwynd, but most days were overcast and topped out in the mid- 40’s.

Snow:


This was a low snow year for Southcentral Alaska (the latitude of Anchorage) as well as Yukon Territory, British Columbia, and Alberta, Canada, through which we traveled to cross the border into Montana, USA.  For people not from this part of the country, though, let me clarify.  We routinely have 4 – 8 feet of snow on the ground in my part of Alaska and Yukon.  On this trip, where I walked into the snow off the road, it was 18 inches to 2 feet deep. Snow berms around parking lots were 3 – 4 feet high.  Naturally, both were higher and deeper in the higher elevations and receded to brown grass with patches of snow at the southern end of the route, around Dawson Creek and Ft Nelson.   

We did not encounter any icy conditions the whole way.  We did drive through short blizzards in steep terrain near Banff (beyond the Alcan).

Road condition:  We drove with studded tires.  The Alcan was well plowed, including frequent rest stops with dumpsters (sometimes locked) and pit toilet bathrooms (often locked) for the season.  Yukon Territory had the most frequent of these rest stops, often occupied by long haul trucks.  Roads were very good EXCEPT for two hours of infamous washboard conditions on either side of the Alaska/Canada border, but primarily on the Canadian side.  GO SLOW!  Here the road is laid over bogs that were considered the most challenging section of construction back in 1942 when soldiers worked in arduous conditions for 10 months to build this road.    (I definitely recommend that anyone read the history of this engineering feat.)

WILD ANIMALS


One of the treats of driving the Alcan is seeing lots of wild mammals.  We saw wild horses, bears (in late April), and lots of bison, sheep, and caribou on either side of the road.  We saw one dead bison, but no road kill and no vehicular accidents with animals.   A logical piece of advice is to avoid driving this dark, remote, and animal-traveled highway at night.

SEASONAL DIFFERENCES = CLOSED CAMPGROUNDS: 

The winter season makes a big difference in where you can spend the night. MOST campgrounds, public and private, are CLOSED from sometime in October to sometime in May.  Of these, some are gated and locked.  Others may be accessed by long, narrow dirt roads that are simply not plowed and therefore inappropriately deep for campers and camping vehicles.  This means that travelers should be prepared to dry camp (not plug into someone else’s power supply) in winter.  Campgrounds and day use parking lots that service winter sports, like cross country skiing and snowmachining, were more likely than others to be open and plowed.  In April, campgrounds that offer boat docks tend to open earlier (‘as soon as the snow is gone”) than those that do not.

Similarly, many of the highway adjacent motels are closed for the season (usually Oct – May), and with them, their gas pumps, water hoses, and dump sites.  We passed a lot of derelict motels and lodges that were moldering away.  Call ahead if you wish to sleep in a commercial bed. Even in northern cities with winter-open RV camps, dumpsites and water hoses were usually turned off until the temperatures warm up.  This means that travelers should be prepared to drive hundreds of km (through Canada) without outside sources of gasoline or water.  I think the longest stretch we noticed was 300 km.  We traveled with an extra 5 gallons of diesel and 10 gallons of water (We did not fill our camper’s water tank until the coldest temperatures were above 25 degrees.).   Note:  Milepost may identify motels, restaurants, and gas stations that DO EXIST but are NOT OPEN half the year.

FUEL PRICES:


Fuel prices vary dramatically.  Canada charged MUCH more for gas and diesel than the USA.  Probably 3x as much.  The most we paid along the Alcan was C$2.09 per LITER at Pink Mountain.  US prices close to the border were about $3.60/GALLON.  Chevron was routinely the MOST expensive in any locale.

I highly recommend loading the apps Gas Buddy and/or Gas Guru before departure.  With them, you can search for gas prices by your current location or for a target location.  Recent price confirmation is time stamped.  Prices routinely vary by up to $.50/gallon in the US and less per liter in Canada, within the space of 2 miles on/off the highway.  For a 10,000 mile trip, these savings added up to expenditures on purchases we valued more.   

Propane prices varied widely, too.  The most common price range was $21 – 28/20 lb tank.  To help the propane last longer, turn your water heater on only in advance of doing dishes or taking a shower and then turn it off right afterward.  For us, this took about 20 minutes.

COMMUNICATIONS:

Telephony and Internet: Because of the remoteness and the mountainous terrain as well as the absence of open visitors’ centers and motels, internet and telephone may not work for hours at a time or at your selected stop for the night. We had Verizon as our telephone provider and we newly bought Starlink for this trip.  Both worked some of the time.  Neither was consistently reliable along this route.  

Starlink:  We had a tough time getting Starlink up and going because of limited technical support by the company.  BE PATIENT.  We thought that by plugging in and connecting through WiFI, all would work immediately.  No.  It sometimes took up to 30 minutes for the satellite to sync.  Starlink is not kidding when it says you need access to open skies.  Trees impede service.  We learned to move farther away from the trees and camper.  Some people report that Starlink does not work in a moving vehicle.  We disagree.  Over the course of thousands of active driving miles, Starlink worked, sometimes.  We have connected Starlink to our cigarette lighter in the truck and left it pointing out the window all night long.  It sips power and did not drain the battery.  In long stretches of Nevada desert, we pointed the antenna out through the window which gave us intermittent Internet as we drove.  You might want to test a different antenna configuration than we had.  We just pointed it out the front truck window. 

If we set up Google Mapping in a place with internet, it correctly showed our location and movement even along routes that lacked Internet, but I could not START a search or map a change out of cell or internet range.  So it is prudent to plan your route in advance and print or save any maps, distances, and target resources.  It is also wise to tell someone to expect to hear from you every other day or so.  If not, suggest a follow up plan.  On my first leg (south from Alaska) I texted my sons each day and let us know where we left and where we were headed, as well as info about our truck and camper.  I gave them the number of the Mounties in Yukon and BC.  On our route back, I wrote them only occasionally, because I felt more confident and familiar with the route and where we could stop.   

 

With these caveats and observations, I can say that we enjoyed a wonderful trip, from Alaska to Dawson Creek during the first half of March, and then back north in the second half of April, with an alternate route part of the way back north that we found more attractive than the Alcan all the way.  (See Itinerary article link). 

Fuel prices:


Gas and diesel costs a LOT more in Canada – 3 times the prices in US states on either side of this route.  The most we paid was C$2.09 per LITER (so about C$8/gallon).  In our part of Alaska, the price of Diesel was $3.22/gallon.  In parts of Montana and Wyoming, $2.99/gallon during that same trip.  California charged over $6/gal.

MPG:  Hauling a camper takes a toll on mileage, naturally.  We averaged 12 mpg with the camper vs. 17 mpg without it. 

The currency exchange rate benefited Americans, which took some of the sting out of their diesel price.  Some supermarket, wine, and beer prices were lower than the US.  Noticeably: eggs were half the price.  I guess they did not cull their flocks during the USA’s reaction to bird flu. 

Vehicle performance:

Our truck, a 2005 Dodge RAM 350 dually, exceeded expectations on this trip.  We suffered no damage, not even a ding to the windshield.  But that is likely because we drove hours a time without seeing another vehicle and we crawled slowly over washboard asphalt.  Why go fast when there is no one to help you and you can’t call them from there anyway?

Camper performance:

We bought our 2019 Adventurer camper a few days before our trip.  We drove it around town and camped in a friend’s driveway two nights to get the hang of it before departing. 

Our 2019 Adventurer is labeled as a four season camper, but I am not sure what that means, since it loses heat very quickly after we turn off the heater.  En route, we discovered that if we plugged into shore power one night, we could boondock with heat the next two nights.  However, the third night the heat conked out.  We found an expensive midway spot to plug into a heater one night, but spent some cold nights under a heavy quilt on either side of that until we got to Whitehorse, YT, where the Dodge service center noticed that the camper dealership had not connected the camper’s batteries to the truck’s generator to charge while driving and one fuse was burned out. 

DUMPING:

Rvdumpsites.com was very helpful in finding dumpsites en route.  In addition to these, we found that private RV campgrounds often allowed dumping for a modest fee, like $10, but less often in winter.

For the first two weeks of our trip, we relied on 2 – 5 gallon jugs of water rather than filling our camper’s tanks in below freezing temperatures.  

We have never flushed toilet paper down the toilet.  We also throw it in a trash can. 

Our camper does have a functional shower, but the tank fills after two people shower twice plus gray water from the sink.  So when we could, we showered outside the camper. 

Advice:  If you have not previously camped in your vehicle/camper, take a short sample camping trip before a long one through remote (and therefore, expensive, locations).  Measure how long a propane tank, fresh, gray, and black water tank lasts.  Check your MPG. 

Twice we were slow to find a dump station and had some gray water sloshing around in the sink and bathroom floor, but that was our mistake. 


The only damage we sustained was to the roof window above the bed.  The plastic housing cracked, loosening it at high speeds, which, of course, cracked it some more.  Fortunately, no rain penetrated, but it will need to be replaced.  Since we never climbed up on the roof before departing, we do not know if there was a thin crack at the time.  Lesson learned.  We DID scrape some branches on a few early campsites, but I can’t see how damaging those could be. 

This was a wonderful trip and I look forward to repeating it in different seasons. 

 

Sunday, May 4, 2025

10,000 Mile RV Trip with Our Dog (from Alaska to Texas and back)

Recently, we finished traveling 10,000 miles in 65 days of RV camping (in a truck camper) with our dog, a 4-5 year old Chocolate Labrador mix.  Leaving home Feb. 27 and returning in early May, we traveled through a variety of ecosystems and climates, with temperatures ranging from +3F to +93 F. 

Utah


We traveled through parts of Alaska, where we live, down the Alcan Highway to Dawson Creek, BC, then SE to Montana, south to Texas, and then NW through Grand Canyon and related National Parks, up through Idaho to Canada, and then back to Alaska.  

Below is advice for others who are considering extended road trips with their dogs.  (To read our evaluations of the specific campsites and their amenities (or lack of them) we visited in March, April, and May, 2025, see companion article:  Our Itinerary up and down the Alcan Highway in March/April). 

1.       Recommended Resources: 

a)       www.freecampsites.net identifies free and inexpensive, natural locations, such as forest roads, beaches, as well as some organized dry campgrounds.

   www.rvlife.com lists paid, primarily private, RV parks and lets readers rate them.  You can add search criteria, like “pet friendly.”  

b)      www.bringfido.com lets you search for pet friendly restaurants (those with outdoor seating, in season) and dog parks.

c)       www.petsmart.com offers pet sitting and overnight stays.  We used this service for a graduation ceremony and related celebrations.  The price was very reasonable – about $20 for 4 hours in 2025.     The company does require proof of vaccinations required by their state/facility.  Because this varies!!! check in advance before you leave your home veterinarian.  Texas, or at least this boarding facility, requires two shots that Alaska does not.

d)      www.cdc.gov:   If you plan to travel from the US to Canada and then back again, find the pet form on the CDC website.  You will need to fill this out in advance and show it at the border, along with proof of rabies vaccination.  

         Sites for national and state and city parks in your target regions.  Note:  many national and even state parks can be huge.  Searching near your target route will help you find campsites on THAT side of the a park that may be thousands or hundreds of thousands of acres in size.

 

Bay Area

2.       Campgrounds and campsites vary widely in their pet friendliness  (from worst to best, below)

a)                   The worst are private or city owned RV/camp parks that are basically parking lots for closely spaced vehicles, with no shade or privacy between spots. The closeness, the noise of vehicles coming and going, dumpster lids banging, garbage trucks arriving can contribute to anxious and noisy dogs.  These are common in and around cities and tend to cost the most.

 

We paid for 3 ($77 in Golden, CO; $61 outside Grand Canyon, AZ; and $39 in little Bowie, TX) that fit this description.  We also spent a free night in a city lot in tiny Vulcan, Alberta surrounded by commercial parking lots. I avoid these city and private parks when alternatives exist. They are not dog friendly, are crowded and unattractive. 

 

g)       The good news is that in summer months, most of these have electricity and water and often a dump site, as well as laundry (for a fee) and showers (sometimes free).  In cold weather winter locations, many of these campgrounds are closed altogether, or they offer electricity but no water services. Most of these were closed from mid-Oct to end of May in Alaska and along the Alcan.

 

b)      Other city or town owned campsites are much more appealing, within larger, natural settings.  We enjoyed locations next to a lake, river, golf course.  Many had day use areas for picnicking, maybe with playgrounds, boat docks, etc.  These are better suited to dogs and usually cheaper, too!  We enjoyed lovely ones in Austin, TX  along the Colorado River, Minersville, UT ( at a lake), and next to a municipal ski hill for children near Grande Cache, Alberta.  Some do and some do not offer utilities.  Prices varied from free to $30.  The spaciousness and water body offered exercise options for our lab. 

 

Grand Canyon

c)       The best public campsites for dogs (and us) were, without doubt, state and national parks, preserves, and forests. The most common camping price was $20/nt for dry camping and $30 with electricity for our truck camper.  Other prices vary by the size of your rig and the amperage you desire.  All of these offered natural landscapes and often lovely views of lakes, rivers, reservoirs, deserts, lava fields, mountains, and forests.  Many had cleared trails.  If they did not, you could walk along the shore or in the woods with your pooch. Yes, the rules say a 6 foot leash, but in March, we were usually the only camper there.  In April, there were a few other people who scattered thoughtfully away from each other.

d)      Our favorite campsites were ones where we boondocked in a pretty setting that is not an intentionally designed campground.  This is allowed in most National Forests and often a mile or so from designated campgrounds of State and National Parks.  We might drive down a forest road until we found a spot to pull over.  Since many park services in northern, snowy regions are closed until Memorial Day, we occasionally camped behind a visitor center or near the locked gate to a campground.  Other sites included a woodsy parking lot to trails frequented by snowmachiners and cross country skiers, a unplowed rural airstrip, side roads that dead ended in a berm of snow, and parking lots for day use access to trails that are not cleared or used much in winter.    

 

The website, www.freecampsites.net, was of enormous assistance to us, and we added our reviews to it, too. 

 

From the dog’s perspective, there were rarely other people/dogs at these sites, so he could roam freely, nearby.  Other boondocking sites were much larger and better known, so we did find a number of vehicles there, such as at Lake Powell and south of Zion National Park down a rutted dirt road to public land. But since the nature of boondockers is to avoid crowds, we all politely spaced ourselves far apart. 

 

3.       Driving with a dog

a.       Routine: Our dog rested in the cab of the truck with us as we drove.  About every 2 hours, we stopped to stretch our legs and offer him water and a snack.  If a gas station was not adjacent to a fringe of grass or meadow, we sought out a more natural, dog-safe location later, for lunch or a bit of a walk, such as short drive down a rural road that crossed the highway.   In urban areas, we looked up dog parks or walking trails.  These vary widely in appeal from fenced meadows to woods traversed with dirt trails, to parks with ponds and hardscaping for people and dog washing areas just outside the gates.

In our yard in Alaska

 

b.       Supplies:  We kept a collapsible water bowl and water jug and dry dog food in the car with us, along with small rags to wipe his feet and a cloth mat to lay over our laps for him when he was damp.  He seemed to like chewing on rawhide bones especially when he was a bit nervous; they served as pacifiers.  When we made camp for the evening, he was interested in playing with toys or he would find and bring us a stick or a bone. 

 

c.       If crossing the border between USA and Canada:  The Canadian border patrol did not want us traveling with an open container of dry dog food.  Cans are fine.  

c)    Health:  An older dog might have trouble jumping in and out of a car, truck, or camper several times per day.  The only issues we faced were ticks and burrs, which we found and removed quickly.  However, other travelers could encounter issues with temperature regulation in hot or cold climates, hot sand or asphalt, dog fights or other animal injuries, such as snake bites for dogs not familiar with those reptiles.  Another possibility is cuts from broken glass or bits of metal in some poorly maintained campsite.  Keep your veterinary information handy, and, if you are concerned, find local veterinarians in your target location, especially if you plan to linger there.   I have no idea if dogs ever suffer from motion sickness.  Maybe?

Our dog was a good trooper on this long trip.  I doubt he got as much exercise as he does at our rural Alaska home, but enjoyed exploring new scents every time we stopped at a new place.