We are planning on a trip with our two grand daughters to Alaska from Ontario Canada our plans is driving our 37 ft Pace Arrow towing our car so we can take side trips with the car. What I would like is from anyone some information on does and donts and what to expect and if its A good idea to pull a car on this trip thank you if anyone can help and have driven to ALASKA

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A HAPPY CAMPER

Hi.. you need to do a lot of research first. And I mean a lot. I researched my trip every night on the computer for up to 18 hours straight for 8 months and it still was not enough. I had never been to Alaska before. And I have friends who live there; but they do not get out and go like I do, so they knew nothing about how life was outside their immediate areas. (I mean the guys are big hunters, but they charter pilots to take them out to no where and drop them off and meet them back there when agreed and fly them out... they do not drive anywhere outside the major highways)I would advise you to never take anyone with you until you do the trip yourself first. Especially children or even teenagers.If you do, it will most probably end up being a trip none of you will ever forget... meaning they will hate you the rest of their lives.. and you will regret ever taking them the rest of your lives. I am serious about this. 1. you did not say how old your grand daughters are - but unless they are use to being cooped up in a motorhome for hours on end with nothing to look at outside except the same looking landscape and nothing to do inside but read or sleep, then they need to stay home.there is no TV or radio reception and if you do not have a satellite phone service, you will have no phone.A DVD player and hundreds of DVDs and headsets are an absolute must for everyone in an rv in Alaska.2. You did not say when you were going..Since you live in Canada, I am sure you know that most roads are closed in wilderness areas and Alaska is the same. The majority of the roads outside of Anchorage and Fairbanks are closed from the end of September until May 1st of each year. (And even Alaska 1 and 2 are closed due to weather at various times through the year.) The only way in and out is by dog sled, planes with skiis, and atv's if you carry a trailer full lot of gas with you.3. I would say do not tow anything - so that means to leave your car at home. When you say take a side trip...  there are virtually no side trips in Alaska. When you are outside a town or city you are in the wilderness. And unless you are a total idiot,, you do not go off the main roads for any reason whatsoever. (not trying to be rude, just know from experience.. I went 1 mile off the main road to go look at a famous lake and old gold mine and ran into a group of people who were doing drugs and drinking and I had to turn around and barely made it out without being stopped. They literally started running towards me, as soon as they saw me, and they were not happy. They were throwing bottles and rocks at my vehicle and in the rear view mirror I saw one getting a rifle or shotgun out of their truck. I am not the timid type and I can hold my own; but I was shaking when I got back on the main road. And this side road was marked as a scenic route and designated historical site and it was broad daylight).  In my research, I never read anything about how dangerous it is to go off the main roads and my friends didn't tell me until I told them what happened and they said they didn't know I was going to take off on a side trip or they would have told me what to read in the newspaper archives. Of course, no State is going to tell you bad things that happen. It is bad for tourism. PLUS, if you leave your RV... You take a really big chance of it being entirely gone when you get back to it; or it will be stripped down where you can not drive it and all your valuables will be stolen or it will be burned to the ground. I was shocked when I found all of this out, after I got back from my big adventure driving from Anchorage up thru Fairbanks and further up North till I finally realized how dangerous it was for me to be out there and I turned around and came back. I drove for 3 to 4 hours straight without ever seeing another vehicle or any homes or businesses close to the highway. I could see smoke far off from the road and of course road signs directing you to small towns off the main highways; but I never ventured down any of them....... and I would advise that you do not either.TOWING is just not practical. Only the main major highways, which is Alaska 1 and 2 (I think 3 is down toward Washington State) are good enough for RV traffic by itself, let alone towing anything. The other roads, even in some towns, are narrow and just one pot hole after another. Plus flat tires are a big problem. State websites do not warn you so bluntly as some of the travelers blogs and websites I found. It is recommended that you take an entire set of tires for your vehicle. So if your pace arrow has 6 or 8 tires, you need double that; plus an additional 4 for your car. This would be 10 to 12 spare tires you need to carry. I saw many Rv's that had a lot of tires tied down on their roof. I figured out real quick that those were the people who were going off the major highways to go to State Parks or to other smaller towns or old mining camps, etc.Same goes for fuel and water... You need to take enough for you to go 4 hours minimum as some gas stations are that far apart or they are closed. I saw over a dozen motorhomes sitting at gas stations waiting for them to open and this was 7 to 8 hours before their opening time. I see this is sooooo long.. Please email me at my regular email address RV2GO4FUN@GMAIL.COM and I will answer any other questions you might have and be glad to share more of my experience with you.Anyone else can email me there too.Lastly, I want to remind you that if you or anyone with you gets hurt, you are on your own. And a sprained ankle can cause all kinds of problems.Now, I was by myself, which I will never do again in Alaska. I take a lot of photos all the time and I went down to a huge river bank to take photos. I slipped on some rocks and tumbled almost 20 ft down on all those rocks. I was so lucky that I did not break anything...I was hurt pretty bad as far as scraped up and a few cuts on my legs and arms and on my head that were bleeding a little. No gushing; but bleeding. And I could feel the bruises coming out, if you know what I mean along with my ankle being turned and my knew swelling up. All I knew was that I had to either get out of their or lay there till someone found me and that could be hours or days. I drove down a paved road that went from the main road down beside the road then turned into a gravel road that went under the bridge. I think it must have been a big fishing spot or the like. I was right under the major roadway but I had not seen a vehicle for over 2 hours before I got there. And of course there are bears and moose around everywhere up there so I did not want to sit there put my scent out - especially with the blood scent going out. Well, I could not stand and put my weight on my ankle so I had to crawl out. I was so glad when I got to my vehicle and got inside and sat down that I wanted to bust out crying; but I did not have time for such a luxury. I had to cut my jeans up past my knee because it was swelling so much. Lucky for me again that I made a great first aid kit including a small ice chest with ice and those things you freeze. So I took my large, wide ace bandages and wrapped a freeze pack around my knee and it immediately stopped swelling and felt better; but I had to drive with my right leg over towards the passengers side..... thank goodness it was my right leg. And I did the same for my ankle.All I could think of was to get to some people in case I got dizzier with my head cut and banged and call my sister and tell her where I was and what happened and that I would call back every time I could find another phone. I drove 3 hours before I found any houses or businesses etc. There was a gas station on the main highway and it was opened 24 hours a day so I lucked out. It was early morning. I got my sister's answering machine,, ha ha,, where she works. I took my laptop in and downloaded my photos from my camera.. and tried to call my sister again with no luck. I bought a thermos of coffee; ice for my ice chest; an English muffin and of I went.  2 more hours till the next open business, another gas station. Still got answering machine at the sheriffs dept where my sister works.To shorten this up, I finally got into range of a cell phone tower so my cell phone got a signal and I called my sister and got her. THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO KNOW =I forgot to tell her before I left for Alaska, that it is a wilderness State.. and that means.... that they (law enforcement etc) do not go looking for anyone that is lost and not until you are missing for between 48 and 72 hours and then you must be in their area where they have patrols on the main highways. Otherwise you make it out on your own or you die or some other person finds you and brings you out. If people want to find you, they either go looking for you their selves or they hire guides or hunters to go and find you. I knew this before I left; but didn't tell anyone else as I didn't want to scare them.She had spoken to her Sheriff personally; and dispatch played my calls back for them and her supervisors to hear, and I guess I sounded horrible, being so tired and banged up and I was so glad to even hear an answering machine that my voice was trembling.Well the Sheriff called the Alaska Highway Patrol and spoke to the Commander at that Post and they were all told what the policy is in the State of Alaska. But since the Sheriff called personally and they were all so shocked to hear this policy, the Commander said he would tell the Troopers on Patrol between there and Anchorage area (which were 2) to look for a female traveling alone and if they saw me, they would pull me over and tell me to call again and the Commander would call the Sheriff back and give my new location. ha ha.. He told my sister's Sheriff that since I was on the main highway and hurt I was sure to stay on it and if I stopped anywhere it would be at a motel or doctor but they were another 3 hours away and I would surely call back from there. But if they found me passed out in my vehicle, they would fly me to a hospital in Anchorage 8 hours away. That is how it is.. My sister had to go on a call so I hung up and listened to my voice mail. Sure enough.. I had a message from a trooper with the Alaska Highway Patrol. He said my sister's Sheriff  had called in that I was injured and might be pulling off the road to rest as I was so tired and they (AHP) were afraid it was because of my head cut so for me to stay awake and to call and ask for him when I got this message and give them my location; and he left his name and post phone number. ha ha. This was over 8 hours after I fell that I got cell phone service. It is not funny because I still get a wave of fright over me thinking back about it all and this happened last May 2007.I called, and of course he was off work by then, but dispatch did not even have any information on me - since they did not log it in because they were not going to search for me; so I had to tell the person the whole story and give them my location and to just tell the trooper I was driving till I got to Anchorage and I would call them back when I got in. I did and they were really happy to hear I made it and then I had to call the Sheriff's dept where my sister works and leave a message with their dispatch that I made it back to Anchorage finally... 11 hours after I fell. I should have stayed at one of the few motels I passed on the way.. but to tell the truth, I was so sore that I was afraid if I stopped and went to bed I would be there for a couple of days, so I just took it slow and steady and only stopped to eat, bathroom stops and get gas.NOW REMEMBER, I was on a major highway and you will be traveling with very few towns or businesses in between just like I was.If you want to take your grandchildren to Alaska, all of you fly there and go with a tour group if you want to go sightseeing outside any major City or off any major Highway. Rent a car and just drive 30 minutes outside of a major city  like Anchorage or Fairbanks and you will see what I mean. Driving from Anchorage to Fairbanks is a big enough adventure for first time travelers driving in Alaska. There are many tour company’s that operate out of Fairbanks that go up to the Artic Circle and clear up to Prudhoe Bay and just outside the city to tourist spots such as old mining camps and all.OR MEET UP WITH OTHER RVers at a campground and find someone going where you want to go and go together. Travel in twos, at least, or in a larger caravan if possible. I HAD A GPS UNIT, but I will never go anywhere in Alaska again without buying or at least renting Satellite Cell Phone Service. AND I WILL NEVER TRAVEL ALONE AGAIN. Not even driving from Anchorage to Fairbanks and back. Now I know why there are so many ads in the papers up there looking for someone to share a ride with.I flew to Alaska so I did not have my motorhome with me; but I talked to a lot of RVers while I was there. I went to Rv parks, campgrounds and also to neighbors of my friends and spent days getting information and listening to others stories. I have traveled a lot; but nothing is like traveling in Alaska. And I am moving up there permanently, so I will be going all over; but not alone and not with all the extra tires and fuel and water, etc. And no back roads or roads going off from the main highways unless I am with an organized caravan. I am also a pilot and I can tell you this... it is much safer flying in Alaska then it is to drive. I was getting ready to purchase a 40 ft Class A but after my trip to Alaska, I have decided to get a smaller motorhome. I am waiting for a 34 ft to be delivered for my approval next week.GiGi

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GRAB YOUR FAVORITE BEVERAGE, SIT BACK, RELAX & HAVE FUN GETTING TO KNOW ME.!!

To: Satboy I went to Alaska with my cousin in July 2007 and had a blast. We rented a car and drove from Anchorage to Palmer to Denali then to Talkeetna, on to Seward and back to Anchorage.  We met some of the nicest people you would ever meet.  We also met a wonderful elderly couple from Mighigan who took their camper on the road hauling a VW and an additional freezer trunk to put any fish they caught in it for the trip home (their last stop before returning home was to Valdez for fishing). We met up with them in Seward.  They stopped at a campground in Seward hoping there would be a spot to put their motor home but  the campground was full so the owner of the campground told them they could spend the night (gave them a spot) because it was late at night and the next day they could start out and find some other campground.  There are so many motor homes in Seward and we passed a lot of them on the road.  We ran out of gas in the Chugach National Forest (luckily for us it was in a rest area  because rest rooms were available there) and we were approached by two other campers staying there in their motor homes offering to siphon gas from their motor home in order to help us.  Any where you go with your motor home in Alaska you can stop in any of the open rest stops for the night free of charge.  It is the most friendliest place. Just remember to follow the rules and stay out of restricted areas. Don't go off the beaten path by yourselves unless you know the area and make sure someone knows where you are going. Many people go fishing in areas they are not supposed to be and many people go in the woods by themselves. Wildlife is abundant but they are not that easy to find because the animals stay in remote areas and far away from people. Bears can smell you from miles away and in summer food is abundant for them so they stay in areas not easy to get to.  So here we are, two women travelling alone, and we never saw a nagative incident and never heard of a negative incident.  There are plenty of places to view bears and other wildlife in the Kenai National Park near Anchorage or in Denali National Park.  You will be able to pay for a guide to take you or take a cruise to view the wildlife.  If you follow a good plan and use guides who are experienced in showing you many sites (like the Exit Glacier near Seward) then you will have a wonderful and safe experience.  My suggestion to you is to buy two books:  The Milepost (www.themilepost.com) or go to Walmart.  The 2007 edition includes a lot on Alaska.  Another book is the Trailer Life Directory. Both books will tell you how to get in and out of towns and where all the RV Parks, Campgrounds and Services are while you are on and off the road.  You can get the Trailer Life Directory at any bookstore.  You will have the most fabulous time in Alaska so go for it but just remember that locations are farther apart than you might think.  If you have any other questions, please send email to quailcrossing10@gmail.com. Take care Rosemarie 

Look, Gigi had a bad trip and maybe has a black cloud that follow her.  But I suspect that she spent to much time researching instead of being prepared.  The wilderness is real simple, RESPECT IT, and you will do fine.  If you have at least 2 grand children you should be wise enough to know the basics of planning ahead.  Women think different then men, and have since the dawn of time.  You plan ahead for worst case scenario's and then move forward.  I am on my way there NOW as I am typing this.  We are heading to Banff National Park and up through Jasper then over to Alaska for a least 4 months we are considering staying a whole year but we will see.  I am traveling with my wife and 2 kids 12 and 13 and 2 dogs in a 34 foot fifth wheel pulled with a Ford F-350 Crew Cab.  Ohhh by the way I am also mobility impaired!!!!!!  I am going to do some Salmon fishing and Halibut Fishing and going on a photographic tour to Kodiak Island.  I will also do some climbing and trail blazing just have fun and if the grand children are young just teach then to respect the wild.

The wife and I went to Alaska 5 or 6 years ago from Texas. We heard a lot of "horror" stories but we had no trouble and it's the single best trip I ever took. Yeah, it's a long way, but it's through some of the best scenery on earth. For "research", get a copy of the Alaska book at any bookstore... I think it was called "The Milepost". It's a mile-by-mile listing of everything on all the hiways up there (There are only 8 or 10 hiways in western Canada and Alaska after you pass Dawson Creek -- really hard to get lost ^_^). All restaurants, all stores, all tourist stuff, all mechanics, etc, etc. Main requirement is an adventurous spirit. <p>Don't let the outfitters sell you the hardware cloth for your windshield or the steel plates for underneath your vehicle. Not needed. When we got to Dawson Creek, the beginning of the Alaska Hiway, we stopped for lunch and I noticed NONE of the southbound traffic had that stuff mounted. It's a scam. The road is perfectly good except it's a good idea to drive under 50 MPH... better for animal and scenery-watching and there are occasional frost heaves (bumps). And you can overnight at any wide place in the road and most shopping centers. We only went to an RV park when we wanted to use the laundry. <p>The only thing which really worried us was the bears. A park ranger set us straight: There are two kinds of bears up there, black bears and grizzly bears. The black bears aren't dangerous unless you really work at it, but the grizzlies are a little touchy. What you do is you wear little bells on your wrists and ankles when you go walking out in the brush; the bears hear the bells and steer clear. No problem. <p>How do you tell the black bears from the grizzlies? It's by their scat (bear doo-doo). You can tell if the scat is from a grizzly because it's full of little bells. Wish I were going!!! In faith, Dave Viva Texas