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The shortest route to Alaska from my home in Missouri is about 3600 miles but this means driving through a lot of Canada (where speed limits are lower, radar detectors are not allowed, enforcement is stricter and lots of 2 lane driving and very desolate in parts) or a longer drive west thru the USA and enter Canada near Seattle. Still exploring those. Plan is for an 8k+ mile round trip in about 4-5 weeks,
The planning is for a trip starting in mid May. Anyone want to Caravan all the way, some of the way? Anyone been to Canada or Alaska here on this forum?
Cool!.... Keep the car jacked up (you need ground clearance! ) once beyond Vancouver BC, you may want to consider a spare tire bolted down to.... Someplace!
I'm trying to find the road trip article I read that talked about those roads being pretty rugged. Distance between fuel stops was also an issue.
As much as I admire the desire to pull off a trip like this, I really don't know if a Corvette is the right car for it.
From MO you can head west on I-70 and eventually head north to grab I-90 into Seattle. From Seattle head north on I-5 to Vancouver. That’s as far as I’ve been. Even being interstate, it was a beautiful drive. Jumped off in a few places to see the badlands, Mt Rushmore, etc. Did that almost 17 years ago
Cool!.... Keep the car jacked up (you need ground clearance! ) once beyond Vancouver BC, you may want to consider a spare tire bolted down to.... Someplace!
Have driven from Vancouver BC to Whitehorse in the Yukon. Go through Prince George and then to Dawson Creek where you get on the Alaska Highway. Beautiful country but isolated. Need to bring some camping gear with you as lodging may be tricky. Watch out for the wildlife. Don't want to hit a moose as the Vette will loose. Good 4 days of travel from Vancouver to Whitehorse. Roads are mainly 2 lanes from Cache Creek to Whitehorse. Would be a great drive in the vette. Agree that I-90 to Seattle would be the fastest way. No revenue generating speeding tickets as is RCMP. Roads certainly dictate a slower apeed.
Safe travels.
Cool!.... Keep the car jacked up (you need ground clearance! ) once beyond Vancouver BC, you may want to consider a spare tire bolted down to.... Someplace!
I'm trying to find the road trip article I read that talked about those roads being pretty rugged. Distance between fuel stops was also an issue.
As much as I admire the desire to pull off a trip like this, I really don't know if a Corvette is the right car for it.
Going through Seattle may get you some higher speed limits and low gas prices, but it will cost you about 550 miles each way. Although you could make the sacrifice one way and come back by the shorter route so that you get to see some new country.
I've been on Highway 1 between Kamloops and Vancouver and road wise, that was decent highway. Just doing spot checks between Cache Creek and Anchorage. Looks like some pretty iffy road on Hwy 37.
This is a trip I've always thought about doing, but I want to do it on an adventure bike. Then sell or abandon the bike and just fly home. . Someone's getting a deal in Alaska.
As I research, the roads are much improved and better than from the time decades ago. Heard from a 50+ woman who has done it in a Volkswagen Beattie and an 80+ woman who did it in a minivan.
Also, much depends on where you enter Canada and how much you drive across Canada. There, in parts, fuel and lodging/services are far apart. However, if you enter by Seattle and Vancouver, it’s not as much a problem. The Corvette will be fine but can’t take side roads to various scenic places without being very careful.
Awesome road trip. The route is all paved now, you will find lots of road maintenance in progress along the way, expect gravel roads is some areas as well as frost heaving which can be problematic. I would worry more about striking a deer, moose bison or bear along the way. Try not to travel at night, should not be an issue in the June July time frames as daylight hours are long. I would plan on an alternate route north and south as much as possible to avoid the "rerun" of the trip. Look into the Casiar Highway route (450-mile stretch), very scenic, path less traveled but may be more adventure than what you want in a Corvette. You could put your ride on a boat and travel the marine highway / inside passage for a portion of your trip as well. Oh yeah! I almost forgot about the bighorn sheep! Avoid them as well!
As I research, the roads are much improved and better than from the time decades ago. Heard from a 50+ woman who has done it in a Volkswagen Beattie and an 80+ woman who did it in a minivan.
Also, much depends on where you enter Canada and how much you drive across Canada. There, in parts, fuel and lodging/services are far apart. However, if you enter by Seattle and Vancouver, it’s not as much a problem. The Corvette will be fine but can’t take side roads to various scenic places without being very careful.
You might want to invest a dime and check with the Canadian Hwy Dept and figure out which will be the best route for you to take given road conditions.
There are several Alaska Highway Guides that are available at Amazon and other sites. They are usually updated often and can give your current conditions and the best routes. We had a motorhome club member knock off his whole front end hitting a frost depression in the road as they are hard to see so be careful and good luck.
Those ladies were driving "Disposables"... Who cares about those?.... No self respecting Corvette person cares about a mini van!... It's the perfect Alaska tripper!... but imagine the frustration!.. as you are bopping down the road in that thing... knowing the C7 is at home just beckoning a drive, at speed, on your favourite road to nowhere !... but In a Volkswagen? My god man!
To hell with the naysayers. You are now planning it the best you can and when you finish planning go for it. Remember all plans have a wrench thrown in them so make sure you have a plan for that as well. I never like to have “what if’s”. Regretting to do something you always wanted to do will would be regrettable.
Driving to Alaska isn't hard, it's just really far. There's fuel and lodging and food and lots of other tourists along the way. Prices are high, and distances between services are large. I'd suggest a tow service like Allstate Motorclub which will tow unlimited distances should something happen. It would be good to have a spare tire (wasn't there just a post on a compact donut available?) in addition to a can of sealant and an air pump.
You'll many great paved roads getting to the southern Canadian border, and none are interstates. But I get it; these are in our back yard, so zoom past them and spent your time in new areas.
In BC, YK and AK, if you stick to pavement you won't have many choices; everything goes through Watson Lake and Tok.
The Al-Can to Watson Lake is interesting around Muncho Lake, but I much prefer the Cassiar Highway through BC.
Bring a sign for the SIgnpost forest in Watson Lake.
Between Watson Lake and Tok you can skirt Whitehorse to Skagway, take the ferry to Haines, and go north to the Al-Can again. That's all paved; the scenery is spectacular and Skagway is a neat historical town. The ferry does not run daily!
Dawson City is a great destination too, but it's going to be an out-n-back if you're not willing to drive the unpaved Top Of The World Highway.
The Al-Can after crossing into AK to Tok is terrible. The USA should be ashamed of that section of road.
After Tok you can go to Fairbanks or Anchorage, or Denali in between.
But if you're going off pavement, you can go to Tuk, Deadhorse, the Denali Highway, Top Of The World Highway, Telegraph, the Salmon Glacier, McCartney, Eagle, etc. There are the GOOD places to go, which make the trip worthwhile.
I would also recommend trying to stay in interesting places like hostels etc. where you can interact with other travelers; this is really what makes the trip memorable, otherwise you're just traveling in a bubble from hotel to hotel.
I've done the trip twice. Once by bike, the other in a motorhome. You can count on two things, road work and rain. Watch for frost heaves, they're usually marked by little yellow flags on the side of the road, or you'll think you're on a roller coaster. There will also be long stretches of gravel, some of it deep which might mean the front of the car will be plowing the rocks, the other is the pea gravel. That's not so bad except for trucks headed the other way throwing the pea gravel up. I wouldn't be riding behind anyone either for the same reason. The scenery is spectacular, and as mentioned be on the lookout for wildlife especially if you go up in spring which for them is early June. I personally wouldn't go up in MY Vette, but if you have to go I'd invest in a bra for the front, and maybe some mud flaps of some kind to save the sides and rear from rocks. It will definitely be an adventure!!
I lived in Alaska for 15 + years, I have driven the ALCAN Highway more than I want to remember. NOT a road for the C7! Frost heaves alone will destroy your car. You will hit construction at several places where the road is nothing but rock, During the summer it rains a lot and some of the mountain passes the mud is so thick, if you dont have a 4X4 you will get towed up the mountain pass by road grader or bulldozer or you dont go through. Too many unknowns, me personally, I would never do it in a Corvette or any sports car for that matter. Good Luck! Bring spare tires (plural) and a gas can or two if you have room.
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Sounds like quite the adventure but I am like the others - not so sure I would attempt it in a Vette. But if you do, best of luck and hope you will post up pics and details of the trip.
01-09-2023, 01:56 PM
To Alaska in a C7…route planning has begun…
. Someone's getting a deal in Alaska.
