Ohio to Alaska

[thes10banana]

I'm in the process of ironing out a trip to Alaska this summer and looking for some insight The farthest north I've been on the bike is Banff and I'm curious as to how tough it will be to find lodging once I'm through Jasper. Current plan is to ride to Calgary pick the passenger up, head to Jasper, fort Nelson, Whitehorse and then into Fairbanks. Any pointers would be appreciated.

 

[Sierra1]

I'm in the process of ironing out a trip to Alaska this summer and looking for some insight . . . .

Talk to @eemsreno. He's one of the resident experts on that and has the mileage on his bike to prove it. Even has some ride reports on it.

 

[OldRider]

I left from KY the last week of May and the traffic was very light and rooms were plentiful. It rained some every day. It was off and on, so have a good rain suit. Go to Deadhorse and see the Artic Ocean. You will never forget the scenery on the Haul Road. The Haul Road is nothing to be afraid of, just know your limits and stay in your lane.

The roads will be better than you expect.

 

[Avalanche123]

I'm in the process of ironing out a trip to Alaska this summer and looking for some insight The farthest north I've been on the bike is Banff and I'm curious as to how tough it will be to find lodging once I'm through Jasper. Current plan is to ride to Calgary pick the passenger up, head to Jasper, fort Nelson, Whitehorse and then into Fairbanks. Any pointers would be appreciated.

You will have options. Just make sure when you are nearing the end of your day, the nearest town isn't too far away. It will very very likely have a place to sleep. All those places you mention have lots of hotels. I would be a little careful between Fort Nelson and Whitehorse as some of the small places on the map do lack hotels. Nearest hotel after Fort Nelson is likely Watson Lake. Make sure you stop at Liard River Hotsprings (there is very limited place to stay there so call ahead) as that place is worthwhile stop.

 

[Panman]

Dawson Creek is a good size place should be no problem, Fort St John should be no problem, Ft Nelson should be ok, Watson Lk we had to sleep on the ground our first trip up, Whitehorse is good size should be OK. If your doing the Top of the World Dawson City should have room Fairbanks would most likely be next.
If you were doing the Stewart/Cassiar you would want to do some planning. After spending the night in Smithers we headed for Dease lake and we wound up sleeping on the ground Traveling with camping gear is a good idea. Of the two ways up the Cassiar is my favorite.

 

[Cycledude]

We have done 4 Alaska trips, never really had to much trouble finding motels. Finding and buying gas is a little different in Canada but never really caused us any problems, don’t hesitate to fill up when it’s available.

 

[TenereGUY]

This is a trip I have wanted to do and so did my dad. He didn't ever get to fulfill his dream... but I plan on doing it for him as he helped to make it my dream. Another reason I bought this bike. I just don't want to go it alone in case of mechanical problems but that won't stop me. Please share your preparations here and your experience as you go and what you would do differently! Good luck!

 

[Panman]

We didn't make Deadhorse as it was 31 degrees, snowing with a wind-chill factor of 19 degrees there. Our though was to ride to the Artic Circle take our picture at the sign and turn around and go back to Fairbanks.
Well we ran into this lady who said you should go stay up past Coldfoot at the Boreal Lodge in Wiseman and see the midnight sun. So we did, spent two nights there rode up over Atigun Pass to the point of no return (Fuel) and returned to Wiseman and left for Fairbanks the next day.
3/4's of that trip back to Fairbanks was great but then we hit hail and nasty rain. We hit a construction zone where the Flagger waved me forward and told me to go back and tell the other MC ride's to wait and go last as they had five or six riders go down in this mud pit of a road that day. We made it thru ok got to Fairbanks pretty much done in found a place to stay that we could only stay at one night! And we need two nights as both bikes had the fork seals leaking, bikes were filthy and needed a car wash and we wanted and off day to clean the bikes sort of and run a Seal mate thru the seals to get them to stop leaking as we were only half way thru the trip.
So we found this place called the Wedgewood Resort, this place was a bit older but the rooms weren't rooms they were Apartments! Not to badly priced and wished we would have found it first, perfect for the R & R we needed. We had done close to three thousand miles and this was the perfect place for that.
The Wedgewood resort is why I started this 2nd reply as it's a good R & R spot in the middle of a 6,700 mile trip.

 

[thes10banana]

I appreciate the insight so far. It's good to hear the accomodations aren't as sparse as it seems. Lodging has been a little bit more of a concern than weather and road conditions. As for fuel, I figure I'll carry a spare tank just in case. Oddly enough, after a decade of misadventures and being rained/hailed/snowed on I still struggle to remember gloves and haven't committed to a riding suit (tyvek is the way). I usually pack a pump, tire plugs, some misc tools. I might add a battery tender just in case (hard starts randomly). Some of the recommended stops look cool and will be added to the list. We might do the Stewart-cassiar and leave the bike in Seattle with friends and do the Pacific coast at a later date.

 

[tntmo]

I'm not much help on the lodging because I camped 9 out of 10 days basically, but fuel was never an issue for me. I take that back, the section of the Dempster Hwy from the start to Eagle Plains is 250 miles or so....I filled up a one gallon oil container with fuel but didn't need it because my Tenere was getting such good mileage going slower.

I think with just a little planning, lodging won't be an issue. Look up all the towns ahead of time along the route with places to stay, as you get closer to the end of your day you can call ahead if you have signal or just start checking them out. Ending your riding day earlier with a for sure lodging solution may be better than continuing on.

Have a fun trip.

 

[Cycledude]

Just in case I highly recommend carrying a battery jump pack , they don’t take up a lot of space and could be a huge help if a motorcycle or other vehicle decides not to start in some remote location.
Have been carrying a Jump Pack since 2018 and only used it once, that was to start a car with a dead battery, the owner was on oxygen and had one of those oxygen machines that run off a battery and it had run his car battery so low while parked that it wouldn’t start, luckily the battery pack started it almost instantly.

 

[magic]

I made the trip in 2016 and 2022 and only had reservations for our final destinations. (a hostel near Fairbanks and a rental on Kodiak island). Lodging along the way was never a problem as long as you stopped riding or driving and started looking before say 5 or 6pm. I also made a list of possible places to stay (and eat) along my anticipated route. I trailered my bike each time. Wife stayed at hostel while I rode to Deadhorse. I brought camping gear just in case.

 

[lund]

I highly recommend the Dempster HWY to Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik if having a choice, they call it a HWY but not the kind you would think. LOL

 

[eemsreno]

Talk to @eemsreno. He's one of the resident experts on that and has the mileage on his bike to prove it. Even has some ride reports on it.

I sure wouldn't call myself an expert on traveling to Alaska the way most riders go. I always camp and a lot of times it was just up in the woods remote camping. I try to ride roads that no one in their right mind ride.. So if you want advice on riding off the beaten path to Alaska then I can help you out.

 

[Sierra1]

I sure wouldn't call myself an expert on traveling to Alaska the way most riders go. I always camp and a lot of times it was just up in the woods remote camping. I try to ride roads that no one in their right mind ride.. So if you want advice on riding off the beaten path to Alaska then I can help you out.

Pretty sure that's the definition of expert.

 

[Cycledude]

I sure wouldn't call myself an expert on traveling to Alaska the way most riders go. I always camp and a lot of times it was just up in the woods remote camping. I try to ride roads that no one in their right mind ride.. So if you want advice on riding off the beaten path to Alaska then I can help you out.

Yes I would love to hear more about what roads yo actually took.

 

[lund]

Same here, as I will be heading up again this July.

 

[eemsreno]

Most of them are shown in here.
Three of TBDBITW Ride to Alsaka | Adventure Rider (advrider.com)

 

[thes10banana]

I sure wouldn't call myself an expert on traveling to Alaska the way most riders go. I always camp and a lot of times it was just up in the woods remote camping. I try to ride roads that no one in their right mind ride.. So if you want advice on riding off the beaten path to Alaska then I can help you out.

I appreciate the link and info. I'll jot down the not so squirrelly stuff and add the wilder stuff to a list if I can get a few more people involved. I'd also camp but I feel like that would just be cruel to my passenger. Also, your trip looked like it was phenomenal.

 

[danmcten]

I sure wouldn't call myself an expert on traveling to Alaska the way most riders go. I always camp and a lot of times it was just up in the woods remote camping. I try to ride roads that no one in their right mind ride.. So if you want advice on riding off the beaten path to Alaska then I can help you out.

I'm also looking at a northern trip in 2024. Likley both Alaska and Tuk. Fingers crossed. I may check back with you for advice, too.