Which route to Alaska?

Choosing the best route to Alaska is not trivial nor is it an easy task. First of all, let’s define ‘best’ for the Just A Little Further crew. Is it the fastest? Nope! or the shortest? Nah! It’s as much about the journey as it is about the destination and we’re inclined to wander from the proscribed path if something interesting is off the beaten path a bit. So researching the possible routes and deciding upon the ‘best’ one for us takes a fair amount of time and consideration. The Milepost 2023, the ultimate travel guide to Alaska we recently purchased, is providing lots of help. (and no, they’re not providing any compensation for us shouting their virtues!).

Photo credit: ehcanadatraveL - british-columbia

If we were to go directly to Anchorage, it’s about 3,400 miles. Apple Maps suggests either going north/northwest through Washington state and British Columbia (BC), or more directly north through Montana and Alberta then heading westerly. Both routes take us to Dawson Creek, Mile 0 of the famed Alaska Highway (aka the Alcan) which stretches 1387 miles to Delta Junction, BC, and connects with the Richardson Highway (Alaska-2) where ther’s another 96 miles to Fairbanks, Alaska.

Source: The Milepost

The Milepost refers to the first route through Washington/BC as the West Access Route which also happens to pass pretty close to Vancouver which we’ve never visited… an obvious side-trip opportunity. It then connects to the scenic BC Sea to Sky Highway (192 miles) eventually joining up with BC Rt. 97 to Dawson Creek.

Source: The Milepost

The second route through Montana and Alberta is referred to as the East Access Route. This route would take us through Calgary with an opportunity to stop at Banff/Lake Louise, then through Edmonton and Alberta Rt. 43 to Dawson Creek.

Source: The Milepost

The Milepost does offer an alternative route: the Canadian Rockies Route through Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to Jasper, Alberta which travels, as you might assume, through the Canadian Rockies, directly through Banff, Yoho, and Jasper National Parks and eventually makes its way north and west to Dawson Creek and the Alaska Highway.

Once on the Alaska Highway, the route will take us through Yukon Territory… awesome… before crossing into Alaska. Looking at the map, however, we’re not sure we want to go directly to Anchorage or Fairbanks or Alaska at all. Maybe we’ll dawdle a bit in the western Canadian provinces and territories. Either way, we’ll make up our minds in Whitehorse.

Though we’re still not decided where we’ll head after Dawson Creek, we think the western route is our choice for the initial route north into Canada. It’s the best for us, especially at this time of year. It’s still a little bit early in the mountains and we’re keen to avoid snow and ice if we can. Heading north on the Western Route and perhaps returning on the Canadian Rockies and/or the Eastern Route might work well into our plans.

And the timeframe for departure? Right now, April 27th is looking very promising. The return? No idea… September or October, maybe. Let the countdown begin.