Driving to Alaska is a real adventure! In addition to the normal things you might bring on a vacation (clothes, first aid kit, toiletries), here are a few things you should have for your Alaska Road Trip. Most of this Alaska Road Trip Packing List consists of vehicle repair tools, but there might be a few surprises on this list too.
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My Alaska Road Trip Packing List:
1. Milepost Guidebook
This book is the self-proclaimed bible of travel to Alaska. It contains nearly every point of interest on any route you might take to Alaska, all around Alaska, plus many interesting detours. It also hints where you might have an extra good chance to see wildlife, where you might find wild berries, etc. You should buy this book before you travel. Not only can you plan your route, you save about $15 from buying it from a visitor center or gas station in Canada or Alaska. Buy your Milepost at amazon.
2. Full Size Spare Tire
Besides windshield chips and cracks from stray gravel, the most common type of vehicle problem is a flat tire. When you’re traveling in Alaska, Yukon, and northern British Columbia, there are times where you can be 100+ miles from the nearest auto or tire repair. Since you might be driving on a spare for that many miles, make sure you have a full-size spare tire that’s the right fit for your vehicle.
3. Tire repair kit
There are loads of gravel roads in Alaska and northwestern Canada and sometimes you might have a small puncture. Rather than changing the tire, you may be able to patch it. It’s worth carrying one of these cheap tire repair kits just in case. This is especially important if you’re planning on doing one of the more remote, gravel roads like the road to Canada’s Grand Canyon, the Denali Highway, the road to McCarthy and Kennecott, or the Dempster Highway.
4. Tire Pump
At one point in my trip, a car indicator said I had a
5. Battery Jumper and Power Brick Combo
One of my best purchases before my trip was this power brick. It charges relatively quickly using a wall socket or the cigarette lighter, and you can plug any USB or standard US plugs into it for charging. It also comes with jumper cables. While I was lucky I didn’t need a jump start on my trip, I used it several times to charge my camera and laptop batteries. If you’re boondocking (camping without hook-ups) this is great if you need to power any small electronics and you don’t want to invest in a more expensive solar/lithium set. I was able to charge it while I was surfing the internet and doing my research at visitor centers, libraries and my morning coffee breaks at Tim Hortons, as well as charge it from my cigarette lighter as I was driving.
6. Forms of Entertainment
One of my biggest mistakes on my road trip to Alaska was not bringing enough material to keep me entertained while driving. When possible, I listened to local radio as you can hear about local events. As a result of listening to the radio, I found out about and attended the Atlin Art Festival. I also got a free ticket to a country music concert at a Honky Tonk in Kelowna, BC. But the funniest radio memory is listening to the only station in Fort McPherson along the remote Dempster Highway…. believe it or not, they were calling bingo numbers live on the radio! It was compelling stuff!
But for the many, many times there was no radio reception, I had about 20 CDs and a few audiobooks, but I found that I went through these CDs really fast – I probably listened to some of these CDs at least 25 times. So, I would definitely download more music, podcasts, or audio books next time.
Traveling solo, I also found myself feeling lonely at night. I met another solo traveler that showed me his tablet set up – he would download movies from Netflix when he had wifi and then he could play movies at night on the tablet. And if the tablet needs charging, you have the power brick mentioned above.
7. Satellite Phone
I hate to tell you this, but cell phone ain’t working in most of Canada and Alaska. I’m on a pre-paid network and it didn’t work at all during my 8 week trip. If you absolutely need to stay in touch, and can’t rely on wifi calling, you might invest in a Satellite Phone. They are incredibly expensive to buy and use minutes, but it would be well worth it if you have an emergency in remote areas.
8. CB Radio
See my comment about cell phones above. A CB radio is of more use than a cell phone up there. And it can provide entertainment. Make sure you get an antenna along with your CB unit.
9. Extra Food & Water
Think about what you might need if you are stuck somewhere very remote for a few days. After driving the Dempster Highway, I could see someone getting stuck in a snowstorm, or torrential rains making the road unpassable. I also ran into mudslides along the road to Telegraph Creek in BC, and in Denali Park. In both cases, I was on the “right side” of the mudslide, meaning I wasn’t stuck, but I could see a scenario where a person could be stuck a couple days. For this, it’s worth having at least a few days worth of food and water. Hot tip: canned and other dried foods are cheaper in the continental US, so stock up to save money. For water, you might take some in containers (I like to reuse empty 2-liter pop bottles) and bring a water filter as well. It’s no fun getting sick from water that looks clean but contains a nasty
10. Snow Chains and Gear
Believe it or not, if you’re traveling in the second half of August or later, you might want to carry chains, snow brushes, scrapers, etc. During my trip in 2019, there was a huge snowstorm on August 18-19 which dumped over a foot of snow on northern British Columbia. Luckily, I had a few days to spare to return home, so I delayed my return to the US by killing a day in Skagway.
11. Cold Weather Gear
It’s worth bringing an extra sleeping bag, mittens, warm socks, and hat just in case you get stuck in a freak snowstorm.
12. Toilet Paper
If you’re in an RV, you probably have a bathroom and toilet paper but if you’re traveling by van or car you may not. While there are lots of roadside rest areas on the Cassiar and in Yukon, there are less on the Alaska Highway and through Alaska. While these areas were usually stocked, there were a few times there was no toilet paper so it’s worth bringing a roll or two.
13. Offline Map App
While I still like using paper maps, and these maps are plentiful at visitor centers, I found using the free maps.me app, downloading the areas of travel before the trip, was invaluable in locating parks, campgrounds, specific roads, etc. And this app is free! Download app and maps to your smartphone while you are connected to wifi.
Can you think of anything else you might want to add to this Alaska Road Trip Packing List? Something I missed on my list? Please leave your comments below.
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Great article! In 1974, I rode a motorcycle from Southern California to Fairbanks using the Alaskan Highway. Sure could have used these tips then.
Would like to hear your stories first hand.
So much great info and tips! Like how food is cheaper in US… power brick… this is an ultimate pack list. Thank you!!
Great write up. Did the trip in 2014. Good memories but expensive. Diesel cost more than a few gallons of milk. Adding to the very good list of must haves: bear spray and at least one hefty sheath knife, axe, small saw and machete. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
Can across your article while on the RV Life site.Glad you took your trip to Alaska,and had a good time.My wife and I are going to start planning our trip id a few years.Just wanted to tell you we are very thankful for your tips.We will be pulling our Keystone TT,to Alaska and are planning a 3-4 moth trip.
I was camped at Muskwa River Rec Site when that August snow storm struck. Who knew? Now my axe has been sharpened and there is a folding bow saw in our camper. It took two of us sharing one axe 3 hours to hack our way out to the highway only 4 km away – but blocked by 30 or so trees that had snapped due to the weight of the snow on their full summer leaf canopy.