Driving to Alaska Tips (19 Things You Should Know Before You Drive to Alaska)

In summer 2019, I drove solo from Seattle to Alaska and the Arctic Ocean – 10,761 miles in two months.  These are my top Driving to Alaska Tips:

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General Driving to Alaska Tips

#1 Most important – BE FLEXIBLE – 2019 was an atypical year.  June was particularly dry, which caused many forest fires in July and August.  August had some big rainstorms that caused mudslides in Denali National Park.  My trip didn’t follow my original plan – heavy smoke led me in a different direction, but I still had a great time.   Not having tours and accommodation booked in advance allowed me to stay longer at the places I liked and leave earlier when the weather got bad.   And don’t be disappointed if your plans change.  I was super disappointed when I arrived to Denali for an all day tour only to find out the road was closed 30 miles in, so I took a shorter tour and then spent the day driving the Denali Highway, which was one of the highlights of my trip.  I also avoided the smoke by hunkering down at a 3-day music festival in Atlin, BC. 

#2 Best Time to Drive to Alaska – The best time is June to August.  These months have the warmest weather and most attractions are open.  May and September are shoulder months, but many campgrounds are closed by September.  I had seen snow twice on my drive home in August – in Yukon and again in northern British Columbia. 

#3 Don’t trust the Weather Forecast – if I had trusted the weather forecast, I would have been in boots and ponchos the whole time.  Many days with rain in the forecast had barely more than a sprinkle.   That being said, it’s worth planning your big and expensive activities on the days with awesome weather planned – for example, I booked a Wildlife and Glacier Cruise on the morning I arrived into Seward because the weather was great, and the next 2 days were miserable and rainy and cold (and the only time it rained for two days strait on my whole trip). 

Driving Tips for Going to Alaska

#4 Drive with Your Lights on at All Times – It’s the law in both Alaska and Yukon to drive with your lights on at all times, so it’s worth doing for the whole trip so you get in the habit if you don’t have lights that automatically turn on. 

#5 Yield to Trucks

If there’s room to pull over to the side and no one behind you, move over when trucks pass.  You may avoid a costly crack windshield this way.

Camping/Sleeping Tips for Driving to Alaska

#6  Use Apps to Find Camping

On the first couple days of my trip, I had a nervousness that I wouldn’t be able to find camping, so often I would start looking for camping at 6 pm and occasionally didn’t find a spot I liked until 10 pm or later.  Then someone told me about the iOverlander app.  I downloaded it when I had wifi, and it worked great offline to identify places to camp for free or cheap.  Maps.me is also a useful free app, as it has all public roads, many trails, and many attractions.

#7 Be Prepared for Chilly Nights

I don’t have a heater in my van, so having a fleece blanket, a heavy comforter, and a hat that covers my ears helped me stay warm on the nights it was close to freezing. 

Money Savings Tips for Driving to Alaska

#8 Tim Horton’s Loyalty Card –  not everyone is a fan, but I like the coffee at Tim Horton’s.  Make sure you pick up the card – after 7 purchases you get a free drink of choice.

#9 Shop at Fred Meyer in Alaska – I LOVE Fred Meyer!  On my way up to Alaska, I had some nice people give me a sheet of coupons for RV Travelers to Alaska in 2019 that included two coupons for 20 cents off per gallon of gas and $10-30 of purchases of $50-150+ in store.  I saved over $10 in gas and $20 on in-store purchases from these amazing coupons from Fred Meyer.  Ask for these at campgrounds or ask the gas station attendant at the Fred Meyer Gas Stations.  Fred Meyer has some of the best prices on groceries and gas without the coupons. 

#10 Use Gas Buddy, Time Your Gas Purchases, but Don’t Run Out!

Plan your gas purchases ahead.  The Gas Buddy App or website is your friend.  Check the gas prices at the places you’re visiting the next day and plan where you might fill, top up, or just fill enough to get to the next, cheaper spot.  I didn’t do a good job at this, but I suspect I could have saved $50-100 by planning ahead a little bit (for example I filled gas in Whitehorse, Yukon before driving to Skagway, Alaska where it was considerably cheaper, I could have saved over $15 on that single fill-up.

#11 Avoid Money Exchange Fees

Whether you’re an American driving through Canada or and International traveler going to Alaska, accessing money that isn’t your home currency can cost quite a bit.  I have a credit card that has zero international transaction fees, so I use that as much as possible, and most retailers take credit card.  However, I did get cash from ATMs for small purchases (less than $5) and the few places that don’t take CC (mostly small shops or cafes).  Nearly all ATMs charge an exchange fee plus a transaction fee.  With the transaction fee, get the ATM maximum or the largest amount you’re comfortable withdrawing to avoid paying multiple transaction fees. 

Staying Connected

#12 Get Appropriate Cell Coverage

I have a prepaid cell coverage that operates on the T-mobile network without roaming and I had zero cell phone service and data from the moment I crossed the border into Canada, until I returned home.  Zero.  No phone coverage for 2 months.   Your best bets for cell coverage in Alaska are GCI, AT&T, and Verizon.   Check the status, as more carriers are extending their coverage.  That being said, there are many remote places in northern BC, Yukon, and Alaska where you will have no coverage despite your carrier.  I purchased some Skype calling credits before my trip for making calls when I was connected to wifi.  If you want to carry a phone for emergencies and you’re going to be traveling in remote areas, consider purchasing a satellite phone. 

#13 Finding Wi-fi

There are loads of places to find free wifi.   The top two places for wifi, with fast coverage if you need more advanced needs, are city visitor centers and libraries.  Occasionally these are locked so check at the main desk for log on details.  If I needed coverage off hours, I would go to McDonald’s or Tim Hortons, although their wifi has less bandwidth.  A few other places you might find wifi include some city harbors, cafes, National Park visitor centers, and Fred Meyer.

Spotting Wildlife

#14 Don’t Expect to See Loads of Wildlife

I was expecting to see lots of wildlife in Alaska.  For some reason, every time I crossed a bridge, I looked in the river or stream hoping to see a bear fishing for salmon, but I didn’t see any this way.  The viewable wildlife is almost non-existent in Alaska and Yukon.  If you saw 1 or 2 animals in a day, that was a good day.  There are some exceptions – for example, you’re almost guaranteed to see larger animals like Grizzly Bear, Caribou, and Moose in Denali National Park.  The largest concentration of animals by far was in northern British Columbia.  In one day, I saw herds of Bison, reindeer, moose, and half a dozen black bears on the Alaska Highway.  The Cassiar Highway is also a good place to see wildlife, but I only saw a few animals there.   

#15 Always Slow Down When You See Someone Pulled Over

I slowed down every time someone was pulled over on the road.  About 20% of the time they had spotted wildlife so it was a great way to discover wildlife I might have missed.

#16 But don’t get out of the car!

Animals may look like their minding their own business but they will turn on you. I was by my car taking photos of a couple caribou on Kenai peninsula when a nurse dropped buy and said caribou attacks were the most common animal attacks she say in her hospital.

#17 Know the Best Times to Spot Wildlife

Early morning and evening are traditionally the best time to see wildlife.  Some animals particularly like these times, like porcupines, deer, and beavers.   Animals that I commonly saw in the middle of the day were moose, foxes, and bears. 

Other Driving to Alaska Tips

#18 Recycling

Recycling is mostly non-existent in northern BC, Yukon, and Alaska.  The most common thing accepted is aluminum cans, but I only saw a few places to deposit these.   I tried to keep a bag for recycling in my van but I didn’t always find a proper place to deposit so some of it went in the trash. 

#19 Stay Entertained

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 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 will download more music, podcasts, or audio books next time. 

#20 Pack the Essentials

You need to be prepared for inclement weather and auto problems.  Read my Alaska Road Trip Packing List here. And if you’re doing any driving towards and/or in Alaska, don’t forget to pack the Milepost Guidebook.

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