Is a road trip to Alaska on your U.S. road trip list? From our experience, it’s one big beautiful, adventure-filled trip that we’ll be repeating. And the variety of alternate routes means that your Alaska road trip will be unique to your interests.
No matter how you plan to drive the Alaska Highway, also known as the Alcan Highway, you’re in for an unforgettable road trip. And our articles on Alaska Highway travel will help.
Create your itinerary after reading about our tips. You’ll also find articles on the destinations in Alaska, British Columbia and the Yukon that Alan and I (and our guest writers) have experienced.
What you'll learn about driving the Alaska Highway from this page
- Alaska Highway travel tips
- The best time to drive the Alaska Highway
- The best route to drive in Alaska
- Why we picked this itinerary
- Where to stay on the Alaska Highway
- Destinations included on our Alaska Highway road trip itinerary
- Extend your trip
Boomer Travel Tip
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Alaska Highway travel tips
There are so many ways to plan an Alaska road trip. You can drive the official Alcan Highway beginning in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, and ending 1,390 miles later at Delta Junction, Alaska.
Another option is to mix it up. We did just that by combining ferry rides, an Alaska Marine Highway cruise, scenic roads in British Columbia and the Yukon, with the Alaska Highway.
Through the years, My Itchy Travel Feet readers have asked many questions about Alaska road trips. You might have the same ones. And if you don’t find the information that you need, contact us and we’ll try to find the answer for you.
Boomer Travel Tip
Our number #1 tip for an Alaska Highway trip? Bring along the latest edition of The Milepost.
When is the best time to drive the Alaska Highway?
While summer is the most popular season for road trips to Alaska, we prefer early September, specifically to avoid most of mosquito season. And fall—early to mid September in Alaska—is a beautiful time to see the state, the fireweed is especially beautiful.
Which is the best route to drive in Alaska?
As I’ve mentioned, there are plenty of choices when choosing an Alaskan road trip itinerary, you don’t have to drive the highway straight through. However some purists wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s your choice.
While researching, I learned about many scenic highways in the region. So far, Alan and I have driven Cassiar Highway, Top of the World Highway, and Taylor and Glenn Highways.
The Golden Circle is next on our want-to-do-list. Alan’s travel feet are itching to drive The Dalton and The Dempster. Of course, when we do, you’ll find the information on this page.
Boomer Travel Tip
If you’re looking for Alaska travel advice, start at our Alaska Travel Planner page for the online sources, books, guides and products that we use and recommend.
Why did you pick this itinerary?
Alan and I are attracted to big landscapes and unique journeys, which is why we opted to skip beginning this boomer adventure at Dawson Creek in the prairie of country of BC. Instead, we chose to officially start in Port Hardy on Vancouver Island (we don’t count driving from Montana to Vancouver as part of the official trip).
Arriving back to the U.S. via the Alaska Marine Highway allowed us to relax for a couple of days while taking in the beauty of the Inside Passage. Alan appreciated that someone else was doing the driving. It’s a great addition to any Alaska road trip adventure.
Of course the route that we created meant skipping sections of the Alaska Highway. Next time, we’ll include the portion of the Alcan that travels through Kluane National Park, Muncho Lake and Liard Hot Springs.
How did you choose where to stay on the Alaska Highway?
Although Alan and I don’t travel by RV, it’s certainly the best way to explore Alaska and Canada’s far north. Lodging is a challenge but we managed to find acceptable places to stay in Alaska (and reserved ahead).
Boomer Travel Tip
I recommend starting your search here and then head over to read the reviews on TripAdvisor. That’s how we planned our trip.
Our Alaska Highway road trip destinations
YukonHo! on the Alaska Highway
Is driving the Alaska Highway on your bucket list? You might find it odd that the rugged road has been on my to-do list for several years, especially considering all this talk from me about being a travel princess. After all, camping and backpacking are just not my style, although I could go for a really nice […]
Riding the Prince Rupert Ferry
The soft shades of morning sunlight illuminates Scarlett Point as the M. V. Northern Expedition (Prince Rupert Ferry) begins the 15-hour cruise up the Inside Passage from Port Hardy on Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert on the British Columbia (B.C.) mainland. The postcard-like scene reveals hidden coves, sailboats at anchor and fishing lodges sitting on […]
Watching for Bears at Fish Creek in Hyder, Alaska
There are several well-known bear viewing sites in Alaska. The best Alaska bear watching is Kodiak Island, especially Katmai National Park. But our experience shows that you don’t have to fly to Kodiak to see brown bears. On an Alaska Highway road trip, Alan and I chose a convoluted itinerary to reach the actual Alaska […]
Driving the Cassiar Highway on an Alaska Highway Road Trip
Are you a baby boomer who likes traveling off-the-beaten-path? If you’re planning an Alaska Highway road trip, don’t miss driving the Cassiar Highway—also know as Highway 37 BC—for isolation, scenery and an in-the-middle-of-nowhere vibe. The 450 miles of rugged beauty journeys through northern British Columbia from the Skeena River Bridge on the Yellowhead Highway to […]
Include Dawson City on Your Alaska Highway Road Trip
One of the beauties of an Alaska Highway road trip is the diversity of alternate routes. There are so many options! That’s how Alan and I ended up exploring Dawson City in Canada’s Yukon Territory. We left the Alaska Highway at Whitehorse for the 330-mile-drive on the Klondike Highway to Dawson City because that’s where […]
Driving on Top of the World
Do you know about Top of the World Highway? The rugged journey through gold mining history makes a fun addition to your Alaska Highway road trip itinerary. The trip requires leaving the Alaska Highway at White Horse, driving the Klondike Highway to Dawson City before catching a ferry ride across the Yukon River. You’ll catch […]
Beautiful Downtown Chicken
Driving the Top of the World Highway from Dawson City, Yukon to its intersect with Alaska Highway, there are few places to stop for lunch if you’re thinking of purchasing something. After the road changes names to Taylor Highway and descends into the 40 Mile Valley, you’ll discover the community of Chicken, the ONLY place […]
Luxury in Alaska at Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge
It’s hard to find luxury in the wilderness of Alaska. Ask me, I know. After driving for three weeks on an Alaska Highway road trip where Alan and I were lucky to find a halfway decent place to sleep each night—with a hard mattress, scratchy sheets and pillows that definitely weren’t made from memory foam—arriving […]
The Milepost Review: Your Companion For Alaska Highway Road Trips
Sometimes our road trip planning consists of packing a few items and fueling up the car, before heading on a spontaneous journey to who knows where. But not when it comes to driving the Alaska Highway. This is a travel adventure that requires months of planning. And sometimes the information isn’t easy to come by. […]
Wildlife Watching on Taylor Highway
When Alan and I planned our Alaska Highway road trip adventure, we hoped to see lots of wildlife. Were the highways brimming with animal sightings? Not really. Our total count of wildlife viewings on the road were 3 black bears on the Cassiar Highway, a bald eagle near Dawson city and the reindeer pictured above. […]
Fall on the Glenn Highway
When Alan and I planned our Alaska Highway road trip, we weren’t thinking about fall color. But that’s exactly what we found in the first week of September while driving the Glenn Highway, also known as the Tok Cutoff. The paved road travels 328 scenic miles between Tok and Anchorage. And the portion of the highway […]
Alaska Highway Photos From a Boomer Road Trip to Alaska
Alaska Highway photos to inspire your next boomer rood trip adventure. Four weeks of Alaska photos to make your travel feet itchy!
Extend your trip
Since Alan and I drove the Alaska Highway, My Itchy Travel Feet has published some wonderful articles from guest writers to help you extend your trip. These experiences are certainly worth including on your Alaska road trip.
Best Things to Do in Fairbanks, Alaska for Boomer Travelers
Whether you’re traveling from the U.S. on an epic Alaska Highway road trip or flying into the state for an independent journey, Fairbanks should definitely be on your itinerary. There are so many things to do in Fairbanks, Alaska! My Itchy Travel Feet featured contributor, Debi Lander of ByLanderSea, shares her experience visiting Fairbanks. From […]
Kodiak Island Bear Watching: An Amazing Boomer Travel Adventure
Is a Kodiak Island bear watching trip on your bucket list? It’s been on mine for a long time. Although I’ve visited the island of Kodiak on Alaska cruises, there’s never been enough time to schedule a trip to see the Kodiak bears (and none of my favorite cruise lines have ever offered one). My […]
Adventure Awaits in Alaska’s Denali Park
For anyone looking for a national park adventure, there’s simply no better place to experience it than Denali National Park. From expansive views of breathtaking Alaska landscape to local wildlife, Denali is really something unique. Today’s guest poster, photographer Dennis Calhoun, visually brings us one step into Alaska’s incredible Denali National Park with his incredible […]
The Best Day Trips from Anchorage, Alaska (Getaways, too!)
If you’re planning a trip to Alaska, you’ll probably fly in and out of Anchorage. Whether you’re on a cruise or an Alaska Highway road trip, the city makes a great base for Alaskan travel adventures, especially if you know the best day trips to take. Susmita Sengupta traveled with her family to Anchorage for […]
Fairbanks to Denali by Train and What to do When You Get There
Have you thought about taking the train from Fairbanks to Denali during an Alaska trip? Alan and I will certainly be adding the experience to our next adventure in the Last Frontier. Did you read Debi Lander’s (ByLanderSea) tips for fun things to do in Fairbanks? She’s back to tempt us with a Fairbanks to […]
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