Alaska from Vancouver
 

In June 2003 I will be attending a Society of Actuaries meeting in Vancouver, BC. Mode of transport to Vancouver from Pittsburgh, PA is via motorcycle (R1150GS Adventure). My wife has given me the thumbs up to take the long way home via Fairbanks, AK. Just a couple of questions (for now):

1. Is 800+ miles per day feasible between Dawson Creek and Fairbanks in June?

2. Are the bridges as nasty as Dr Frazier indicates they may be?

3. I assume getting from Vancover to Dawson Creek is also possible in one day's ride.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have.

As you go North you will have more hours of sunlight so you "can" do 800 miles a day.
There will be rain and road construction with the occasional moose, bear and other large and smaller animals on the road.
The bridges are of no consequence. My wife does not like open grated bridges and she hardly noticed them.
Vancouver to Dawson Creek is about 710 to 730 miles, depending on your route.
I would not count on 800 mile days.

Hi there,
I lived up north in Whitehorse for a couple of years and this was what I discovered. During the summer months (June to August)along those roads there are lots of RV's and lots of road construction. I found you would be going along nicely and then end up in a constuction zone, one way traffic for 45 minutes or stuck behind 5 RV's waiting to find a place to pass. I don't think you'll get the 800 clicks a day also the amount of animals around tend to reduce your riding speed as well......
hope that helps..... d

Thanks for the help. I was thinking that 800 miles would be pushing it a bit up past Dawson Creek. I have gone cross country USA and 800 mile days were not a problem but that was over interstate highways.

I will go back to figure 600 - 700 miles per day tops. Plus, that would be bit more relaxing as it would be a shame to waste the opportunity to swallow in the sites and sounds.

Figure on approx 50 hrs driving time between Seattle and Fairbanks, give or take a few hours. Don't forget to smell the roses and make sure you stop at a place called Liard Hot Springs north of Dawson Creek. Its a short hike, hot water and nice people.

If you can get approval from the wife, try to get a little extra time to enjoy the scenic routes. The Top of the World through Dawson is wonderful! North of Fairbanks has some good ALASKA rides to more Hot Springs. You could really enjoy about 10 days of diverse riding in AK to make the trip the ultimate experience. Send an email if you need more info. Chuck, Girdwood Alaska

I know this is an older post but I can't help but throw my 2 bits in for the sake of other riders. First ... I'm not sure why anyone would want to put 800 miles in the saddle in one day anyway, unless they were in a race but I guess to each they're own. Distance and miles on a map is all relevant but when the tire hits the road it's fact. Vancouver to Dawson Creek is 740 miles, best safe average time is 18 hrs. Fastest posted speed limits in the province of British Columbia are 110, 100, 90 and yes friends to the south that's in kilometers not miles an hour, so say 70, 65, 55. It's going to take you some time to get out of or through the city of Vancouver and you're not really going to get motoring until you hit Hope.

There is a freeway leading in and out of Vancouver and trust me... so is the police. Once out of Hope you enter the Fraser Canyon heading up into the Caribou Country. Windy narrow older main Hiway. May, June is start of tourist season so expect congestion from our friends in the big RV's. The hiway goes straight through a number of small little towns speed limit 50k all through the Caribou. RV's will stop suddenly or pull over so granny can check out the local antique shops or fruit stands. All these little towns through this section have a small local RCMP police detachment who love to hide behind barns, billboard signs, dips in the hiway with their radar guns cocked and ready to go.

Once past William's Lake you can let the ponies run till you hit the outskirts of Prince George. The local hiway mounties patrol about 50 miles on either side of the city on a regular basis. After that you start into the Pine Pass and start to climb. Very scenic windy road and the furry fuzzy creatures come out to greet you. These animals though wild are used to traffic and for the most part... dumb as fence posts. Hitting a moose at 100k is not a pretty sight. Leaving the Pine Pass and entering the small town of Chetwynd you can make a choice of which direction to head north. You can go straight north toward Hudson Hope coming out just north of Ft. St. John or go east to Dawson Creek. If you go to Dawson Cr. I'll take your photo at the world famous Mile Zero Post ... start of the Alaska Hiway. If you've come from Vancouver in one day, I just might buy you a beer... you'll need it.

Dawson Creek to Whitehorse Yukon is just over 900 miles. The 740 miles and the time it just took you to do that cannot be compared with what your going to drive now. After you pass Ft.ST. John your heading into a fairly remote part of the world. There is only 2 major towns between there and Whitehorse. Ft. Nelson Mile 300 ... Watson Lake Mile 630. My advise too is ... take your time smell the flowers. Plan your stops around those 2 towns take a few days to get to Whitehorse for a whole lot of reasons.

Best option ... early start from Dawson Creek or Ft. St. John make Liard Hot Springs the first night. Have a relaxing bath and a good nights sleep. Believe me after you have a dip in the springs ... you won't want to hit the saddle again that day. From Liard to Whitehorse the next day is no problem ... but then again there is many places to see and side trips to take before getting there. You go through a number of Provincial Parks in that leg of the trip. The animals in those parks know they're parks. Wild Sheep are a major concern, they will be in the middle of the road on a hair pin corner and will not move. Caribou are also bad for this then moose. Around Liard you may encounter Wild Bison or Buffalo they may look slow and docile but when approached especially on foot .... can I have your bike. I could go on here indefinitely but I've rambled on enough for this post. Please feel free to contact me for complete up to date trip information for your trip up the Alaska Hiway.

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Murphy