Well, my moderately insane bride has decided that we need to ride to Alaska again. We last rode there in 1980. We will attend the BMW National Rally in Great Falls and leave from there. I will be riding my (new to me) 2016 Goldwing with a Hannigan GTL sidecar pulling a Bunkhouse Queen camper. The aforementioned crazy person will ride her 1965 BMW Frankenbike. This is the same bike she rode there 40 years ago. It is on its fourth engine, third transmission, fifth final drive etc.etc. I am the mechanic so no worries. I'm looking for suggestions and info since our last trip up was in 1986.
I am starting a thread about riding to Alaska. If you want to ride to Alaska and have any questions please post them up and I will try to help you out. I have lived in Juneau for 40+ years and traveling with motorcycles the whole time. I will add info from time to time One question that...
In 1980 we had about 900 miles of gravel one way. We did ride down to Haines and picked up the Alaska ferry. Even conned them into an engine room tour. That will never happen now.
Please check out my thread noted above for some up to date info on riding to Alaska..
Have a great trip and a big tip of the hat to your bride for riding her own ride. My bride and I met on our bikes in the Yukon in 1992 and have ridden together on dozens of trips since then. She is my favorite ridding buddy
I agree with getting the Milepost. The best guide for the area. I have to hold off on planning until I get back from New Zealand. I need to have a shakedown cruise to test the trailer hitch I built and to finalize the gear we are taking.
I agree with getting the Milepost. The best guide for the area. I have to hold off on planning until I get back from New Zealand. I need to have a shakedown cruise to test the trailer hitch I built and to finalize the gear we are taking.
My iPad mini has both the milepost in PDF (searchable) and a service manual and parts manual on it.(in case of breakdown and parts search is needed). Maps, GPS, and tracking programs, all in one very small package. When I went solo (without trailer) to Alaska, or even when traveling in the US, this is the best thing since sliced bread. Have a great trip!!
your iPad is just an over sized version of my Smartphone, a Galaxy Note8 which is almost 6" x ??
I have everything on it that I need, the 64gB SDcard is only about 15% full, and the main memory is only about 30% full. it is a great device to have with me.
Our last trip to AK was In early June, 2018. That was a bit early for us as we hit quite a bit of snow and very cold rain. The roads are rarely a challenge these days. Some road construction is inevitable and can be tough in wet weather just like anywhere else. In 2018, most of the roadhouses were open but seemed to be dedicated to serving the oil industry so I’m not sure if they sold gas to the public. IMO, the Cassiar Highway is now a better motorcycle trip than the AK Highway.
Our last trip to AK was In early June, 2018. That was a bit early for us as we hit quite a bit of snow and very cold rain. The roads are rarely a challenge these days. Some road construction is inevitable and can be tough in wet weather just like anywhere else. In 2018, most of the roadhouses were open but seemed to be dedicated to serving the oil industry so I’m not sure if they sold gas to the public. IMO, the Cassiar Highway is now a better motorcycle trip than the AK Highway.
I was on the Cassiar last year pulling a travel trailer. The Cassiar is much more scenic than the Alcan for sure but the road is pretty rough in an lot of areas due to frost heave. I travelled it in June and there were a ton of black bears along the road. I would not hesitate to take it on my Goldwing though. Fuel is more limited and lodging is as well so have plans to camp or make reservations.
Keep an eye on your rear tire. Pulling a trailer on the rough chip seal pavement on the Alaska Hwy. wears down that rear tire much quicker than the front.
The Cassiar is a nice on a Wing. It reminds me of how sections of the Alcan used to be before it was changed to modern standards. I normally will ride it in two days. Most of my trips we stop to camp Bell II It has gas, food, lodge, cabins and a campground with nice showers and flush toilets. Near the northern end you will find Boya Lake Provincial Park.
On the Cassiar my gas stops are with a Wing pulling a RAH camper
At the south end, Junction with highway 16
Meziadin Junction, 98 mi
Bell 2 Lodge, 58 mi
Dease Lake, 150 mi
Junction 37, 150 mi at this point you join the Alcan about 13 miles west of Watson Lake
The wife and I stayed at Kinaskan Lake Provincial Park and it was one of my favorite stops for the entire trip from Oregon to Skagway AK. Many of the camp sites back up to the lake shore. The provincial parks are worth checking out for camping.
Kinaskan is 80 miles south of Dease Lake and 125 miles north of Meziadin Junction.
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