RV Traveling in Alaska

Nearly three times the size of Texas, Alaska’s landscape, climate, attractions and activities change every couple hundred miles. Driving Route 3 from Fairbanks south past Denali to Anchorage then Seward, we passed through arctic tundra, glacier-carved valleys, meandering rivers, towering snow-capped mountains, temperate rain forest and rocky fjords. Our roadway bible was the Milepost, a mile-by-mile guide to campgrounds, attractions, scenic views, gas stations, restaurants, gift shops, emergency services, etc. along Alaska’s isolated highways. Keep an eye on your RV’s gas gauge; it can be a long way between gas stations.

If there’s something you want to see, do, eat or buy, do it when you see it. Don’t count on it being available later in the trip. This particularly applies to native Alaskan art crafted by nine regionalized tribes. Expect to pay over $100 to $1,000s for highly prized native art: scrimshaw, carved antlers, birch baskets and etched baleen. Less expensive replicas are available in gift shops. While souvenir prices seemed high, attraction fees, gas, food and restaurant prices were on par with tourist areas in the lower 48. Prices rose in remote locations due to higher shipping costs. Nearly everything in Alaska has to be shipped in, often by plane.

You’ll have plenty of time to shop, fish, hike and enjoy the sights during a summer RV tour of Alaska. Fairbanks enjoys nearly 24 hours of daylight. By the time we got to Seward nearly 500 miles south, it did get dusky at night but not fully dark.