A year ago, I was living in southern California and had just finished the conversion of my tiny camping van. I was offered a short-term job in Snewotna, Alaska and I jumped at the chance! I went to google maps to search for the Alaskan Canadian Highway and typed “origin: Los Angeles, CA”,”destination: Snewotna, AK”.
It then hit me that I was about to embark on a measly 3,500 mile road trip, alone, in my new home/van. I didn’t even know about the Alaskan Canadian highway until people started mentioning it to me on my travels. I had little knowledge about the epic road trip ahead of me.
What is the Alaska Canadian (Alcan) Highway?
The Alaskan Canadian Highway has a pretty incredible history. It was first built in 1942. Prior to this, there was a general idea of building a highway to connect the United States to the northernmost territory (Alaska). However, after the Japanese bombing at Pearl Harbor, US government officials were concerned about a similar attack on Alaska, thus building a road became a priority.
In less than 9 months, a combination of 16,000 army snewiers and civilians built the 1,400 mile highway from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Delta Junction, Alaska. Since then, the road has had many updates including pavement and decreased grades to no more than 8% and 9%. Thus it’s very accessible by most vehicles in its most current state. For more information, check out the Milepost Guide.
The Alcan highway is the only route by land that can be taken from the United States to Alaska. If you are planning to drive to Alaska, this is the route you will take. I just finished my second time driving this highway, and I have compiled some tips to help those taking this route save some money!
1. Boondock as often as possible
Alaska and the Alaskan Canadian Highway are easily the best places to boondock that I have encountered since starting to live full time in a campervan. The Alcan is mainly used for the purpose of driving to and from Alaska, so most people traveling this road are just passing through. Most are camping or attempting to camp along the highway.
While traveling this 1,400 mile road, you are in low populated areas of the Yukon and British Columbia. There really is no reason to pay for a campsite with the exception of needing hook-ups. If possible, boondock as many nights as you can. There are many pull-offs that you are able to camp on, unless stated otherwise. I would say about 90% of pull-offs are okay to spend the night.
If you would like to find a better spot, maybe not so close to the highway, there are plenty of other options. There aren’t many large incorporated towns on the Alcan, but the more outside of a “town” you are, the better chance you have to find a place to park. Campedium and freecampsites.net work well for finding these spots. What worked best during my last ride along the Alcan was using Google Maps (3D version) to look for dirt roads off the highway that might be good boondocking spots. Things to look for would be no houses around and no obvious campgrounds.
2. Travel the Alcan in the summer
The road is plowed daily and accessible in the winter, but winter will cost you more money. If you can help it, it’s best to travel the Alaskan Canadian Highway in the summer months. There is plenty of daylight. You could easily drive into the 10 o’clock hour at night and still have daylight. In the winter, daylight hours are very limited. Also, the road can be sketchy at night, due to very windy roads and abundant wildlife.
If you go between the months of October and April, chains/snow tires are required over most of the passes. There will also most definitely be snow on the ground, making it difficult to boondock. Due to the snow and cnew nights, you may find yourself spending lots of cash on hotels, as most campsites and even gas stations are closed. You’d also find yourself spending more money on eating out, if you are unable to cook outside.
3. Stock up in any “large town” along the Alcan
The most populated town with the most resources along the Alaskan Canadian Highway is Whitehorse, YT. This is where I’d recommend you do a big haul. There is a WalMart, a few grocery stores, and a few laundromats. There are many resources available in Whitehorse, so the prices aren’t as outrageous compared to other towns along the highway.
Get gas in every “large” town you come across. If your RV/campervan has poor gas mileage, I’d definitely recommend carrying extra gas with you. Sometimes it can be a long stretch until you get to a gas station, and the small towns you pass by may be out of gas. I wouldn’t risk running out of gas on this highway due to the lack of cell service in between towns.
4. Don’t use American dollars in Canada
You will find in Canada that most places take US dollars. Though super convenient, it is kind of a rip off. This is because the US dollar is worth more than the Canadian Dollar, however they charge your US dollars as if they are Canadian. Most places operate this way and usually warn you, others do not. So for example if you buy groceries and the total is $50 CAN, you give them $50 US dollars. There is no change. The current exchange rate is 1 CAN = 0.81 US. So, your $50 bill would be $40.33 US dollars. Therefore, you’re losing almost $10 with this purchase, which can add up very easily.
The most ideal method would probably be a credit card that doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee. If you don’t have these, check with your current bank/card. Most companies will automatically convert the transaction for you, thus it will show up in the US dollar equivalent on your statement. The only catch is most charge a “foreign transaction fee,” which was 3% for my debit card. Going back to the grocery store example, if I paid the $50 CAN with my US debit card, I would see $40.33 on my statement. Plus, a 3% foreign transaction fee, which would be $1.20. So, you’re only losing $1.20 instead of almost $10.
5. Watch your spending on food and water
Making a meal plan saves money when stationary, but also while on the road. The three things that tend to cost the most during road trips are food, lodging, and gas. Food is one that can sneakily add up on you. As mentioned before, stock up on groceries in bigger towns and make as much of your own food as possible. Making your own meals will save you tons of money, and making your own coffee will save you even more money. I didn’t think we spent too much on coffee, but after tallying the totals I found that in 20 days we spent $50 on coffee!
I was surprised how expensive water was in Canada once I entered the Canadian side of the Alcan. A tip is to fill water bottles at any locations you can for free. We did this at visitors centers, water fountains, and bathrooms, if the water looked okay. I estimate this saved us about $2.00-$5.00 a day while traveling the Alcan. The Platypus 2L Platy Water Bottle is perfect for this trip, as it is small, compact, and easy to fill and refill.
6. Keep a log of your spending
Lastly, it’s always a good idea to keep a log of spending on your road trip. This keeps you a little bit more in check and accountable for every dollar you spend. The Alaskan Canadian Highway is such an amazing experience and driving to Alaska is one of the most epic road trips. A road trip like this is once in a lifetime and it doesn’t have to break your bank!
