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Heading to Alaska and Canada!

Motomaniac

COG Southwest Area Director
Member
My friend Attila and I are heading (flying) to Alaska this Saturday August 28th. While there we are transporting (riding) two BMW1250GS's from MotoQuest in Anchorage to Motoquest in Long Beach, California and we have 14 days to do the trip. Any one here in the Northwest have any pearls of wisdom and sightseeing must see's for two crazy Californians! Should be a very fun adventure in all types of weather and road conditions. Pretty sure we will be prepared well. We will not be camping because I am sure a bear would eat me! Thank you for any advice, places to see, eat at, and places to stay. :cool: :D
 
About 20 years ago my brother and I did San Louis Obispo to Fairbanks. What a beautiful ride. My two points of advice, obviously stop and see the beauty as often as possible, and the best hamburger and waitress, was at the Log Cabin Pub just outside of Spences Bridge BC. I still have, and wear, the T-shirt. Oh,,,take lots of pictures, the sunsets are pretty spectacular over some of the mountain ranges you will travel through. Enjoy. Please post as you travel if you can. Would love to see your journey unfold.
 
I rode from Oregon up to Skagway with my son. We camped the whole way so I can't help with hotels. I would really recommend taking the Cassiar Highway if you can get a hotel on that stretch. It is like a 450 mile trip through what we would call wilderness. The road is 99% paved but you feel like you are really out there.

Plan your gas stops well.

Ride report below.


 
I rode from Oregon up to Skagway with my son. We camped the whole way so I can't help with hotels. I would really recommend taking the Cassiar Highway if you can get a hotel on that stretch. It is like a 450 mile trip through what we would call wilderness. The road is 99% paved but you feel like you are really out there.

Plan your gas stops well.

Ride report below.


Forgot about gas stops. Kenr is right plan your gas stops well, gas up often, twice our gas stop was closed and we had to stretch it to the next town. I'm not a fan of packing extra gas, and we didn't need it on our trip, thankfully.
 
Set your route through Baker City in northeastern Oregon and if the timing works out you can spend dinner and the evening with Northwest Coggers September 3rd, 4th or 5th - we'll be there for our annual Ride the Ribbon event. We'd love to hear how the trip from Alaska through Canada was!
Andy
 
Set your route through Baker City in northeastern Oregon and if the timing works out you can spend dinner and the evening with Northwest Coggers September 3rd, 4th or 5th - we'll be there for our annual Ride the Ribbon event. We'd love to hear how the trip from Alaska through Canada was!
Andy
Sounds like a great idea...we just might be in that beautiful area during that time. :D
 
My friend Attila and I are heading (flying) to Alaska this Saturday August 28th. While there we are transporting (riding) two BMW1250GS's from MotoQuest in Anchorage to Motoquest in Long Beach, California and we have 14 days to do the trip. Any one here in the Northwest have any pearls of wisdom and sightseeing must see's for two crazy Californians! Should be a very fun adventure in all types of weather and road conditions. Pretty sure we will be prepared well. We will not be camping because I am sure a bear would eat me! Thank you for any advice, places to see, eat at, and places to stay. :cool: :D
Please... OH Please...share your route and photos with us here.:)

My ride to Alaska was cancelled in 2020, and the Three Flags Classic was cancelled this year, so please let me live vicariously through your trip.
 
Please... OH Please...share your route and photos with us here.:)

My ride to Alaska was cancelled in 2020, and the Three Flags Classic was cancelled this year, so please let me live vicariously through your trip.
I will do my best! :cool: (y)
 
Do the Cassiar.
Swing into Hyder and get Hyderized. There are motels in both Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK. We stayed at the Sealaska about 17 years ago. The adjoining cafe/bar was decent enough and the prices were decent enough, given the location. Again, this was 17 years ago. Very scenic area. There is a glacier outside of Hyder that is supposed to be really cool(pun not intended). We had dense fog while there so skipped it.
 
Do the Cassiar.
Swing into Hyder and get Hyderized. There are motels in both Stewart, BC and Hyder, Very scenic area. There is a glacier outside of Hyder that is supposed to be really cool(pun not intended).

While getting Hyderized you may as well eat at the Bus if you go to Hyder. Salmon Glacier is outside of Hyder 20 - 25 miles best I can remember & was pretty impressive. Also outside of Hyder is a bear viewing area. They have raised walkways to watch bears feed on Salmon provided it's the right time of year, I was there to early.

Gas stops can be far & few between as mentioned earlier, spare gas is a good idea. Don't let the road names fool you, just because highway is in the road name doesn't mean it's paved. Top of the World, Denali & Campbell are all long gravel/dirt roads even though they're called highways.

I camped the whole time & never felt like I was gonna get eaten, even though I saw so many bears I got tired of seeing bears.
 
I've done the trip twice. Once to Prudhoe Bay and the other to Tuktoyaktuk, both on the Arctic Ocean. Have you thought about these?
If not, either the Alcan or the Cassiar are very scenic. If you do the Cassiar, you'll see tons of bears, and be sure to do the side trip to Hyder and get drunk at the Inn in Hyder.
Also, I'd highly recommend making hotel reservations in Alaska, The Yukon, and Northern BC in as far in advance as possible. And be warned, the accommodations until you get to Central/Southern BC are pretty bad/basic.
Also, don't let the long sunlight fool you. You can wear yourself out unknowingly as it stays light for so long with dire consequences with bears and other wild animals all over the roads. Especially on the Cassiar.
 
I've done the trip twice. Once to Prudhoe Bay and the other to Tuktoyaktuk, both on the Arctic Ocean. Have you thought about these?
If not, either the Alcan or the Cassiar are very scenic. If you do the Cassiar, you'll see tons of bears, and be sure to do the side trip to Hyder and get drunk at the Inn in Hyder.
Also, I'd highly recommend making hotel reservations in Alaska, The Yukon, and Northern BC in as far in advance as possible. And be warned, the accommodations until you get to Central/Southern BC are pretty bad/basic.
Also, don't let the long sunlight fool you. You can wear yourself out unknowingly as it stays light for so long with dire consequences with bears and other wild animals all over the roads. Especially on the Cassiar.
Thank you Joe! We might try the Cassiar but I doubt we will do the whole route up! Though I know it would be very fun! I am going to make some reservations in advance. We are not sure when we are entering Canada and you have to do a Covid test (Rapid Type) and show a negative and then you have 72 hours to enter Canada at the border of Alaska. Lot of rules right now because of the Pandemic. Thank you for the comment and advice.
 
While getting Hyderized you may as well eat at the Bus if you go to Hyder. Salmon Glacier is outside of Hyder 20 - 25 miles best I can remember & was pretty impressive. Also outside of Hyder is a bear viewing area. They have raised walkways to watch bears feed on Salmon provided it's the right time of year, I was there to early.

Gas stops can be far & few between as mentioned earlier, spare gas is a good idea. Don't let the road names fool you, just because highway is in the road name doesn't mean it's paved. Top of the World, Denali & Campbell are all long gravel/dirt roads even though they're called highways.

I camped the whole time & never felt like I was gonna get eaten, even though I saw so many bears I got tired of seeing bears.
Do not think we will get to Hyder because we will need to do another Covid test to go back into Canada. Probably too much hassle. Would love to get Hyderized and see some of sights in that area. May have to be a future trip...my wife Pam will be ready to go next time!
 
Do the Cassiar.
Swing into Hyder and get Hyderized. There are motels in both Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK. We stayed at the Sealaska about 17 years ago. The adjoining cafe/bar was decent enough and the prices were decent enough, given the location. Again, this was 17 years ago. Very scenic area. There is a glacier outside of Hyder that is supposed to be really cool(pun not intended). We had dense fog while there so skipped it.
Thank you Steve. Look at some of the answers above. It probably will mean an additional Covid test to go to Hyder and it may too much of a hassle. One day it will be like it used to be and it will be easier to go between the borders again.
 
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Thank you Steve. Look at some of the answers above. It probably will mean an additional Covid test to go to Hyder and it may too much of a hassle. One day it will be like it used to be and it will be easier to go between the borders again.
There is no customs station on the American side to enter Hyder, unless something changed. One would still go through customs returning into Canada at Stewart.
 
I can't imagine a Covid test being required from Hyder, USA to Stewart, BC. You drive directly into Hyder from Stewart, no customs...nothing. If they would require it from Hyder, then they would essentially be locking the whole village of Hyder down from entering Stewart where they get all their supplies. I'd check into this.
The first time I went to Hyder on the way back from Prudhoe/Deadhorse in 2011 the one street wasn't even paved, but on the way up to Tuktoyaktuk in 2018 it was.
 
I can't imagine a Covid test being required from Hyder, USA to Stewart, BC. You drive directly into Hyder from Stewart, no customs...nothing. If they would require it from Hyder, then they would essentially be locking the whole village of Hyder down from entering Stewart where they get all their supplies. I'd check into this.
The first time I went to Hyder on the way back from Prudhoe/Deadhorse in 2011 the one street wasn't even paved, but on the way up to Tuktoyaktuk in 2018 it was.
They paved a "street" in Hyder? Wow!
 
If you are on eastern side of state. You might come thru Nelson, BC. Toadcrock motorcycle campground is the best. Anything you need. From ice chest to beer. Sleeping bag or bike repair tools. Cooking area, fridge, tents cabins....
 
Just returned home today! Had a fantastic, very fun trip and weather was just about perfect. I will share some pictures and stories soon. I am sorry we could not make the "Ride the Ribbon" We got into the states in Roosville, BC then onto highway 93 in Montana on Sunday morning. We moved very fast back to Long Beach, California to drop off the Beemers today! They proved to be extraordinary motorcycles! :D :cool: (y)
 
Hi All, So our trip from Anchorage, Alaska to Long Beach, California transporting two 2020 BMW 1250 GS's was awesome! Weather was great with only a few scattered rain showers that did not even warrant any rain gear use at all. Sun was out most of the time and when cloudy it was still pretty mild out. We had temps as low as 37 degrees in Moose Pass and the Denali Highway and coming home 115 degrees in St. George, Utah and Mesquite, Nevada! The route we took in Alaska was Anchorage to Seward then Moose Pass overnight then northwest to an overnight in Cantwell and then across the mighty Denali Highway to Glennallen.. debated about going to Valdez ( We should have gone!) and then made our way to Tok for an overnight. The next day traveled across to Canada after a successful Covid test 2 days prior. Traveled the Alaskan Highway with stops in Whitehorse, Liard Hot Springs, and Fort St. John. Made a stop for pictures in Dawson Creek and then traveled down through Prince George with an overnight in McBride. We finished up our time in Canada cruising through Jasper, Jasper National Park, Lake Louise, Banff National Park with an overnight in Cranbrook, BC. The next day we came into the states at the Eureka-Roosville Border crossing into Montana on state route 93. we hustled through Whitefish and Kalispell ( beautiful areas) and ended the day in Blackfoot, Idaho and our last night was in Las Vegas, NV. Home on the 11th day of travels first to Long Beach then our homes.

We finished with almost 4500 miles driven and about 7.5 hours of saddle time each day. Went through 7 states and 3 Provinces. Took hundreds of pictures... The Beemers were terrific! We did do some off road riding and The Denali Highway was about 120 miles of hard pack, potholes and gravel. The bikes handled everything very very well! The beauty of Alaska is amazing! Though I will say we saw many more animals in the Yukon, Alberta and British Columbia! Canada Is spectacular and the people that we met along the whole trip were great! Gas prices were high in Canada and not so bad compared to California in Alaska! Attila and I had a super experience and we got along really well too!:D Here are a few pictures of our travels through Alaska. I will add more in the next few days. Cheers!!

Picture 1 Glacier south of Anchorage. Picture 2, 3 and 4 are from Canada and that is Attila next to his BMW before we started our travels.
 

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Here's 3 more pictures That's me below with Mt. Denali in the background, Float Plane in Moose Pass and my BMW....Clean when I received it...Filthy when I dropped it off in Long Beach!
 

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I'm trying to recreate this trip on a map but I think I'm missing at least two or three overnight stops between Tok and McBride. The stops you mentioned were all overnight ..correct? Including the flight day it was a 12 day trip? ..or did you get off the plane and hop on the bikes to Seward and Moose Pass on the first day? ..and of course keep the photos coming. More details as well I hope will be forthcoming ..any trouble finding gas? or Lodging?... advanced reservations or did you find lodging on the fly? (Yeah, I am kinda needy and demanding. :rolleyes:)
 
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I'm trying to recreate this trip on a map but I think I'm missing at least two or three overnight stops between Tok and McBride. The stops you mentioned were all overnight ..correct? Including the flight day it was a 12 day trip? ..or did you get off the plane and hop on the bikes to Seward and Moose Pass on the first day? ..and of course keep the photos coming. More details as well I hope will be forthcoming ..any trouble finding gas? or Lodging?... advanced reservations or did you find lodging on the fly? (Yeah, I am kinda needy and demanding. :rolleyes:)
Hi Martin, As mentioned above from Tok we stayed in Whitehorse then Liard Hot Springs and then Fort St. John. We were originally getting into Anchorage on Saturday at 1:30pm but that flight got cancelled so we ended up getting in on Sunday morning at 12:30 am...woke up that morning at the Puffin Inn walked over (short walk too) to Motoquest and picked up our bikes Sunday morning around 9:15am after paper work, going over the bikes and test riding them we were on the road after packing the bikes from the Puffin Inn at 11:00am. So starting Sunday August 29th and returning Wednesday September 8th.

Almost ran out of gas 3 times but we found some in the nick of time. Did most of the lodging on the fly...we always had a plan but often it changed. ;) Still the most amazing adventure!! More pictures coming!
 
Below pictures left to right Picture 1 Along the Denali Highway Pic 2 Furs for sale at a lodge along the Denali Highway Pic 3 Along the Denali Highway/ Love the reflection Pic 4 Entering Canada in the Yukon Territory. last picture Fort Nelson and the Sign garden.
 

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Below pictures Pic 1 Attila riding through a small stream on one of the many places you can go off road. Pic 2 Buffalo about 45 head near Liard Hot Springs Pic 3 Black bear checking us out near the road (Awesome) Pic 4 Buffalo and me.. They were on both sides of the road and pretty darn close to us but no issues...seemed to like us. Last pic The very warm and fantastic Liard Hot Springs that's me or is it a Beluga whale.. :LOL: This is a must stop along the road!
 

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First Pic Another picture of fantastic Liard Hot Springs. Picture 2 Dawson Creek at our end of the Alaskan Highway that's me and Attila. Picture 3 Chetwynd a cool town with interesting and imaginative wood work. Picture 4 Spiderman and Picture 5 I think The Lion King
 

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These 5 pictures are from the The Jasper National Park Spectacular sights here.
 

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First picture is a Glacier in Jasper NP Picture 2 is near Banff NP Picture 3 is the Continental Divide between Banff and Kootenay NP Picture 4 is the very smoky sky mid day in Salmon, Idaho and Picture 5 is dropping the bikes off at the destination MotoQuest Long Beach with very happy but tired faces. :cool:
 

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Awesome pics, terrific stories behind many of them I am sure. Thanks for sharing and will look for all you want to share of dos and do nots!

The past couple weeks flew for us - I am site for you it was a blink of an eye now..
 
Thanks for sharing Russ, very enjoyable. 👍(y)(y):)
(the above is not a signal to stop story telling, it's a Thank You for what you've shared so far..please continue. :cool:;))
 
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