Driving to Alaska and back

It takes 10-11 days just to drive to Alaska if you take a leisurely pace. This long summer trip (over a month) explores the northwestern corner of North America. There are only five super-long driving days in the plan.

Short Summary.

Day 1	Drive to Cedar Rapids (260 miles, 4 hours 30 minutes of driving)	Cedar Rapids, IA
Day 2	Cedar Rapids to St. Paul, MN (280 miles, 4 hours 45 minutes of driving)	St. Paul, MN
Day 3	St. Paul to Fargo to Jamestown, ND (345 miles, 5 hours 45 minutes of driving)	Jamestown, ND
Day 4	Jamestown to Minot to Regina, Saskatchewan (415 miles, 7 hours 30 minutes of driving)	Regina, Sask, Canada
Day 5	Regina to Saskatoon to North Battleford (255 miles, 4 hours 45 minutes of driving)	North Battleford, Sask, Canada
Day 6	North Battleford, SK to Edmonton, AB (245 miles, 5 hours of driving)	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Day 7	Edmonton, AB to Dawson Creek, BC (370 miles, 7 hours of driving)	Dawson Creek, BC, Canada
Day 8	Dawson Creek, BC to Muncho Lake, BC (435 miles, 9 hours of driving)	Muncho Lake, BC, Canada
Day 9	Muncho Lake, BC to Whitehorse, YT (445 miles, 9 hours 35 minutes of driving)	Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
Day 10	Day in Whitehorse	Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
Day 11	Whitehorse to Skagway, Alaska (110 miles, 3 hours of driving)	Skagway, Alaska
Day 12	Day in Skagway	Skagway, Alaska
Day 13	Skagway to Whitehorse (110 miles, 3 hours of driving)	Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
Day 14	Whitehorse to Dawson City (335 miles, 8 hours of driving)	Dawson City, Yukon, Canada
Day 15	Day in Dawson	Dawson City, Yukon, Canada
Day 16	Second Day in Dawson	Dawson City, Yukon, Canada
Day 17	Dawson City to Tok, Alaska (190 miles, 6 hours 30 minutes of driving).	Tok, Alaska
Day 18	Tok to Fairbanks (210 miles, 3 hours 45 minutes of driving)	Fairbanks, Alaska
Day 19	Day in Fairbanks	Fairbanks, Alaska
Day 20	Fairbanks to Denali National Park (120 miles, 2 hours 15 minutes of driving)	Denali National Park, Alaska
Day 21	Day in Denali National Park	Denali National Park, Alaska
Day 22	Day in Denali National Park.	Denali National Park, Alaska
Day 23	Denali National Park to Anchorage (120 miles, 2 hours 15 minutes of driving)	Anchorage, Alaska
Day 24	Day in Anchorage	Anchorage, Alaska
Day 25	Anchorage to Gulkana (200 miles, 3 hours 30 minutes driving)	Gulkana, Alaska
Day 26	Gulkana to Beaver Creek (240 miles, 4 hours 20 minutes)	Beaver Creek, Yukon, Canada
Day 27	Gulkana to Whitehorse (280 miles, 6 hours driving)	Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
Day 28	Whitehorse to Ft Nelson (445 miles, 9 hours 35 minutes of driving)	Muncho Lake, BC, Canada
Day 29	Muncho Lake to Grande Prairie (515 miles, 10 hours 45 minutes of driving)	Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada
Day 30	Grand Prairie to Edmonton (290 miles, 6 hours 15 minutes of driving).	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Day 31	Edmonton to Drumheller (175 miles, 4 hours of driving)	Drumheller, Alberta, Canada
Day 32	Drumheller to Medicine Hat (151 miles, 2 hours 45 minutes of driving)	Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
Day 33	Medicine Hat to Grasslands National Park, Val Marie, Saskatchewan (235 miles, 5 hours 30 minutes of driving)	Grasslands National Park, Sask, Canada
Day 34	Grasslands National Park to Theodore Roosevelt National Park near Medora (370 miles, 7 hours 30 minutes of driving)	Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, North Dakota
Day 35	Theodore Roosevelt National Park to Bismarck, to Fargo, ND or Moorhead, MN (340 miles, 5 hours 15 minutes of driving)	Fargo, ND or Moorhead, MN
Day 36	Fargo or Moorhead to St Paul, MN (250 miles, 4 hours 15 minutes of driving)	St. Paul, MN
Day 37	St. Paul to Wisconsin Dells (215 miles, 4 hours of driving)	Wisconsin Dells, WI
Day 38	Return home. (320 miles, 5 hours 45 minutes)	home

See our list of trips.

Travel Resources Page

Full Description

Day 1	Friday	Drive to Cedar Rapids (260 miles, 4 hours 30 minutes of driving). Begin by Driving to Burlington, Iowa. This is about 135 miles away. Depart at 10:30, and arrive at 1:15 p.m., and have lunch there. Then depart Burlington at around 2:30 p.m., and arrive at the Devonian Fossil Gorge just north of Iowa City at 4:05 p.m. (84 miles from Burlington). After an hour or so looking at the fossils, continue north to Cedar Rapids (24 miles), and arrive there around 6:00 p.m. If camping, stay at Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area. For a motel, stay at Rodeway Inn in Cedar Rapids.	Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area or Rodeway Inn
Day 2	Saturday	If camping: Chain of Lakes Campgrounds at Rice Creek. For a motel, stay at La Quinta Inn & Suites Minneapolis Bloomington in Cedar Rapids.	Rice Creek Campground or La Quinta Bloomington West
Day 3	Sunday	If camping: Jamestown Campground. For a motel, stay at Hampton Inn & Suites Jamestown.	Jamestown Campground or Hampton Inn & Suites
Day 4	Monday	If camping: Sherwood Forest Country Club Campground. For a motel, stay at Executive Royal Hotel.	Sherwood Forest Campground or Executive Royal Hotel
Day 5	Tuesday	If camping: The Battlefords Provincial Park. For a motel, stay at Gold Eagle Lodge.	Battlefords Provincial Park or Gold Eagle Lodge
Day 6	Wednesday	If camping: Elk Island National Park (Sandy Beach Campground). For a motel, stay at Best Wetsern Plus City Centre Inn.	Sandy Beach Campground in Elk Island National Park or Best Western Plus City Center Inn
Day 7	Thursday	If camping: Northern Lights RV Park. For a motel, stay at Pomeroy Inn & Suites Dawson Creek.	Northern Lights RV Park or Pomeroy Inn & Suites Dawson Creek
Day 8	Friday	If camping: Muncho Lake Provincial Park MaDonalds Campground. For a motel, stay at Pomeroy Inn & Suites Dawson Creek.	Muncho Lake Provincial Park or Pomeroy Inn & Suites Dawson Creek
Day 9	Saturday	If camping: Hi Country RV Park. For a motel, stay at Red Door Bed & Breakfast.	Hi Country RV Park or Red Door Bed & Breakfast
Day 10	Sunday
Day 11	Monday
Day 12	Tuesday
Day 13	Wednesday
Day 14	Thursday
Day 15	Friday
Day 16	Saturday
Day 17	Sunday
Day 18	Monday
Day 19	Tuesday
Day 20	Wednesday
Day 21	Thursday
Day 22	Friday
Day 23	Saturday
Day 24	Sunday
Day 25	Monday
Day 26	Tuesday
Day 27	Wednesday
Day 28	Thursday
Day 29	Friday
Day 30	Saturday
Day 31	Sunday
Day 32	Monday
Day 33	Tuesday
Day 34	Wednesday
Day 35	Thursday
Day 36	Friday
Day 37	Saturday
Day 38	Sunday
Day 39	Monday

Cost analysis (not yet calculated)

Costs. (Day, expense, Cost in 2011 U.S. Dollars, Cost in percent of median year-round full-time income)
(Thus 1,080 Myrfti is 10.8% of a median year-round full-time American income, while 230 Myrfti is 2.3% of median year-round full-time income. To convert costs into current dollars, simply multiply the costs in the far right column times the current median year-round full-time American income, and you'll have an idea of current costs. Otherwise, use a Consumer Price Inflation adjustment to 2011 with the dollar figures. The resulting cost estimates should be similar, at least if travel costs and incomes have matched inflation).
The two-person prices assume an adult couple sharing a bed, and the four-person costs assume a family of four with two children aged between 12 and 17.

Day 17	A night at the Burnt Paw & Cabins Outback in Tok, Alaska.	$100.00	24.75
Day 21	Spend two nights inside Denali National Park. There are only four choices to make. With four persons, the costs at are lowest at Kantishna Air Taxi cabins. A cabin for one or two persons is $251.45 per night (in 2011) while a cabin for four persons is $358.45. At Denali Backcountry Lodge costs (in 2011) were $1,460 per night (four persons) or $1,050 per night (two persons). The Kantishna Roadhouse charged (in 2011) $802 per night for two persons, or $1,519 for four persons. Camp Denali and North Face Lodge charged over $2,000 per night. To save significant costs, stay at a campground instead of in a lodge or cabin. Wonder Lake campground ($16 per night) is deep in the park, at mile marker 85 on the park road. Savage River campground and Riley Creek campground ($22 per night) are within the areas where cars are allowed to drive and park (before mile marker 15 on the park road).	$358.45	88.71
Day 22	Second night at Kantishna Skyline Lodge.	$358.45	88.71
Total.	Until I have time to research the costs of this trip, I’ll give a rough estimate. I will say (in 2011 dollars) that the lodging will cost about $3,200, the food will cost about $1,000 per person, the gas will be about $800, admissions and fees and tolls will cost about $220 per person, and I will add $80 for other expenses. That would be $7,000 for two persons, and I will guess 11,000 for four persons. This is just an approximate guess until the whole trip is researched.	4 persons: 11,000 2 persons: $7,000	4 persons: 2,222 2 persons: $1,413


		To show how a family of four earning about 120% of the median income would budget to pay for a trip such as this (costing 22% of a median worker’s year-round full-time income) every three years, I offer the following household budget, using a household annual income of $59,400 (about 120% of a single worker’s income of $49,500): Housing and utilities (including gas, electric, sewer, water, rent or mortgage, homeowner or renter insurance, and home repair and maintenance budget: 28.1% ($1,391 per month) All taxes (property, sales, income taxes for local, state, tribal, or federal governments): 15.2% ($752 per month) Car expenses (ownership of cars, gas, maintainence, insurance): 12.3% ($609 per month) Groceries, food, restaurants, and household supplies: 9% ($446 per month) Savings for a trip like this every three years: 8.0% ($396 per month) Health insurance and health care expenses: 7% ($347 per month) Savings for retirement: 7% ($347 per month) Savings for children's college expenses: 4.8% ($238 per month) Charitable giving: 2.3% ($114 per month) Other entertainment, internet, travel, cable television, movies, etc.: 2.2% ($109 per month) Miscellaneous other expenses (incuding phone): 2.1% ($104 per month) Clothing: 2% ($99 per month)