faqs | Caravan To Alaska

There’s a two-part answer to this question.

Are you competent at driving and operating your recreational vehicle, whether it’s a camper van, trailer, or motorhome? If you have experience traveling (a significant distance from home) and overnighting (for multiple days) in your “rig”, you’re a candidate for this trip. Participants must be capable of operating and sleeping in their vehicle and/or RV independently of other participants and caravan leadership.

Do you enjoy the company of others around your campfire? Equally important - do they enjoy yours? Participants must at least “lean” social, as this is a communal event. This translates into characteristics such as courteous, kind, communicative, and willing to bend occasionally if it means meeting the needs of the group overall. If you “play well with others”, you’re a candidate for this trip.

3 online meetings for traveler intros, trip packing & preparation, and general Q&A

Night-before-crossing campground meet-up in a Washington state campground

Lead vehicle traveling with a Garmin InReach for critical communication via satellite

Two-way radios to communicate among each vehicle

$100 in Canadian currency for emergency preparedness (the occasional outage of point-of-sale machines in remote locations)

Route planning and pacing for an enjoyable 10-day drive through British Columbia, the Yukon, and into southcentral Alaska

All campground fees along the way. This includes 6 nights at full-amenity RV parks (with features such as hookups, laundry, hot showers, rig washes, local taverns, food trucks, etc.) and 3 nights in primitive FCFS sites in British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alaska

Overnight stop selection in places vetted for comfort, beauty, and safety, as well as strategically located for re-stocking in far-flung cities.

A nightly circle-up or morning "mug up" to review the daily itinerary and chat about all things Alaska

“Kim’s Picks in Alaska”, a document of this Former Resident’s favorite towns to visit, things to do, stuff to see, and places to eat

It really depends on you: what you like to do and how long you want to stay in Alaska (plus your vehicle’s fuel efficiency).

For the trips up and down, you’ll need money for gas and food. As with any trip, having an emergency fund for contingencies is wise. This would include situations such as vehicle repairs or having to unexpectedly terminate your participation due to illness or accident.

While in Alaska, it's like visiting any other place. Lodging, activities, tours, meals; people approach these things differently so costs will vary widely among travelers.

Northbound: we'll cross the border at Sumas, WA, take Highway 1/97 to Prince George, BC, cut over to Kitwanga, BC on Highway 16 to catch the Cassiar (Hwy 37). We'll then drive the Cassiar north into the Yukon and head west on the Alcan Highway until arriving in Alaska.

We'll continue on to Tok, AK, then head south to join the Glenn Highway (Hwy 1) all the way to our destination of Glacier View, Alaska. The trip is scheduled for 9-nights/10-days with an average of 4-5 hours driving each day.

Southbound: we'll retrace some of our journey up until we pass the Cassiar Highway. At that point, we'll continue on/east/south and take the Alcan Highway all the way back to southern BC (just an hour or so north of the Washington State border).

Well-mannered pets are welcome on the caravan! I've been traveling with my little dog for 13 years now and he's crossed the international border as many times as I have.

We've had both dogs and cats come with us on the caravan. There are regulations in place at both international borders that must be followed. But the rules are simple and compliance is easy.

We'll go over everything you need to know about traveling to Alaska with animals when we meet online in February.

Once we arrive in Glacier View, Alaska, our merry band of travelers will disperse. Friends made along the way may choose to continue traveling together in the Last Frontier. Some might be looking forward to solitude and a chance to choose their own roads and itineraries.

Phone numbers exchanged, people may meet up again later in the summer to begin the return trip together (otherwise known as the "return trip ticket").

Skip the planning, research, and currency exchange for this trip of a lifetime, and enjoy bespoke, curated, camp-alongs in the most beautiful areas of Canada. Join the Caravan to or from Alaska for $1549 per rig, each way (northbound or southbound).

Fees cover pre-trip group video meetings, route planning and pacing, all campsite reservations and fees, and my personal picks (suggestions) for your Alaska fun.

For additional travelers beyond two people, there's a $100 per person fee as an add on at registration and check out.

I understand things happen. And yet, spots in the caravan are so limited, which makes commitment so very important. My cancellation policy allows as much flexibility and security as possible for both host and travelers.

You’re welcome to cancel for a refund of all fees paid up until 121 days before trip departure.

Cancellations with 61-120 days notice will result in a 50% refund.

Cancellations with 60 days notice or less will result in no refund.

If the spot created with your cancellation is filled by either a referral from you or someone from the wait list, I'll gladly return your entire registration fee.

Have you ever heard other RVers say, "I'm going to drive to Alaska one summer; I've been planning my trip for a year"?

Joining Caravan to Alaska will save you many - many - hours of research for both the drive to and time spent in Alaska, as well as the journey home. Over the course of the last decade, I've sampled most of the campgrounds from here to there. I've created an itinerary which features my favorites along the way...places at which Canadian hospitality can't be beat and the amenities and/or views are the best.

The caravan also provides a safe and fun community with which to travel and the opportunity to experience both routes to and from Alaska, enjoying these hand-picked places together to park along the way.

As a former resident and now owner/operator of a summer tourism business in Alaska, I’ve traveled extensively in Alaska and western Canada. My passport and I have towed an RV past border officers more times than I can count. Along the way and over the road, I’ve gathered a lot of great intel which informs my itinerary each and every time.

Some of my experience is very practical:

What I do and don’t put in my cooler

How I engage with officers at the border

Which Canadian town enroute (and there’s only one) I won’t camp in or near

I’ve made a handy, mechanically inclined friend midway up the continent, who has a shop, gas pump, showers, and campground, right near the border of BC and YT

Another Canadian friend in the remote Yukon keeps me updated regularly on real-time road conditions

Some of my knowledge is more whimsical:

The best barbecue in the Yukon

A lakeside campground with Caribbean-colored waters and loaner canoes

Which RV park has its own halibut and chips food truck

The film site for a Nat Geo Discovery Channel reality show

The best small butchery to re-stock my charcuterie basket

Travel with a full-time RVer from Alaska who has made this exact trip - often solo - many, many times. You’ll have an experience that took me a decade to cultivate and new friends to enjoy it with along the way.

Visit the home page and click the appropriate registration buttons for your northbound and southbound adventures. Pay the registration fees and you're in.

Once I receive your trip fees, I'll send you a welcome email. As fall turns to winter, I'll be in touch regarding our 3 online virtual campfires (for intros, planning, and prep) and park information for the night-before gathering in Washington state (northbound trip).

Typically we do our video meetings in January, February, and April. I do my best to schedule them when everyone can attend, but if you happen to miss a meeting, a recording is sent out afterward which you can watch at your convenience.

Space is limited to 10 RVs per trip (first come, first served) and *only one trip is available each way each year*.

Each trip is 9-nights long, whether traveling to or from the Last Frontier.

For 2026 Northbound Caravan:

We'll gather at a campground in Washington State on May 19th to circle up as a group before crossing the international border the next day. We'll arrive at our final destination in Alaska on May 28th.

For 2026 Southbound Caravan:

We'll gather in Glacier View, Alaska on August 6th, arriving north of Washington State on August 14th.

A question I receive often when someone signs up for this trip is the timing of making their own reservations in Alaska (once the caravan arrives and disperses there). Should they make them now or soon? Or wait? Or not make them at all?

I personally err on the side of flexibility and don’t make many or any reservations ahead of time. It gives me the ability to take advantage of good weather across the region and also stay longer in places I discover I like. The drawback here is occasionally I might not get the site that I want in the area I want to be in, but I’m willing to take on that trade off in exchange for spontaneity.

There are two exceptions I make to this approach:

1, when wanting to do or see something specific (like an outdoor concert) on a weekend (especially mid summer, June/July), in a small town with few places to park an RV or

2, if I wanted to spend time in Denali National Park itself, whether camping or going on a bus tour or both. The national park is highly visited in summer and independent touring is limited. Figuring out the way you want to see the park goes hand in hand with making the reservations to support your visit.