Jay wants to Road Trip the Alcan Highway.
Things you need on driving the alcon highway by Hannah Lukaszewicz
1. SPARE TIRE Driving down the Alcan Highway there is no shortage of potholes that are sure to at your tire (or some may swallow your car whole). We suggest traveling with a full-size spare tire. It could easily be several hundred miles from the next town with an auto body shop.
2. GAS CAN There are stretches along the Alcan Highway where there are no gas stations for 200+ miles. Make sure to have a full gas can for emergencies. We bought this 5-gallon gas can on Amazon and it fits perfectly in the middle of our spare tire.
3. ALASKA MILEPOST Alaskans refer to the Milepost book as “the bible to Alaska”. This book has a ton of Alaska information and Alaska maps. It gives a mile by mile description of every highway including accommodation, camping, gas, restaurants, attractions, viewpoints, etc.
4. POWER INVERTER Not all electronics can be charged off your car’s 12-volt outlet/cigarette lighter port. Having a power inverter is a must especially for charging computers and camera batteries.
5. BATTERY STARTER CAR JUMPER If your car dies at home you more than likely will call a friend to come to jump you…well that isn’t an option on the Alcan Highway. You’ll want a battery starter that doesn’t rely on another car.
6. TIRE JACK Most cars come with a tire jack, but before you start your drive to Alaska make sure yours is still there. Next, make sure it isn’t all rusty and actually works to raise your car high enough to change a tire.
7. SATELLITE PHONE If you are driving to Alaska alone or have a loved one that is and you want some peace of mind you might want to consider getting a satellite phone. Satellite phones have been cheaper over the years and wouldn’t be a bad idea to have.
8. MULTIPLE USB CAR CHARGER Drive days are long and passengers in the car are most likely going to be on some sort of electronic. Make sure to pick up a multi-port USB car charger so your multiple things can charge at once.
9. ROAD ATLAS MAP A good map is a must. Don’t plan on having data on a majority of the Alcan Highway except in cities. We love our Rand McNally road atlas, it has great detailed maps and points out campgrounds which are great for finding a place to pull over for the night.
10. MUSIC Make sure you have Sirus XM radio or a long playlist. No joke there were days where there wasn’t a single radio station available. Our 2006 Honda Odyssey wasn’t set up for Sirus XM so we had to buy this XM car kit.
Or listen to Collage Travel Radio.
11. SNACKS I still remember the day I asked a shop owner where the nearest fast food place was and he told me 10 hours that way (pointing to Alaska) or 4 hours that way (where I just came from)…So yeah make sure you have plenty of snacks in the car. There are sit-down restaurants along the way but if you are like us and you want the drive to Alaska to be over then sitting down for an hour meal isn’t an option.
12. WATER It’s always good to have a few gallons of water just in case your car breaks down. Very few of the designated campsites had water pumps and the ones that we did use we used for cooking & dishes but didn’t drink them.
13. TOILET PAPER/BABY WIPES If there are no gas stations for 200+ miles that also means no bathrooms…so it’s best to have a roll of toilet paper or baby wipes in the car. There are plenty of areas to pull over and do what you go to do but DON’T litter. Make sure to bring your tissue with you and throw it away at the next available garbage can.