Driving to Alaska without hotel reservations along route - when not advisable?

First, thank you Keith, Debbie, and Brian. Your responses are very helpful!

"BrianW" wrote:
The OP was asking more about motels on the way up the Alcan, I think.

Correct, though ease of getting accomodations IN Alaska is also a concern.

August is definitely the busiest month for travel up north, and you may
well have problems with lodging since you will be passing through a lot
of remote areas that may only have one motel/lodging place for many
miles. However, I wouldn't worry about booking well in advance, but
would rather book only one night ahead using the Milepost listings (and
AAA books if you have them). You should be fine with this.

Sorry to see that you and Keith confirm that August is the busiest month -
we were hoping that things peaked sometime in July.

We are members of AAA and will be picking up the relevant AAA books.

As another poster suggested, definitely take a small tent, sleeping
bags and pads as back up. There are some really nice campgrounds along
the way (along lakes, etc.) and it might be a nice diversion from
motels all the time.

Perhaps - we are trying to travel as light as possible, and while an Acura
Integra hatchback has a surprising amount of space (I've hauled small
christmas trees in it) I'm hesitant to pack it to the gills with things we
might rarely used.

Bear in mind that it stays light an awfully long time, so if you want
to get in more miles on the road you can easily drive until 10:00 or
so.

Most of the enjoyment is in getting there - so I think we'll pass on that
opportunity.

While most northern roads will handle a normal car without problems, I
think your Acura is likely to get pretty beat up by the construction
zones (assuming it has fairly low clearance). Not that you need an SUV
or anything, but just keep this in mind. On our two drives from the
East Coast to Alaska we drove an SUV, but I've also logged lots of
miles in Alaska and the Yukon in a Ford Probe, Chevy Nova (old one),
Chevy station wagon, etc. They all work, but just be aware that your
car will likely be the worse for wear by the time you return. I'd also
consider adding a low or zero deductible glass replacement rider to
your car insurance to cover a possible cracked windshield during the
trip.

Ironically we just changed our insurance from comprehensive coverage with
essentially no deductible to a less expensive higher deductible coverage.
Cosmic karma suggests we'll now be getting cracked windshields.

Thoughts about our two drives to Alaska, lots of useful links, and
things to see and do while there are on my Web site at
http://www.brianwasson.com/trips/alaska?rtusa

Thanks - you may be pleased to know that I actually came across your
website a while back when doing research for our trip!

Jim


-Brian


Debbie wrote:
we were in Alaska end August to mid September last year - we booked
NO
accomodation and didn't have any problems getting a place to stay

"Jim Logajan" wrote in message
.. .
My wife and I will be driving to Alaska starting around the
beginning of
August and returning home around the end of September (yes, we
have a
copy
of the "Milepost"). I'd like to know what experiences people have
had, or
advice they can render, on getting hotel or motel accomodations
along the
way without having reservations.

Bear in mind that it stays light an awfully long time, so if you want
to get in more miles on the road you can easily drive until 10:00 or
so.

Our usual mode of travel when driving up the Alcan was to drive a bit
during the day, stopping to sightsee, take photos, etc. Then we'd stop
around dinner time and make dinner. After we cleaned up we'd drive a
few more hours and then find someplace to camp. This routine allowed us
to avoid most of the RV traffic on the Alcan, as they all stop in mid
to late afternoon. Driving in the evening along the Alcan is great:
it's very quiet, you'll see lots more wildlife and don't have to worry
about too much traffic.

Plus, since we were camping in Grizzly territory we liked the fact that
we cooked dinner someplace totally separate from where we camped. Bear
safety is another thread, however!