Sponsored

Live or Overlanded Alaska? Need Your Help!

bangolia

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bryan
Joined
Jan 8, 2019
Threads
26
Messages
834
Reaction score
1,053
Location
Garner NC
Vehicle(s)
2014 JKU
Good Morning!

My Wife and I were initially going to be taking an Alaskan cruise after training through Denali Park. Well because of Covid, that is now off the table however, We still plan on heading to Alaska. The train Portion of our trip as of now is not affected and this gives an opportunity to overland for about 5 days.

We are flying into Fairbanks and taking the train to Anchorage (after spending 2 nights in Denali). Once in Anchorage, we will be picking up one of these and spending 5 nights between Kenai, Homer and Seward.

upload_2020-4-17_7-39-59.png


We had found a JT with a RTT from another company (Alaska 4x4 Rentals) but they had yet to secure it and it was delayed (and removed form their site) only a couple days before we booked. Either way I think we are gong to have a great adventure.

I come to you for advice, Please share your experiences, itineraries and recommendations for this portion of Alaska. I have done a pretty limited search and found Crown Point Mine Road #343 on all trails. Has anyone done this trail? I am looking for some moderate offloading with some epic camping, hiking and beautiful landscapes. I want to get off the beaten path and defiantly want to get off road but am having a hard time finding much online. Would like to keep things pretty tame, no extreme rock crawling as I do not own the Jeep and its not a Rubicon... Oh yeah forgot to mention we just found out my wife is pregnant (BabyMoon Anyone :CWL::CWL:).

Anyways, Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

Bryan :jk: (Instagram: @Vlad.The.Glad)
Sponsored

 
OP
OP
bangolia

bangolia

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bryan
Joined
Jan 8, 2019
Threads
26
Messages
834
Reaction score
1,053
Location
Garner NC
Vehicle(s)
2014 JKU
Good Morning!

My Wife and I were initially going to be taking an Alaskan cruise after training through Denali Park. Well because of Covid, that is now off the table however, We still plan on heading to Alaska. The train Portion of our trip as of now is not affected and this gives an opportunity to overland for about 5 days.

We are flying into Fairbanks and taking the train to Anchorage (after spending 2 nights in Denali). Once in Anchorage, we will be picking up one of these and spending 5 nights between Kenai, Homer and Seward.

Jeep Gladiator Live or Overlanded Alaska? Need Your Help! upload_2020-4-17_7-39-59


We had found a JT with a RTT from another company (Alaska 4x4 Rentals) but they had yet to secure it and it was delayed (and removed form their site) only a couple days before we booked. Either way I think we are gong to have a great adventure.

I come to you for advice, Please share your experiences, itineraries and recommendations for this portion of Alaska. I have done a pretty limited search and found Crown Point Mine Road #343 on all trails. Has anyone done this trail? I am looking for some moderate offloading with some epic camping, hiking and beautiful landscapes. I want to get off the beaten path and defiantly want to get off road but am having a hard time finding much online. Would like to keep things pretty tame, no extreme rock crawling as I do not own the Jeep and its not a Rubicon... Oh yeah forgot to mention we just found out my wife is pregnant (BabyMoon Anyone :CWL::CWL:).

Anyways, Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

Bryan :jk: (Instagram: @Vlad.The.Glad)
Anyone overland Alaska?
 

KirkG

Well-Known Member
First Name
Kirk
Joined
Dec 13, 2017
Threads
1
Messages
49
Reaction score
98
Location
Pa
Vehicle(s)
2015 F-150 2017 F-150, 2019 JLUR
Sorry can’t help with where to go but I think you will love the Ursa Minor! Have a awesome trip
 

DropW

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2018
Threads
2
Messages
59
Reaction score
82
Location
Georgia
Vehicle(s)
2000 Kia Sephia , 2007 Vulcan 900
According to some internet searches I read that the Crown Point Mine Trail is rated as a difficult trail and narrow for hiking and OHVs . Maximum vehicle width of 50 inches . It goes up over 3k feet and gives you quite the view . 4x4 and Jeeps prohibited . Four wheelers, motorcycles, UTVs with max width of 50 inches permitted . Here is a good site for trails with info like that ... https://www.riderplanet-usa.com/atv/trails/alaska_list.htm . And this site is an Alaska.org site that talks about Crown Point Mine Trail , and you could back track through its site to other trails from this link : https://www.alaska.org/detail/crown-point-mine-trail . If you do travel south of Anchorage, going down Seward highway has some amazing views ! Maybe even check out Whittier where you travel through a giant 2.5 mile tunnel (North America's longest highway tunnel) through a mountain to a secluded town . The lift at Alyeska Ski Resort is pretty sweet as well with the view at the top . There is going to be natural beauty pretty much anywhere you go . I am planning on moving up there in a few years . I visited some family up there a couple years ago and the place stole my heart . Wish I lived there already and could point you to some places directly for overlanding in a Jeep, but I am stuck here in the South East for a few more years .
 

Gobi Wan K

Well-Known Member
First Name
Kevin
Joined
Jun 15, 2019
Threads
7
Messages
530
Reaction score
641
Location
Zephyrhills, Fl
Vehicle(s)
2020 Gobi Gladiator
Occupation
Roller Coaster Tester
Good Morning!

My Wife and I were initially going to be taking an Alaskan cruise after training through Denali Park. Well because of Covid, that is now off the table however, We still plan on heading to Alaska. The train Portion of our trip as of now is not affected and this gives an opportunity to overland for about 5 days.

We are flying into Fairbanks and taking the train to Anchorage (after spending 2 nights in Denali). Once in Anchorage, we will be picking up one of these and spending 5 nights between Kenai, Homer and Seward.

Jeep Gladiator Live or Overlanded Alaska? Need Your Help! upload_2020-4-17_7-39-59


We had found a JT with a RTT from another company (Alaska 4x4 Rentals) but they had yet to secure it and it was delayed (and removed form their site) only a couple days before we booked. Either way I think we are gong to have a great adventure.

I come to you for advice, Please share your experiences, itineraries and recommendations for this portion of Alaska. I have done a pretty limited search and found Crown Point Mine Road #343 on all trails. Has anyone done this trail? I am looking for some moderate offloading with some epic camping, hiking and beautiful landscapes. I want to get off the beaten path and defiantly want to get off road but am having a hard time finding much online. Would like to keep things pretty tame, no extreme rock crawling as I do not own the Jeep and its not a Rubicon... Oh yeah forgot to mention we just found out my wife is pregnant (BabyMoon Anyone :CWL::CWL:).

Anyways, Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

Bryan :jk: (Instagram: @Vlad.The.Glad)
My wife has been living in Anchorage the last year and I have spent some time there. I have also done the Alaska railroad between Fairbanks and Anchorage. It was awesome but I did it in winter. I haven't spent any time in Denali so I can't help you there. I guess you are going in summer so you won't get an opportunity to see the northern lights. In Anchorage stop by Moose's Tooth Pizza. It is an Anchorage staple. Just south of Anchorage is Girdwood. It is where the Alyeska ski resort is. You can ride the gondola up. Near Girdwood is the Crow Pass trail. It is a hiking trail that is an old dog sleep route connecting Eagle River to Girdwood. There is an abandoned gold mine along the trail. Heading south from there is the turn off to Whittier as mentioned above. A cool place to say you have been although not much there. The left overs of the military housing is still there as this was a supply port during WWII. On the road to the tunnel you will find the Portage glacier. You can take a cruise up to the glacier. It is a pretty cool outing. All of this way you will be traveling along Turn Again Arm. It is one of the arms of Cook inlet. Check the internet to see if your timing aligns with a bore tide. It is one of the largest in the world. At tide change there can be a 6 to 10 foot wall of water moving up the arm. As you continue south you will hit the split to go to Seward or Kenai. I love Seward. A really cool little town. If time permits take one of the whale boats out of the harbor. I have had good luck with Major Marine Tours. The have a number of different options. There is a campground/RV park right on Ressurection bay. Awesome views. On your way to Kenai you can stop at Russian River Falls. If you hit it at the Salmon run you might catch some bears catching fish. Just give them plenty of room. I haven't made it much further down the Kenai than that. I unfortunately don't know any good off road trails as my Jeep is in Florida but honestly once you get past Girdwood you are pretty much out in the wilderness. You would have trouble doing all the things I mentioned in 5 days. Hope you have a great trip.
Here are some pictures to get you going. A whale in Seward. Some mining equipment on the Crow Pass Trail and the Portage Glacier.
Jeep Gladiator Live or Overlanded Alaska? Need Your Help! NI8C7311
Jeep Gladiator Live or Overlanded Alaska? Need Your Help! 20190731_143827
Jeep Gladiator Live or Overlanded Alaska? Need Your Help! 20190710_124728
 

Sponsored

OP
OP
bangolia

bangolia

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bryan
Joined
Jan 8, 2019
Threads
26
Messages
834
Reaction score
1,053
Location
Garner NC
Vehicle(s)
2014 JKU
Thank you all for the insight! Really appreciate it!
 

Mark Doiron

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
Aug 14, 2019
Threads
7
Messages
602
Reaction score
1,261
Location
Oklahoma City, OK
Vehicle(s)
2007 JKU X, 1979 Tenth Anniversary Trans Am, 2020 Gobi Gladiator Rubicon
Occupation
Retired
Anyone overland Alaska?
Yeah. But overlanding, not taking much in the way of short trails. Spent 44 days, 9,450 miles in western Canada and Alaska a few years ago. Did go to Seward. I assume you're not military, but if I'm mistaken you should check out Eielsen in Fairbanks, Elmendorf in Anchorage, and the Army R&R facility at Seward. All much cheaper to stay than the local towns (unless you opt for the camping in the city park at Seward). And spend a day on a boat taking the Kenai National Park tour from Seward.--cannot recommend that highly enough. As for hitting dirt/rock/risky road to travel, we didn't do anything like that anywhere near where you'll be. It's all paved down in (what folks up north call) the tropics. ;-) Seriously, if you think you might glean some info from our trip, check out my YouTube videos. In addition, a year afterward I put together a 153 page look back at the trip, full of new pictures that hadn't been shared before, as well as tons of text on the entire trip. Perhaps you'll glean some ideas from that. If interested, send me a message and I'll provide you the URL to download the Word .doc.

 

TheHops

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2019
Threads
33
Messages
559
Reaction score
823
Location
Nashville
Vehicle(s)
2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
Build Thread
Link
Vehicle Showcase
1
An Alaska trip is on my short list of must-do trips. I was actually planning a motorcycle trip up to Alaska from Tennessee for June/July timeframe, but with all of this craziness I'm not sure how it'll pan out. I would eventually like to take the JT up as well. My plan was to take the Trans-America trail from TN to CO, hit the shadow of the rockies trail/continental divide, check out yellowstone and glacier national park on my way northward, hit banff, push up through Canada and Alaska, through denali, then catch the infamous dalton highway up to deadhorse in prudhoe bay, camping majority of the way. I would eventually like to accomplish the trip on both two wheels, and four wheels, so that'll be pending finalizing the core of the build on my JT.

AllTrails is a great resource. Definitely download ioverlander too, and crawl through expeditionportal and/or overlandbound if you haven't already. There is a ton of information on trips and destinations on those sites, to include Alaska.

Happy hunting, and I look forward to the trip writeup/pictures!
 

Mark Doiron

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
Aug 14, 2019
Threads
7
Messages
602
Reaction score
1,261
Location
Oklahoma City, OK
Vehicle(s)
2007 JKU X, 1979 Tenth Anniversary Trans Am, 2020 Gobi Gladiator Rubicon
Occupation
Retired
.... through denali ...
You don't really drive through Denali, unless you mean the town outside of the park entrance. You can only drive into Denali a short ways without a special permit. And you can probably forget getting that permit. However, it is possible to drive a little further into the park to a special, highly limited camping area. You must agree to park your vehicle there for three days, and spend those three days using the park shuttle system to visit things, as well as any hiking, mountain climbing, etc, that you wish to do. And there are shuttle buses and guided tour buses, I recommend the former--they give you more flexibility since you can get off where and when you want. The disadvantage is the next bus with an empty seat(s) may be a hour or two wait. To be honest, I've been to a few national parks (actually, almost all of them in the lower 48, many of them multiple times) and Denali rates right up there with Yosemite for beauty, and for hassle with huge crowds and a Disney-esque visiting experience. Also, as far as where to go: Get the Butler Alaska motorcycle map. It's what we used for our Jeeps. It's awesome. We only found one place they missed--a pretty big miss, IMHO, but that was in Canada. And do be aware: There are two highways into Alaska (neither one is called the Al-Can, BTW, and that ignores the Salmon Glacier area near Hyder--it's so remote from the U.S. proper you don't even have U.S. customs to clear), and I recommend take one in and the other out. There will be some overlap (that's how Butler missed that area in Canada, BTW--too much overlap).
 

BajaDrifter

Well-Known Member
First Name
Leo
Joined
Dec 15, 2019
Threads
10
Messages
192
Reaction score
165
Location
Southern California
Vehicle(s)
2020 Gladiator Rubicon
Check out this guys YouTube channel. He did a few videos on his travels in and from Alaska in his Jeep overlanding vehicle.



Here is another family that overlanded in Alaska.

 

Sponsored

AKDrifter

Well-Known Member
First Name
Judah
Joined
Jun 26, 2019
Threads
1
Messages
335
Reaction score
390
Location
Eagle River, AK
Vehicle(s)
2020 JT Rubicon
I would not take a rental off the highway on the Peninsula. There are no secondary roads or really any trails to speak of thats why you're not finding much. On top of that there are not as many active Jeepers that way to pull you out if you find a mudhole. You have a large community in South Central to winch you out of a glacier in February, but not many would be willing to head that far south for winching in the muddy season. That being said you can still have a great trip just on the highway believe me! It is a beautiful place and this summer will be the one to go. There are some hole in the wall places to camp but they're never going to be far off the highway. One thing I'd recommend is go through the Whittier tunnel and go hike Portage Pass. Its short and on a sunny day is a great view. The Tunnel is an experience all its own, go with the top back or off! My business partner has a private beach down by Ninilchik and I can wheel on the beach from there for miles. I think there are still places to get access from public areas but I'm not certain of that. What week were you going? There are other JT guys up here in the forum they will find this quickly I'm sure.
20180609_233253.jpg
20180701_135513.jpg
20170722_140508.jpg
20180415_130042.jpg
 

TheHops

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2019
Threads
33
Messages
559
Reaction score
823
Location
Nashville
Vehicle(s)
2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
Build Thread
Link
Vehicle Showcase
1
You don't really drive through Denali, unless you mean the town outside of the park entrance. You can only drive into Denali a short ways without a special permit. And you can probably forget getting that permit. However, it is possible to drive a little further into the park to a special, highly limited camping area. You must agree to park your vehicle there for three days, and spend those three days using the park shuttle system to visit things, as well as any hiking, mountain climbing, etc, that you wish to do. And there are shuttle buses and guided tour buses, I recommend the former--they give you more flexibility since you can get off where and when you want. The disadvantage is the next bus with an empty seat(s) may be a hour or two wait. To be honest, I've been to a few national parks (actually, almost all of them in the lower 48, many of them multiple times) and Denali rates right up there with Yosemite for beauty, and for hassle with huge crowds and a Disney-esque visiting experience. Also, as far as where to go: Get the Butler Alaska motorcycle map. It's what we used for our Jeeps. It's awesome. We only found one place they missed--a pretty big miss, IMHO, but that was in Canada. And do be aware: There are two highways into Alaska (neither one is called the Al-Can, BTW, and that ignores the Salmon Glacier area near Hyder--it's so remote from the U.S. proper you don't even have U.S. customs to clear), and I recommend take one in and the other out. There will be some overlap (that's how Butler missed that area in Canada, BTW--too much overlap).
I didn't mean it as literally driving through Denali, rather that it was just on the list to visit. Sorry for the confusion. Solid info all around though, and it certainly didn't help to make me any less excited about making the trip!
 

xpcdoojk

Well-Known Member
First Name
JC
Joined
Sep 11, 2019
Threads
9
Messages
212
Reaction score
133
Location
Missouri
Vehicle(s)
Mercedes SLK300 MINI Cooper S Volvo XC40
You don't really drive through Denali, unless you mean the town outside of the park entrance. You can only drive into Denali a short ways without a special permit. And you can probably forget getting that permit. However, it is possible to drive a little further into the park to a special, highly limited camping area. You must agree to park your vehicle there for three days, and spend those three days using the park shuttle system to visit things, as well as any hiking, mountain climbing, etc, that you wish to do. And there are shuttle buses and guided tour buses, I recommend the former--they give you more flexibility since you can get off where and when you want. The disadvantage is the next bus with an empty seat(s) may be a hour or two wait. To be honest, I've been to a few national parks (actually, almost all of them in the lower 48, many of them multiple times) and Denali rates right up there with Yosemite for beauty, and for hassle with huge crowds and a Disney-esque visiting experience. Also, as far as where to go: Get the Butler Alaska motorcycle map. It's what we used for our Jeeps. It's awesome. We only found one place they missed--a pretty big miss, IMHO, but that was in Canada. And do be aware: There are two highways into Alaska (neither one is called the Al-Can, BTW, and that ignores the Salmon Glacier area near Hyder--it's so remote from the U.S. proper you don't even have U.S. customs to clear), and I recommend take one in and the other out. There will be some overlap (that's how Butler missed that area in Canada, BTW--too much overlap).
We rented an RV 2 summers ago and spent 3 nights at Teklanika campground. Which is the furthest you can drive into Denali in your own vehicle without the impossible to get permit. It is a decent campground on a river of the same name. Had a few vault toilets, and probably 30 to 40 campsites. We booked it 6 or so months in advance. When you get about 8 miles into the road, you go thru a check point where they verify that you realize you can’t come out again for 3 days and make you agree that you have enough supplies for the time you are there. There were 5 of us adults in A 32 foot RV we rented thru ABC in Anchorage. Pretty long drive from Anchorage, we didn’t get to the campground until pretty late in the afternoon after picking up the RV. We took the shuttle bus to the furthest point that it runs. That is an all day experience, just because it takes all day to go in all of the way and back to the campground. There are a few toilet breaks on the way, and some limited eating and drinking options at some of the stops, primarily at the main Denali viewing area. Definitely take a back pack loaded with food and drink. We had a great day for viewing bears, some bighorn sheep and caribou. A horrible day to see Denali. they had a board with a colored view of the mountain, on our day it said, mountain, what mountain? The next day we hiked along the river and generally hung out. Final day on the way out we visited the sled dogs back by the main highway. Great trip.

JC
 

TennesseePA

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
Dec 4, 2017
Threads
16
Messages
986
Reaction score
1,282
Location
Tennessee
Vehicle(s)
2020 Launch Edition, 2008 ES350
Occupation
Physician Assistant
I am pretty sure that the mosquito is the official AK state bird. Prepare for bugs or you’ll be anemic before you leave.
 
OP
OP
bangolia

bangolia

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bryan
Joined
Jan 8, 2019
Threads
26
Messages
834
Reaction score
1,053
Location
Garner NC
Vehicle(s)
2014 JKU
I would not take a rental off the highway on the Peninsula. There are no secondary roads or really any trails to speak of thats why you're not finding much. On top of that there are not as many active Jeepers that way to pull you out if you find a mudhole. You have a large community in South Central to winch you out of a glacier in February, but not many would be willing to head that far south for winching in the muddy season. That being said you can still have a great trip just on the highway believe me! It is a beautiful place and this summer will be the one to go. There are some hole in the wall places to camp but they're never going to be far off the highway. One thing I'd recommend is go through the Whittier tunnel and go hike Portage Pass. Its short and on a sunny day is a great view. The Tunnel is an experience all its own, go with the top back or off! My business partner has a private beach down by Ninilchik and I can wheel on the beach from there for miles. I think there are still places to get access from public areas but I'm not certain of that. What week were you going? There are other JT guys up here in the forum they will find this quickly I'm sure.
Jeep Gladiator Live or Overlanded Alaska? Need Your Help! 20180415_130042
Jeep Gladiator Live or Overlanded Alaska? Need Your Help! 20180415_130042
Jeep Gladiator Live or Overlanded Alaska? Need Your Help! 20180415_130042
Jeep Gladiator Live or Overlanded Alaska? Need Your Help! 20180415_130042
We’ll be there from the 6th-the 15th.
Thanks for the advice!
Sponsored

 
 



Top