North to Alaska

[AKBushDag]

Hello Guys! Just a heads up!! OB Member Rmerron, # 0460, (Ralph) and family just recently moved up here to Alaska. We talked by phone yesterday and are meeting for lunch this Saturday. Ralph is reaching out to the other OB members up here to arrange a meet and great and start planning some trips together. Since you guys are coming up this summer, I thought you might want to connect with him as well. Take Care.

 

[Kelly]

I did it on a motorcycle a few years ago. Have been wanting to go back in the Jeep. It would be awesome for the OB'ers going this summer to rendezvous in Dawson Creek, and run the Alcan together!!!

Here's the route I'm considering. I know a few "West Coast'ers" who, like myself, don't have real jobs ( @mmnorthdirections @Mirek @Narbob ) that might be into it as well :-)

From Sacramento, if you averaged 5 hours of progress a day, you could do the round trip in a month.

 

[Narbob]

Hello Guys! Just a heads up!! OB Member Rmerron, # 0460, (Ralph) and family just recently moved up here to Alaska. We talked by phone yesterday and are meeting for lunch this Saturday. Ralph is reaching out to the other OB members up here to arrange a meet and great and start planning some trips together. Since you guys are coming up this summer, I thought you might want to connect with him as well. Take Care.

Ralph and Terri are fantastic folks, enjoy your time with them.

 

[AKBushDag]

Ralph and Terri are fantastic folks, enjoy your time with them.

Thanks! Really looking forward to meeting them.

 

[AKBushDag]

I did it on a motorcycle a few years ago. Have been wanting to go back in the Jeep. It would be awesome for the OB'ers going this summer to rendezvous in Dawson Creek, and run the Alcan together!!!

Here's the route I'm considering. I know a few "West Coast'ers" who, like myself, don't have real jobs ( @mmnorthdirections @Mirek @Narbob ) that might be into it as well :-)

From Sacramento, if you averaged 5 hours of progress a day, you could do the round trip in a month.


View attachment 20409

I did an almost identical trip in 2009 from Calif. Got back home, put my house on the market and moved to Alaska. Please feel free to contact me if you come up this summer!

 

[RIBahler]

@Lifestyle Overland it looks like you are getting some great advise from @AKBushDag, but feel free to reach out if you need anything from me as well. Here is my Overland Expedition From Oregon to Alaska back in October. - Cheers!

 

[AKBushDag]

@Lifestyle Overland it looks like you are getting some great advise from @AKBushDag, but feel free to reach out if you need anything from me as well. Here is my Overland Expedition From Oregon to Alaska back in October. - Cheers!

Thank you for that!

 

[techspy]

Hello everyone. New member here planning a trip from North Carolina to Alaska. I know this is an old thread but hopefully people are still monitoring it. I have a couple Alaska specific questions. So I plan on traveling with a firearm through states that honor my Concealed Carry Permit. That will take me to the Canadian border at Washington. I had planned on bringing a handgun (for normal US travel) and a semi-auto rifle (for my camping time in more remote areas). However, after having read how restrictive Canada is, I am re-thinking all of this. So from what I gather my best chance of traveling through Canada is to bring a 12 gauge. I was considering shipping the handgun or rifle at the boarder and picking it up once in Alaska. But, I am finding it difficult to find an FFL near any Alaska border that I will could route through. So, I am thinking of taking only a shotgun or storing the handgun (legally of course) on the US side and retrieve it on my return. Maybe even ship it from one FFL to another at the boarder. Anyone done anything similar? Also, I am trying to decide on the best place to visit in Alaska and the best time of year. Right now I am considering Anchorage in April or May. I know it will still be pretty cold but not too concerned about that. I would rather it be on the cooler side instead of having to deal with bugs. Don't bears hibernate until it warms up too? :) I will be bringing my German Shepherd as well and the cooler the better for him. That brings up another question. From what I understand as long as I have the vaccination/rabies records in order, the dog can pass through with no issue. The dog food issue seems really strange however. It has to be unopened, can't have beef in it and has to be less than 44lbs. Well my dog is big and eats a lot of canned food so I suppose I will be buying food in Canada. Also, entering the US there is a prohibition of lamb, sheep or goat in the dog food. ???? Seriously, I am just considering canceling going to Alaska completely because of the border crossing. Any suggestions, clarifications or experience appreciated.

 

[MOAK]

Don't cancel your trip-- The dog food is considered an agricultural product. You'd be better off just going in with a minimal amout of dog food and then buying it in Canada. Yes, have all your dogs shots up to date and current veterinarian papers to prove your dog's good health. You can get a hunting rifle or shot gun in, but be prepare to do paperwork at the border crossing. The best thing to do would be to contact the Canadians and ask if you can download the permits and have them filled out in advance. If you want an easy crossing experience have all your paperwork in order and whatever you do, don't cop an attitude. Always be polite, and never ever try to hide anything. You can bet that if you declare your legal shotgun they will look for more. I'm not sure where you plan on crossing, but the smaller crossings with less traffic will save you hours of downtime. I myself used to cross into Canada two and sometimes three times a week in a commercial vehicle and every so often in our personal rig. The Canadian Border folks are, in general, a friendly group. I'd be more concerned with getting back into the lower 48. US customs officials can be a real PITA if you are, too friendly, too obnoxious, cop an attitude, or are not the correct skin color. To make things ever so much easier, have you considered not bothering with any weapons? Bear spray, common pepper spray and large knives are considered a weapon at border crossings. When we go up, I'll not be taking any weapons and I'll purchase bear spray in Canada when we get there and stash it in the trailer. There is a ton of scientifically gathered data on how much more effective bear spray works over guns. A shotgun would just make the bear very angry. Good luck !

 

[techspy]

Thanks for the info. I have a law enforcement background and will not be traveling without a firearm. Especially since I will be traveling and camping outside with my dog which may increase the possibility of wild animal conflicts (not just bears). I have lived and traveled abroad for years in some "interesting" countries so I am pretty familiar on being respectful and upfront at borders. I found the online forms to declare a shotgun if that is the route I take but am still pondering what to do with a handgun before I cross into Canada. It just seems so strange that Alaska is probably one of the states that has the biggest justification for being armed but it is the worst one for actually traveling to while being armed (even a knife!). Every time I deal with another country it reinforces the fact that I am grateful to be a citizen of the USA. If the border crossing back into Alaska had a nearby FFL it would be a much easier decision. Oh well, I will continue to research. Fortunately I have plenty of time to decide. Thanks again.

 

[Jedi]

For your firearm shipping concern, you do not need to send it to an FFL (there seems to be a lot of misinformation out there on this point). Here is the rule from ATF's firearms FAQ:

5. May I lawfully ship a firearm to myself in a different State? Any person may ship a firearm to himself or herself in the care of another person in the State where he or she intends to hunt or engage in any other lawful activity. The package should be addressed to the owner of the firearm “in the care of” the out-of-State resident. Upon reaching its destination, persons other than the owner of the firearm must not open the package or take possession of the firearm. The out-of-State resident is encouraged to place the package in a safe and secure location until the owner of the firearm is available to take physical possession.​

 

[techspy]

Thanks for the info. Yep, I am aware of that (I work part time for an FFL) and was using the same premise to ship to an FFL (addressed to me with instructions for them not to open it so they won't need to enter it into their Bound Book etc). I just figured an FFL would be the most secure place to ship to. I know I can just ship it to myself anywhere (not using USPS) but I don't think there would be a suitable place anywhere near the border to have it shipped to myself. I could find a UPS or FedEx store to send it but that would likely be somewhere in a larger city and closer to my end destination which would negate the whole reason for shipping it (having it while camping in remote areas on the way).

 

[baggio16]

Seriously, I am just considering canceling going to Alaska completely because of the border crossing. Any suggestions, clarifications or experience appreciated.

Don't cancel! Ha. I just got back from five weeks in Alaska, Yukon, BC, and I'm already planning on how to spend longer next year. Took a husky with and had absolutely no problems. Made sure I had all vet records (don't think they even looked) and they didn't even look at the food. I forgot to dispose of firewood on the way back into Canada, oops, had to get to the dog out of the Jeep and the border patrol guy held on to the dog and played with her while I got the wood out (it was buried).

As for firearms, I have no clue about that. Just did the bear spray. I was thinking of a gun, but it seemed too much effort.

I would think about maybe going in mid-August to September. There was no bugs at all and it was still peak season, so most everything should be open. I was looking into getting up there around Memorial Day next year, but a lot ferries and stuff aren't open yet. I did get snowed on while driving the Dempster. Had 4" of snow on one of the passes. Fun times! I think I'm going to plan on heading north at the beginning of June next summer. Probably going to spend most of the summer up north. Oh, take Alaskan Highway up and Cassier back. Stop and camp at Salmon Glacier in Hyder.

I'd also plan on spending more time than you think you would in Yukon. One of the coolest places I've ever visited.

Oh, get the Milepost. It's so important for all the highways in BC, Yukon, and AK.

 

[MOAK]

I've given this a great deal of thought and consideration before posting this. I do not seek to offend anyone, as it is only my personal opinion. If one wants to cancel their trip to Alaska because of Canadian gun laws, then by all means cancel your trip.

It is unimaginable to me to even consider choosing to NOT travel this great North American continent, which includes Mexico, simply because I can't carry my gun with me. I'm somewhat taken aback that an "overlander" would choose to not "overland" because of a "thing". I don't want to start any kind of debate and I will not respond to any replies to my somewhat strongly worded post.

I'm simply surprised. My priority, as is so many others, is to explore this great land of ours. It is so much a priority in my life that I sacrifice many other "things" in order to keep traveling whenever and however often I can. Life is simply too short to be burdened by "things". If some folks choose to prioritize their "things" over traveling, then good, stay home, that'll be less congestion where I and other like minded folks want to go.