KARO RV PARK AND CAMPGROUND DIRECTORY ARCHIVES OF PAST TRIPS
For complete information about RV parks and campgrounds in Alaska, Yukon, and Northern British Columbia, click top button at left. For info about our last two trips, click NOTES button.
2002 Trip Notes:
We departed on Sunday, June 2nd, a day later than planned. On Friday night our alternator failed, and since it was a warehouse only part it took a good part of Saturday and a 100 mile trip to get a new one. This provided a good opportunity to change the serpentine belt. I learned a valuable lesson. For years I had carried a spare, figuring that if it broke I could easily fix it. In truth I needed help and would have found it difficult or impossible to change myself.
2002 was the year of the wind. We drove straight through to Great Falls without having one bug hit the windshield. Normally we have to scrape them off going through North Dakota. The wind that kept bugs grounded those first few days followed us throughout and made the trip virtually mosquito free.
From GF we crossed at Sweetgrass and encountered no border difficulties. Of course, we have to go inside and go through immigration. We did note later that picture IDs were being requested everywhere. At Lethbridge we elected to go west to the Crowsnest Pass, then north along the west side of the Rockies to enter the National Parks from Radium Hot Springs. We really enjoyed this route much more than our usual Calgary-Banff way, and will probably use it in the future. A note about Lethbridge. There is a major intersection where you must turn right for Highway 3 to Calgary or Crowsnest. There used to be a WalMart at that corner, but there is now a new superstore a few blocks to the left (west).
The first weeks of the trip were cool, as had been our May in Wisconsin. I think I only had my jacket off for a day or two between Prince George and Fairbanks. North of PG we were surprised to encounter accumulating snowfall at Pine Pass, and stopped to take a few pictures at the ski area. At the same time Summit, on the Alaska Highway, was closed briefly while eight inches fell!
As usual we found many changes in RV park and campground operations. There were lots of new owners, some we expected and some that surprised us. All of the changes are being incorporated into the main pages of this site. One thing that hadn't changed was the price of gas in Canada, which was as high or higher than last year. With the exchange rate down slightly, this made the Canada part of the trip more expensive than last year. From Dawson Creek on, gas was about $2.00 to $2.25 (US$/US gal). Of course our Canadian friends were not very happy about it and feared that tourism might suffer. Prices of government campgrounds was up in BC and the Yukon, which we think is a dumb move. Finding a better way to collect the money would be a lot smarter. BC Parks posted signs at campgrounds saying there was a 50% surcharge for "towed, nonrecreational vehicles." They were quite specific that this meant towed cars or minivans. But just before we left an alert customer advised us that this rule had changed, and we contacted BC Parks, who said that what they really meant is that if the second vehicle is towed in it's OK, but if it drives in under its own power it costs extra. Hope this change didn't mess any one up. I figure the only result of my misinformation would be fewer people using BC campgrounds, and they sort of earned that.
I looked like fears of a slow season may have been realized when we took the ferry from Skagway to Haines. Only three other vehicles got off at Haines with us, and just eight stayed on to go south, all locals. The ship was deserted, and this was the Columbia, bound for Bellingham. However, after making our loop through Haines Junction and back to Whitehorse we found that traffic had picked up, the campgrounds looked full, and everyone was smiling. Smiling except for a lot of consternation over what effect WalMart in Whitehorse would have on RV park business. Even though the WM lot was full every night we drove through, I doubt if there was much impact. Some people just like to park at WalMart. Others think that since they paid the big bucks to be "self contained" they can park "wherever we want." A lady actually told me that at the Visitor Centre in Fort Nelson. Truth is, parking in rest areas and gravel pits is not allowed in Canada. The "self contained" concept is a joke because that just means that the illegal parker will pull in to an RV park every few days to deliver three days of waste. If they were truly self contained they'd swallow it. And I really hate to get up early and hit the road just to see my view blocked by big rigs in pull outs. These are the same people who would call the cops at home if their neighbor parked his rig on the street. There are plenty of cheap or free legal places to park. But most important. RV parks are being driven out of business by the increased demands of the big rigs (higher amps, bigger tanks, longer pull-throughs etc.), then see people snub their places to save a few bucks by parking illegally. Sorry, folks, but I just had to vent.
From back in Whitehorse we headed north and did our Top of the World loop on a perfect day. From the Mt. Fairplay viewpoint we could see Mt. Sanford looming over the distant Alaska Range. It's always there, but seldom seen due to haze and low clouds. A real treat. Up to this point we had encountered little construction other than a long wait for a concrete pour at Coal River. On the Top of the World Highway the Canadian side was much better than last year, but in Alaska there was a long construction area and many small hold ups because the "new" pavement has been deteriorating and producing pavement breaks. We heard that there was a long stretch of construction in the Yukon on the Alaska Highway. More about that later.
From Tok we headed straight to Fairbanks and my brother's place. This is the last year we'll go that way because he's moving to Cottonwood, Arizona, in the fall. Since most of his furniture was gone we slept in the van in the driveway and were infiltrated by mosquitos the first night. After that we slept in their RV. From Fairbanks we drove up to the BLM Visitor Center at the Yukon crossing on the Dalton Highway. The BLM person, Lisa, was very helpful with helping us to revise our Dalton-Dempster Map. There was a long (42 mile) construction area south of the crossing, but she said that to the north most had been paved to and past Coldfoot. We were told that tours to the Arctic Ocean, temporarily suspended by 9-11, were available but one had to call 24 hours in advance with driver's license number for security check. And the tour of the oil fields is not being given, so the ocean tour is up to $37.00 each.
Leaving Fairbanks we had planned to go from Delta Junction to Paxson, then west on the Denali Highway to visit campgrounds in the National Park area. But since it was raining so hard we went through to Glennallen and Valdez instead. North of Water's Edge we stopped to watch a moose with twins, the first of many threesomes we saw during the trip.
North of Glennallen we came to the first of many campgrounds that had been closed by the state (Dry Creek). Most in the Mat-Su Valley. By now they may be reopened, so we won't change our maps. It's a political problem, and the Alaskans aren't too happy about it. The Democrat governor can't run again and his Lt. Gov. doesn't have a prayer agains the popular Repuliocan senator who will certainly be next in the state house. But the present administration's main goal was to impose a sales tax, and to get there they want to make people believe the state is broke. So campgrounds are being closed and transportation workers laid off. The most serious effect for travelers is the suspension of maintenance on the Denali Highway. No one we talked to was buying the "state is broke" ploy, and figure all will be well soon. Unfortunately, the campgrounds are"closed" only in that the gates are locked. They are not posted, and anyone can walk in and do whatever. The state could end up spending more to fix things up than they save.
Things were not going well on the Kenai either. A very small first run of kings caused a complete closure of the Kenai-Russian Rivers, followed by a partial opening a few weeks later. There was a good run of reds, but with the kings not available there was more pressure than usual along the banks. Some guides fled to the Copper River tributaries, increasing traffic there. South of Soldotna we heard fishing was good, but you can only keep two kings a year from streams like Deep Creek. And then there was the wind again. High winds kept the halibut charter boats in port for four days from Homer to Clam Gulch. No one could remember that ever happening before. Sand blowing up from the beach put Ninilchik into a dusty fog, and even though it was the 3rd of July the beach was almost deserted.
We spent a pleasant 4th at Seward watching the Mountain Marthon and filling up on halibut and fries. Stayed over at the city campground across the bay so we could watch the midnight fireworks from there. I think our fellow campers put on a better display than the city!
After a final few days with the grandkids in Anchorage we headed for home, but first had to drive up to Healy and visit all the campgrounds we missed earlier due to rain. Because of the no maintenance order we found the Denali Highway to be rougher than usual, and almost deserted. Back in the Yukon we hit that long construction everyone had been whining about. This may be small consolation to some, but it was nothing like the first half of the 90s when major rerouting was taking place. Although the gravel was a bit rough and dusty, it was mostly wide and graded. Biggest problem was some long waits for pilot cars. But it's all part of the trip and will result in better roads in the future.
Back in Whitehorse we sat and talked with a nice couple from Washington state at McDonalds. They raved about this great "free" new government campground they stayed at in the Yukon. By elimination we decided they meant the Big Creek Rest Area, west of the Cassiar Junction. Without their tip we wouldn't have stopped there, since the road signs were still for a Rest Area. But it has, indeed, been returned to its original campground status (permit required, of course).
We found the Cassiar to be in very good condition, with little construction and no delays. At Hyder the F&WS has built a huge boardwalk for bear viewing, but we were a bit early for the season and no bears were to be seen. They really need to do something about the parking problem and to deter the yahoos who come every year and hang out there, taking up space and annoying visitors.
After a visit to Prince Rupert and return to Prince George we started our vacation. Heading south. we took some back roads to Kamloops, then the Coquhalla Toll Road to Merritt. From there highways 5a and 3 to 97 and the border at Osoyoos. This is a good way to bypass the congestion of the Okanagan. Pigged out on cherries and peaches. Back in the US after a smooth border crossing, we visited Grand Coulee Dam before treating ourselves to a motel in Yakima. Then there was a half day driving up to Mount Saint Helens and across to the mouth of the Columbia where Lewis and Clark came to the ocean. We were somewhat miffed to be told we were too late to get into the main exhibit area, and what we could see was mostly closed due to renovations. Like going to Wally World! Anyway, we headed south through the redwoods and parked again at the state beach south of the National Park. Had a real nice visit to the Sea Lion Caves and made it all the way to San Francisco because we stayed on 101 and avoided the coast. After a few days touring San Francisco and Reno with our son and his girlfriend we headed east, Making it to Wisconsin with three days of driving and one of visiting in Nebraska. Eight weeks, 15,716 miles, 350+visits to RV/campgrounds and visitor centers.
