2019 Inside Passage

[thataway]

I'm not even from there---but I have always taken the Black Ball Coho from Port Angeles. Heck of a drive the other way, or a couple of ferry boats to even get to the Mainland side!

Here is the history of the Black Ball Ferry line".

Thanks Mark for bringing up the song; I had never heard it!

[colbysmith]

Just sitting here this morning looking at some routing to get to Skagway if I start out from Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes (like say after a Friday Harbor gathering...) for you folks that live in the PNW that have traveled to Alaska, how would this routing be? 20 - 5 - 542 - 1 - 97 - 16 -37. And would a 500 mile day be overdoing it? (I travel 500 miles in the lower 48, at 65 mph, and that's about a 11 hour day for me when you throw in pit stops and a lunch stop. Also, it's been sometime since I drove the Alcan from the border just north of Minot, ND up to Skagway, but again for those that have driven it much more recent, 500 miles a day there doable at around 60-65 mph. Guess I'm asking if these roads are 60-65 mph roads. Guess it wouldn't hurt to know how those border crossings are going in those directions. It took over an hour for us to cross when we went to Spanish Ontario a few years back. Thanks. Colby

[Hunkydory]

Colby, that’s the route we most often take when heading back south from Skagway & wanting to see relatives along interstate 5 in Washington on the way home. It’s never been a concern with us, but hwy 37 known as the Cassiar Highway can be intimidating to some. It’s 450 miles & goes through a very remote area. Much of it has virtually no shoulders & is not possible to maintain 60 to 65 mph. For much of it more like 50 mph, though it is much improved over the last 20 years as only about a mile is now unpaved. An alternative choice, which we have also done several times is to stay on 97 north out of Prince George & then at Chetwynd take 29 through Hudson’s Hope to where it connects with the Alaska Highway, just north of Fort St John. This route is over a 100 miles longer, so my recommendation would be to go with 37.

With the many towns you will be passing through, 60 to 65 is not going to be your average speed, like it would be in the lower 48, mostly on freeways. We usually do 600 plus miles, but don’t mind longer hours behind the wheel. Our stops are generally only for wildlife, fuel, rest room & food with night stops only for sleeping. After reaching the Alaska Highway 60 to 65 mph would be easy to maintain other than construction & the Whitepass area down to Skagway. Overall to maintain 500 miles per day you will likely have to up your driving hours. One never knows at the border crossings, but without firearm it’s normally very quick & even with one, generally so, but out of the blue we have been hit with extensive searches lasting an hour or more.

Jay

[colbysmith]

Thanks Jay. I may refigure for 400 miles a day. Come to think of it, I think when we took our motorhome up the Alcan from here (Crossing border near Minot) that was about what we did. Maybe a few days we only did 350 miles, depending upon what we wanted to see. Actually, even here in the lower 48, many times if we are sightseeing more as part of the travel, I only figure for 400 miles a day. Hwy 37 sounds like one I would enjoy. I've never been too timid about narrow winding roads, with or without the boat. FWIW, in my map planning, I set it for 15 minute stops every 2 hours. That seems to work out about right between lunch, rest breaks and gas stops. Also set for 8am departure arriving at 5:30p. In reality it usually works out leaving at 7:30a and arriving at 6p. Perhaps too many stops during the drive! lol. But with towing the boat, I prefer a more relaxed travel attitude. I suspect I may even take a bit more time traveling thru Canada and Alaska as it's been quite some time since I've traveled on the ALCAN highways, and only twice anyway. Just depends on what scenery or towns are along the way. Colby

[Peter & Judy]

We drove up to Whitehorse last June when we picked up the C-Dory that we bought there. Driving up from our home about an hour north of Calgary, we drove from Rocky Mountain House to Saskatchewan River Crossing on Hwy 11. Then North through Jasper past the Columbia Icefields. We headed west on the Yellowhead Hwy 16 (note the Yellowhead Sign was not patterned after your current president), through Prince George and North on Hwy 37. The Cassiar highway was in good shape and much prettier than the Alcan. You have to drive slower and there are fewer places to turn off and camp. We drove home on the Alcan which was faster, but no where near as pretty as the Cassiar. There were lots of huge motorhomes, all of them towing a truck or SUV and mostly with US plates along the route. They were doing fine and a smaller rig pulling a boat would not have a problem. I would consider this route for at least one leg of your journey. After boating at Atlin and Tagish Lakes, we drove home on the Alcan. If you have time consider boating on Atlin Lake, we spent 8 days there and that was not enough and would consider going back next time I head north again. There are some Atlin photos in my album and more to come soon.

When driving north through the Icefields Parkway in Banff and Jasper, you might consider driving through Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. There is camping now for RVs in the parking lot at the Columbia Icefields Visitor Centre, no hookups, but easy to park a long rig, with a view that is hard to match.

[colbysmith]

Thanks. I'll have to look at my maps and find that lake. It's been quite some time since we drove the ALCAN in a motorhome we had at the time. (late 90's?) However, my late wife and I did take a summer vacation to the Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise area in a small camper a long time ago. (1985). (Favorite site was in Banff, seeing a Moose grazing less than 50 yards from a pretty gal sunbathing... ; the other scenery was spectacular as well!) It was gorgeous then, and I'm sure gorgeous now. When I do take the boat to Alaska, it will depend on if I join a Friday Harbor gathering as to how I'll drive up. However, coming home, I believe I will be on the ALCAN, and in Canada until I cross back into the US just north of Minot, ND. Thanks for that additional info!

[Hunkydory]

Peter & Judy, I sure agree with you about Atlin Lake. A gem & my favorite of all the lakes we have cruised anywhere. In 2003 the first year we had the C-Dory, we cruised Atlin, Tagish & Teslin Lakes along with the first 200 miles of the Yukon River below Whitehorse & about 500 miles in SE Alaska out of Skagway. Then in 2010 we returned to cruise Atlin Lake again, following 2 months in SE Alaska out of Skagway. Before purchasing the C-Dory, we explored in a rubber inflatable many days on Atlin Lake with one day alone 115 miles. Our plans at present are to return once more to Atlin Lake this summer with one of our sons & his family.

Your choice of routing through the Ice Parkway has been another favorite of ours with seven of our trips north & about the same going south through there & our first choice of routes from & to our home in Cokeville WY. We spent the night at the Columbia Ice fields in 2007 with the great view as you described. This route for Colby would be considerably out of his way going north, but maybe a option on his return trip.

Jay

[Peter & Judy]

The route I described through Jasper and Banff would add less than 400 miles from Skagway to Minot, compared to the less interesting shortest route. When we returned from the Yukon we travelled the Alcan to Grande Prairie and then headed south on Hwy 40 to Grande Cache and to Hinton, Alberta. This was a beautiful drive. Here we could have taken the shorter route back on the Yellowhead Hwy 16 to Hwy 22 which would take us down the Cowboy Trail to our home near Sundre, Alberta. But we decided to drive the Icefields Parkway, Hwy 93 through Jasper and Saskatchewan River Crossing back to Hwy 11 and on to Rocky Mountain House and south on Hwy 22 to our ranch. We live 5 minutes off the Cowboy Trail. This was the longer route and I have driven the Icefields Parkway at least 100 times. It is described as one of the ten most beautiful drives in the world. I love it every time I drive it and I have had many adventures along it route, climbing and skiing on many of the highest peaks and glaciers in Canada. The weather was great and life is too short to always take the shortest route.

[colbysmith]

Peter and Judy, if I were to take that routing, how is Hwy 40? (I'd be on 1 and 97 until Grand Prairie). From there I would take the Icefield Parkway, and eventually pick up Hwy 1, and then jump off it close to Regina to take 39 to the US border. How are those highways? I think it only adds about 100 miles for the drive home. Also, where am I looking for Atlin Lake? Thanks. Colby

[Peter & Judy]

Peter and Judy, if I were to take that routing, how is Hwy 40? (I'd be on 1 and 97 until Grand Prairie). From there I would take the Icefield Parkway, and eventually pick up Hwy 1, and then jump off it close to Regina to take 39 to the US border. How are those highways? I think it only adds about 100 miles for the drive home. Also, where am I looking for Atlin Lake? Thanks. Colby

Hwy 40 from Grande Prairie to Hinton is a nice route. It is a mountain road that winds thorough some beautiful valleys. It is two lane, undivided, but the pavement is very good and wasn't too busy while we were driving on it. I pulled my C22 behind my truck camper and had no problems and I would do it again. South of Hinton Hwy 40 is known as the Forestry Trunk Road and is gravel and better suited to logging trucks. From Hinton to Jasper the highway is excellent as is Highway 93, the Icefields Parkway. From Banff heading west on Hwy 1 you are on the Trans Canada highway which is mostly divided and the main east west route in Canada. The TCH is better in Alberta than in Saskatchewan. The alternative route from Grande Prairie through Edmonton, Saskatoon and Regina is nice if you like prairie, but cannot compare with the Rocky Mountains. It's been about 20 years since I drove Hwy 39 and I recall it as being fine. One stop to consider with your boat would be Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park. it is the only Lake you can take a motor boat on the Mountain National Parks, it has a great boat ramp and is a beautiful day trip on a large mountain lake.

Atlin Lake is located in NW British Columbia with a small portion of the lake in Yukon. It is one of the headwater lakes of the Yukon River and lies just east of the Alaska pan handle. The lake is glacier fed and the best boating is in the southern end of the lake, departing from the town of Atlin. The boating would be similar to what you might find in Alaska, with big mountains and glaciers rising out of the shore, minus the tides. The small but beautiful town of Atlin is the home base for exploring this lake. It can only be accessed from Yukon via Hwy 7. The turn off is just west of Jakes Corner on the Alcan and it is 94 kms south on a newly paved road. It has a good boat launch. I am working on a write up and adding more photos for this forum about our week on Atlin, hopefully in the near future. I also have the local reef maps and photos that I will post. My wife and I have travelled to many beautiful and wild places in the world and this is in our top ten.

[Hunkydory]

Peter & Judy, I’m really looking forward to your write up of cruising & more photos of Atlin Lake. Before the two different years we cruised there in our C-Dory, we explored all of the shore area south of Warms Spring Bay in a RIB. It is a special place & likely to remain so for the foreseeable future, due to its remoteness from more major population centers, even though, since our last visit, there has been a large increase from the Whitehorse area. I’m not aware of any one including C Brats & other boaters other then Jo-Lee & I, who have towed their boat there to cruise from the lower 48, US. Most likely we would have passed it by too, when towing the C-Dory, if not for our finding it, when spending several previous years exploring remote rivers & lakes in the Yukon & Northwest Territory’s in a inflatable boat. Most & I suspect Colby will also choose to spend their limited time when that close to Skagway in SE Alaska, as it’s only about 100 miles further from Jakes Corner to Skagway, then from there to Atlin & Atlin is a 120 mile round trip drive out of the way if destination is Skagway. Would you have cruised Atlin Lake if not having purchased your C-Dory so close to it at Whitehorse? I also agree the longer routes, when time is available & even some times when it’s not is still the better choice. We too, while towing our C-Dory, traveled hwy 40 from Hinton to Grand Prairie. On that route going north in 2007, we spent our coldest night ever sleeping aboard the Hunkydory.

Our C-Dory time cruising Atlin Lake is included in this write up of our 1st trip north towing the C-Dory in 2003, which was the first of several, I’ve now done in the Grand Adventure Form.
http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=7717
And this our write up of our 2010 SE Alaska cruise out of Skagway, followed by a cruise on Atlin Lake with photos in the thread.
http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=13945&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Atlin, Tagish & many other lakes close to this area are well worth the time to cruise, but the distance is far & remote from the lower 48 & if one does make the drive through it to Skagway, it’s the choice of all I’ve known so far who have made this journey to spend their boating time in just Alaska, so I doubt many C-Brats from the US will ever see these lake jewels.

Jay

[Peter & Judy]

Jay and Jolee, thanks for the additional links and info about cruising at Atlin. I have read your write ups and they were helpful in planning our Atlin trip. The Atlin trip came about after I bought the boat in Whitehorse. I considered hauling the boat home in the fall, but decided to store it in Whitehorse for the winter and make the trip north as a vacation. Too bad I could only get away from my ranch for 3 weeks, I needed double that time. The previous owner Jim Bishop owns a cabin on Atlin and suggested cruising there. It was a great trip as I had never heard of Atlin before. I hope some day to do some cruising in that part of the world again, out of Alaska and them again on Atlin and Tagish. I just need to retire fully first and be able to take off for a couple of months. I think after cruising around Skagway, I would like to go to Atlin again and wash the salt water off the boat.

[colbysmith]

Wash the salt off the boat. Now that sounds like a perfect reason to me to go spend a few days there on my way back home, if that's the way I go! And it's almost like a dare when Jay says no one else from the 48 ever goes there. lol! Colby

[colbysmith]

Found Atlin Lake on my maps and charts, but now see my charting software both on my computer and on my boat's chartplotter does not include inland lake charting for Canada. Is this a lake that it would be beneficial to have electronic charting, or is paper charting available and sufficient? Colby

[thataway]

I guess that almost all lakes have some charting now. But we boated Atlin with no chart and no problem a few years back. (Same for many dozens of lakes thru my life.)--you can usually see the features of these lakes from topo maps--and use caution.

Atlin does have charts Here, where there are both an app and printed maps of Canada and Yukon fishing maps".

I doubt that you will find anything for the chart plotter. But unless you are specifically interested in fishing, probably just a little caution and you will have a wonderful time on the lake, without a chart.