Best Slab Route Chicago to Fairbanks

[pkbinder]

I am taking the whole month of July next year to ride to the Arctic Circle. It looks like the US Interstate to Seattle and then north is about one thousand miles farther than the more direct Canadien route, but is it less of a hassle? Amd which route has the best scenery? I plan to use the major roads to get there, and then I can be more adventurous once I have arrived. Paul

[Cosmic_Jumper]

Conventional wisdom has it that it is cheaper to keep on the US side until Glacier NP, then go north from there. Seems that the 2+ days crossing Canadian Plains northwest across Manitoba, Saskatchewan & Alberta just ain't worth the boredom & expense

[TorontoDude]

correct. price of gas is higher in Canada

[pkbinder]

thanks guys. Paul

[jesionowski]

Originally Posted by pkbinder

I am taking the whole month of July next year to ride to the Arctic Circle. It looks like the US Interstate to Seattle and then north is about one thousand miles farther than the more direct Canadien route, but is it less of a hassle? Amd which route has the best scenery? I plan to use the major roads to get there, and then I can be more adventurous once I have arrived. Paul

Are you going solo?. What bike?

[Bluetru]

I'd be curious of your bike and planning I too want a similar ride next year. The Chicago to Topeka gap is pretty slim compared the the overall miles. Does anybody tackle this distance with a std GS? Meaning are their adequate fuel opportunities without having the uber tank--GSA ?

[KHuddy]

Well you can let concerns about gas prices force you to miss some of the best riding you will encounter, or you can pay a little more and enjoy what may be your only trip to AK. I lived in Fairbanks for many years and now live in Montana. My wife and I have made the trip between the two places many times including 4 times in the last 18 months. Here is how I would do it were I you.

Get to Cody WY - Take Hwy 120 north from Cody to Hwy 296 (Chief Joseph Byway) - Ride the Chief Joseph Byway to the Beartooth Hwy and then over the Beartooth Pass to Red Lodge, MT - Ride from Red Lodge on Hwy 78 to Absarokee and then north to Hwy 12 - Hwy 12 west to Helena then I15 north to exit 200 (6 miles of slab) - west on Hwy 279 over Flesher Pass to Hwy 200 - East to Hwy 287 to Hwy 89, north to Hwy 2 then west thru Glacier Park (or go all the way to St Mary and ride the "Road to the Sun" thru the park) - Hwy 2 to Bonners Ferry ID - North into BC and go to Crawford Bay - ferry (free) to Balfour - then Kaslo, New Denver, Nakusp - North to ferry from Shelter Bay to Galena Bay (free) - Hwy 1 to Hwy 93 (Banff Park) - west on 93 to Jasper (Icefield Parkway)- (Hwy 16 Yellowhead Hwy) - west on Hwy 16 to Kitwanga - Hwy 37 (Cassiar Hwy) to Hyder turn off (side trip to Hyder AK well worth the 80 mile round trip) - Cassiar north to ALCAN vicinity Watson Lake - ALCAN to Whitehorse - Klondike Hwy north from Whitehorse to Dawson City - ferry across the Yukon (free) to the Top of the World Hwy and Taylor Hwy (100+ miles of dirt) thru Chicken Alaska back to ALCAN vicinity Tok - ALCAN to Delta then Richardson Hwy to Fairbanks.

Going to Fairbanks is more about the going than the getting there. The route I provided you will be far more memorable than your time in Fairbanks and your ride to the circle. BC and the Yukon are not just a driveway.

Ride this route then tell me it was not some of the best motorcycling you ever imagined.

Have fun.

[pkbinder]

Thanks so much KHuddy, that was so much more than I anticipated.

I will be taking my 800GS, Other riders will have a 990, 1200GS and two 650GS's.

[Stkmkt1]

PK When are you guys heading to Alaska? I'm just south of you near Peoria and am heading that way too next year. I'm timing my ride so I can get back down into the states for the BMW Rally in Salem, OR in mid-July.

[pkbinder]

The plan is to take the entire month of July, roughly 10 days to get there, 10 days in AK and 10 days home again. We still have not discussed what we are going to see in Alaska. It is a HUGE place with lots of interesting things to see, but we also know our tme is limited, weather could delay us and every grandpa with an RV will be visiting Alaska in July.

[KHuddy]

Originally Posted by pkbinder

Thanks so much KHuddy, that was so much more than I anticipated.

I will be taking my 800GS, Other riders will have a 990, 1200GS and two 650GS's.

Glad to share.

The areas I think you will enjoy the most are: Chief Joseph / Beartooth; Glacier; southern BC around Nakusp; Icefields Parkway in Jasper; road into Hyder and the bear viewing area at Fish Creek; and the southern Cassiar. We saw over two dozen bears on the Hyder Road and the Cassiar this past May/June. If you need to extend your ride time up to AK to get all this in, then I recommend you do so. Steal a day or two from your time in AK and/or your ride home. Take the ALCAN all the way home, then to Edmunton, HWY 2 to Calgary, cross the border at Sweetgrass, MT and then it is slab all the way to Chicago; can be done in 6-8 days without making it a death march. I rode thru Chicago last May (sister-in-law is a LT in the Cooke County Sheriff's Dept), and that is the most dangerous part of the trip you will make.

P.S.: By the way, if you take the route I suggested thru Flesher Pass you will pass within 1/4 mile of my house. I have a well equipped shop and space to camp if you need it. No gaurantee I won't be on the road; we are retired and that is what we do.

[ScooterboyII]

That looks like a wonderfull trip. I will be going there next year and will take that route. I too would like to be in Salem, Or in time for the BMWMOA ralley. Can you camp most or all of the way? Just wondering how big a problem the bears are if sleeping in a tent. I'm retired so I will take as much time as needed. Maybe I can hook up with somebody for all or part of the trip.