BEST Tips and Tricks for Driving the Alaska Highway

**Updated : November 2022**
​Use the map to see a visual of all our recommendations - click the arrow next to our photo to have a pop up list! This post may also contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you purchase a product via these links, with no extra cost to you!

If you've been following along our adventures, you know that by now we've driven the Alcan (short for Alaska-Canada) Highway twice now - once during Covid in 2021 when we weren't allowed to make any stops off the freeway except for gas, and again in 2022 when we took 3 weeks driving from Anchorage to Minneapolis, taking our sweet time to explore. With both of these trips and conversations with many others who've driven this stretch of road (most people living in Alaska have multiple times) we've gathered our best tips and pit stops and compiled them into one easy to read list.

Tips for Driving the Alaska Canada Highway

Before you begin, it's important to know a little bit about the Alaska Highway, also called the Alcan or Alaska-Canada Highways, a majority of which is in Canada. Beginning in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, the Alaska Highway makes its way North and West for just about 1,390 miles and through the Yukon Territory of Canada before ending in Delta Junction, Alaska. The first time we drove the highway we began in Dawson Creek, closer to the lower 48, but this most recent trip we began in Delta Junction, in Alaska. For planning purposes, we've put together our lists in chronological order with those closest to Dawson Creek first. If you're beginning in Alaska and making your way south, you simply need to work our lists from bottom to top! The Alaska Highway is not well maintained, and is considered one of the hardest roads to drive. We've heard plenty of stories of people needing to order car parts while driving because of a bump they hit, and getting stuck in the middle of nowhere for days at a time. However, the views are incredible and we highly recommend driving this route at least once in your lifetime!

As promised, our 5 best tips for attempting this drive are as follows (always erring on the side of caution, of course) :

• Bring an extra tire and tire patches with you, and know how to install both. Although we've never had any issues with our tires, plenty of people have. We highly encourage you to drive during daylight so you can see the bumps and holes coming and slow down. The worst stretch of the road is in Alaska and the half of the Yukon closest to Alaska. We recommend learning how to use the tire patches and how to change a tire beforehand only because there are many areas on the highway with no cell phone service.
• Get gas at every opportunity, and know how many miles you're getting to the gallon. It's also not a bad idea to have extra gas on hand. Although we didn't get gas at EVERY SINGLE spot, we would always plan ahead to make sure we had plenty to get to the next larger city, and we still ran pretty low here and there. However, it's also important to trust your instincts, if it looks sketchy or like no one's visited in a while, there's probably a reason for that.
• Have snacks on hand! This is a general rule for any road trip, but places along the Alcan can be a little sketchy and a little spendy, and not too frequent, so having your own snacks is a great idea!
• Don't rush - take your time to explore! Not just to avoid the potholes and bumps in the road, but also to enjoy the incredible views and look for wildlife! On our most recent trip we saw a lynx, 2 bears, 29+ elk, 3 deer, 1 moose, 2 porcupine, 11 big horn sheep, and 150+ buffalo!
• ​Always check for up to date regulations about crossing the US/CA border - and don't forget your passport! Since Covid this has changed pretty regularly, so we always recommend checking the Government of Canada's website here for up to date entry requirements.

Best Stops on the Alaska Highway

Places to Stay

There are a variety of places to stay along the Alaska Highway, although we highly recommend reading reviews before hand to avoid bed bugs and spending way too much for what you're getting! On our most recent trip, we stayed at :

• Super 8 by Wyndham - Dawson Creek, British Columbia, CA
• Liard Hot Springs Lodge & RV Park - Liard Hot Springs, British Columbia, CA
• Whitehorse Wonder Airbnb - Whitehorse, Yukon, CA
• Antler's Rest Bed & Breakfast - Glenallen, Alaska, USA

Places to Eat

Eating along the Alaska Highway can be quite difficult, especially if you enjoy fresh/healthy foods, however we gathered a list of places we stopped at and enjoyed :

• Boston Pizza - Dawson Creek, British Columbia, CA
• Liard Hot Springs Resort & RV Park - Liard Hot Springs, British Columbia, CA
• Andrea's Restaurant - Watson Lake, Yukon, CA
• Bullet Hole Bagels - Whitehorse, Yukon, CA (this was closed when we visited, but we were personally recommended this spot by many people)
• Burnt Toast Cafe - Whitehorse, Yukon, CA
• Belly of the Bison - Whitehorse, Yukon, CA
• Fast Eddy's Restaurant - Tok, Alaska, USA

Things to Do

Contrary to what many people think, there are plenty of incredibly beautiful and unique places to stop along the Alaska Highway, our personal favorites are :

• Alaska Highway Sign - the world famous Alaska Highway Sign located at Milepost 0 in Dawson Creek
• Kiskatinaw River Bridge - a historic wooden bridge crossing the Kiskatinaw River with stunning views
• Fort Nelson Heritage Museum - a large collection of vehicles & equipment including items from World War II
• Summit Lake - a beautiful blue lake with a campground
• Mucho Lake - another stunning blue lake
• Liard Hot Springs - a natural hot springs with varying pool temperatures, costs $5 a person
• Sign Post Forest - a collection of any sign you can image, nailed into trees to create a meandering maze of momentos from around the world
• Continental Divide - lodge and gas stop as well!
• Kluane National Park & Preserve - one of the most beautiful spots, plan for long hikes, mountaineering, and multi-day rafting trips
• Miles Canyon Suspension Bridge & Park - a walkable suspension bridge over the stunning blue Yukon River with amazing views
• ​Takhini Hot Springs - now remodeled and turned into the Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs, this is ultimate stop for relaxing and rejuvenation
• Alaska/Canada Border - stop for a photo with the blue Welcome to Alaska sign (seen in our YouTube thumbnail below!)
• Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge - a wildlife refuge with thousands of birds rotating through during migrations
• Mukluk Land - a unique amusement park with a bouncy house, mini golf, and other family fun activities!
• Wrangell St. Elias National Park - with two entrances, you'll be able to enter the park via their North Entrance on Nabesna Road (this does not connect to the other areas of the park)

Overall, there is plenty to do along the Alaska Highway, and I'm sure if you get out there to explore you'll find something new! Just stay cautious of where you're at and how much gas you have. ;)

Watch our Alaska-Canada Highway Adventures here!

Check out our other Alaska blogs here!

• Ultimate Alaska Packing List
• 25 Bucketlist Stays in Alaska
• The Alaska Highway
• The Alaska Railroad
• Top 7 Tours in Alaska
• Anchorage
• Barrow
• Bucketlist Stays in Alaska
• Denali National Park
• Denali Backcountry Adventures
• Flow AK Rafting
• Girdwood
• Homer
• Hope​
• Juneau​​

• ​​Kodiak
• Major Marine Wildlife Tour
• Matanuska Glacier Tour
• Palmer
• Seldovia
• Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife 
• Seward
• Talkeetna
• Utqiagvik
• Valdez
• Wasilla
• Where to Rent Bear Spray
• Where to See Wildlife in Alaska
• Whittier

Check out our other Canada blogs here!

• Alaska Highway
• Banff Gondola
• Banff National Park
• Canada's Hot Springs
• Columbia Icefield Skywalk

• Lake Minnewanka Cruise​
• Niagara Falls - 24 Hours
• Top 10 Tours at Niagara Falls
• Vancouver

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