We started our Alaskan Road Trip on June 1st with our first stop at Devil's Tower in Wyoming. We then traveled to Hardin, MT where we visited The Little Big Horn Battlefield of Custer's Last Stand. The following day we went hiking in the Big Horn Canyon area where we were surprised to see a Supercell passing by as we were leaving the area around Arapoosh Pond. Boy... were we surprised... and lucky!
On June 4 of our Alaskan Road Trip, we arrived at Great Falls, MT where we had 1 full day to visit the sights. We spent our free time hiking Riverside Park, visiting Ryan Falls and going to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. Our evening entertainment was a visit to the Sip & Dip Lounge where mermaids swam in the pool with windows to the bar. What a great time we had!
On June 7, 2023, we headed for Calgary, Canada where we were staying at the Bow RiversEdge Campground. This is probably one of the nicest campgrounds we have ever stayed at in our RV (next to Blue Water Key Resort in Key West)! We were right on the river and there was a very large off-leash dog walking area right behind our RV site. Toby really enjoyed being able to be off leash and swimming in the Bow River. We were able to make it into Calgary on day and went to the top of the Calgary Tower where we got a 600 ft view of the surrounding city. What a great place to visit!
On June 9th, we arrived in the Tunnel Mountain Village II Campground in Banff. We were finally in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. The campground was spectacular, Banff was a great place to visit and hang out and the surrounding area did not disappoint... especially Lake Minnewanka, Cave and Basin and, of course, Lake Louise which was a beautiful mountain resort with lots of canoeing and hiking.
Take a ride on the Icefield Parkway from Banff to Jasper in Alberta, Canada. Along the way you can stop for a 5 hour hike on the Athabasca Glacier. These were all attractions for Adrienne and I as we made our way north on our Alaska Road Trip adventure. We stayed at the Whistlers campground in Jasper where we took some time to do our laundry and stock up on supplies. This was one of the most beautiful segments of our trip so far but, little did we know, there is much more beauty to follow!
We take off from Whistler's Campground in Jasper and head to Dawson Creek and mile 0 of the Alaskan Highway. Along our route, we saw many types of wildlife... bears, moose, bison, elk, deer and fox and many other types of animals. This encludes segment 3 driving days on the Alaskan Hwy given our strategy is a sprint to get to Alaska but we do stop at a few special places along the way to take in the scenery, the hot springs and special events. I hope you someday get a chance to take this adventure for yourself.
This portion of our trip takes us through the beautiful Yukon Territory which is one of the toughest and most gorgeous roadways as it winds it's way past the Kluane National Park and Reserve in Northern Canada. The mountains, rivers and enormous lake dominate the landscape which is covered in the beautiful Fireweed flowers. The roads were mostly good until you got north of Destruction Bay where the pavement disappears and the frost heaves, mud and potholes begin. I hope you enjoy the ride!
After 3 weeks of exploring, we have finally reached Alaska. We arrived in Fairbanks, AK on 6/21/2023 and were there for 4 days. While we were in Fairbanks we had many adventures including: - North Pole, AK - Northern Moosed RV Park - Chena Hot Springs - The Alaskan Pipeline - The Museum of the North - Pioneer Park - and of course, a local brewery! We had a great time in Fairbanks and would love to visit it again sometime.... maybe next time to see the Northern Lights.
On June 25th we arrived in Talkeetna, a cute little hippie town in the middle of Alaska where all of the mosquitos go for their summer vacations. If I was ever going to be stranded in Alaska, this is where I would want to be. Food, beer, beautiful scenery and art. I am proud to say I conquered the mosquitos in Talkeetna and am now knows as the Mosquito Master of Alaska. We also got to take a bush plane flight around Denali which was one of the highlights of our Alaskan adventure. If you enjoyed this video, please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel.
After waiting 7 days for it to be clear enough to see Mt. Denali, we drove from Anchorage back up to Talkeetna to fly with Alaskan Bush Plane around Mt. Denali and the surrounding glacier fields. Sunday did not disappoint! I attached a GoPro Session to one of the pontoons of the float plane and turned it on. This is the edited version of our flight and is about 25 minutes in length. There is an issue with image stabilization in the video. Despite that, it is breathtaking. Enjoy!
We drove from Talkeetna to Anchorage through the beautiful Matanuska Valley which was a homestead settlement started in 1935 as a result of the New Deal Act passed by Congress. While in Anchorage hiked Flattop Mountain, visited Beluga Point, had a spa day at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood and took Toby to an amazing dog park near our campground. Once again, Alaska never disappoints! Anchorage is much bigger than when we last visited in 2000 and it's beauty and surrounding mountains and glacier or stunning.
We arrived in Soldotna on July 3rd, just in time for tomorrow's fourth of July parade in Kenai, AK. The main purpose of our visit here is to catch a bush plane flight over to Lake Clark NP on th Katmai Peninsula to go salmon fishing and grizzly bear watching. If you like grizzly bears, salmon and parades, this is the video for you. Enjoy!
It's July 6th and we are in Homer, Alaska, 'Halibut fishing capital of the world'. Homer was a must see stop along the way,,, not just for the halibut, but for the shear beauty of this place. Hike with us on the other side of Kachemak Bay up to the Grewingk Glacier. Go halibut fishing with Jon. Tour downtown Homer and visit picturesque Seldovia. Homer is a highlight of our trip and a place I would most certainly go back to again.
Seward is aptly named "The Mural Capital of Alaska". We had a beautiful campsite right on Resurrection Bay and the opportunity to tour the town, view the murals, take a cruise through Kenai Fjords to see Humpback Whales, Orcas, glaciers, seals and sea otters. We hiked up to the Exit Glacier and hiked with the bears at Bear Lake. Seward is a must see destination in Alaska and the mountains and glaciers make a for some spectacular views. Join us as we tour the town and the surrounding areas.
In our dash to travel from Seward to Valdez, we had a 2 night stay in Whittier to get some laundry done and then a 1 night stay in Copper Center to see Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. In Whittier we drove through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, the longest tunnel in North America. We discovered that the biggest reason to visit Copper Center was to fish for King Salmon! I wish I would have more time there since I had my fishing pole... Dang!
We make the move to Valdez. The drive from Copper Center to Valdez is 104 of the prettiest mile we have driven. Forests, mountains, glaciers, rivers and waterfalls dominate the landscape. While we were here we explored the city, went to the salmon hatchery, kayaked Mud Bay and took a ride with Captain Fred on the Lu-Lu Belle to Kenai Fjords National Park where we saw orcas, seals and the Columbia Glacier. What an experience! I loved this place despite the weather.
On July 24, we rolled into Haines. While we were there we visited Chilkoot State Park, Battery Point Trail, the downtown area where we heard live music outside the brewery, the Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center, the American Bald Eagle Foundation and, course, the world famous Hammer Museum... well almost world famous. It was a great stop along our way. Toby enjoyed our hike and getting to play in the water along Mud Bay.
Visiting Skagway was a real gem on our trip to Alaska. It is a quaint and bustling cruise ship port that is rich in the history of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. While we were there we visited the downtown, hike part of the Chilkoot trail (the bridge was out at mile 4) went out to the old town of Dyea, took the train up to the top of White Pass and hiked up to Lower Dewey Lake with Toby. It as a fun adventure and if your are ever in Alaska, this is a must-do stop! If you enjoyed this video, please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel! We would really appreciate your support.
Its July 28th and we've spent 5 weeks traveling around Alaska but this is our last night. We are in our campground in Skagway and take a little time to recap our trip and talk about what we liked best and what we will do on our next trip. So disappointed that we have to say good bye to a dream we have looked forward to for so long. If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel.
As we leave Alaska for the last time on this trip, we embark on a 4 day sprint down the Stewart-Cassiar highway to the gold mining town of Quesnel, BC. We stayed at the Robert's Roost RV Park which was one of the top 10 campgrounds on our trip. We visited the Quesnel History Museum and learned about the life and times of Chow Dong Hoy who was a photographer that chronicled the lives of the folks that lived in the Cariboo Mountain area. We visited the gold mining towns of Barkerville, Wells and Bowron Lakes where 30 years ago I did the 72 mile solo canoe trip through the Cariboo Mountains.
As we approach the end of our trip, we arrive back in the USA to explore the Northern Cascades NP. Unfortunately, like most of Canada, a bad wildfire has a very big area of the park closed to visitors. But we found many other state and local parks to visit and explore. There is much in Northern Washington state left to be seen. If you enjoyed this video, please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel. You can follow all of our adventures here at BreakAwayAdventures.net. We hope to see you on the trails sometime soon!
We arrive in Ridgefield, WA to visit our son Dale. Our first adventure was to Mount Saint Helens to explore APE CAVE which is a 2 mile long lava tube on the southern flank of the Volcano. Hiking in pitch blackness is a disorienting experience to say the least. At one point we got turned around trying to navigate a large rockfall and ended up hiking back towards the entrance. If you ever have a chance to visit Ape Cave, do it! Just make sure you have two working flashlights for each person... you do not want to end up with no light in this place.
This is the unedited version of our Alaskan Bush Plane flight around Mt. Denali. It is 90 minutes long from safety briefing to takeoff and landing but gives you a true feeling of what the flight was like. Enjoy!