North America Cross-Continent Road Trip, Part 2: Jasper, Banff, and Glacier National Parks1/21/2024 Quick recap in case you missed it: we moved! A few months ago, we bought a travel trailer, packed up our stuff, sold our house, and started off on an epic 31 day road trip across North America. Yes, we *drove* from Alaska all the way to our new home in South Carolina. The first leg of our trip was the most intimidating. We drove the entirety of the Alaska Highway on the brink of winter and it was not for the faint of heart! And after 1500 miles, we were about 1/3 of the way done with our trip and not even through Canada yet! You can read all about part 1 in the last post, but this part picks up where we left off in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Day 6Our night in Grande Prairie was pretty eventful. We stayed at Country Roads RV Park, which was a super fun place to stay, especially in the fall. If we had more time, we would’ve loved to explore their corn maze and other activities! We were excited that their laundry accepted quarters since we kept forgetting to exchange money and when we did need money, the front desk was usually happy to exchange. But this was the first time we needed to do laundry on our trip and we started after the desk had closed for the night. Since we had the laundry room to ourselves, we took the opportunity to run 3 loads at once but when it came to drying, unfortunately, the slot for quarters on the dryer was too small!! And while it is comical now, at the time, it was pretty frustrating since we had to find ways to hang 3 loads of laundry around our trailer to dry (insert facepalm emoji). We had no one to blame but ourselves since we were in a foreign country and hadn’t taken the time to exchange money…so travelers be warned: Even if a place says they take quarters, it’s worth it to exchange ;) Our drive was pretty short on this day since we were camping in Jasper National Park! We were so looking forward to exploring but our dog had other plans. While loading up the truck, he decided to slip away and take himself on a grand tour of Grande Prairie! I’m not convinced he got far away from the campground but we couldn’t find him for a few hours and the staff were so helpful for keeping an eye out for him. Day 6 did not get off on the right foot, however, once we finally got to Jasper National Park, we were blown away! We had reservations to camp at Whistlers Campground and as we pulled in at dusk, the entire place was crawling with herds of elk! It was absolutely incredible. We set up camp and enjoyed listening to them bugle all around our trailer all night. When I say all night, we could still see them right outside when we got up in the morning. It was unbelievable. Our family definitely made a core memory that night. Day 7This part of our drive was one of the most highly anticipated days. At least it was for me! On Day 7, we drove the Icefields Parkway! We started off with a visit to Pyramid Lake. It was a beautiful day and a great little walk around the island for the kids. Next stop was Maligne Canyon, which was stunning! We then went back into downtown Jasper and grabbed some lunch for the road. HIGHLY recommend Patricia Street Deli! It’s a build-your-own sandwich place and I was so grateful for their recommendations. I was informed that the cran-mayo and cranberry chutney were local favorites so we went all out and, man! It was amazing. Also we took the opportunity to taste some of Canada’s chip flavors: Ketchup, pickle, sweet chili and sour cream. Are these a thing in the US? Cuz we’ve never seen them, but they are everywhere in Canada! Once on the Icefields Parkway, we stopped at Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls, Tangle Creek Falls….okay…all the falls…and took in the stunning views of the glacier from the road. We pulled into Downtown Banff close to dusk and parked in the free trailer parking just outside of town. We packed up little bags and walked 6 minutes to our hotel for the next two nights! Day 8Pure adventure on Day 8 with the only drive being up to the shuttle for Moraine Lake and Lake Louise. The only problem was that we hit a pot hole the day before and bent the jack on our trailer :( so we had to tow it with us back up the canyon because we had no way to unhitch. And before you ask, we tried to find RV services in the area but, low and behold, we found ourselves celebrating yet another Canadian holiday (Thanksgiving) so the stores were closed. Which also explained why everywhere felt so crowded haha. We kinda thought we were hitting the beginning of shoulder season and that we were really just not used to being around people but it made sense after learning it was a major holiday weekend. With beautiful weather, at that! Despite having to navigate parking lots full of tourists with a trailer for the second day in a row, we had a great time exploring. Full disclosure though, I know Lake Louise is a major bucket list destination (at least it was for me!) but it was not worth the crowds! We kinda wished we had spent more time at Moraine instead. We also explored a little of Johnston Canyon, which was a major highlight! Even with all the people, the views were stunning and my kids loved going into the cave to see the lower waterfall. You really can’t go wrong with any kind of visit to Banff <3 I have wanted to visit here for a very long time (and one of the reasons we even decided to drive instead of fly) and it did not disappoint! Day 9Back in the USA! On day 9, we stopped in Calgary to get a new jack for our trailer. Jon took the opportunity to get an electric one ;) We did a little bit of a family history tour through Cardston, where my great-grandparents were married! And then we crossed the border into Montana in Carway. What took 45 minutes to an hour when going into Canada took 5-10 minutes leaving ;) Then we found ourselves in Glacier National Park! This place was also a big bucket list item for me but we quickly realized this might not have been the right time of year for a visit. Even though it was early October and beautiful, sunny, 70*, services were closed for the winter season. During this time, you can camp with discounted prices, but be aware that restrooms and hookups are closed. We camped at Saint Mary Campground and had beautiful views. The sky was so clear and perfect for star gazing. In the morning, the lake was stunning and smooth as glass but was closed to all watercraft for the season, which was highly disappointing! We didn’t spend much time in the park and maybe we need to give it another try under different circumstances. Day 10This was the first day that we didn’t get as far on our drive as we had planned. We didn’t realize we would be driving on such rural roads so we couldn’t drive as fast as we had been driving the last few days. But we did stop at the KOA in Butte, Montana for the night and we thought it was such a pretty little town. Had we looked into the route of our drive a little more, we probably would’ve made a few short pit stops as there were a lot of dinosaur spots to explore! They have found a lot of fossils in the areas we drove through. Montana is actually where they found the first dinosaur fossils in North America in the mid-1800s. Our route took us right through Choteau, near Egg Mountain, where they have found baby dinosaur fossils in 76 million year old nests! On Day 11 we made it to our friend’s house in Idaho Falls, Idaho and had a great time catching up and on Day 12, we made it to Utah to stay with family for a little over a week. It was a fun and restful break for our cross continent road trip. That was the second leg of our trip! Don't miss part 3! We still have a long ways to go! Have questions about our route or other parts of our trip? We’re always happy to answer! Or if you’ve done this route, is there anything you would add that we might’ve missed?? Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live!
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If you’re not following us on Instagram, you might’ve missed the news that we’ve moved! We received a new assignment with the military and had to say a bitter sweet goodbye to the Alaska life we have come to know and love. We’ve been trying to get our bearings in our new home in South Carolina for exactly 2 months now! We finally moved into our house a few weeks ago and felt like it was time to start writing about our cross country continent road trip! That’s right. On September 30, we packed up our truck and our travel trailer and set off on a grand road trip adventure (and lived to tell about it :) We took 31 days of slow traveling and saw some amazing things and made incredible memories. We’ve even had a few people asking about our trip in our instagram messages who are setting off to do the same thing very soon! So I hope this proves helpful! The first leg of our trip was the most intimidating, by far. We were driving the ~1500 miles of the Alaska Highway through the Yukon, on the cusp of winter no less. This meant that the already limited services and population was even more so. We had extra gas cans and extra tires. Winter regulations in Canada were in affect, which meant it was the law to have chains. Spoiler alert: we were incredibly lucky to have the experience we did because it is not for the faint of heart and for every good experience you hear, there are multiple bad ones. Fun facts: The Alaska Highway is incredibly historical. It was built during WWII to connect Alaska to the rest of the contiguous United States. Originally, it was built by American troops, which is why it has “mile” markers, as well as kilometers. Because it was a military road, it wasn’t open to civilians for some time after it was built. Now, it is a regularly used route that is maintained by Canada. Day 1Due to some military rules, we weren’t allowed to cross the border into Canada until Oct 1 so our drive on Sept 30 started in North Pole, Alaska and ended in Tok, Alaska. Starting off with a short 3 hour drive and putting us about 90 miles from the Canadian Border. Tok (pronounced like toke) has a population of 1214 and was put on the map during the construction of the Alaska Highway in the early 1940s. Historically (and today) it has been a trade center for the Athabaskan villages of Northway, Tetlin, Tanacross, Mestasta, Eagle, and Dot Lake. It’s a great jumping off point for many backcountry Alaskan adventures since it’s the gateway to Alaska for those driving (and for bush pilots). For one of our favorite adventures near Tok, check out our post about our trip to Chicken! This trip was obviously just for a stop over - it was also outside of tourist season so much was closed down - so we didn’t do any sight seeing. We stayed at Tundra RV Park, which was very pretty and well maintained. Again, since we were visiting in what is considered the winter season, some amenities weren’t available, namely water hookups had been shut off due to below freezing temperatures creeping in at night. We were prepared though, with our trailer fully stocked. We had a beautiful drive, temperatures in the 40s and bluebird skies. We did see some snow on the ground outside of Delta Junction, which we were happy to wave goodbye too :D. Day 2Our second day was another pleasant drive, though I do want to put in a little disclaimer here: when we bought our trailer, we bought it from a couple that had done this drive a few times. He recommended to take off the plastic fender wells off the trailer due to the rough roads. While the road is technically maintained, it’s not easy driving - though not much different than other roads we were used to driving in Alaska ;) This is because of the frost heaves. Because of the extreme temperatures, the ground freezes and thaws throughout the year causing the roads to sink and rise frequently in many places. All that to say, what google said was a 6 hour drive to our next stop in Haines Junction, ended up being 8. It was fun to spot all the trumpeter swans and we also saw a grizzly bear on the side of the road! A couple roadside attractions during the drive included stopping for a few pictures at the Canadian Border. If you notice, in the picture behind my girls, you can see a wide clearing of trees - this is the maintained border that Canada and the US keeps clear. Pretty crazy to see such a distinct line in what is otherwise regarded as untouched wilderness. Another quick stop was Burwash Landing to see the world’s largest gold pan. Burwash Landing is a small community on the shore of Kluane Lake. It is one of the oldest settlements in Yukon, established in 1904 as a supply center for local miners. The Kluane Museum of Natural History is here, though it was closed for the season in October. There’s also Our Lady of the the Holy Rosary Mission, built in 1944, the first church on the Alcan Highway. We stayed the night at the campground behind Kluane Park Inn in Haines Junction. They were very nice and accommodating though we did kind of regret not listening to others advice to hold out until Whitehorse and just camp there haha. Haines Junction itself might be a little run down but I will say, it has some gorgeous views being just outside of Kluane National Park. Again we had no water hookups at the campground due to the season. One thing of note: we asked at the border if we could exchange US money to Canadian and they told us the closest place to exchange money was in Whitehorse. The showers at the campground in Haines Junction only took “loonies” but they were happy to exchange quarters for us at the front desk. day 3Our first highlight of day 3 was a big bull moose crossing the road right in front of us just outside of Haines Junction. You may think we would get used to seeing moose after living in Alaska for 4 years, but it never gets old seeing these majestic creatures. Also, in the 4 years of living in Alaska, this was really my only good view of a big bull moose! So that was exciting to finally see. We also stopped at this little picturesque spot at the historic Canyon Creek Bridge. In 1904, a year after the Kluane gold strike, a log bridge was built across the Aishihik River, or Canyon Creek. It became a very important link on the wagon road connecting Whitehorse to Silver City. It survived heavy traffic and high spring floods until the 1920s when the government contracted it to be rebuilt. Then, again, during the construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942, the bridge was dismantled and a new one was hand-built in 18 days and then abandoned when the road was rerouted the next year. The old pioneer bridge was left in place and reconstructed in 1986 with 10% of the original bridge and 85% of the cribbing. We stopped in Whitehorse for a few hours, which is the capital of Yukon. Whitehorse is a beautiful city on the banks of the Yukon River. It’s a very historical city as it was a major stop for prospectors in the Yukon Gold Rush. Fun fact: Right outside of town were some pretty heavy rapids that were so dangerous, the mounties made it illegal for women to stay in the boat for the ride. Men would build a raft and attempt the rapids with all their supplies while the women would have to get out and walk around - though there are a few women of note who braved the rapids at risk of life/a hefty fine. The rapids are now covered by a power plant but there are many historical sites around town, though a lot, again, were closed for the season which was disappointing because I am super into history! It was fun to walk along the river though, and try to imagine what it might’ve looked like 100 years ago. We stayed in Whitehorse a little longer than we planned because we had discovered an issue with the electric brakes on the trailer. It was a holiday in Canada though, so all the RV service centers were closed. We ended up having to move on and hope to get it fixed later. We didn’t have cell service once we made it to our stop for the night in Watson Lake though we did have water hookups! We stayed the night at Nugget City RV Park, which was technically closed for the winter but they did have a few spots to hook up next to the store/cafe. They prefer to take cash and they did take US dollars - since we forgot to exchange while we were in Whitehorse :/ We had been enjoying the increasingly warmer fall weather especially after seeing that we missed the first snow storm to hit North Pole. After 3 days, we officially hit the halfway point of the Alaska Highway! day 4Day 4 was a bit of a doozy of a drive since we were dealing with brake issues, but we also had a few fun pit stops! We started off wandering the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake. The Sign Post Forest is one of the top attractions along the Alaska Highway. It began in 1942 when a soldier was asked to repair some directional signposts, and while he did, he decided to add a sign for the direction and mileage to his hometown in Illinois. Others followed suit and the rest is history! Today, there are over 77,000 signs and growing. The town of Watson Lake continuously adds more sign posts as they fill up. We didn’t bring a sign to add to the forest but we did a little scavenger hunt to find licenses plates from all 50 states and all Canadian Provinces. We would’ve been successful except that we were missing one state!! And of course the only state we couldn’t find was South Carolina - the place we were moving too :D Our next stop was a quick dip in the Liard Hot Springs. At mile marker 475 - almost 100 miles from the closest amenities, travelers will find the beautiful Liard River Hot Springs. Originally used as a traditional cleansing spot by the Athapaskan and Kaska people as early as 10,000 years ago, these hot springs are the second largest in Canada and are ranked among the top 5 hot springs in the country. We entered the park and paid for parking, walked through the electric fenced - gated off for bears that like to frequent the area - and walked the scenic boardwalk all the way to the springs. It is a beautifully maintained area equipped with dressing rooms. Definitely a required stop along the Alaska Highway. That night, we stopped in Fort Nelson, BC. You can tell when you pass into British Columbia because you immediately start seeing bison on the side of the road! We counted 26 bison on our drive, as well as 2 black bears and 1 elk! Which was fun because it’s too cold for elk in Fairbanks/North Pole. We stayed at Triple G Hideaway Campground, which was an amazing campground and quite honestly, the nicest campground bathrooms I have EVER seen, haha. The kids enjoyed the little swings while we set up and took down camp. day 5We completed the Alaska Highway portion of our drive!! We definitely had to stop and hang out in Dawson Creek to mark the momentous occasion! Right at the sign, there’s a cool little train/history museum that we walked through just before closing time. We also stopped for some burgers and poutine at Post & Row for dinner. Poutine is a classic Canadian comfort food dish made of French fries covered in brown gravy and cheese. It is very delicious! That night, we stopped in Grande Prairie, AB. On our drive we noted the extremely improved driving conditions compared to the last few days and made good time. We also noticed that towns and cities are getting bigger and closer together - we were a little blown away to pull into Grande Prairie and see all the city lights :D Almost 1500 miles under our belt marks about 1/3 of our whole trip and we’re not even through Canada yet. I was very intimidated planning this portion of our trip. How was I going to entertain my 3 young kids and keep everyone happy during a long, boring trip through Yukon backcountry? But I purchased the Milepost 2023 and immediately was so excited. It was actually a very interesting read and was fun to follow along as we drove. It lists each mile post, each stop for services, it even list all the pull outs, which is very helpful when you don’t have cell service. It has a little write up about the historical spots and little maps of each town you pass through. It was incredibly helpful and interesting and I highly recommend it. Though, side note: if you are using it to get from Alaska to the lower 48, you do have to read it backwards, which makes things a little more interesting, haha. That concludes the first leg of our trip! You can read part 2 here. Our visit to Grande Prairie was not uneventful in the least (insert sly face emoji). Have questions about driving the Alaska Highway? We’re always happy to answer! Or if you’ve done this route, is there anything you would add that we might’ve missed?? If you’re interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to (or from) Alaska, check out our options here! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! |
AuthorWe're just a military family enjoying where we live, one PCS at a time. Follow us as we explore our current home, South Carolina, and beyond. The world is our backyard. Archives
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