We took a cruise a few years before our RV trip so I will say the Inside Passage stops are worthwhile, but can't tell you how to handle them. I do think you will find the flights a bit expensive. You can catch a day trip boat from Skagway or Haines, it is the same boat, that takes you to Juneau and back. That boat can be booked on a whim.

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the reply & info, can you tell me how to make contact with this day boat you speak of?.

Is there a website or some other way you know of to get more info?

If you don't mind my asking, which of the Inside Passages stops did you make on your cruise & which ones would you reccommend as a must see?

Thanks again Bill, for taking your time to reply.

I posted another question about travel to Alaska in the General Travel section of this forum and I suppose it is just because I'm new at posting on any forum but I'm  kinda surprised to see how many folks read a post but, so very few reply.

Les Bon Temps Rouller,

Charley

I think you are getting almost no replies since most do not try to combine the Inside Passage with a land trip to Alaska.  Also most of us are not going to leave our RV overnight to explore by plane and motels since getting an RV was supposed to get us away from that.  From my experience you are trying to do too much, but we like to travel more leisurely.  We spent all summer of 2006 on our trip and want to go back to see more of the land side.  

Anyway the boat trip is the Fjord Express.   Some friends took it and recommend it.  Maybe we will go next time.

On our cruise we visited Seward (where we caught the ship), Skagway, Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan.  We liked them all but would like to spend a bit more time in Sitka because of my Russian heritage.  We revisited Seward and Skagway on our land trip.  Though we liked Juneau and Ketchikan I don't feel enough need to see more of them.

Most of us think of the Alaska trip as including northern British Columbia and Yukon, a huge area with more to see than one summer can supply. 

bjoyce: ..."I think you are getting almost no replies since most do not try to combine the Inside Passage with a land trip to Alaska"

That really surprises me Bill.

I have been reading for many months, on the Internet, accounts of folks who have made the Alaska trip in an RV and so many of them say they took the Ferry ( some going North at the beginning of the trip & others going South at the end of their trip ) and everyone that has done this says how much they enjoyed combining the land & Inside Passage into one trip.

One  man who has made 12 Alaska trips in an RV over a twenty year period wrote that by taking the Ferry last one could extend time in Alaska by a month as the coastal area has better weather longer than the interior areas of the state.

But, he also wrote that there were very few RV parking spots that will accomodate a rig the size of mine, thus my idea of flying in, renting a car, and staying a few days in a hotel.

Like you, especially since I live full time in it, I don't want to park my rig to stay in a hotel but, IMO,  that is better than spending $6000 plus dollars on the ferry trip and still not get to spend any time in those coastal areas I want to visit.

That is the reason I asked for ideas & opinions from veteran Alaska RV travlers.

I also want to see British Columbia & the Yukon but think they should be a destination of their own, that is why I was already planning to spend the Summer of 2011 there.

This year I want to spend every day possible exploring & enjoying Alaska.

Well, Cruzin cajun I'm surprised at your comment

"I also want to see British Columbia & the Yukon but think they should be a destination of their own, that is why I was already planning to spend the Summer of 2011 there."

Because your'e going to have to drive through more than 2000 miles of Canada and the Yukon just to get to Alaska this year. Why not stop and smell the roses, instead of zipping through and then going back next year??

It would seem to me to make more sense to leave the ferry trip as the separate one.

-- Edited by Luvglass on Thursday 25th of February 2010 07:34:30 PM

Hi  Fred,

Thanks for the reply, and I respect your opinion about "smelling the roses" in BC & the Yukon but... "Alaskan roses" ...are the ones I'm interested in smelling  this Summer & I want to spend every day possible doing exactly that.

I do want to explore BC & the Yukon but, if something were to happen that would prevent my doing so, I would have no regrets, but not getting to see the only USofA state (Alaska) I have not visited would be a major disapointment for me. 

The older I get the more I can see an end to the active life I have always lived and since it has taken me almost 63 years to make the Alaska trip ( if I do indeed get there this year) the possibilty absolutely exists that I may never get there again, and the Inside Passage areas I want to see are just part of the deal I don't intend forego.

I have not yet figured how to accomplish seeing all I want to see in Alaska this year but there is a way and (with God's help) I will find it.  

Once again, even tho we see things differently, I sincerely appreciate you taking time to reply.

Charley

Charley,

I am with Fred on this one, you will have to pass through BC and the Yukon and certainly the northern part of BC and the Yukon will fit into your Alaskan trip quite well. I have been to Alaska twice over the past 5 years and although I really enjoyed Alaska, Northern BC and the Yukon were highlights. Be certain that when you make your northern plans you include the Cassiar Highway in them for one of the directions you are traveling. Although you will hear stories about the Cassiar most of them are perpetuated by folks who have not traveled it. Over 95% of it is relatively new pavement and the rest is pretty good although a little rough in spots. The roughness will just get you slowed down to enjoy the spectacular scenery available on this 450-500 miles of NW BC.

John

We loved the Cassiar also. I find that many people treat the RV trip to Alaska as something they are only doing once so they better make it count. But about everyone I know who takes the trip starts thinking about their second trip up. I also know some people, like Gummy who sometimes posts on the forum, who enjoyed BC and Yukon more than Alaska. A reasonable two week to one month trip is to take the Alaska Highway up to the Yukon, then come back the Cassiar where you can stop in Hyder, Alaska. I know multiple people who have taken this trip and enjoyed it. Some side tripped to Whitehorse and/or Skagway, but not all.