North to Alaska - The Ultimate Road Trip

Driving by car to Alaska had been a personal dream since my childhood. In the summer of 1986, circumstances permitted me to take this trip. Living mostly out of the back of a pickup truck with occasional nights at motels, we spent an incredible 56 days on the road, a tour de force of the American - and Canadian - West.

This series will present my journal of that trip in one week increments as shown on the map at left. Many of the places visited will have their own pages with more information and photos. For example, visit our pages on the Gates of the Arctic and Denali National Park.

The endless rain of that summer, including two stretches of more than a week of non-stop rain cut way down on the photography. I will however attempt to describe all that transpired.

Week 1: Orange County, California to Glacier National Park, Montana

July 1, 1986. Giving up an entire southern California summer (Laguna Beach below) to adventure in Canada and Alaska is something of a mixed blessing. The saying that "it never rains in southern California in the summer" is absolutely true. The north country offered a very different reality.

Our trip would be made in a Ford-F150 pickup truck with a shell and a carpet kit. It was crammed full of food, clothing, camping gear, fishing gear, backpacking and hiking gear, and tons of brochures, maps, and magazines covering things to do and see from here to Alaska. My main preparation to the vehicle was to purchase four new, heavy-duty off-road tires. Also, a grill for the headlights, lots of tools, and spare fluids.

Our route will be Interstate-15 through Las Vegas, then the entire length of Utah, and into Idaho. Our first main stop will be Glacier National Park in Montana. Then on to the national parks of the Canadian Rockies and after that, Dawson Creek and mile one of the fabled Alaska (Alcan) Highway.

With all the packing we did not leave Laguna Hills until 9pm and, totally fatigued, end up sleeping in a roadside rest area well short of Las Vegas.

July 2, 1986. Since we have the whole summer we do not press hard to put in a lot of driving miles each day. After enjoying a buffet breakfast at the Tropicana in Las Vegas, we push into the July heat of the desert.

The harsh desert of central Utah is broken up by numerous small but steep mountain ranges. Many peaks are over 10,000 feet. In the summer you head for these wooded slopes if you plan to camp out. Tonight we camp at Little Reservoir in the Fishlake National Forest.

July 3, 1986. Today will be a short driving day. With the holiday tomorrow getting a campground may be difficult. We push on another hundred miles and starting looking for a place to camp in the Uinta National Forest south of Provo. No luck. The place is completely packed. And no wonder. The high elevation brings cool temperatures, lots of woods, and terrific views from the crest of the ridge. We stop to fish at a pretty little lake before pushing on. We end up at a commercial campground on the shores of Utah Lake, about 50 miles south of the Great Salt Lake.

July 4, 1986. We decide to stay put today. The campground is quite spread out, and there is room to hike around and explore near the lake. It is cooler near the water, and the weather has become windy and unsettled. Fireworks at night.

July 5, 1986. The desert finally falls behind as we pass Salt Lake City and head into Idaho. The countryside is mainly rolling hills, and the temperature comfortable. North of Pocatello, we leave the freeway and head northwest on US-26. This area is very rural: 56 miles to the next town.

Our destination for today is Craters of the Moon National Monument which preserves remnants of the area's volcanic past. The park protects cinder cones and lava fields (photo left), and offers a network of interesting hiking trails of which we take advantage.

The park has a very fine campground but the weather has turned cold with temperatures close to freezing at night.

July 6, 1986. This morning we sample a hike through one of the eerie lava caves. When lava flows, sometimes the outer edges will cool first and form a cave or tunnel. The interior is extremely cold and substantially covered by ice. It is more slipping and sliding than actually hiking.

We head out on US-93, our destination Montana. At the town of Challis, the route follows the valley of the Salmon River, heavily wooded and very lush. We stop a couple times to enjoy the river's edge. The ride becomes very scenic as the road climbs over the Bitterroot Range into Montana.

Tonight we stay at a motel in Missoula, get cleaned up, and dine out.

July 7, 1986. Today is a sleep-in and then shopping day. In the afternoon we head another hundred miles north to beautiful Flathead Lake. We were fortunate enough to get a camp site right on the lake. Our first major destination, Glacier National Park, is an hour up the road.