Welcome
Alaska Road Trippers
These are a few of the vehicles we have driven IN / OUT of Alaska.
Toyota Celica car is 50 years old.
Dodge Truck is 31 years o
Alaska Road Trippers website and store
Explore Roads in Alaska and Across the USA with an Experienced Driver
Explore Roads in Alaska and Across the USA with an Experienced Driver
As a long-distance driver from Fairbanks, Alaska, I have driven in and out of the state numerous times. Born and raised in the interior, I’ve had extensive vehicle travel on every highway in Alaska. Come along with me on my travels through Alaska and North America via the Alaska Road Trippers website.
Many people visit different countries but have not seen most of their own. I’ve always thought we should see the U.S. first, then visit the rest of the world. Aside from having U.S. history and background to compare, domestic travel supports American small business. Back in the 1950’s, people traveled on Route 66, visiting diners, roadside locations, and soaking up local scenery. How many of us have actually visited Wall Drug, the Field of Corn, or found the largest ball of twine? In my mind, one of the most patriotic things Americans can do is head out and visit our states, whether one at a time or in a substantial road trip.
Alaska Road Trippers “Lower 48” Road Trips
* Mileage and timeframes are best-recollection for older adventures!
1988 Fairbanks to Idaho – Utah – Iowa City, Iowa. ONE WAY trip. Stopped for downhill skiing in Idaho & Utah. Driving my brother’s 1980 short bed Chevy truck with lifted suspension and big tires. Drove out with brother in his truck and then airline back to Alaska. Did not document mileage or timeframe well for this trip.
1989 Fairbanks to San Diego – New York – New Hampshire – back to Fairbanks round trip. Traveling through the southern states in a 1974 Toyota Celica (15 years old then), 4 speeds, and no air conditioning. 18,900 miles in 3 months.
1997 Fairbanks – Pauls Valley, Oklahoma roundtrip. Drove my 1993 Dodge W250 Cummins Diesel 4x4 pickup out alongside my Dad in his 1984 Jaguar. Dropped the Jaguar at the dealer in Seattle for service, then purchased gooseneck trailer in Oklahoma; picked up the Jaguar on the return trip. Bringing the XJ6 back to Alaska on the trailer. 9,007 miles in 17 days.
1998 Fall Fairbanks - Lake Oswego, OR ONE WAY trip. Drove my with my future wife in her Nissan Altima down to college. Airline back to Alaska.
1998 Fairbanks – Lake Havasu, Arizona roundtrip. Hauled a Honda sedan out to Oregon on the gooseneck trailer with the 1993 Dodge W250 Cummins diesel; continued on to Arizona to pick up a 1954 Ford Crown Victoria with my Dad. Just for fun, we added an antique china cabinet with a round glass front in the back seat for the return trip. We stopped in Portland, Oregon so I could visit with my future bride going to school in Lake Oswego, definitely the highlight of the trip. 12,000 miles in 14 days.
1999 Fairbanks – Lake Oswego, Oregon roundrip. Drive my 1993 Dodge Cummins diesel and gooseneck trailer over the Alcan highway (again) to retrieve my fiancée, her belongings, and her car (!). 6,400 miles in 11 days.
2000 Hawaii (Big Island). Rented Jeep Cherokee and drove the circumference of the entire island (along with daybreak horseback riding tour, volcano tour, lava tube hike, and black sands beach) in a single, very long day (5 am – 11 pm). The ultimate couples’ test – I don’t recommend it. Or, if you undertake this, go south first… the narrow curvy roads south of Captain Cook after dark don’t lead to relationship harmony. 220 or so miles in 18 hours.
[children appear in this timeframe -extensive driving now occurs mainly in Alaska outside of family vacations, especially between Fairbanks and Delta, Healy, Wasilla, Palmer, and Anchorage relating to youth hockey; extensive work-related driving between Prudhoe Bay and Valdez along Trans-Alaska Pipeline service routes and between North Slope production facilities]
2021 Los Angeles metro area. Son goes to college; we rented a car. 6 pm traffic was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Wife refuses to drive there again. 300 miles in 5 days.
2022 Rhode Island – Connecticut - New York – Vermont - New Hampshire - Maine (daughter says caution in portions of Bangor), and Massachusetts roundtrip. The Northeastern states college tour! Red borrowed Mazda 6 aka “the air conditioner with wheels” in 100F summer heat. 2,300 miles in 10 days.
2024 Ohio – Pennsylvania – New York – Rhode Island – Connecticut – Delaware – New Jersey – Maryland – West Virginia. Spring break trip! (If you have a teen navigator, recommend checking the mapping settings so that you aren’t avoiding toll roads, otherwise you will really see some creative American road ingenuity). 2,200 miles in 10 days.
2021 – 2023 Alaska Road Trips
My newly-licensed teen driver and I headed out for Alaskan adventures, covering almost every highway in Alaska:
· Richardson Highway to Valdez
· Tok Cutoff
· Parks Highway – Fairbanks to Matanuska Susitna Valley, Anchorage,
· Seward, Whittier, Kenai, and Homer
· Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay
· Elliott Highway to Manley
· Steese Highway to Circle, Central, and Circle Hot Springs
· Edgerton Highway to Chitna
· McCarthy Road to McCarthy and Kennicott Mine
· Denali Highway – Cantwell to Paxson
Our family also likes to get out for the occasional bicycle trip:
· All bike trails listed in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska
· Denali Highway from Tangle Lakes to Paxson
I’ve been fortunate enough to have family and friends along on nearly every trip. My Dad and I always wanted to drive through the rest of the country together. He passed in 2023, but he’s always with me in spirit.
My current large-scale adventure is a Memorial Tour – in Dad’s 40-year old Jaguar XJ6 (I took my driver’s license test in that car!) – to the 49 continental states.
First Segment: Fairbanks Alaska to Licking County, Ohio. Projected distance of 4,500 miles in 12 days.
Now a Road trip to Lower 48 states In Memoriam of both parents Robert - September 1932 – June 2023 & Anne - October 1934 - February 2024.
Questions or Comments
Do you believe your town, project, or favorite scenic view would be of interest for Alaska Road Trippers? If yes, please send us an email at info@alaskaroadtrippers.com and be sure to include the directions !
Please let us know, we hate to miss out driving past a great location. Driving thousands of miles - we hate to miss something by 30 miles. If our project works out we hope to come back thru re-visiting many states to check out many locations and the back roads of our amazing country.
Online Contributions
Online Gifts
If visitors would like to contribute to our project's road trip expenses (roadtrip snacks, maybe a meal or towards some gasoline), it is much appreciated !
Please note: These gifts are not tax-deductible.
We have two measurements:
MPG - Miles Per Gallon
SPM - Snacks Per Mile