Over 3700km, 10 days, one RV, and countless views and memories, this road trip through Alaska was well worth the over 85% cloudy days and nights.

In 2022 I was fortunate enough to take a road trip through the state of Alaska that would take me to beautiful expansive landscapes at the height of the autumn season. For 10 days, I drove an RV from CanaDream and started my journey from Whitehorse, Yukon. My exact route is shown below, as noted on Google Maps, making the border crossing at Beaver Creek, and passing through the following destinations in that order:
- Whitehorse
- Kathleen Lake, Yukon
- Tok, Alaska
- Anchorage
- Portage
- Denali
- Fairbanks
- Delta Junction
- Destruction Bay, Yukon
- Fish Lake
- Whitehorse

10 days may seem like a lot of days but when you’re driving across a state that is more than 1.7 million square km in land area, it merely scratches the surface of what the state is all about.
We tried our best to see the most of Alaska during this epic road trip, so our destinations included everything from seeing glaciers to the extensive mountain ranges to the vast sub-arctic tundra that we often associate the northern destinations to be filled with.



Truthfully I was really excited at the opportunity to see more northern lights. What I didn’t foresee was the cloud coverage hovering over Alaska that really didn’t want to move out of the way!

At one point it was forecast to be KP-6, which was a very strong geo-magnetic storm capable of producing some spectacular northern lights shows. Although we tried to alter our route to match the cloud coverage around Alaska, we were clouded over completely which was quite disappointing.
Day 1: Whitehorse to Kathleen River
2 hours | 180km
Flying AirNorth from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, we arrived in Whitehorse, Yukon at around 4pm. Heading straight to the CanaDream office to pick up our RV rental, we left around 6pm to go grocery shopping in Whitehorse.
Knowing it was too far to go straight to the border in one day, we opted to stop and stay near Kathleen River, just by the side of the road.

The night proved to be an “exciting” one as the winds picked up and rocked our RV back and forth as we tried to sleep through the howling sounds it made. As we stopped right by the creek and the winds were so strong we had visions of our RV sliding right into the creek in the night! (It did not move an inch!)
Waking up to overcast weather, we were visited by a couple of fishermen who mentioned this location was one of the best locations for fishing in all of Yukon!

After some quick photo opportunities, we were off…to the Village Bakery and Deli in Haines Junction. That’s a must-visit spot for great breakfast and lunch eats, and we always make it a point to visit it when we’re in the area.
Day 2: Kathleen River, Yukon to Slana, Alaska
7h | 593km
We left Haines Junction a little later than expected because we took a quick detour to the Da Kų Cultural Centre to get some information and take in their excellent travelling exhibition of indigenous regalia created by local students!
Driving on the Alaska Highway through the beautiful vistas of Yukon is always breathtaking. The three hours through Yukon never seems so long as you are drawn by the beauty of the sub-arctic tundra that spans for kms and kms for as far as the eye can see.
Crossing the border at Beaver Creek, we continued our journey through the state of Alaska to the town of Tok, where we had dinner at Fast Eddy’s Restaurant, which was recommended to us from the tourist desk at Tok.

Rather than stay in Tok, we decided to drive as far as we could before it got too late. We made it all the way to Slana and parked our vehicle on the side of the road, overlooking the beautiful St. Elias National Park. The added bonus was we were blessed with semi-clear skies at night, letting us see the beautiful northern lights after midnight.
Day 3: Slana to Anchorage
4h 30min. | 410km
Taking the Glenn Highway from Slana to Anchorage, we arrived on a very overcast and rainy day. Despite the weather, the vast landscape that is Alaska amazed us at every turn. The mountain ranges—or what we saw of them—and the sub-arctic tundra that were at their peak stretched for miles, letting us forget we were on hours-long drives.



That’s the beauty (pun intended!) of driving in these destinations—we often forget the long hours of driving as we’re constantly bombarded with eye-candy that distracts us from what would normally be a strenuous drive.
On our way to Anchorage there were spectacular views of mountain ranges, rivers and streams, and even glaciers that you can view, making the drive much longer than you think it will take. Be warned!


We slept at Walmart! RVers know that Walmart—among other big-box retailers—often allow RVs to park in their parking lot overnight, so we took full advantage of this in Anchorage.
Day 4: Anchorage to Trapper Creek
5h 27min. | 488km
The next morning we grabbed some breakfast at House of Bread, only to find the must-go-to destination in all of Anchorage: Taku Lake! I did not know about this until that very morning so it was a pleasant surprise to see this so close to where we were. Nothing like finding a lake named after you—especially a name like Taku!


Portage Glacier
When deciding on an itinerary at CanaDream, the staff member there told us that we MUST go see the glaciers if we’re going to Anchorage. And so we did! There’s a few things to note here though:
If you have the time, you should spend the half day or full day and do one of the tours that depart from Whittier. The cruises there are much longer and take you out into the fjords for more majestic views of Alaska.

If you are short on time, then you can do what we did and head to Portage Glacier Cruises (about 20minutes closer to Anchorage than Whittier), which is an economical and time-saving cruise that lasts for about an hour. This hour is packed with great glacier information, and it takes you up and close to Portage Glacier, which alone is spectacular to see in person—especially so close. At the very least, do this one!




The drive south from Anchorage to Portage takes you through the winding roads of Seward Highway, which is quite spectacular on its own. From glacier spotting to even dolphins jumping out of the waters you’re always on the lookout. There’s no shortages of activities for you—if the gorgeous views weren’t enough!
In the afternoon we took the road and headed as far north as we could that day, which turned out to be in Trapper Creek. The RV campsite right by a gas station proved to be a much needed break with a hot shower and ability to replenish our drinking water tank.
Day 5: Trapper Creek to Denali National Park and Preserve
1h 50min. | 196km
The next morning we continued north on the Parks Highway, stopping along the way to a tourist destination within Denali State Park—not to be confused with Denali National Park.



By the time we arrived at Denali National Park, the office was closed, so we walked around and admired the awesome view just from the grounds alone. We left the park and headed up the Parks Highway for a few minutes to take in the sights from this small town, eat dinner, and find somewhere to sleep for the night.


We ended up at one of the rest areas along the side of the road where we settled hoping to see any showings of the northern lights. We did, but they were well above the clouds so it wasn’t the best of showings.

Day 6: Denali National Park and Reserve
We dedicated this day to spending it at Denali National Park and Preserve. We were so fortunate to do so as it was one of the very few days we had the sun actually shining in the sky. And with the fall foliage at its peak, we couldn’t have asked for a better day to absorb the incredible views of Denali. A few things to note here:
- As of 2022, public vehicles are only allowed as far as mile 13 along the interior road of the park.
- If you want to go further, you need to book a camp site at one of the few camp grounds they have. You can then drive through the park to your camp site.
- Otherwise, you can take the tundra wilderness tour (USD$128; includes park entrance fee), which will take you to about mile 43. It covers a good stretch of the park, lets you see unbelievable landscapes and plenty of opportunities to see wildlife like bears, sheep, and more.
We did options one and three above and it did not disappoint! It is a little expensive but it does take you to mile 43 where you would otherwise not be able to go to.
Tundra Wilderness Tour
Approx. 5 hours | 43 miles | USD$128—includes $15 park entrance fee | Tan-coloured school bus
The bus driver is also a guide and explains various portions of the park as we drive by them. There are a few stops along the way for bathroom breaks, scenery viewing and photo taking opportunities, and the bus will stop at any wildlife sighting near or far. At one point the driver saw some Dall sheep chilling on the mountainside very far away. He told us to fold down the small monitors located above some of our seats, at which point the monitors showed what he was looking at through his high-powered telescope. A great moment for those that didn’t have long telephoto lenses on their cameras—which were most of the patrons.
We later found out that with our park admission, we were allowed to go to mile 13 and stay at the parking lot overnight. The location, just beyond the Savage River campground, had a stunning display of autumn colours that we couldn’t believe was a perfect place to camp for the night.
Making our drive back through the park to Mile 13 (this time in our RV), the light was getting dimmer as the sun was slowly setting. This only meant the wildlife became more active and the roads a little more congested as vehicles stopped on the side at any sighting of wildlife. When one person stops the car and gets out to view something far away, we all end up following in his/her footsteps eventually blocking the road! It delayed our journey back to mile 13, but also made it that much more enjoyable to view wildlife, like a family of moose grazing in the grasslands!

Day 7: Denali to North Pole via Fairbanks
2h 20min. | 182km
After spending the morning at Denali, we ventured off to our next destination of Fairbanks. We really didn’t know what to expect of Fairbanks as it was always touted as one of the better places to see the northern lights in Alaska—but naturally, it was overcast the day we arrived.
We spent a very short time driving around Fairbanks only to go further beyond to North Pole, where we stayed overnight at a campsite. It was overcast so we only saw a glimpse of the northern lights further away from us. I did manage to capture this shot of the foreground island lit by LED lights from a house just across the riverbank. It complemented the northern lights in the back quite well I thought.
I tried a few photos with neighbouring trees too as I thought they looked quite nice lit up in the darkness.

Day 8: North Pole to Lakeview Park in Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge
4h 10min. | 395km + 45min. (90min. roundtrip) | 58km (116km roundtrip) detour at Delta Junction
This was a long day of driving—but we expected it to be as we needed to make our way back to Whitehorse, Yukon to drop off our RV. In my research, I kept reading the Richardson Highway was a spectacular drive that we should take, so even though it was a little out of the way, we decided to make a detour from Delta Junction, heading southbound on the Richardson Highway.

Naturally it was overcast weather so the fall foliage wasn’t as spectacular as it could have been but the vast mountain ranges and landscapes were plentiful to keep us busy. We had to eventually turn back the same route we came since continuing the route would take us further away from the border crossing, so we decided to stop after about 45min. of driving in the rain. The detour cost us an about an extra hour and a half of driving but we thoroughly enjoyed this part of Alaska as well.
It was about 10pm by the time we ended in Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge. In fact it was so late we weren’t even sure there would be a spot left at the camp site as it was based on a first-come first-served basis. I drove right down the slope to the campsite only to be confronted by pitch darkness. We had to get out of the RV and walk around the camp site to see if there was in fact an empty site. As luck would have it, there was one spot left and it was calling our name!

It was a perfect spot to end a full day of driving. The cherry on top was the beautiful display of the northern lights we saw that evening. It was a short display but nonetheless one of the stronger displays throughout our entire trip so we couldn’t have been more thankful.

Day 9: Lakeview Campground to Destruction Bay, Yukon
3h 25min. | 272km border crossing at Alcan Border/Beaver Creek
This stretch of driving is fairly plain in comparison to the rest of the trip. It brings you through long stretches of roads with trees on either sides. Crossing the border took a little longer than anticipated as we sat in line for a good two hours or so. Once we were back in Yukon, I immediately noticed a change in the landscape. While still epic in every way, the vastness wasn’t quite the same. By this time the fall colours had intensified in this area relative to when we were first there just a week prior.
We made it all the way to Destruction Bay where we had to stop as the winds were picking up and the sounds they were making were quite intense. We stopped at a rest area just outside of the limits of the town of Destruction Bay.
And then this happened…
As we were eating our dinner in the RV, we noticed an odd smell coming from below. We weren’t sure what it was but it smelled like something was burning. We let it go as there wasn’t anything we could do, but a short time later the carbon monoxide alarm went off in the RV! This was the first time this had happened to us so we weren’t sure what to make of all of this. As with any carbon monoxide alarm, once it goes off, your immediate thought should be to go to somewhere with fresh air. As luck would have it, that night an intense wind storm was passing through the area. I read the source of the wind storm—back in Alaska—winds were howling as more than 100 miles per hour. This didn’t work to our favour.
We cracked the window open ever so slightly to let in fresh air, and I left the back door open for a minute or two to help expel the inside air. The alarm never went on afterward but to be sure, we opted to sleep in the front driving part of the truck—which is separate from the back living area. This insured we were not breathing the same air as what was inside in the back.
It was a tough night with no heating, no laying down, and no blankets to keep us warm. But I wanted to ensure we actually woke up the next morning.
Through the heavy clouds I noticed a green glow as I took some photos from the driver side of the truck. Eventually the sun started to cast its warm glow behind the mountain range, producing some wonderful hues in the sky. As I couldn’t sleep, I continued to take some more photos from indoors—shielding myself from all the wind.
Once 7 o’clock rolled around we drove off to the gas station/motel/restaurant of Destruction Bay to warm up and have a good bite to eat. As we were the only ones there we chatted with the owners who told us they had recently bought the entire operations (in 2020 I believe). They were originally from the Toronto area—of all the places!

Day 10: Destruction Bay to Fish Lake
3h 27min. | 279km
This was an exciting drive as we unexpectedly drove right through a sand storm. It was my first time witnessing such an event that I was a little unprepared for it.
We stopped by The Thechàl Dhâl Visitor Centre as we always do in this area. If you look up at the mountainside you will see a group of Dall sheep that are always fascinating to watch as they defy gravity and traverse over the rockiest of terrains.
As I was photographing the surrounding area, I noticed the wind picking up drastically as it violently whipped the nearby sandy surface. It wasn’t too long before I realized the small sand particles were flying all around me. I quickly got back to my RV as it started to rock back and forth from the wind.
We stayed in the parking lot for a while seeing if the wind would pass by. I captured some vehicles driving right through the storm. After some time, the wind didn’t seem like it was going to die down so we decided to just drive through it ourselves. What an adventure that was!
We had zero visibility while driving through it, but knowing the road was straight, we knew what was coming ahead of us. If an oncoming vehicle were to come at us in our lane however, there would be no time to stop or dodge it so that was a little daunting.
Once we passed the storm, all was back to normal. You could see the clear line defining the boundaries of the storm. This picture shows it all.

The rest of the drive through Yukon was filled with pure autumn beauty as the colours really started to show. Our destination was Fish Lake—just outside of Whitehorse. We thought this place would be a nice place to stay and perhaps even see the northern lights if luck was on our side.
And luck was on our side…well, sort of!

The night was yet again filled with the RV rocking back and forth with strong winds. I managed to capture some of the northern lights that appeared through the full moon of the evening.
Day 11: Fish Lake to Whitehorse, Yukon
41min. | 20km
We started the day eating breakfast by the lake. Now that’s priceless! Afterwards we headed over to the RV carwash to clean the vehicle as best as we could, then headed to the CanaDream HQ to return the vehicle.
What an adventure that was!

Have you done this similar itinerary? Are you planning doing something similar?
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions!