LA, Denver, Alaska, Inuvik and back - 5 months with a Land Cruiser FZJ80 (Pictures!)

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I finally made it into Canada and drove along the beautiful and well maintained Icefield Parkway. I visited famous Lake Louise and Lake Moraine. Lake Moraine was absolutely beautiful but packed with tourists. I walked along the shore of the lake and fortunately, no tourists anymore. It was almost dawn and I took some nice pictures of the lake.
I went for a nice campground along the Icefield Parkway and after dinner, I started to drag the pictures from the camera to my laptop. Long story short, my camera or SD car froze and all pictures of the day were gone.. Time for bed.
It was freezing cold during the night and I didn't get much sleep. Still upset because of the loss of my pictures and the cold night, I drove off right after sunset. "It would be really cool to finally see a bear" I said to myself, drove around the next corner and guess what? Yep, saw my first wild bear walking totally relaxed along the side of the road. That was exciting and I felt so much better!

Icefield Parkway was amazing. Wildlife, Lakes and beautiful mountains around you all the time.

I drove along some side roads off Icefield Parkway and run into my second bear.

I did stop in Banff, nice town, but it was just too crowded and I didn't spend much time there.

 

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Next stop was Prince George and further West to the small Alaskan town Hyder. There's only one road into Hyder and it's also a dead end road. It's considered a ghost town but some people still live there and it has a souvenir shop. cute little town.

The view back to the Canadian border.

From Hyder leads a gravel road up to the mountains towards the Salmon Glacier, wich is back in Canada. I assume this might be the only US border crossing on a road with no border patrol.

Making my way up to the lookout point.

The glacier itself is huge!
There was an older gentleman camping in a tent at the lookout point. He was selling books and said he was payed by the city to keep an eye at the lookout point and keep everything clean. I've no idea if that was true.

It was surprisingly warm up there and I kept following the road a bit to find a nice spot for the night. I didn't get very far though due a massive snow bank covering the road. I drove into the snow for a couple meters and it was quite deep. I din't want to risk it, turned around and spent the night down in Stewart at the campground.

I left Stewart the other day, but not without making my third bear encounter. This little fella crossed the road right in front of me, completely ignoring me and my truck.

Heavy downpours during the whole day..

It was right before Prince Rupert when I saw the sun for the first time during the last couple days.

I found a very nice campground in Port Edward, right next to Prince Rupert. I was chatting with the owner/host while a guy with a semi truck and 5th wheeler arrived. There was a short, steep access road with loose gravel and after several attempts, he finally made it to his spot.

 

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I had to get up early the next day to wait in line for the ferry wich brought me to Ketchikan, Alaska.
I run into a cruiserhead with a nice 60 series Land Cruiser V8 conversion. He was on a road trip with his daughter. Of course I forgot his name..
And into the ferry I went.

Apparently, big RV's are a thing up in the North.
Keep in mind that you pay for the ferry by height, length and width of your vehicle. My Land Cruiser was just slightly below overheight and I already received a pricey ferry ticket.

For me as an European, that thing was freaking 'UUGE!

I didn't see much during the cruise. The weather was foggy and cloudy. I quickly arrived in Ketchikan, walked around a bit and left the town to search for a campground.

I found a nice spot and immediately felt like in a rainforest.The campground itself was almost empty.

I'm so, so glad I bought one of those instant mosquito shelters. It definitely saved me from million itchy bites.

It was time board the next ferry on the other day. This time I stayed for almost two days and one night on the ferry from Ketchikan all the way up to Haines.
I knew that it was ok to set up a tent on the vessel and some people actually do that. I although payed for a bed in a two person cabin for the cruise. It wasn't much more as the ferry fee itself and I'm glad I did. No one else showed up and I had the cabin for myself.

They have a heated outdoor deck on the vessel! They installed several heat lamps on the ceiling. I felt like on a chicken farm but it sure helped.

We stopped in Wrangell wich looked very nice. Seems like a small, quiet town. I like that.

The view from my cabin. Trees, trees, little cabin, trees trees, I loved it!

Quick stop in Petersburg.

 

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Even though the sun was out during the cruise, it was super cold.

The sun didn't set all the way down and it was an amazing, unique mood with beautiful light.

It was absolutely beautiful out on the deck but I was also happy to be back to my warm cabin and getting a good night of sleep.
I woke up the next morning to a guy slamming on my door and screaming " NEXT STOP HAAAAINES"! Guess that's my stop then, good service though.

I didn't spend much time in Haines and North-West I went along the Haines Highway.

The road conditions changed from smooth tarmac, gravel, construction zone and back to tarmac. I waited at least 30 minutes for my privat escort.

I crossed the border again and was back in Canada. I came across this gas station with a Swiss flag hanging over the door. Fun fact: The lady behind the counter told me her husband comes from Switzerland, he grew up right next to my hometown.

Aand back to Alaska!

The air and sky has constantly been covered with a mix of haze from nearby wildfires and fog. The closer I came to Tok the worse it got.

Sometimes the sun came through the haze. Very unique, almost surreal lights and skye was the result of it. It was amazing.

 

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I spent the night somewhere in a parking lot along Tok Highway. This big rig from Switzerland was already staying there. I took my camera, walked to the side of the truck, saw the dude through the window, I waved, he smiled a bit and closed the blinds.

I woke up the next morning, or better said I didn't even know if it was the same day or the next day. It didn't get dark and I already completely lost my feeling for day and night. I usually drove, ate, and slept when I was tired somewhere next to the road on one of the many parking lots or gravel pits.
I stayed on the Tok Highway and drove down to Palmer.

I made it to Palmer and drove over Hatcher Pass. I didn't visit independence mine, it was either closed or too expensive, can't remember.

After Hatcher Pass I continued North direction Denali National Park.
One of the many gravel pits I used to get some sleep.

Heavy machinery along the road.

You can barely see it, but in the oncoming lane are several Motorbike riders. Poor guys got completely soaked by the water sprayer.

The closer I came to Denali NP the thicker the haze became again.

The haze at Denali NP was really bad. It was just pure silent outside, no birds, just nothing. I drove along the public park road till the gate and I couldn't see any mountains. I decided not to book a bus tour.

Instead I went for the Denali Highway, a dirt/gravel road through the wilderness with usually spectacular views of Denali itself. I didn't see the Denali once during my trip. But the drive was beautiful. There was still thick haze during the first miles.

Can you spot the moose swimming in the lake?

After a while the air cleaned up and it was sunny! I had the perfect weather during my drive on the Denali Highway. I later found out that I was super lucky, it has been one of the warmest, sunniest summer up North. On the downside though, Alaska and Northern Canada experienced one of its worst wildfire seasons.

Beautiful scenery everywhere.

The Alaskan pipeline.

And then again, the closer I came to Tok the thicker the haze got.

 

[Cent]

Nice! Didn't expect your thread to go on but I sure do hope you will find time to finish it. Great writing and pictures!

 

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Nice! Didn't expect your thread to go on but I sure do hope you will find time to finish it. Great writing and pictures!

Everyday life hit me hard as soon as I returned to Switzerland. Had to get a job, found one, moved to another canton into my first own apartment and started to work night shifts to save up more money for my next trip. And time just flies by..

Location CH? Schwiizer? :sombrero:
I just checked out your profile, hit me up if you need some first hand experience/advice to buy and register a vehicle in the US.

 

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200'000 miles and counting! No problems so far with my Land Cruiser. I did a couple oil changes so far (and refilled oil several times) and had the old, squeaking belts replaced.

The town of Chicken.

Inclusive wildlife

Big, old dredge.

I love old, crusty machinery.

A chicken in Chicken.

Along the Top of the World Highway, looking back to the Alaskan/Canadian border.

I loved the road, smooth gravel, beautiful scenery, no traffic, millions of trees and no sights of civilization.

On the ferry that brought me to Dawson City.

Dawson City was cool, a nice old town and I met several other travelers. Many Europeans stayed on the campground, coming back from the Dempster Highway or having some rest before tackling the last miles to the North. I refilled my fridge and gas tank and went off for the first stretch of the famous Dempster Highway. I've been on the road for about 30 minutes and it started to rain like never before. The downpour was so massive that parked in a turnout while the road started to fill up with water. That's gonna be interesting.

The heavy rain stopped after abut 30 minutes and I had time to install my super engineered headlight protectors. Bought at Home Depot.

Even though the weather and conditions were quite nasty, I absolutely loved the Dempster Highway!

 

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The river really had that strange kind of color. I assume it comes from the rocks along the river bed.

Still rainy and cloudy.

Mosquitos, the worst thing in the North that can really destroy your good mood. The only helpful thing I found are thick clothes, head net and gardening gloves! Forget the anti mosquito sprays, them beasts don't care!

I had a short rest at Eagle Plains. I ate an expensive sandwich with fries and thanks to fellow Swiss travelers, I had the password for the wifi

The Arctic Circle! And finally the weather cleared up a bit and I actually could see the surrounding.

Midnight. I just drove, took a nap when I felt tired and ate when I was hungry. It's strange having daylight 24 hours a day.

I've no idea what happened here, probably another Dempster Highway victim.

Again, wildfires in the area, thick haze and smelly smoke. I never saw the fire itself though.

 

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Northwest Territories! And still a mix of haze and fog in the air.

Some other travelers told me about a "crazy Japanese" guy riding along the Dempster Highway on a folding bicycle. I can't believe they were serious. A small, folding bicycle, tiny wheels with road tires, no spare wheel, a basket in the front and luggage strapped down to the rear. Just imagine how hard it has to be riding that bicycle hundert of miles on a gravel road. He said it was the only bike he could afford to buy and ship it by airplane. he slept in a tent during his trip, without a bear spray. I wanted to give him some water but he politely declined. I almost forced him taking two apples and a banana from me. That guy was truly inspiring and brave. I hope he made it safely back to Dawson City and continued on his unique adventure.

One of the small ferries along the highway.

I stopped in Fort McPherson for gas and bought one gallon of water. Life is expensive up in the North..

Aand I made it! Inuvik, the end of the Dempster Highway.

The town itself seemed like a ghost town. I didn't see any people in the streets, the supermarket was empty and the campground was quiet. I took a very nice and hot shower at the campground, slept for a bit and decided to hit the road again, back to Dawson City.
I stopped at the unique church.

And at the small lookout tower.

Waiting for the ferry.

And once again, it started to rain.

Rain, fog, clouds, haze..

The cruiser collecting a nasty mix of dust, dirt and mud.

 

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I've been a bit unfortunate with the weather and all the rain so far. The road conditions got worse and very slippery because of all the mud.

Back at the Arctic Circle.

And then, suddenly, the sun came out and the skye opened up! The weather completely changed within minutes.

The road conditions were still bad though, but it made driving way more interesting. I was sliding all over the road sometimes.

Sun and blue sky!

It's amazing what different the weather made. I finally could see my surrounding and damn was it beautiful!

 

[Cent]

Everyday life hit me hard as soon as I returned to Switzerland. Had to get a job, found one, moved to another canton into my first own apartment and started to work night shifts to save up more money for my next trip. And time just flies by..

Location CH? Schwiizer? :sombrero:
I just checked out your profile, hit me up if you need some first hand experience/advice to buy and register a vehicle in the US.

Thanks for carrying on! I know what you mean, life doesn't usually make travelling easy.

Jop, Schwiizer

Thank you for offering help, I will gladly contact you if further questions arise

 

[ExplorerTom]

Awesome trip.

 

[Fugly]

What a fantastic journey thanks for taking us along.....
Awesome photos as well as the country side you traveled thru....

Cheers Fugly

 

[george.echim]

Such nice photos ! Great trip