Customer Reviews

Traveler's Guide to Alaskan Camping: Explore Alaska and the Yukon with RV or Tent (Traveler's Guide series)

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I found this book to be more informative than the Milepost, as it is better organized and shows campgrounds and facilities that are of interest to those people who are planning to camp with RV or tent.

The book shows all campgrounds in each section of road traveled and also describes activities that are available in the area. It is informative and clearly written with excellent directions for locating attractions. Though I have not been to Alaska yet, I did show this book to fellow travelers who have used the Milepost and it was met with enthusiastic response.

We recently completed a four-month motorhome trip to Alaska. We had several books with us, but the most consistent good information came from this book. The campground descriptions were right on. In addition to camping, when we had to decide whether to see one attraction vs another, the book's advice was invaluable. Don't leave home without it!

If I had bought this book first, I could have saved money on three others. Outstanding-- the only book you need to camp Alaska.

I purchased 5 different books for our upcoming first trip to Alaska. This book, along with The Milepost, will be the only two we'll take with us. Our copy of Traveler's Guide to Alaskan Camping is already dog-earred and marked up. It's an outstanding source of information. Information on campgounds and road quality have allowed us to plan our RV route, leaving room for flexibility while getting the most out of the trip. Even though from Aug, 2004, the guide to relative comparisons of gas prices will also be very helpful. For example - gas in GlenAllen is probably more expensive than in Tok.

If you are planning on a tent camping (as opposed to RV) trip to Alaska/Yukon, should you take this book?

Pros: Thorough listing a campgrounds. Infinitely better than AAA's worthless camp book for this region, and much more complete than any guidebook I've seen. More detail about the campgrounds than Milepost. The descriptions of campgrounds strongly suggest the authors have really seen them, which is kind of amazing given the size of the territory covered. In addition to covering Alaska and the Yukon in apparently complete detail, the primary access roads of North B.C. (the Alcan and the Cassiar) are covered as well.

Cons: Emphasis is clearly on RV's, not tents. A lot of space (it often seems like about half the text) is devoted to whether campgrounds have spaces large enough for RV's, whether they have hook-ups, whether an RV can handle the access road, etc. Subjective evaluations are not apparently based on any set scale, and the authors' criteria aren't explained. E.g., one small campground in the Cassiar is described as a "gem", a word that makes me think of a special destination; however, the campground they apply it to (one I know) is (in my opinion) a decent enough place to stop for a night, but hardly one to make a special effort to stay at. By contrast, the Yukon provincial campground just outside Dawson City (a true gem, in my opinion) is described as basically a bother, because of the (free, frequent) ferry across the river required to reach it. In short, I think relying on the authors' opinions could lead one to make poor choices of where to stay. Information of special interest to tenters -- the type of ground you'll be setting your tent up on -- is almost never mentioned.

The non-camping information is insufficient to replace a guidebook, but adds to the book's bulk. The book itself is physically large and heavy, a possible issue for those wanting to pack light. On the flip sode, for those wanting a sturdy book with large type, this fits the bill.

First-time visitors to the Yukon and north B.C. should know that they can get, on-line or at any provincial campground, official (and small!) brochures with considerable information about the provincial campground systems.

So what will I be taking on my next trip? -- (1) a AAA roadmap. (2) Milepost (not my favorite book but it packs a lot of information). (3) Campground/park brochures from my previous visit. I'll leave this book behind.

As I write this review, my husband and I are about a week and a half away from leaving on our 4-month expedition to Alaska. We are leaving in early June 2007 and expect to return to Texas by October 1, 2007. I bought this book in April 2007 and have looked at it extensively since I bought it. I'm pretty sure it will be at least as valuable to us as the Milepost will be, if not more so. It begins by answering many questions one may have about what kind of clothes to bring, what to expect at the border, how much money to bring, the best places to see wildlife, insects, laundry - you get the picture. It covers just about everything. It appears as though the authors have visited and rated every campground, private and government, and every place where it's legal to park your rig along the Highway. Directions to each campground are given according to its milepost marker and its GPS location. There are little pictures of each town and where each campground, store and point of interest is located. It describes the places not to miss along the way, as well as good places to fish. I only wish the authors had included all that information through Canada as well!

I'm pretty sure this guide will be well-worn by the time we get home. If you're planning to RV through Alaska, you need to get this book!

We bought several books to travel to Alaska in 2006. The milepost and this book were the only two we used. It is much easier to find a campground each night using this book over the milepost. The price information and personal recommendations were very helpful and accurate. I highly recomend it if you travel to alaska RV or camp in a tent.

We used this book daily on our 20 day trip to Alaska in 2006. Each day I would look to see what campgrounds/RV parks were located in the area we were coming into for the night. The ratings were very accurate and helpful. We were never disappointed. I wouldn't go to Alaska without this book if you are planning on camping!

I waited to review this book until our return from Alaska. I must say it was amazing! We were driving a 32' Winnebago Chalet from Great Alaskan Holidays (a good experience, I would like to add) and wanted to eliminate getting 'stuck' in tight spaces so we quickly learned to look for those warnings in the book. The campgrounds are described very accurately, the pricing info was reliable and the route descriptions and depictions are also reliable and organized. We also relied on The Milepost for general info on services and sights but for locating campgrounds, this book was invaluable! We RV with Foghorn's books on the west coast of the lower 48 and they are very good too!

My husband and I are planning our first trip to Alaska and had bought the Milepost that was highly recommended. It was great, but Alaskan Camping hits everything the camper needs to know. The information was timely,and we expect it to be extremely useful from what we've read so far. We love to travel and this has already helped in our planning process. You won't be sorry if you add it to your travel collection.