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Jokulsarlon, Iceland



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  #1  
Old 7 Jul 2016
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Earliest time to travel to Alaska
Im looking to travel up to North Alaska in 2017 and then down to South America.

I am departing from Florida and would like to travel west to San Diego and then up the west coast to Pruehoe Bay and then head south through Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorado ect..

What would be the earliest time i would realistically want to get up to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska? Obviously if i want to get up there early i might not have the best weather but i also don't want to get there so early it is snowing or raining everyday.

I would like to get there early as i would still like to make it down and see as much of South America as i can in 2017 before my time runs out.

Any advice is appreciated!
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Old 7 Jul 2016
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I cannot comment on the weather in Alaska, however, I just finished a tour in June that took me up as far north as Dawson Creek, which is the start of the Alaska highway. That is where the two routes join together on the map you posted above.

The weather in early June (2nd week of June onwards) in Alberta - particularly in central to northern Alberta, and in northern British Columbia - was just perfect for touring, between 15° and 20°C each day.

Early June also offers two other significant advantages: 1) The kids are still in school, so 'vacation season' has not yet begun, you don't have to worry about highway congestion or getting a room in a hotel/motel; and, 2) you are very close to the summer equinox on June 21, and will enjoy about 18 to 20 hours of daylight every day once you get up around Edmonton and points north of there.

I saw an awful lot of riders - especially Harley riders - on the road through Dawson Creek, all headed up to Alaska. Hence I suspect the weather would be just fine anytime after the first week of June.

Michael
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Old 7 Jul 2016
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Leigh:

Just a post-script to what I wrote above: I suggest you change the order of your north-south routes to and from Alaska so that you do the northbound trip through the prairie states, and the southbound trip along the west coast.

Two reasons for this suggestion:

1) It gets fecking hot in the prairies during the summer. You can always put more clothes on if it is cool, but there is a limit to how much clothing you can remove when it gets really hot, and temperatures above 100° F are commonplace in the prairie states - and southern parts of the Canadian prairies - during late June, July, and August.

2) The west coast is prone to a lot of rain in May and June, but dries out in July and August. Temperatures along the west coast route are much lower during July and August than they are on the east side of the Rockies (the prairies) because the ocean moderates the temperature along the coast.

Michael
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Old 8 Jul 2016
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I've been up along the Alaska Highway as far north as Watson Lake, Yukon, then south along the Cassiar. I did this in mid-June. I had some days that were very warm and sunny, and some days where it rained heavily with lightning and thunder. I'm not sure I'd want to ride any earlier than that. The weather is really unpredictable that far north - you could get a little bit of everything.
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Old 28 Jul 2016
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Hi Leigh

We ventured up into Alaska and the Yukon in May and June this year. We got a lot of rain and some quite chilly days (we are Australian and definitely not used to day time temperatures being below 10 degrees centigrade), but we did manage to beat the tourists and the bug season! If you have the appropriate motorcycle clothing, it is a good time if you prefer to beat the tourists. Also, May in Alaska is still considered off season so prices can be a bit more negotiable. We weren't prepared for riding in the snow though and missed out on heading up the Dempster Highway to the Arctic Circle because our gear just wouldn't cut it for snow.

Hope this helps!
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Old 14 Aug 2016
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Travelled into Alaska mid may this year as far as Prudhoe Bay also visited Inuvick in Canadian Northern Territories. Some days were cold and often wet but that's part of the adventure. Now heading south to USA after stopping off at the Canwest Hubb meeting at Nakusp (BC) later this month.
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