Bicycle Touring Alaska is like biking your manner by way of a National Geographic documentary. Loads of wildlife and scenic mountains overload the senses. The roads in Alaska are surprisingly good and current little issues to the biking traveler. It is like no different place in North America for bike touring.
In researching and writing this text I’ve cycled many routes and trails in Alaska and convey a few of that data and experience to this weblog submit. Enjoy.
Best Bike Touring & Bikepacking Routes in Alaska
Here are among the Best Bike Touring Routes and Bikepacking Routes in Alaska:
- Bicycle Touring Dalton Highway: The street to journey that leads over the Brooks Range to the arctic tundra. One of the nice journey biking routes on this planet.
- Bicycle Touring Denali National Park: Get to Denali National Park earlier than the park is open to the mass of vacationers and cycle by way of the wilderness alone. Great place for wildlife recognizing however a allow is required.
- Top of the World Hwy: This route travels between Alaska and Canada. Nice distant space biking with out being too distant.
- Ride the Bikepacking Routes of Devils Pass:Â Fancy a distant singletrack loop that takes in beautiful surroundings? This one is for folks with light-weight gear solely.
- Alaska to Patagonia: Alaska is a well-liked start line for cyclists eager to cycle the entire size of the Americas.
Money and Costs
Alaska might be costly nevertheless it doesn’t need to be. Camping is accessible nearly all over the place and there are a number of WarmShowers hosts prepared to assist out a poor touring bike owner. Food in distant areas could be a little dear however not too dangerous all issues thought-about. The surroundings and experiences make the journey greater than worthwhile.
Cycling Seasons in Alaska
June until September is the perfect time. Any earlier or later than this can be a gamble and doubtlessly not very snug. I cycled into Prudhoe Bay in early June and was blasted by chilly north-slope wind, it was not very snug.
Gear
Make positive you might be self-sufficient. Take all of your bike touring gear with you and be sure to have a great bike touring instrument package with spares. Make positive your touring bike is in good situation and you’ve got sufficient room in your bike panniers for every thing. Likewise, in case you are touring with a BikePacking Bike or Fat Bike, guarantee you might have sufficient room in your handlebar baggage, saddle baggage, and framebags for every thing.
Travel Insurance
Anyone touring within the USA ought to be conscious that their well being care system is just not set as much as serve the folks when they’re sick. It is ready up as a enterprise. If touring from abroad please think about medical health insurance.
A easy factor like a damaged leg might value round $15000. While the standard of well being care could be very excessive so are the prices for the funds traveler. Be warned, if you happen to use a journey insurance coverage firm you may be required to put on a helmet when biking otherwise you will not be coated within the case of an accident.
Dangers, Health and Safety
There are a number of risks to be overly involved about. Alaskans are a pleasant bunch of individuals however nature and wildlife can seem extra harmful than they are surely.
Most folks would think about Grizzly Bears to be essentially the most harmful animal in Alaska however locals will inform you to watch out for Moose. These massive clumsy animals are greater than a horse, heavier than a bear, and sooner than cyclists.
Some campgrounds in Alaska have bear-proof containers that can be utilized to retailer panniers. When wild tenting in Grizzly bear nation I normally put all my smelly objects into one pannier and place it within the bushes a minimum of 20 meters from my tent. This labored nicely for me and most different bicycle vacationers in Alaska.
Most folks will inform you to hold your meals in a tree. In a super world, that is nice, nonetheless, most of Alaska doesn’t have massive bushes. In locations with tall bushes, they’re normally not superb to hold meals from, particularly loaded bicycle panniers stuffed with meals and smelly stuff.
Smelly objects that ought to be saved away out of your tent embody:
- Food
- Toiletries
- Cooking range and gas
- towel
Maps and GPS
I used a mix of Google Maps, Bike Computer Maps for North America, and smartphone navigation apps
I purchased an affordable paper map from a fuel station to have a pleasant overview of the place the cities and providers have been positioned.
Food
With the exception of biking the Haul street, also called the Dalton Highway, meals is rarely too distant. Normally there is no such thing as a want to hold any greater than a few days meals.
Bike Touring Alaska Blog
Here is a listing of motorcycle touring blogs from a bicycle touring journey in Alaska:
Conclusion
Bike Touring Alaska is without doubt one of the world’s nice bike touring locations. Just be a bit ready and be sure to have all the suitable bike touring gear with you.