Yukon RV Parks and Campgrounds
Driving the Alaska Highway for the first time is all too often preempted by false impressions of an extremely remote and desolate region with few amenities and very limited services, well, in some cases that just about sums it up pretty good. That said there are still some things we want to clear up really early in your planning stages as there are a lot of different opinions as to what constitutes minimum services and or necessary services for RV's and campers too.
First understand this, Minimal Services WILL BE ENCOUNTERED, let me stress this point one more time, Yes, there are areas of the Alaska Highway where the services for camping, especially in today's large motorcoaches, will be less than what you might be use to in the continental U.S.A. Don't let this discourage you as it actually becomes one of the most remembered aspects of driving this historic road to the Last Frontier. Think of it this way; you are about to become one with history.
Here are the basics that one must understand before setting out on the quest of tackling this first-class road adventure all too many will only read about. The Alaska Highway, ALCAN for short, has a special place in history that you can relive in a timeless vacation over a surprisingly modern roadway system.
First off, 50 amp electrical service is "Limited At Best"! Sure you will find it in the early days of driving in B.C. and also in the larger cities like Fort Nelson, Watson Lake and Whitehorse Yukon but as you stretch out beyond these cities and into the more desolate wilderness reaches of this vast region, finding 50 amp services will be few and far between.
30 Amp electrical service is more common but even this is not always available in all of the Yukon RV Parks; and seldom if ever in the Alaska Highway government campgrounds. Expect to find more 15 and 20 amp electrical service the further north you go and be sure to bring the proper adaptors with you too.
While fresh potable water is available in most RV parks and water hookups at the campsites are pretty common, sewage hookups are not always available but the RV parks always have an RV dump for when your holding tanks start getting full. A minor inconvenience but nothing that should be of a major problem as long as you're aware in advance. And a little bit about holding tanks, typically I never like them to get to full during the northern most part of this drive nor while on the Cassiar or Top Of The World Highways. Keeping them light helps when driving the rougher sections of the road and limits damage to tires and such. I like to keep my gas tank no less than ½ full and my holding tanks including fresh water no more than ½ full to keep weight down. Typically we're loaded pretty heavy for this trip and this has helped keep us on the road and out of the repair shops.
Paved surfaces in campgrounds is also rare. Most RV Parks are pretty level and have a very solid surface, typically crushed gravel, to park on. Our jacks have never had a problem with sinking in any of the RV parks but this is not exactly the case in the campgrounds especially during or after a good rain. If we use the jacks in the campgrounds we often times will put down a 10x10 inch pad to support the jacks on. This is rare but if it's raining it's been a way to keep the rig level through the night.
Generators are great accessories for this trip and something I would not want to be without. With the 6KW built in we can power anything on the rig without problems but we also carry a small Honda EU1000i that we deploy to power the lights, TV's and computers while staying quite stealthy at the same time. Running at a whisper quiet 53dB, very few campers around us will ever know it's running. At 29 pounds and using only ½ gallon of fuel every 4 and 8 hours of run time, depending upon the load, it helps conserve that precious $7.00 per gallon gas in the northern Yukon. Yukon Campgrounds have a quiet time just like most campgrounds elsewhere. The Yukon RV Parks also enforce a generator curfew so charge up those batteries in the daytime and prepare for a silent night under a sky full of brilliant stars. (If you're looking around at the right time you might even get to witness a show from the Northern Lights while you're here.) The Honda EU2000i is only slightly larger yet retains very similar specs to the smaller EU1000i.
Yukon RV Parks
Opportunity awaits those who are willing to do a little extra research into the numerous RV park options in Canada's Amazing Yukon Territory. If you have the time, take a day trip off the beaten path and check out some of the unspoiled wonders like Carmacks, Stewart Crossing, Keno and a couple of my all time favorites, Atlin, B.C. and Carcross, Yukon; both offer services for RV's with Carcross even offering a few 50 amp serviced sites at Montana Services RV Park along the main road leading to Skagway Alaska.
Yukon Campgrounds
One thing about camping in the local and provincial campgrounds of the Yukon. Folks here like their quiet so keep the large generators off when not absolutely necessary and if you plan on utilizing these campgrounds, think about investing in a little ultra quiet Honda generator like the EU1000i or the larger Honda EU2000i; both run super quiet at around 53 decibels.
Yukon Glamping
Experience
the best of the Northern Outdoors without forgoing the creature comforts you can’t live without.
In order to really accomplish this, we wanted to stay in some older period style vintage campers,
military style barracks, log cabins, wall tents, yurts, and those historic roadhouses too. Well
we were able to accomplish most of this in one very interesting Yukon
RV Park. Discovery
Yukon Lodgings is just about the most amazing campground, no, lets call it a Historical
Resort as there are so many artifacts from the construction days of the Alaska Highway one actually
begins to feel apart of the history by actually seeing and touching real artifacts from those
challenging days. Choose your level of comfort in the wall tents, barracks, log cabins or campsites.
This is one of the best RV parks, if not the most recommended of all historical experiences
you will encounter on your entire trip. Reservations are highly recommended as this has become
the most sought after camping experience of this entire drive. Discovery
Yukon Lodgings is the one Yukon RV Park you just don't want to miss.