Touring - Yukon & Alaska - road conditions

Have any of you done any touring in the Yukon and/or Alaska? If so, what are the roads like? Most importantly, are there paved roads?

I know that if you drive straight north from where I live, you'll reach the NWT border, and the road turns to a sort of gravel I'm not sure I'd want to cycle on even if I had a mtn bike (or at least that's what it was like several years ago). But I'm not sure about the Alaska Highway, for example. Or the Juneau area.

Thanks!

Have any of you done any touring in the Yukon and/or Alaska? If so, what are the roads like? Most importantly, are there paved roads?

I know that if you drive straight north from where I live, you'll reach the NWT border, and the road turns to a sort of gravel I'm not sure I'd want to cycle on even if I had a mtn bike (or at least that's what it was like several years ago). But I'm not sure about the Alaska Highway, for example. Or the Juneau area.

Thanks!

Yes, there are paved roads. Not too far from the Juneau area, I did a loop from Haines to Skagway (http://www.mvermeulen.com/klondike). One of the more beautiful ~400 mile loops I've done.

When I did the Alaska Highway, there were occasional "gravel patches", some 10s of miles long, but in principle it was all paved. Again, pretty straightforward to ride (http://www.mvermeulen.com/canada/)

I've ridden two interesting longer gravel roads. The first was the Dempster Highway in the Yukon/NWT to Inuvik (http://www.mvermeulen.com/yukon.html) the other was the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay (http://www.mvermeulen.com/dalton/index.html) both had some rough spots but were quite reasonable as gravel roads go.

One good source to go in much more detail is The MilePost (browse a copy in local book store or look online). It gives quite detailed descriptions of major roads in Alaska/NWT including what is gravel/paved and detailed service descriptions.

Actually, I toured the NWT in 2001. The paved road goes went all the way to Hay River then.
Paved road is supposed to continue all the way to Yellowknife. It was almost all done in 2001.

Hwy 1 is pretty good hardpack to Fort Simpson. There are shelter cabins every 40 km or so with woodstoves and wood - but the doors don't close so you can't really keep the mosquitoes and black flies out. BTW - the black flies congregate in the thousands - you just get used to them. The stretch of road north of Fort Simpson to Wrigley is (or was) truly lousy. Pure mashed potatoes. No real road bed - just a layer of gravel over the permafrost. The road south from Fort Simpson to BC is in between - although they were making major improvements to it - so I suspect it is now closer to the hardpack east of Fort Simpson.

The NWT has truly amazing waterfalls - incredible power in a perfectly natural state. Some of them feel as big as Niagara. The territorial parks are quite nice. Warning - all of the communities tend to be 10 to 25 km off the main route. Plan to detour for supplies or civilization. Also, prices are pricey and selection is limited. The NWT is big time empty - lots of boreal forest - limited vistas. But I truly enjoyed it.

As for Yukon and Alaska - there are a limited number of paved roads - most of which have moderate concentrations of summer traffic. I actually encounter less traffic on back roads in Alberta and Montana. The Alaska Highway is the main thoroughfare - it used to wind among the hills and forests but it was recently reconstructed. In the Canadian section, but the U.S. section too, there are wide clearcuts and a runway straight road. There are plenty of services; however, the old roadhouses every 25 miles are struggling. A large portion of summer tourist traffic is now in RVs and they don't stop to eat in cafes or to sleep in cabins. I try to stop at every one - even if just to get a cinnamon roll. Google "Bell's Alaska Guide" for a detailed online guide to all northern highways.

Juneau and southeastern Alaska are much rainier than the interior, but there are some wonderful areas. If you ride out the Yellowhead Highway to Prince Rupert, you can take the Alaska Marine Highway ferry all the way up to Haines or Skagway - stopping at island communities along the way. I like Wrangell and Petersburg because the big cruise ships don't stop there. Camping is tough to come by around Juneau and motels are a fortune. There are nice hostels in quite a few SE Alaska towns. Haines has the most unbelievable hiker/biker campsite right on the water with views of the glaciers.

I much prefer the Haines Highway from Haines to Kluane than the Klondike from Skagway to Whitehorse. There is a wonderful little free green cabin in the tundra at Nadahini. Because the border closes at night, you will be totally alone. The views along the highway are super. Lake Katherine in Kluane NP is a must. I've done both the Alaska and Klondike Highways in the Yukon. The Klondike is rather unspectacular north of Whitehorse. Dawson City is kinda nice, but the Alaska Highway follows the more spectacular mountains in the south.

And as for interior Alaska - what can I say? If you have the time and a mountain bike - I would definitely recommend the Denali Highway from Paxson to Denali NP and the Denali Park Road to Wonder Lake. The Glenn Highway to Anchorage is more scenic than the Alaska Highway to Delta and Fairbanks. Another popular option is to cut south to Valdez and take the ferry across Prince William Sound. Stunning!! Then - do not overlook heading out to the Kenai Peninsula to Homer. The views from Ninilchik across Cook Inlet to the volcanoes on the other side are incredible. And Homer is the official "End of the Road".

It's been a few years now, but the Haines-SKagway loop is very pretty, with great touring potential. I'd question South East in general for a road bike tour. Too few roads, too much rain. Are you thinking of going as far as the Anchorage area?