RV Touring in Alaska
Q. What do you think is the least expensive way to see the major attractions of Alaska by RV? -Mike
A. Hmmmm….well, let’s think about this one for a moment. Off the top of my great brain; which by the way, might not be at its peak today, I’d say that with the price of gas and the way I’ve heard RV’s guzzle it, you would want to not do a lot of backtracking to see things. So I’d probably stop at the visitor’s center for each area and ask them to help me map out what to see and do. We love our tourists and the visitor’s centers have a wealth of information.
Another thing you might consider is finding a cheap place to park. I know some people park overnight at the edge of a parking lot of our overnight groceries, such as Carrs Quality Food Centers, and even Wal-Mart sometimes. I don’t think it is necessarily ‘encouraged’, but I don’t believe it is banned.
A couple years or so ago, the Anchorage School District started a program of letting motorhomes park on school grounds, as a deterrent to vandaliism.They found just the presence of a motor home sitting there was enough to discourage those rascals who think it is fun to vandalize a school. You can get a permit from the school district for doing this. Then you use that as a base for your motorhome, going off on day trips in the car you’ve towed behind, or one you have rented, or at least just come back to that spot for overnight.
This program is call the Summer Host Program. They ask for a commitment of a month if possible, as you come and go from the Anchorage area. So you don’t have to just be there all the time. The parking is free, as is utilities for your RV. They provice power, water and even once a week holding tank pumping. It’s a pretty good deal. If you are interested, you can find out more about it by calling the Anchorage School District Security Office at (907) 348-5170. There are 40 some locations for this, and the season is from June 10th to September 5, 2006.
I’m not familiar with whether the Fairbanks School District has such a program, but think it’s possible. Hope this helps. Take care, -B. Jennings