Alaska 2028 Overview

As I have mentioned in other posts and videos, Alaska 2028 will be my motorcycle touring trip planned to start on June 23, 2028 and end on August 01, 2028 consisting of 11,781 planned miles.

The entire trip is planned to last 40 days including 7 days in Anchorage, AK family vacation where my wife (DeAndra) and son (Tristan) will fly up from Atlanta, GA and meet me in Anchorage.

I will camp for 13 nights, stay in hotels 18 nights, and 7 nights in an Airbnb in Anchorage, AK as part of the family vacation. There will be 4 two night stays during the trip.
– 2 nights in Coon Rapids, Minnesota – Short visit with my daughters and grandkids.
– 2 nights in Essex, Montana – Ride Glacier National Park / Train Nerd stuff & Laundry
– 2 nights in Fairbanks, Alaska – Motorcycle servicing and tires
– 2 nights in Kamloops, BC Canada – Motorcycle servicing and tires.

Full Loadout for Alaska (and other long distance tours)

I have been testing my Alaska loadout on Bruce (my ’25 Pan America 1250 Special) and have it complete. The bike is significantly heavier (about 120 pounds of stuff) but is the complete loadout to include clothing, tools, electronics, 6 Mountain house meals, riding gear, and camping gear). When hauling 2 gallons of water and emergency gasoline, this will add an additional 28.7 pounds to the load. I will create an updated packing list and video covering the “final” Alaska Loadout. I will be testing this configuration further during my Florida Loop 2026 – Motorcycle Touring Trip this coming April (4/11/2026 – 4/11/2026).

While this is still a heavy (Bike + packed gear) = about 787 pounds less water and extra gasoline, this is still 61 pounds less than Dexter (’05 HD Ultra Classic) wet not including the huge load I would pack onto Dexter (at least 1100 pounds). So, my total packed weight now is at least 300 pounds less than when I toured with Dexter (likely even more).

Test rides on Bruce with the full load were great with no issue in handling or ride, with the exception of stalling the bike when the engine was cold, resulting in a slow motion drop to the left side as I was engaged in a left turn. I have learned that this engine really needs to be warmed up properly before heading out. I have stalled it other times as well (no load) on a cold engine.

And of course, when testing mounting and dismounting techniques I dropped the bike on the right side while dismounting from the right side and my boot caught the seat. The good news is I was able to pick up the bike without too much effort with the full load on the bike. Of course, I would prefer not to drop the bike at all LOL. Also, I now mount and dismount from the left again doing a bunny hop to get my right leg through the seat (required when the bike has the full load).

Full Alaska Load Packed onto Bruce

Food Plan

I plan to get most of my food on the road to include bringing prepared food and food to cook to campsites (will probably be mostly prepared food for convenience) I am packing 6 Mountain House freeze dried meals as a backup when needed. I can replenish these if used in Fairbanks and/or Anchorage. Based on my research (and unlike the insanity of traveling during Covid) getting meals and food on the road should not be too much of a problem in most areas. Also by packing less food I am able to reduce the packed weight and space.

Alaska 2028 Planned Route

Alaska 2028 Part One

Day 1 – 404 Miles – Camp @ Tower Rock Campground – Tower Rock, Illinois
Day 2 – 456 Miles – Hotel @ Holiday Inn Express – Madison, Wisconsin
Day 3 & 4 – 261 Miles – Hotel @ Holiday Inn Express – Coon Rapids, Minnesota
Day 5 – 469 Miles – Camp @ Towner City Park Campground – Towner City, North Dakota
Day 6 – 461 Miles – Camp @ Hansen Family Campground – Havre, Montana
Day 7 – 212 Miles – Hotel @ Izaak Walton Inn – Essex, Montana
Day 8 – 188 Miles – Hotel @ Izaak Walton Inn – Essex, Montana (Ride Glacier National Park & Whitefish, MT)

On Day 9 I roll north into Canada from Essex, MT.

Alaska 2028 Part Two

Day 9 – 387 Miles – Camp @ Jarvis Bay Campground – Red Deer County, Alberta Canada
Day 10 – 424 Miles – Hotel @ Staybridge Suites – Dawson Creek, British Columbia Canada (Mile 0 of The Alaska Highway)
Day 11 – 432 Miles – Camp @ Strawberry Flats Campground – Muncho Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Day 12 – 331 Miles – Disperse Camp – Teslin, Yukon Canada
Day 13 – 406 Miles – Hotel @ Caribou Cabins – Tok, Alaska
Day 14 – 205 Miles – Hotel @ Best Western – Fairbanks, Alaska
Day 15 – Motorcycle Service Day – Hotel @ Best Western – Fairbanks, Alaska
Day 16 – 260 Miles – Camp @ Marion Creek Campground – Cold Foot, Alaska
Day 17 – 261 Miles – Hotel @ The Aurora Hotel – Dead Horse (Prudhoe Bay), Alaska
Day 18 – 260 Miles – Camp @ Marion Creek Campground – Cold Foot, Alaska
Day 19 – 261 Miles – Hotel @ Best Western – Fairbanks, Alaska
Day 20 – 360 Miles – Airbnb – Start of Family Vacation – Anchorage, Alaska
Days 21 – 26 – Alaska Family Vacation with DeAndra & Tristan

Alaska 2028 Part Three

Day 27 – 321 Miles – Hotel @ Caribou Cabins – Tok, Alaska
Day 28 – 499 Miles – Disperse Camp – Teslin, Yukon Canada
Day 29 – 339 Miles – Disperse Camp – Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, Canada (Weather Permitting)
Day 30 – 375 Miles – Camp @ Kitwanga Municipal Campground – Kitwanga, British Columbia Canada
Day 31 – 398 Miles – Camp @ Cariboo Place Campsite – Australian, British Columbia Canada
Day 32 – 228 Miles – Hotel @ Holiday Inn Express – Kamloops, British Columbia Canada
Day 33 – Motorcycle Service Day – Hotel @ Holiday Inn Express – Kamloops, British Columbia Canada

Alaska 2028 Part Four

Day 34 – 580 Miles – Hotel @ Holiday Inn Express – Missoula, Montana
Day 35 – 298 Miles – Camp @ Lava Flow Campground – Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho
Day 36 – 445 Miles – Hotel @ Holiday Inn Express – Green River, Utah
Day 37 – 484 Miles – Hotel @ Holiday Inn Express – Albuquerque, New Mexico (will travel through Colorado on US Highway 550 – Million Dollar Highway
Day 38 – 553 Miles – Hotel @ Holiday Inn Express – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Day 39 – 526 Miles – Hotel @ Holiday Inn Express – Memphis, Tennessee
Day 40 – 345 Miles – Home – Douglasville, Georgia……WHEW LOL

Some Interstate Highways

There will be a fair amount of Interstate riding on days 1-5, 34, 36, and 38-40. Because of the great distance of this trip and believe it or not, condensed (if you can call 40 days condensed) it is a necessity to chew on miles on the Interstate (AKA Mileage Disposal Units). The bright side is the states I will be traveling on Interstate, with exception of Arkansas, I have explored on previous touring trips. I do have an Ozarks touring trip planned in the future (after Alaska 2028) that will include Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri).

The vast majority of this trip will be on two lane highways, the way I like it 🙂 There will also be some gravel roads (mostly to Dead Horse, possible construction zones in Canada & Alaska, and to and from Telegraph Creek.

Telegraph Creek, British Columbia Canada – Weather Permitting

Description of Telegraph Creek via ChatGPT 🙂
Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, feels like the end of the road in the best possible way—a tiny, stubbornly historic community clinging to the edge of the Stikine River canyon in the far northwest of the province. Founded during the Cassiar Gold Rush and once a key link in the Yukon telegraph line, the town still wears its frontier roots proudly, with boardwalks, heritage buildings, and a pace of life that hasn’t bothered to hurry up for modern times. Surrounded by dramatic cliffs, endless wilderness, and skies that seem to go on forever, Telegraph Creek is less about checking boxes and more about soaking in the raw, untamed character of northern British Columbia. It’s the kind of place that reminds you how big the land is—and how small, and lucky, you are to be standing in it.

The gravel road to Telegraph Creek contains some pretty intimidating switch backs on 21% grades. The gravel, from what I have researched, can act like marbles on the road hard pack underneath the gravel, and that’s on a dry, good day. When rains have been prevalent, the road is nearly impassable, even for four wheel drive vehicles. Needless to say, that I will not attempt this road on a motorcycle if it has been raining or moderate to heavy rains are forecasted. I do not feel the need to test fate more than I already am on this trip. 🙂