How to visit remote Alaska? It is a question that has plagued me since my arrival a year ago. On my first visit to Alaska, before actually living here, just travelling the roads felt remote. The reality, however, is that there are few roads in Alaska, and the majority of the landscape must be reached by air, river, or overland during winter. The logistics of river travel can be daunting: A point to point car shuttle requires both parties to travel each section of road 3 times (that's a lot of driving). Alternatively, one can be dropped off and picked up by a plane - an option I plan to use in the future, but one that for me at this time, felt to easy. I wanted to do it myself. Leave from my front yard and return under my own power. Travelling by bike with a lightweight packraft opens up a number of possibilities for loops, small and large, from Fairbanks. The route Fairbanks --> Eagle --> Circle --> Fairbanks had captivated me and I had to go.
The bike and kit are shown above. It was heavy but stable. The 4 inch tires were absolute overkill on the roads, but once I got onto the twisting dirt roads past Chicken, they seemed like a good choice. To get a bike with camping gear and packraft, paddle, PFD, etc. to behave while bombing downhill over loose gravel is no easy task. This image was taken at some ungodly hour (3am) while crossing the Tanana on the way to Tok. There was a heatwave, so I was doing the majority of my long day pedaling before noon.
The Taylor Highway on the way to Eagle was amazing. There is definitely some tourist / RV traffic on the top of the world highway between Dawson city and Chicken, but the Taylor was empty. I camped in campgrounds in Delta, Tok, and another past Chicken, though I can't remember the name. I ate a chicken burger in Chicken (of course) that was delicious. One of the things about traveling by bicycle is that in the hierarchy of the local, someone on a bicycle is a big step above "tourist". Everyone I met on this trip was really nice to me.
Above is a panoramic of the million-dollar view looking out over the Yukon from Eagle. I was so worked, and it was so hot, that I got a room in the hotel that night, showered, ate, pumped up my raft, hopped in it (for the first time) and was off! Down the Yukon at 5 mph, committed to making it to Circle or bust!
This packraft is the "mule" model, with extra room up front (says Alpaca) for a dog or (says me) for a bike. There were many fires at the time, so the sky was filled with smoke for most of the trip.
The best part of a bikerafting trip is the relaxation of sitting on the raft after all those days of pedaling. Getting off the bike saddle for a few days was like a "get out of jail free card". Classic Zak: mismatched socks.
I did some paddling as the wind picked up, and it was awkward. I learned rafts are more for floating and less for making forward progress.
A view from the River.
Here's the route. The red line is by bike, the blue line is by raft. 9 days total. 14 would be more civilized.
