Prius to Alaska on AlCan? Too Risky?

one of our PC members took his brand new Prius to the Yukon for a month last year and his only complaint was the roof mounted carrier box pulled the milage down. Other than that he had no problems. From 1992 to date you will find the road is all paved now. There might be small sections they are upgrading but for the most part it's a normal drive now. Do a google on Alaska Hiway road conditions and they'll tell you what all to expect.

 

Am sure some of the pics you could take would make the 06 PC calender not to mention Toyota's admiration. How about driving to Seattle in the Prius and renting a SUV or Tundra 4 door? 4 wheel drive and high clearance on the AH sounds appropriate.
Just an idea.

 

I think your under rating the Prius I know people who take Corvettes there.

 

If you will have enough room for everything that you will need, then the Prius will provide an excellent platform for your vacation. The 14 hour drives that I have done have left me feeling much better than the drives that I have made in large trucks and SUVs with those large cushy captains chairs.

The hatchback makes travelling very convenient. On our recent 1800 mile trip to the mountains we made a bed in the back so we could nap when not driving. This involves the risk of not using restraints so may not be acceptable to everyone, but in the wide open roads of north and west Texas, we accepted the risk. We would not try it in urban areas or other congested or sight limited areas. There were three of us on the trip with all our winter clothes for eight days and our snowboarding equipment. We were all comfortable and the fourteen hour drives passed quickly.

The Prius offers an excellent way to silently glide slowly down the road with the windows down. It is actually less intrusive to the experience than my motorcycles used to be.

On reliability, I would rather have the Prius than any other modern vehicle. Evan, if a computer module failed in your Expedition, your situation would have been no better than in the Prius. The fuel range is probably the best on the road or in the top three. The ability to have climate control without the engine running continuously makes it a great platform for watching wildlife out of the elements.

The list goes on. If clearance and road conditions don't preclude it's use, I'm sure that the Prius will provide many pleasant surprises on your trip.

 

How badly I want to take this trip. I will someday, but it will be by motorcycle. If I were you, I'd take the Prius. People do this drive in all manners of vehicles without issue. The only extra stuff I'd take would be a tire repair kit, and an air compressor, just in case you get a flat in the middle of BFE.

 

Personally I would go for it, but I already have some "unimproved road driving" with Tochatihu.

Bring two spares and a compressor, as already suggested. The cute little scissors jack may not be the best roadside choice. A tow strap for mud extraction, and hope the next car along is not a Corvette!

Have not driven there but if rocky or VERY uneven surfaces, you might plan for "catastrophic fluid loss". This means full refills of pure water for (either of the) coolant loops, engine oil, and T4 ATF (please confirm my memory here) for the twirly gears. Epoxy and a bit of tin can to cover the hole. An exhaust leak upstream of the last O2 sensor (which I believe follows the 3 way catalyst) might put that entire system in a foul mood. I believe there are heat curing tape bandages available for that?

If a suspension component or an ECU fails, you will indeed be in the hands of the nearest Toyota shop. Find out in advance which of them are near your intended route.

Some broken metal parts could be locally rewelded of course.

And if there is any room left, enough gear to manage an unplanned roadside overnight.

I hope that I have not talked you out of it...

DAS and Tochatihu, with only a couple of tiny underbody scratches fo far

 

Changing the tires is a very good suggestion Evan.

 

just talked to my brother in law in Whitehorse, Yukon and he has confirmed that the road is paved all the way.

 

Hi you guys..Does anyone know how the prius performs in the snow?..I'm really thinking seriously about getting one but still want to research a bit more...Any comments and or suggestions would be greatly appreciated...Ahhh Alaska..I've always wanted to go...Shelley :mrgreen:

 

i flew up to sterling ak and helped a friend drive his motorhome down in 2000. it aint no different than being in Montana or Nevada. its all paved and much much different then the first time i went up that route in 1968 when it consisted of a "small" 1300 mile gravel stretch

i say with the range on the Prius, its perfect for the trip. definitely would only do it in the summer time because you get into some high elevations where snow in the summer is possible. (it snowed briefly on the way down in 1970)