Are we there, yet?

What a lot of people don't realize when they start thinking about a trip to Alaska is that most residents of the Lower 48 will drive farther just getting to the start of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, than they will on the Alaska Highway itself.

The Alaska Highway is about 1,500 miles long if you measure from Dawson Creek all the way to Fairbanks. Only those who live in the Pacific Northwest have fewer miles than that to drive to reach Dawson Creek. Here's some examples of approximate distances to Dawson Creek using the shortest routes possible:

Seattle: 800 miles
San Francisco: 1,650 miles
Denver: 1,800 miles
Chicago: 2,050 miles
New York City: 2,900 miles.

Figure these numbers into your trek north and it quickly becomes evident that driving on the Alaska Highway itself is often a relatively small percentage of the trip.

Some years back, our son got married in Orlando, Florida. We drove down from Alaska. The distance from our driveway to where we parked in Orlando was 5,001 miles. We were in a bit of a hurry and got there in 10 days, including a two-day stop at my sister's house in Wisconsin. I don't really recommend doing it that fast unless some pressing need requires it. There is just too much to see and do between your home and Alaska.