How To Drive To Alaska (For Under $1,000)

If you’re looking to save money on your trip, there are some great ways to make the journey from the Lower 48 to Alaska for under $1,000. If I did it, then you can too. Sure, I roughed it a bit compared to some others, but the bulk of how I was able to drive to Alaska for under $1,000 came from the tips I will share with you below. When you learn about these tips, I promise that you’ll be itching to drive to Alaska and hit up the infamous Alaskan highway.

Aside from teaching you how to drive to Alaska for dirt cheap, I’ll also go over what you need to know about driving the routes. So bear with me, because this is going to be a beastly article. Skip to whichever sections are below on my guide to driving to Alaska.

How To Drive To Alaska For Less Than $1,000

Overall, my net cost was $999.64. This is relatively impressive as I went during one of the historically record high gas price years. I was able to do this by following the guidelines below.

1. Utilize Free Camping Resources

On the drive up to Alaska, and while I lived in the northern state, I rarely spent money on camping. If I did, it was usually just to fill up my water jugs and clean dishes easily.

What’s the best app, hands down for finding free campsites across the United States? I’ve used all, but the one I find to be both user-friendly and reliable is iOverlander.

I was able to locate free boondock campsites in very remote areas of Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and even British Columbia thanks to this app. Some of these locations were as luxurious as a Walmart parking lot, whereas others were just next to a world-famous hot spring.

Camping can be one of the most expensive parts of the scenic road trip, so please don’t be scared of boondocking.

Most nights, there were many other van lifers and campers staying for free next to me, and I managed to make some great friendships doing this!

2. Start Travel Hacking Using Credit Cards

My favorite trick was signing up for a credit card right before my departure to get a generous bonus for signing up after meeting the minimum spending requirement. I used this bonus to help myself feel better about spending $7.00 on gas (gallons, not liters) in some areas of Canada.

If you aren’t familiar with credit card travel hacking, it is a LEGAL process of utilizing credit cards in order to get free points that can allow you to get free flights, hotel stays, or cash back. It is something I’ve been doing for the last four years and has saved me thousands of dollars.

I highly recommend you do some research to learn more about this process, and how it can save you money on your trip to Alaska.

3. Use The Upside App

The Upside app is a great way to save money and make the most of your trip to Alaska. It allows you to compare prices across different gas stations and allows you to get cash back on many different pumps throughout your drive to Alaska.

This app only saved me a small amount of money, but it was really helpful when I arrived in Alaska, as it showed me the best places to fill up for cheap!

4. Stock A Cooler

I made most of my meals on my drive through British Columbia and up through the Yukon. There were places I stopped to eat, but most of the time I was making sandwiches and other simple meals from my cooler.

I recommend investing in a good cooler for your drive to Alaska, as it will help reduce costs for food and also allow you to make meals from your own ingredients.

5. Shop Before You Leave

Almost everything seemed more expensive in Canada and Alaska, so I tried really hard to stock up on nearly everything before I left. If I could fit it in my food bin, I probably took it.

I stocked up on things like snacks, spices, coffee, and other items that I knew would help me save money while on the road.

I also brought a small MSR camping stove and bought fuel before I left, so I could save money by cooking on the road instead of eating out. This was really helpful as I could easily make eggs and other hot meals while camping.

I chose the MSR white gas stove because of its versatility and ability to simmer foods to make better meals.

My Total Cost Of Driving To Alaska

Here is every single expense from my drive to Alaska, and this is from 2021 when gas prices were at a record high, and I was paying an average of $6.50 per gallon on my way through Canada…

Day One Cost:

• May 31st
• Campground: $38.50 (Cedar River Campground, Iowa)
• Gas: $71.31

Day Two Cost:

• June 1st
• Campground: Free (Badlands Boondocking)
• Gas: $84.44, 58.70
• Coffee: $1.92
• Random: (Walmart Fresh Produce, Chair, White Gas: $59.51)

Day Three Cost:

• June 2nd
• Campground: (Walmart, Laurel Montana, Was better free camping down the road)
• Gas: 118.63
• Random: 8.59- knife wall-drug

Day Four Cost:

• June 3rd
• Campground: (Free, 50,000 Silver Dollar Inn Campground)
• Gas: 52.82
• Random: 10.23 produce

Day Five Cost:

• June 4th
• Campground: (Mount Rainier National Park Campground)
• Gas: 131.95
• Random: 14.07 subway sandwich

Day Six Cost:

• June 5th
• Campground: (Larrabee State Park Campground)
• Gas:
• Random: 33.04 Celebratory cigars in Seattle, 10.52 parking,7.50 hotdogs, 4.42 Seattle stickers

Day Seven Cost:

• June 6th
• Campground: (Walmart Prince George’s)
• Gas: 114.2, 53.71
• Random: DQ 12.55

Day Eight Cost:

• June 7th
• Campground: (Mile 0 Campground, Dawson Creek BC)
• Gas: 81.34
• Random: 40.27 produce Walmart

Day Nine Cost:

• June 8th
• Campground: (27 cad Summit Lake Campground, BC)
• Gas: 154.06, 21.54
• Random: 7.29 Burger king

Day Ten Cost:

• June 9th
• Campground: (Liard Hot Springs Boondocking)
• Gas: 56.84
• Random: 5.83 hot springs, 5.50 wifi, 11.66 sandwiches,

Day Eleven Cost:

• June 10th
• Campground: 22.93 (Pioneer RV Park, Whitehorse)
• Gas: 94.87
• Random: 8.30 firewood

Day Twelve Cost:

• June 11th
• Campground: (Real Canadian Superstore, Whitehorse)
• Gas: 74.13
• Random: Beer 21.97, A&W 3.30, 8.30 sandwich

Day Thirteen Cost:

• June 12th
• Campground: (Dead-mans Lake Campground- Free)
• Gas: 57.64

Day Fourteen Cost:

• June 13th
• Campground: (Arrived In Willow)
• Gas: 128.71
• Random: 8.55 bread, pasta sauce

Total Cost: $1,699.64

Credit Card Bonus: +$700

Net Cost: $999.64

I kept my costs extremely low and was able to keep them under $1,000 with some careful planning. I went into it knowing that I wanted to make sure I was spending as little money as possible, so some of the tips below are reflective of how I cut costs.

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