Question:
Is there a bus system to get from Vancouver BC to Alaska? ?
travelingquestion
2009-01-03 13:51:16 UTC
I want to take a train or fly into Seattle, take a bus/train to Vancouver for a few days and then get to Wrangel or Ketchikan Alaska to take a Ferry system, not the AMH ferry system. Anyone know of a bus, rail or how far it is to drive from Vancouver or even Seattle? (If someone will let you rent a car to do that).
Thanks
Nine answers:
Michael C...
2009-01-03 17:04:51 UTC
"Hi".....As far as the Seattle/Vancouver portion of your trip goes , you have 4 choices !

You can rent a car !

You can travel by Bus...either Greyhound or Quick Shuttle !

You can travel by train on the Amtrak !

You can fly!

All of those options are easy enough to "Yahoo"



http://www.quickcoach.com/

http://www.amtrakcascades.com/





As regards the Vancouver to Ketchikan portion I would not attempt to drive at this time of the year and there is no "direct" Bus service "NOR" Train service which includes Via Rail !



Alaska Airlines is the choice you have and would be the cheapest actually and the fastest !



Hope that helps ya ! *S* (Michael C...)

***********************************************************

EDIT...I note that "felix" aka as "PURR"...has once again given one of his/her flippant answers to the askers serious question ( and he/she sends very nasty E Mails too)!
Pagan Dan
2009-01-04 09:28:50 UTC
Your best bet is to go from Vancouver to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. You can travel by rail to Courtenay (about halfway to the north end of the island) or drive or bus all the way to Port Hardy. There is a BC Ferry Corporation Ferry from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert, then Alaska State Ferry from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan. You cannot get to Ketchikan by road. To go by road, even if you could, is incredibly distant, uncomfortable, and expensive. Don't forget meals and lodging--not just gas.



In any case, many Canadian car rental companies do not let you drive a rented car into another province or territory, let alone across an international boundary.
Mark S
2009-01-04 08:50:44 UTC
Some of the other answers may provide you with some challenges.



Most important is that Wrangell and Ketchikan are only accessible by air or by Alaska Marine Hwy System. Either way you are looking at Prince Rupert in BC (or Seattle itself) as your jump-off.



Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver is a smart choice. It is 933 more miles to Prince Rupert, so you may not wish to rent a car.



You can take BC Rail Vancouver/Prince George and connect to VIA on to Prince Rupert, OR you can Greyhound it.



Once in Rupert you can suss out small private-but-scheduled air carriers, OR you could skip BC and fly Air Alaska from Seattle, or you can take the Alaska State Ferry either from Seattle/Bellingham or from Rupert -- I have taken it often and have always enjoyed it.



Based on the Winter schedules, you can have a nice week -- 5.25 hours to Ketchikan, 3 nts there, then 6 hours to Wrangell, 3 nts there and the return from Wrangell to Rupert, 15 hours overnight. Total fare is $169 USD though you may wish to add a cabin for the final leg. If you are thinking of summer, the schedule is much more frequent but book it NOW and be sure to lock hotel space.



DO NOT take a bus to Whitehorse (where I live) -- we'd love to see you, but we're about a thousand miles north of where you want to go -- and in any event, as Badger correctly said, AlaskaDirect does not serve Southeast AK. And there is no rail service between Vancouver and Anchorage, not yet anyway (we're workin' on it!)



You have to understand that 'The PanHandle' is a long way from the 'rest of Alaska' and there is not much at all in way of connection between the two.



That all said -- these two AK communities are hard to reach but WELL worth the time and effort (consider Sitka as another worthwhile jewel while you're there).



Good luck with your travels!
badger123ca
2009-01-03 17:22:01 UTC
You could go by bus from Vancouver to Alaska, using Greyhound to Whitehorse and then Alaska Direct from Whitehorse. Alaska Direct does not serve either Wrangel or Ketchikan. It would be much easier to fly or take the Greyhound to Prince Rupert BC and then join the Alaska Maritime Highway System there.
?
2016-10-20 09:50:17 UTC
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pretto
2016-09-28 05:10:00 UTC
Ketchikan Bus Schedule
2009-01-03 20:23:08 UTC
There is a ferry that goes to Vancouver Island from Seattle.

You could stay on the island for a day and then take the ferry to the mainland and take the train from Vancouver to Anchorage.

Viarail. They should have a website.
2009-01-03 14:58:04 UTC
Ask Sarah Palin!
C
2009-01-03 14:20:42 UTC
I heard there was a train...


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