For nearly 40 years, the Alcan 5000 Rally has tested vehicles and competitors alike. Billed as one of the longest-distance road rallies in North America, the event happens every other year and features summer and winter iterations. My husband, Andy Lilienthal, and I are both automotive journalists and are participating in this year’s summer rally as Subaru of America’s factory team.

We’ll be rallying a 2022 Outback Wilderness over 10 days and 5,040 miles of challenging terrain in Canada’s remote countryside. Right out of the showroom, the Outback Wilderness is well suited to tackle adverse conditions, but we’re adding key aftermarket components to get it rally ready.

Writer Mercedes Lilienthal, a brunette woman with brown eyes and glasses, smiles while wearing a Ledlenser headlamp across her forehead.
Even in 100 F heat as the sun sets, Ledlenser® headlamps help shine the way as we ready the Outback Wilderness for competition. Photos: Mercedes Lilienthal
Andy Lilienthal is sitting on a pad in front of the Subaru Outback Wilderness in a driveway. He is installing a Rally Innovations light bar to the vehicle using a socket wrench.
Andy Lilienthal works to install the USA-made Rally Innovations light bar.

Alcan 5000 Rally Lowdown

This year’s Alcan 5000 Rally will take 27 vehicles and 17 adventure motorcycles from Washington state through British Columbia, Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories. The rally passes through towns like Quesnel, Telegraph Creek and as far north as Dawson City. After dipping into Skagway, Alaska, teams soldier on to Whitehorse, Fort Nelson and Yellowknife, finishing in Jasper, Alberta.

Check out the Alcan 5000 route!

Sections of the 2022 Alcan 5000 Rally will showcase dirt, gravel and tarmac roads. Approximately 30% is unpaved – the perfect test for the Outback Wilderness and its legendary all-wheel-drive system. 

Teams will endure long hours of driving and navigation on “transits” – up to 650-mile sections of travel between areas where the “rallying” part actually takes place. Each day also includes time-speed-distance (TSD) challenges.

TSD challenges are precision-based rather than “go-fast, go-hard” races. They’re typically held at or below posted speed limits on public roads. Teams are given a roadbook with detailed directions to follow. They need to stay on a specific route and drive precise speeds while finishing exactly on time. Each vehicle team has a driver and navigator, while motorcyclists manage it solo.

A Genuine Subaru Accessories Thule® roof basket holds four Maxtrax Mini recovery boards, a 5-gallon fuel can, and a Front Runner® Outfitters Wolf Pack Pro box.
A Genuine Subaru Accessories Thule® roof basket holds four Maxtrax Mini recovery boards, a 5-gallon fuel can and a Front Runner® Outfitters Wolf Pack Pro storage box. Photos: Mercedes Lilienthal
A spare tire is tied down in the trunk of the Outback Wilderness.
The Outback Wilderness offers a variety of tie-down points, easily securing a second spare tire and two Wolf Pack Pro storage boxes. Note: Each tie-down point has different load ratings; check your Owner’s Manual for specifics.

Subaru Outback Wilderness Qualifications

A stock Subaru Outback Wilderness is impressive. Factory features include an upgraded suspension system, beefy Yokohama® Geolandar® all-terrain tires, and 9.5 inches of ground clearance (more than a stock Toyota Tacoma and other adventure-related vehicles).

The Outback Wilderness also showcases a factory-supplied full-size matching spare tire, several interior tie-down points to secure cargo and a turbocharged 2.4-liter SUBARU BOXER® engine that produces a gutsy 260 horsepower.

Additionally, the Outback Wilderness makes use of advanced dual-function X-MODE® to help us extricate ourselves from deep snow conditions if the need arises.

Genuine Subaru Accessories available through the website or your local retailer include adventure-ready accoutrements like wide, flexible mud flaps, all-weather floor liners, rear seatback protectors and cargo tray, and a roof cargo basket.

A blue Outback Wilderness with orange mountain decals sits in a field.
We’re excited to test this Outback Wilderness over 5,040 miles of dirt, gravel and remote paved roads. Photo: Mercedes Lilienthal

Aftermarket Add-Ons

The rugged-yet-refined Outback Wilderness is already an ideal TSD rally contender, but we’re adding key aftermarket items to make it Alcan 5000 ready.

  • Rally Innovations Subaru Outback Wilderness Rally Light Bar: This American-made light bar fits most driving lights up to 6.5 inches in diameter and 1.5 inches deep. It’ll secure four auxiliary driving lights.
     
  • Lightforce® Venom Professional Edition LED Driving Lights: Lightforce auxiliary driving lights are made in Australia and boast an IP69K rating, providing protection against dust, high temperatures and water. Driving lights help to improve visibility when weather conditions deteriorate. The ability to switch clear, amber and blue lenses will help in the varying conditions we’ll encounter.
     
  • Ledlenser LED headlamps and lanterns: Based in Germany, Ledlenser offers several headlamps and lanterns to suit adventurous lifestyles. We’ll need good portable light sources for daily rally activities like time calculations or loading and unloading cargo.
     
  • Maxtrax Mini Recovery Boards: Australian Maxtrax Mini boards not only help if we get stuck but might help others on the route as well. They’re specifically made for all-wheel-drive vehicles like the Outback Wilderness, and they mount on an Adventure Imports prototype mounting plate.
     
  • Warn® / Factor 55 vehicle recovery gear: Warn Industries and subsidiary Factor 55 offer a wide variety of vehicle recovery kits. In addition to recovery straps, shackles and other related gear, a hitch-mounted recovery point will also aid in vehicle recoveries. It mounts in the Genuine Subaru Accessories Ball Mount offered in the accessories catalog.
     
  • Scosche® device mounts and portable chargers: Emergency and “buddy car” communications, along with smartphone rally apps, are important items to keep within easy reach. Scosche offers many products that hold, charge and keep devices safe.

We’ll be covering our ALCAN 5000 adventure in an upcoming issue of Drive.