As residents of Alaska we get the opportunity to absorb all that Alaska has to offer year round. From her glorious summers to her pristine winters and the abundance of activities, Alaska brings every type of adventurer. We get friends, family, and followers alike asking us when is the best time to visit Alaska and our answer, without fail, is, "It depends." If we've learned anything during our time in Alaska, it's that everything is seasonal and the difference in seasons is extreme. In this post, we'll break down the tourists seasons in Alaska and help you decide when the best time would be for a visit. And then we'll tell you our opinion ;) winter seasonSince we are currently in the middle of winter season, why not start here? In interior Alaska, "winter season" really starts around October, which is when we can pretty much guarantee snow on the ground and below freezing temperatures start creeping in. The lakes are starting to freeze over and Alaskans start settling in for another 6-7 month winter. Once the snow starts to fall in October, it's not uncommon to say goodbye to our grassy yards until April. November-January are the darkest months of the year and, in Fairbanks, it's not uncommon to reach temperatures near -40*F. SO....if you can get past all that...these months are actually a great time to visit Alaska because it's Aurora viewing season! While Aurora Borealis occurs all year, it can only be seen when the skies are dark enough which occurs late September-March -- October and February being the best months in our experience. In snowy conditions, dog sledding is another activity that visitors like to experience when they are in Alaska. Dog sledding has been a way of life for many Alaskans for the last few hundred years, even being used to deliver mail up until the 1960s! There are still families in the Alaskan bush who use sled dogs for trapping and others for sport so it makes sense that this activity is something that is equated with the arctic of Alaska. There are many tour companies that offer dog sledding tours, and while the dogs do very well in the frigid conditions, their human counterparts, especially those who are un-acclimatized, can struggle. This means companies will cancel tours if temperatures reach below -20*F. Other sled dog events include famous dog races including the Yukon Quest which occurs in Fairbanks every February and the Iditarod which begins in Anchorage every March. One of our favorite annual winter events is the World Ice Art Competition. Every February ice sculpting teams from around the world travel to Fairbanks to compete in the prestigious competition and the sculptures stay up in the park until they start to melt around the end of March. The talent is incredible and if you go early enough in the season, you may even catch a few teams at work! This is a fun family event especially if you hang around the front of the park and enjoy the ice slides and games...picture a giant chess set made of ice...or a ping pong ice table! So much fun. We love exploring glaciers in the summer season, but we have had some pretty awesome experiences exploring these beautiful natural phenomenons in the winter season as well. Near Fairbanks, we've hiked to Castner Glacier which is definitely more safe to do in the winter. In the Anchorage area, I took an amazing guided tour to Matanuska Glacier also in the winter season. There are multiple tour companies offering winter flights to glaciers around Alaska. Other winter activities include ice fishing - local recreation sites around Fairbanks start putting out ice huts in December - snow machining, cross country skiing (and downhill skiing in Girdwood!), snow shoeing...the possibilities are endless. SpringWhen you bring up the concept of "Spring" to Alaskans, they may chuckle a little bit about the idea since that season is pretty non-existent here. We lovingly refer to Spring as "break-up" meaning the season when all the rivers and lakes starts to melt and...well...break up! It's a pretty exciting time for Alaskans because the temperatures are obviously warming up and the sun is getting higher in the sky and there's a feeling of coming alive again in the air! This season is relatively short and occurs in April to about mid-May. This time of year is very muddy and brown and would definitely be considered a "shoulder season" but for good reason. There's not much to see and do quite yet as tourist season isn't quite in full swing but we do have our favorite activities in this season too! Namely, we like to explore Denali National Park. There's a short window of time when the park road is open for personal vehicles before tourist season starts and the only way to drive the road is on a Denali Bus Tour or by purchasing a pass. Summer![]() Ah, Summer. Summer in Alaska is a truly magical time that interior Alaskans wear as a badge of honor for surviving the harsh winter. It does come with it's own hardships though, namely mosquitos - affectionately called the State Bird. If you think you know mosquitoes, I'm not quite sure how to tell you that you don't, haha. Alaska mosquitoes are from another world and are especially brutal the further into the interior you get. May-September is also known as "Midnight Sun Season" which can be pretty hard to deal with for some people, as it doesn't truly get dark in Fairbanks during this time of the year. But, if you can get past *that*....midnight sun season means there is a lot more time to fill with adventures! Mid-May to Mid-September is officially tourist season for the whole state of Alaska. Because of this, there are many more opportunities for tours and activities during this time of the year. We have our own list of things to do in the summer around Fairbanks which includes gold panning, farm tours, and a river cruise just to name a few of our favorites. For more specifics, you can check out our sample summer itinerary for the Fairbanks area as well but we have enjoyed some pretty epic summer activities around the state including glacier tours, wildlife cruises, and more. Another event that brings people to Alaska in the summer is the world famous salmon run. King Salmon (or Chinook Salmon) run from about late-may to late-July. Mid-July to Mid-August is when the Pink and Sockeye Salmon do their thing with Silver Salmon - or Coho - bringing up the rear from July to October. The salmon run does more for Alaska than just providing opportunities for humans. These months are amazing for wildlife viewing as orcas come in chasing their dinner as well as seals, sea lions, and bears, oh my! Other fishing popular in Alaska is Halibut from mid-May to mid-September as well as cod and rockfish, among others. Fresh water fishing includes trout, arctic char, pike, grayling, and more. If you thought the possibilities sounded "endless" in our winter synopsis, summer is a whole different animal. FallAs you can imagine, Fall comes early in Alaska. While other states are enjoying their last days of summer, we're all pretty deep into our short Fall season. Our fall foliage really pops in August-September which is also considered a "shoulder season" as tourist season comes to an end. Most tours are still running but locals are really starting to prepare for the impending winter. This doesn't mean that we aren't still taking advantage of the weather before it turns icy and cold, though! Hands down, our favorite place to visit in the Fall is Valdez, where the salmon run comes right into the bay, and brings a lot of other locals - human and otherwise - to stock up their freezers - or bellies - until the next run. Fall is a beautiful time in Alaska as the mosquitoes start to die down, the auroras start to become visible again, and the hustle and bustle of summer activities starts to slow down as we head back into winter. If you've read this far, you can see why it's hard to pinpoint a "good time" to visit Alaska! It truly depends on what you want to get out of it. So are you ready for our recommendation? We suggest a winter visit AND a summer visit so you can truly get the whole picture :)
So let us know! What time of year do you think would make the best Alaska vacation? As always, we’d love to answer your comments or questions! If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Make sure to pin this post for future reference! Consider joining us on Instagram to come with us on our day-to-day adventures! Until next time, we encourage you to get out and enjoy where YOU live!
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AuthorWe're just a military family enjoying where we live, one PCS at a time. Follow us as we explore our current home, South Carolina, and beyond. The world is our backyard. Archives
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