Alaska By Month: When to Go & Why

The Alaska adventure travel season has lengthened in recent years. With more options and offerings in regions including the famed Inside Passage, Southcentral Alaska, Southwest Alaska and the Central Interior—plus variable weather conditions—­it’s important to consider timing. At AdventureSmith Explorations, we are frequently asked “when is the best time to visit Alaska?” or “what month has the most sun?” While Alaska weather is notoriously unpredictable, what follows are some tips to get you thinking about what month to visit.

March & April in Alaska

Small ship Alaska cruises begin as early as mid-March, with most early spring departures running regularly starting in mid-April. Our early spring offerings center on the Inside Passage, with most spanning a week. During this time, you can also consider a longer 15-day cruise, traveling with boats positioning from Seattle up to Alaska. 

Nights still may reveal the northern lights, while days are longer and animals are beginning to stir.

Nights are still long enough to possibly catch the northern lights, while days are getting longer and animals are beginning to stir. The annual early spring herring migration makes for optimal wildlife viewing opportunities, as hungry bears awake from hibernation and go looking for food. Snowcapped peaks drive mountain goats and other creatures to the shoreline to forage.

Average Coastal Weather:

30-45 °F and 11 hours of daylight

Benefits:

• Low prices & Alaska travel deals
• Non-existent crowds
• Increased offerings for themed cruises & onboard special guests
• Longer cruises from Seattle

Emerging Wildlife:

• Water: Steller sea lions, orca, humpback whales
• Birds: chickadees, wrens, jays, grouse, thrushes, ducks, loons, swans, geese, owls, bald eagles
• Land: mountain goats, brown & black bears

May in Alaska

Alaska in May is considered the early shoulder season when it comes to travel. Many small ship cruises begin operating, but with kids in school, you can still feel like Alaska is all yours. The Inside Passage remains the focus as many more 6-8-day departures start in earnest, as well as opportunities for longer sailings from Seattle to Alaska, passing British Columbia along the way.

May is an optimal month to view wildlife awakening.

May is one of the driest months and an optimal one to view wildlife awakening, with lots of babies being born, spring migrations ramping up, snow melting and the landscape budding. Mid-month, the shops and attractions also return to life after a winter slumber. Alaska in May can truly be a remarkable time: take it from one of AdventureSmith’s staff who recently traveled this month and experienced six back-to-back, blue-bird sunny days… but she noted the week before that it had snowed. So, as always with Alaska, arrive prepared for it all!

Average Coastal Weather:

40-55 °F and 16 hours of daylight

Benefits:

• Driest month on average
• Low prices & Alaska travel deals
• Few crowds
• Optional longer cruises embarking in Seattle

Emerging Wildlife:

• Water: gray whales, harbor seals
• Birds: migratory songbirds & seabirds
• Land: Dall sheep, moose, wolves, lynx

June in Alaska

Alaska in June is when tourist season comes into full swing, especially in the latter part of the month. Cruises in the south-central and southwestern part of the state begin operating, offering adventures along Prince William Sound, Kodiak Island, Katmai National Park and the Aleutian Islands. Some departures even focus in the Arctic waters of the Bering Sea, bringing guests ashore at various points along Russia’s Siberian coastline—you might even spot a polar bear on Wrangel Island.

June is the month to begin taking land trips in Alaska.

June is the month to begin taking land trips in Alaska. The Denali National Park road opens, bear viewing in Katmai is optimal with various salmon runs underway, the Kenai peninsula (including Kenai Fjords National Park) is lush with greenery and the weather is more reliable for flightseeing, floatplane rides, scenic Alaska railroad trips and other special modes of transit for reaching remote wilderness lodges. Thus, if grizzly/brown bear viewing and Denali are on your Alaska bucket list, visiting Alaska in June should be a top contender!

Average Weather:

• Coastal: 40-60 °F and 18 hours of daylight
• Denali: 50-70 °F and 20 hours of daylight
• Arctic: 30-40 °F and nearly 24 hours of daylight

Benefits:

• Longest daylight hours
• Land + sea tour combinations
• Opportunities to view an abundance of young wildlife
• Melted snow enables higher altitude hikes

Emerging Wildlife:

• Water: habor seal pups, ducks hatching, beluga whales
• Birds: optimal seabird and alpine bird rookerie viewing
• Land: caribou, mountain goat kids, black bear cubs, moose calves

July in Alaska

July is a choice time to visit Alaska, with wildlife fully active, all trails accessible, long days and Alaska’s warmest average temperatures. This translates into a busy time for The Great Land, with a swell of visitors.

Small ships avoid the crowds during this busy time for The Great Land.

Small ship cruises sailing Alaska in July during this busier time allow you to still enjoy areas inaccessible to the large cruise ships, such as Kake and Wrangell Narrows; plus weather won’t affect your ability to access key Alaskan cities like Sitka. Our Alaska land tours, averaging 5-8 days, set you up to thoroughly enjoy some of Alaska’s best national parks during this ideal month. Choose Alaska in July for a time when you can truly do it all.

Average Weather:

• Coastal: 50-65 °F and 18 hours of daylight
• Denali: 50-70 °F and 19 hours of daylight
• Arctic: 32-45 °F and nearly 24 hours of daylight

Benefits:

• Land + sea tour combinations
• Long days enable more time to play
• Warmest temperatures
• Spawning salmon means ideal fishing

Must-See Wildlife:

• Water: prime month for humpback whales, salmon runs, sea otters
• Birds: puffins, shorebirds begin migrating (millions of birds possible in a flock)
• Land: grizzly, brown and black bears; mountain goats

August in Alaska

August is still a popular time to visit Alaska, with increased moisture improving the vibrancy of an already verdant landscape. Wildlife remains in abundance and all cruises and land tours are operating on a regular basis. As the month winds down, so do travelers to Alaska, with a shift in weather that signals fall has arrived. If you are seeking to fish, August may be your best month to visit Alaska, depending on what you want to catch (see below).

Average Weather:

• Coastal: 50-60 °F and 18 hours of daylight
• Denali: 45-65 °F and 18 hours of daylight
• Arctic: 31-41 °F and 23 hours of daylight

Benefits:

• Land + sea tour combinations
• Long days enable more time to play
• Ideal fishing conditions (halibut, rainbow trout, northern pike, salmon)

Must-See Wildlife:

• Water: beavers, humpback whales & orca,
• Birds: peak songbird migration, bald eagles, loons
• Land: caribou, black and brown bears (including grizzlies)

September in Alaska

Alaska in September means it’s the later shoulder season, with fewer visitors and often special offers on trips. Longer nights again bring possible opportunities to view the aurora borealis. The cooler weather turns trees and tundra into explosive fall colors of red, gold and purple.

Fewer visitors, and animals busy preparing for winter.

Snow begins to dust mountain peaks. Animals are busy preparing for the oncoming winter—migrating, mating, marking territory, hunting and foraging for food—which increases your odds of viewing all manner of wildlife. Many think visiting Alaska in September is a hidden gem of a time to visit!

Average Weather:

• Coastal: 40-55 °F and 15hrs hours of daylight
• Denali: 35-55 °F and 17 hours of daylight
• Arctic: 30-32 °F and 19 hours of daylight

Benefits:

• Land + sea tour combinations
• Low prices & Alaska travel deals
• Few-to-no crowds
• Optional longer cruises disembarking in Seattle

Must-See Wildlife:

• Water: gray whales, harbor seals, sea lions
• Birds: gulls and raptors begin migrating, bald eagles, black oystercatchers
• Land: elk, moose, caribou, deer

A Word about Alaska Weather & Packing for Alaska

Weather in various Alaska destinations is unpredictable and travelers should prepare themselves for a range of conditions, no matter what month you travel. View our Alaska Climate page for further weather nuances with averages by location. We have developed comprehensive Alaska planning guides for our booked clients, with expertise culled from years of our own living, working, guiding and traveling in Alaska.

Prepare for a range of conditions, no matter what month you travel.

Layers are essential for a comfortable Alaska vacation, using wicking materials that are fast-drying. A raincoat and rain pants are also must-haves, as is a warm hat and gloves. Many boats will provide rubber boots. With a well-packed bag, you can appreciate the opportunities created by varying weather, which in turn creates the cornucopia of landscapes and wildlife that brings travelers to the Last Frontier.

The Alaska Time Zone Explained

How about planning your Alaska tour preparations around the Alaska time zone? Anything you need to prepare for? The answer of course varies from where in the world you are coming from, but some things to note include that Alaska observes daylight savings time, so you will find times listed in Alaska Standard Time (AKST) and Alaska Daylight Time (AKDT) depending on if daylight savings time is in effect. For reference, this equates to typically one hour behind California’s “Pacific” time. The Aleutian Islands instead observe Hawaii-Aleutian Time, one hour behind the remainder of the state. A fun fact that visitors from southern latitudes often don’t take into account is that daylight time truly varies in Alaska and varies greatly from “solar time.” For example, the sun can set at 11:41pm in Anchorage on the summer solstice, and up north in Nome, the sunrise can be after 12:00pm noon on the winter solstice, just four hours before it sets again!

A Final Note About Timing & Latitude in Alaska

While this Alaska by Month guide is a valuable resource for planning when to go, wildlife and weather can never be fully predicted, especially in a land as powerful as Alaska. Life in Alaska is greatly affected by latitude variances, as slight latitude shifts can result in big seasonal and light changes. There is no best time to travel to Alaska. The nature of small ship cruising is to be flexible and nimble, and this ethos should be applied to any trip in Alaska, by land or sea. Afterall, the surprise in what you experience while in Alaska is a big part of the fun. Let our expert team of specialists at AdventureSmith Explorations guide you to the best time and place for your Alaska trip.

This guide on the best time to visit Alaska is among AdventureSmith Explorations’ extensive collection of travel guides. Visit our Alaska Travel Guides for even more resources and inspiration in planning your Alaska trip.