jimhg

my wife and i want to drive from virginia to alaska and spend 3 weeks in alaska touring.

is the early fall (september) or late spring(may) and early summer(june) the better time to go?

jim

spirobulldog

Is there some reason you don't want to go in July or August? I wouldn't want to arrive in May and I wouldn't want to arrive in Sept to spend 3 weeks. I haven't been there then, but have been in July. I have read a lot about it, but perhaps a local can way in on this. What are your interests? and what do you plan on seeing. Kenai? Denali? Katmai?

Gardyloo

In general either ought to be okay, but you need to recognize that May is often not "late spring" in parts of Alaska, and mid-late September is definitely not late summer. The Denali Park road, for example, sometimes doesn't open until May 20 or later, and sometimes closes by mid-September. The shuttles usually stop around Sept. 15.

In May road conditions on both the Alcan and within Alaska may not be the best - frost heaves, potholes etc.; on the other hand the days in May will be longer than in September, important if you're driving. I'd come prepared for all sorts of conditions regardless - rain, mud, snow - you can easily get 'em all... before lunch.

You might consider driving in one direction via the Alcan, and take the ferry from Haines to Bellingham (WA) in the other. I'd take the ferry northbound if you go in May, southbound if you go in September.

As spirobulldog asks, what in particular do you want to do/see/experience?

gail

We were in Alaska summer 2008 the second week in June and the road into Denali had just opened that week for the season. Advantage to going in June is that you get about 22 hours of light per day.

Janey_49

My husband and I are planning on taking our Travel Trailer from central Canada to Alaska in 2010. A friend who spent 11 years living in Alaska said to go in September as most of the non-English speaking tourist will be gone as will most of the families traveling with children, also black flies and mosquitoes should be at thier lowest. We plan on going one way on the ferry from Vancouver, BC as we can put our T.T. in the hold.

hpeabody

I have been twice right around summer solstice. I thought it was a great time to be there.

dfrostnh

Another vote for the ferry and a June visit. We arrived mid-June staying long enough for 4th of July. There's a huge parade in Kenai. Also enjoyed the Forest Fair in Girdwood. The salmon start running in the Russian River late June. Had a great Kenai Fjords cruise. A relative drove from Anchorage to NH in early May. Roads happened to be fine but weather can still be iffy and make sure you know when and what gas stations will be open. They were doing a marathon drive. I think they said gas stations have different hours in Sept as well. When we took the ferry we got off in Skagway and still had almost a 2 day drive to Anchorage area. Overnighted in Tok. The ferry will give you a nice break from driving but make sure you book early. Like now, if you want a July or August time slot.

jimhg

thanks for the responses. they give me really helpful info.

in answer to several questions;

we prefer to travel in the "shoulder" seasons to avoid crowds, easier to find lodging etc.

we want to see as much as we can on our visit including denali, top of the world hi way, anchorage, fairbanks, kenai peninsula, seward hi way. not limited to 3 weeks but that seemed like enough. maybe not.

plan to drive the alcan one way and the cassier one way.

dwooddon

Alaska can be an exception to "easier to find lodgings" and other tourist related services. Because of the weather and lack of business, many such companies do not open until late May or early June and close in mid-September. In Alaska, it is definately easier to find almost anything tourist related in the summer.

spirobulldog

How about going in the 2nd or 3rd week of August. This might allow for the last week of your trip to see Fall Folliage. I would concentrate on Kenai and Denali(might not want to go as far as Fairbanks). Might want to check out Glacier Bay as well, since you are driving. I would do some kind of flight excursion while in Alaska. Flying in a float plane or one with skis on it is very different. We did a helicopter From Alyeska to Punchbowl Glacier and rode the dog sleds there. Very expensive, but amazing. We also did a flyout/salmon fishing/bear viewing from Soldotna over to Lake Clark. Again expensive, but very much worth it. Flying from Talkeetna and landing on Denali looks interesting, but I haven't done that one. These tours are in small planes with a bush pilot. Somethine you will never forget. The plane we flew on for a our salmon fishing was a 1948 with 2 gauges and a radio. Pilot was standing in the water changing the oil when we arrived. A lot of people fly to Katmai to view the bears there.

Train from Seward to Anchorage was very good.

You will love Alaska, however you do it.

I haven't been to Wrangel/Elias, but it is high on my list now as well. Again, since you are driving, I would do as much as I could while I was there if time wasn't to big of a factor. Alaska is big and we didn't run into crowds anywhere. I suspect the only time that would happen ever, was when a cruise ship docked.

historytraveler

We were there late May/early June in 2008. If I was to do the trip again, I'd probably go mid-June...less crowded than July/August but still pleasant enough. We got to Denali National Park the first week in June. We didn't get as far as Wonder Lake but got far enough into the park that we were not disappointed. We also managed to do the usual outdoor activities such raft trips, horse-back riding etc.

enzian

We have driven the AlCan in September and it was lovely. However, traffic was so sparse that sometimes an hour would pass without another car coming along. That was 30 years ago, before it was paved, so it is probably different now.

We have also driven it in April, and that was. . . er, exciting.

In either May or September, the weather and conditions can be iffy. Lots of facilities and activities won't be open or available yet. Mid-May might be OK on the Kenai Peninsula (most of the glacier cruises start running mid-May), but that is too early for Denali. And from Fairbanks north it is pretty dismal---grey and brown, with no leaves out until around May 15th. When we drove up there to live, we arrived in Fairbanks May 1 and I wept at the ugliness---cold, wet, dreary, and mud everywhere.

September can be very nice (and bug-free), but it can snow at any time, and things start shutting down after the first week. If you time your trip to arrive up there at the beginning of September, and start with Fairbanks and Denali, and then move south, you might be fine.

NorthwestMale

Hmmmmmmmph, I just want to chime in as someone who drove to Alaska in early April. It was about two degrees when I crossed into Alaska, but all in all the road was quite reasonable (perhaps 30 miles unpaved of the 1600 mile path).

The scenery was stunning all the way, and on one day I drove for nine hours and saw only seven cars going my direction the whole time.

It was great for rounding a curve, seeing a stunning photo opportunity, and STOPPING right there ON the road (vs. the 'scenic turnout 1000 yards ahead' (which had nowhere near the same view). (I would hear any car in the distance at least 5 minutes before it would reach me)

The air was crystal clear all the way, and mosquitoes were still months off, I suspect.

Given what I experienced in early April, I would wholeheartedly endorse going in May and early June.

I think I'd opt for the spring vs. the fall for reasons of weather situations getting "better" with time delays, vs. worse.

You certainly have a loooooooooong way to come, and there are so many variables that I can't even foresee.

It will be an amazing journey, no small part of which shall be the path between Virginia and British Columbia. (when you reach Vancouver, Canada, you'll be about 60% of the way to Anchorage - laugh)

jimhg

thanks again for the info. very helpful. has caused me to adjust my ideas of what constitutes spring and fall in alaska. leaning towards a fall trip based on my rule of thumb that fall is better for northern trips and spring is better for southern. perhaps leaving in early/mid august and starting in the northern area and traveling to the south would work. retired so we can spend as much time as we want, but we find that 6-8 weeks on the road is a lot.

a second trip to northern california, the pacific nothwest and vancouver, with an inside passage alaska cruise is also on our to do list.

AlaskaFilms

None of those are a good time to come here. Just after July 4th up to about the first week of August. Otherwise, you run into early frost and/or pouring rain. June and August can be very rainy. It's a crapshoot.
We love the whole year round here, but May can be very chilly, with snow still on the ground on the Kenai and in the Denali areas.
A lot of tourists walk around with coats on in May, August, and September as it tends to be no warmer than 50 in the daytime.
Get a Milepost Guide.

Lynne

AlaskaFilms

Also, driving to Alaska in May will put you right in the middle of the spring thaw, with really tough driving conditions. And going in September is too late in the year to drive the Alaska Highway. (in my opinion)Best times to drive it are July and August, and the middle of the winter.