mari5

I know, I know....there is really no bad time to such a beautiful state. We are retired and usually rent a car on trips..overseas or U.S>...Don't really want a cruise ship situation. We usually travel in WAY off season, but I realize that is not feasable for Alaska. Would early to mid May be too early?....OR mid September? too late. I've heard the mosquitos are bad (is it in early spring, or really nothing to worry about). Do some hotels/motels and restaurants close down during the winter months, and when do they open. Any help will be appreciated. We would probably fly to Anchorage, drive to Denali, and down to Seward and Homer...and maybe take a ferry further south. I don't like ships too much, or rather my inner ear doesn't ...but short hops are fine.
I KNOW ALASKA is a very large state (we are from TExas??)>), but when traveling we do tend to "move along"....thats just the way we have always traveled.
Would APRIL be too early??? THanks.

Gardyloo

April is definitely too early, IMO May is also too early for many areas (interior Denali NP doesn't open typically until June 1 or beyond, closes by 9/15.) Plus, many roads in May often are still recovering from winter frost and spring "breakup" damage, so pothole city.

I would go for September - start as early in the month as you can, and start in the north and work south.

Good news, no bugs.

Note the cruises through the inside passage are, for the most part, on pretty calm sheltered waters.

I assume you're planning to fly to Anc. and rent a car, returning it to Anc. If you were thinking about a one-way rental to/from the lower 48, fuggedaboutit.

repete

Not so fast ...

There are great deals available for one-way RV rentals at the end of the season as rental companies move their fleets. The discounts, especially southbound in the fall, can be tremendous. Tour Alaska anyway you want, then on Sept. 15 or later you pick up the RV and head south (Cassiar is more fun than the Al-Can, IMHO.)

My only problem with Sept. is that it can be rainy. The discounts headed north aren't as big, but some companies will let you wait until late May to head north.

Jim_and_Sandy

I loved Alaska in July. Even though it's peak season, the crouds were not a problem. We rented a car after our cruise and drove to Delani National Park. We loved it. Also - when you go in the summer the days are SO LONG!!! You can see so much until late. We recently went to S. Utah in October and wished we'd gone when the days were longer. You miss out on the sites when you have to drive in the dark.

BudgetQueen

The above has Denali Park as a priority?? Then you need a visit after June and before Sept 15. Sept is more unpredictable, but if you were to start a trip mid May then got to Denali Park June 1 that would probably be the better weather. At the other end- I have traveled there twice in March and it FAR surpassed all my "in season" trips (16) for scenery. Northern Lights were spectactular, REAL dog sledding- fairly cheap, Ice Sculpter Championships, lower hotel rates, no tourists All made this an extremely enjoyable trip. You do however have to allow at least 2 weeks if the Aurora is the priority. Last year I went all the way to Seward- great snowmobiling out of Girdwood, and gray whale watching out of Seward.

dfrostnh

We visited mid-June to July 5 last summer. The weather was actually very warm at times. Lots of wildflowers were in bloom. We saw mother moose with babies. The ocean was very calm the day we took the boat trip out of Seward. Everything was open except for Hatcher's Pass (the pass itself). Towns may look and feel crowded during peak season if more than one cruise line is in port. On another trip we visited Skagway which was very crowded until 5pm when everyone went back to their ships. During our June visit, traffic was heavy on the Seward highway on Friday and Sunday nights when Alaskans as well as tourists were traveling for the weekend. (The big salmon runs were just starting.) On 4th of July, Kenai didn't feel crowded even though there was a big parade. We also attended the Forest Fair in Girdwood on the Friday before the 4th. The event was crowded but not overwhelmingly so and parking was handled well. (It might have been different on Saturday.)
Downtown Anchorage can get crowded but it's a city and you expect that. Friends visited in late April/early May and missed beautiful weather by about two weeks.

ltt

i'd check into the rates for the rv rental in september. if you can get a good discounted rate, i'd go for that. normally they are often very expensive. i think i'd consider the last week of august and into september. other then the cruise ships, there is also the alaskan marine ferry which you can jump on & off between ports and it's much less expensive then the cruise ships.

BudgetQueen

You need a lot of time to see as much via the Alaska Ferry vs a cruiseship and not always less expensive with lodging. A cruise ship is ideal packing a lot into 7 days- totally for the visitor. No midnight arrivals or departures.