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Best time to travel to Alaska

bigskyroller
Explorer
Explorer
We are traveling to Alaska in our 5th wheel in August and September. We will be leaving from Whitefish, MT the last week of July. Is this too late to start our adventure? Our current itinerary is week 1 - Banff, Jasper, week 2 - Grand Prairie to Whitehorse, week 3,4 - Haines, Chicken and Valdez, week 5 - Seward, Homer (end of August), week 6 Denali, week 7 Chena/Fairbanks, week 8, 9 - Steward, Prince George. We would like to take a glacier cruise, flight-seeing around Denali, flight to Katmai, just to name a few. We enjoy hiking and being outdoors.
20 REPLIES 20

lakeside013104
Explorer
Explorer
"Grand Prairie to Whitehorse, week 3,4"

We just completed this trip last summer. You can shorten the Grand Prairie to Whitehorse part of your trip by doing two longer days of traveling instead of a full week of short days. Not much going on in this section, so by cutting 5 days off, you will be getting to other sections of your journey a little sooner.

While traveling in the upper Yukon you will encounter many wildlife sightings and considerable scenic beauty. Take a little extra time on this section and enjoy.

Lakeside



PA12DRVR
Explorer
Explorer
Reading the thread, I think the OP means that they "reversed" the route, to come back through Jasper / Banff rather than hitting that area on the way up.
CRL
My RV is a 1946 PA-12
Back in the GWN

tony_lee
Explorer
Explorer
2gypsies wrote:
bigskyroller wrote:
Thanks for everyone's input. We have moved our departure date up to July 7 and reserved our route. We will take in Jasper & Banff on our return.


Wow! You've reserved the whole route? That really wasn't necessary and now you won't have the flexibility to stay longer or shorter at one spot.


Not only that sort of voluntary flexibility. Last time we went up we had to make major changes to our route because of floods and landslides.
Tony
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2gypsies1
Explorer
Explorer
bigskyroller wrote:
Thanks for everyone's input. We have moved our departure date up to July 7 and reserved our route. We will take in Jasper & Banff on our return.


Wow! You've reserved the whole route? That really wasn't necessary and now you won't have the flexibility to stay longer or shorter at one spot.
Full-Timed for 16 Years
.... Back in S&B Again
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bigskyroller
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for everyone's input. We have moved our departure date up to July 7 and reserved our route. We will take in Jasper & Banff on our return.

KarlV
Explorer
Explorer
Crazy4silvers wrote:
Here in Fairbanks most tourist attractions including most public campgrounds will be closing by Labor Day. We normally get our first frost in late August which is also the wetest month in much of the state. Bus transportation will end in Denali in mid Sept so you should be ok there.


Agreed, especially about August often being very wet. While it's unusual for South Central Alaska to get snow in September, the Yukon along the Alcan can be iffy. When I drove it in the 80s in September, there was snow in the mountains north of Anchorage, and torrential rains in Canada. It's a **** shoot, really. Denali being open is totally dependent on the weather, but early September is usually okay, and the fall colors are wonderful. If you drive slowly, the old Denali Highway is a beautiful 2-day ride.

joe_b_
Explorer
Explorer
The years we lived in Nenana, SW of Fairbanks an hour or so, we could count on the first sticking snows of the winter arriving on or about October 5. From this point on till the January thaw. Tthe temperature will be below freezing, night and day . Even if you are in the Alaska Banana Belt, the area around Anchorage, you still have to drive back through parts of the Interior of the state, be it through Fairbanks, Tok, Delta or Glenn Allen where it will be cold during the first week of October forward. If driving on snow or temperatures below freezing doesn’t bother you, then it is very doable.
joe b.
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Tee_Jay
Explorer
Explorer
After September 1, there will not be water at the sites in many campgrounds still open. Expect it to be quite cool with regular frost after 1 September, especially from Denali north. Many attractions will be closing. Tourist traffic tapers off rapidly after 1 August. Consider reversing your itinerary, going straight north to Fairbanks and Denali, then working your way south, and saving Jasper and Banff to the end when school has started and traffic drops off.

PA12DRVR
Explorer
Explorer
As others have noted, the "tourist" attractions tend to shut down by mid-September. Some are exceptions: I believe the Phillips Glacier Cruise out of Whittier runs through October and I suspect most flightseeing companies can still take you in late September, but on an as needed and perhaps charter (i.e. $$/hour vs. fixed price) rates.

September is the most scenic month in Alaska IMNSHO, closely followed by March. You'll likely see a dusting or two of snow in AK and the more northerly portions of the road out on departure side of your itinerary, but if the concept of snow is not a barrier, it's unlikely that it will cause significant driving issues.
CRL
My RV is a 1946 PA-12
Back in the GWN

Crazy4silvers
Explorer
Explorer
Here in Fairbanks most tourist attractions including most public campgrounds will be closing by Labor Day. We normally get our first frost in late August which is also the wetest month in much of the state. Bus transportation will end in Denali in mid Sept so you should be ok there.
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morley
Explorer
Explorer
Might want to do the Banff Jasper portions at the end of the trip instead of the first, might work out better weatherwise, busy wise in Banff Jasper, etc. Anyway you will have a great trip enjoy yourself.
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sue_t
Explorer
Explorer
September has always been our favorite time to travel in Yukon and Alaska. Yup, some of the tourist services and commercial campgrounds close first week of September, but we enjoy camping in the Yukon gov't campgrounds so no problem :B

sue t.
Pictures from our many RV Adventures to Yukon & Alaska from Vancouver Island. Now we live in Yukon!

mockturtle
Explorer
Explorer
keep the rain, other wise the mosquitoes will eat you alive


Mosquitoes in Alaska don't care if it's raining or not.
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TenOC
Nomad
Nomad
AK is a LONG drive. Your biggest expense is fuel. Chase the snow north and let it chase you south. Stay as long as you can.
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