Category Archives: Weather

Questions about Alaska weather.

Best place in Alaska to view the Northern Lights?

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Q: Where is the best place in Alaska to view the Northern Lights?

A: Generally speaking, the further north you can get – the better.  One of the easiest to get to, and best cities to see the northern lights from is definitely Fairbanks. You can take the Alaska Railroad straight to Fairbanks from Anchorage, or make the drive up along the George Parks Highway. For lodging, check out Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, or the Alpine Lodge. Continue reading →

I’m going to Alaska this summer to see the wildlife…

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Q: I’m going to Alaska this summer to see the wildlife, when is the best time to come?

A: The best time to see the large game, such as bears, caribou & wolves would be towards the end of the summer months. We can track the bear migrations along the rivers and into the berry patches as the bears move up the mountains after the salmon runs. The wolf puppies have moved out of their dens and into the open plains as they learn of the world that surrounds them. The Caribou migrate in the northern part of Alaska and depending on the weather and size of the herd to determine where and when they migrate. A little known fact about Caribou – they are the same species as reindeer Rangifer tarandus.

Denali National Park Weather

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Q: How is Denali National Park weather in July?

A: Just like in any other states, weather in Alaska is unpredictable. More so is the case in Alaska due to its sub-arctic climate conditions. In Denali National Park, weather pattern is unpredictable even more so because of Denali. As huge the mountain is, the mountain creates its own weather system. Based on more than 50 years of historical data gathered by Western Regional Climate Center following is Denali National Park weather information with estimated averages for full year:

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Max. Temperature (F) 9.4 16.1 24.9 38.7 53.6 64.2 66.4 61.5 50.7 32.3 17.6 11.1 37.2
Avg. Temperature (F) -7.6 -4.2 0.7 15.7 29.9 39.7 43.4 40 30.5 14.4 1.1 -5.7 16.5
Avg. Precipitation (in.) 0.68 0.56 0.47 0.38 0.8 2.29 3.19 2.58 1.54 0.93 0.83 0.89 15.15
Avg. Total SnowFall (in.) 10.3 9.6 7.8 5.3 2.9 0.3 0 0 4.2 12.4 13.1 13.3 79.4


If you are traveling at the moment and you want up to date information of the weather condition in Denali National Park, you can visit Denali National Park Climate Center page by clicking here. So much of interest in visiting Denali National Park is also to see Denali, the big one! National Park Services has set up a webcam for live up to date feeds on Denali’s visibility. You can click here to see if the mountain is visible today, remember that the cam only works during summer months.

How many hours of sunlight does Alaska get?

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Q: How many hours of sunlight does Alaska get in the summer?

A: Alaska is a big state, and depending on the city you are visiting, and the month you are traveling, you can expect to see some big differences in daylight.  Included below are the approximated daylight hours for each city in Alaska, on the first of each month.

CITY Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Anchorage 5:39 7:46 10:24 13:22 16:52 18:43 19:11 17:07 14:16 11:26 8:32 6:08
Barrow 0:00 4:05 9:20 14:13 19:44 24:00 24:00 24:00 14:45 11:03 5:52 0:00
Bethel 5:48 7:50 10:26 13:20 16:08 18:34 19:01 17:01 14:13 11:26 8:35 6:14
Fairbanks 4:00 6:55 10:07 13:35 17:01 20:33 21:25 18:11 14:39 11:19 7:51 4:43
Juneau 6:30 8:15 10:34 13:13 15:43 17:48 18:10 16:30 14:01 11:30 8:55 6:53
McGrath 4:57 7:23 10:15 13:28 16:35 19:29 20:04 17:35 14:27 11:23 8:13 5:31
Nome 4:11 7:00 10:08 13:35 16:57 21:21 22:09 18:05 14:36 11:20 7:56 4:51
Portage 5:48 7:50 10:25 13:20 16:08 18:34 19:01 17:01 14:13 11:27 8:35 6:14
Prud. Bay 0:00 4:46 9:29 14:05 19:04 24:00 24:00 21:31 15:31 11:06 6:20 0:00
Seward 6:00 7:58 10:28 13:19 16:01 18:20 18:45 16:52 14:10 11:28 8:42 6:26
Sitka 6:50 8:27 10:39 13:10 15:32 17:27 17:48 16:16 13:55 11:31 9:05 7:11
Wasilla 5:22 7:36 10:20 13:24 16:22 19:02 19:32 17:19 14:20 11:25 8:24 5:52
Yakutat 6:11 8:04 10:30 13:17 15:55 18:08 18:32 16:44 14:07 11:28 8:46 6:35

What are some other interesting Alaskan Animals?

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Q: My family is traveling to Alaska next summer (2011) and we’re interested in seeing some Alaskan animals other than the usual Bear, Moose, Caribou etc.  Do you have any Suggestions?

A: We have a lot of interesting bird species, Golden Eagles are a beautiful example. So are the sea mammals that litter our coasts.  A great place to see those are in Seward at the Alaska Sealife Center.  They have sea lions, baby otters, octopus and a massive variety of other unexpected Alaskan wildlife.  Another option is the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.  They have the regular Moose, Caribou, and bears but they also have some surprises.  They have Lynx, Bison, and Musk Ox!  There is also the Alaska Zoo, in Anchorage.  The zoo hosts Polar Bears, wolves, llamas, moose, birds of prey, and even Snow Leopards!