Best Time to Visit Alaska

June to August

Months to avoid: October to April (most parks inaccessible, extreme cold, darkness extends to 20+ hours in winter)

Recommended stay: 7-10 days

Plan Alaska for June to August. Give it 7-10 days. The window to avoid is October to April (most parks inaccessible, extreme cold, darkness extends to 20+ hours in winter).

What the season gets you

• Denali, North America's tallest peak, visible from 200km away on a clear day. Spend at least two nights in the park and take the bus deep into the backcountry where wolves cross the road and grizzlies dig for ground squirrels in the tundra.
• Kenai Fjords boat tours put you close enough to see sea otters floating on their backs and humpbacks breaching, with tidewater glaciers calving into the sea behind them.
• The midnight sun in late June means hiking at 11pm with full daylight, a physical strangeness your body takes two days to accept.