Glacier Bay National Park: When to Go

Although Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve is open year-round, most services are only open from roughly mid-May to mid-September. Winter services are extremely limited.

It's no surprise that summer (June through August) is the most popular time to visit. The weather is at its best, the days are long and everybody - tourists and locals alike - is outside playing. The midnight sun allows activities at hours undreamed of in most other places, like hikes or kayaking after dinner or late into the night. It also causes most people, even those with the best window shades, to wake up at 04:00 or 05:00 .

July and August are also the months of high prices and 'No Vacancy' signs throughout Alaska. For smaller crowds, consider beginning or ending your trip during the shoulder season of May and September. Alpine trails are still snow-covered in May and the Southeast (where Glacier Bay is located) can be a rainy place in late September, but the demand for lodging is down, most outdoor activities are still possible and prices are easier to stomach. In recent years, probably due to global warming, May has been a particularly dry and sunny month. April is not such a good option - much of Alaska is enduring spring breakup (when warm weather 'breaks up' ice), a time of slush and mud. Visit in October and you're guaranteed rain most of the time.

Weather

Alaska's Southeast (where Glacier Bay is located) has the state's mildest climate - and one of its wettest. Greatly affected by warm ocean currents, the region offers warm-ish summer temperatures that may even see the occasional heatwave push temperatures to around 25ºC (80ºF). Winters are equally mild, and sub-zero days are relatively rare. Residents have learned to live with an annual rainfall of 150cm to 500cm (60in to 200in), and they call the frequent rain 'liquid sunshine.' The heavy precipitation creates the region's dense, lush temperate rainforests. Most rain falls from September to November, then the snow sets in. Unlike the mild maritime climate at sea level, conditions in the park's mountains are more severe.

Temperature (average ° C)

Rainfall (average mm)