The Best time to drive the Alaska Highway.
Route numbers: Alaska Route 2, BC Highway 97, Yukon Highway 1.
We get asked this question so much that we decided to add a special page just to cove this topic. It's quite normal to want an answer to the question on when the best time is to drive the Alaska Highway but the answer is not just a simple time or date. Being that you will be traveling in the far north you need to understand that normal is often the same as abnormal. Let me explain this one further...
Winters in the north take a disastrous toll on everything from the battery that start our cars to the pavement we drive them on. The northern region experiences a phenomenon called frost heaving. Basically, this occurs as the ground water freezes and thaws first lifting the pavement into a mound and then during the spring thaw, collapsing and causing pot holes that wrecks havoc on vehicles and tires. These pot holes are repaired by tireless road crews that do a great job maintaining our roads but it does take time to complete. For this reason, spring can be a slow go when driving the Alaska Highway or any other Alaskan road for that matter. So spring is not usually the best time to drive to Alaska.
Now
comes early summer in the last frontier. June brings life to our deciduous
bushes, shrubs and trees. The snow covered valleys turn to green and the rivers
ice returns to flowing waters. By June, driving in Alaska has begun to take
on that Ahh Appeal that make us happy to be here. Road crews are beginning
to whip the highways into shape and most of the summers traffic is still heading
up through Canada from the lower 48 states. Alaska's famous wildlife has awaken
and can be observed along the roads, streams and hillsides. The fish in the
lakes and rivers are finding ice free places to gorge themselves from a long
winter under the ice. June 21st is summer solstice, the longest day of the
year. In much of the interior of Alaska, this means the sun won't set 24 hours
a day. June is also typically one of the driest months of the summer.
July is when the tourist season get into full swing here in Alaska. Road repairs are fewer but highway projects are now underway. Locals are out soaking in the warmer summer days and doing what locals do so very will, take in everything Alaska has to offer before the long dark winters return to the north. July is still typically drier but some years, like 2008 and 2010, July can bring plenty of rain to Alaska. This one, the weather in Alaska, just can't be predicted with any certainty.
August is typically warm but the rains usually start to dominate the weather forecasts. It's a month when everyone takes advantage of what good weather is dealt before the sun sets and winds and snows return for another fall and winter. From mid August, night time temperatures begin to really cool off. If your up at any altitude like on the Denali Highway, nights can be rather brisk. Daytime temperatures are all over the place. When the sun is out it can be extremely pleasant but the opposite can also be true with a heavy cloud cover.
September is definitely fall in Alaska. There is typically a chill in the air most of the day. Many locals are in hunting mode as the big game hunting seasons begin to take place. Fishing is winding down and with the exception of the daring few, most of the summers RV traffic is headed down through Canada by now.
So after reading about the typical summer in Alaska I hope you see that the best time to drive to Alaska is decided around your desires for tours and climates. I personally like to start up through Canada in late May and plan to arrive at the Alaska border in early June. This way I follow the warming weather up the highway and into Alaska.
I'll hang around here tell late August or even early September, like we will this summer, and head back south just ahead of the migrating waterfoul.
Driving To Alaska; A Word Of Friendly Advice!
Driving
up the Alaska Highway can be a life changing adventure. By planning ahead and
using diligence and precaution, what could become an ominous event will instead
become that incredible memory maker that will thrill you for years to come.
Don't rush through this experience, stay alive and drive at a safe and comfortable
speed. When faster, less cautious drivers approach from the rear, make room
for them to pass and your trip will be less stressful and far more enjoyable
for all.
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Alaska Scenic Drives