When should I visit Alaska?
 

I am planning on taking advantage of the good fares to Alaska from Phoenix this summer. The fare is valid from 09MAY04-26SEP04. Some things I've been considering:

- late May or early September might be good to avoid the largest of the crowds

- are there any special events worth timing my trip for?

- is it better to come early before the mosquitos get out of hand?

- anything else to consider?

I've been milling this over since last fall.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum...ML/005871.html

I like to go around Labor Day. Chilly, but not real cold and no real mosquitoes on the coast. State Fair is goin' on around that time. I think most of the tourist stuff packs up around mid-September, so you might want to avoid late September.

I researched the best time to visit before my trip almost 4 years ago. Two timeframes seemed best: 2nd half of May/first week of June and 2nd half of August/first week of September. Crowds are significantly less during these two periods (particularly before Memorial Day) and weather is decent. The mosquitos don't usually appear until around the first/second week of June. We visited the 2nd half May/first week of June and the mosquitos let loose in Denali around June 6/7 when we were there. Denali is not completely open til around that time, so if you visit there in May you may be disappointed. I understand that the mosquitos are all but gone by mid-August, although you may encounter snow in early September.

Hi TransWorldOne,

We met at the bookstore in Phoenix for the mileage run seminar.

Go to Alaska late August/early Sept. We fly up there every year for about two weeks around Labor Day. Fishing is great, the bears in the Katmai are feeding like crazy, and most of the tourists have gone home.

Email if you need specific info. We have been all over the interior. Spend most of our time in Homer or between Prudhoe and Fairbanks. Homer is probably the greatest for a vacation, bear viewing and fishing.

Gina

Thank you for the suggestions.

I've decided to go with August. My only previous trip to Alaska was in May, so I thought I'd try the other end of the season.

I'll be there between 16-24AUG. I would have gone a little bit later, but those dates allow me to add a stopover in SEA on the way back when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are at Safeco Field against the Mariners. It'll be fun to see a game with Lou Pinella back in Seattle.

Gina, I'll have to e-mail you for more info as I start to get my plans together.

[This message has been edited by TransWorldOne (edited Feb 02, 2004).]