Generally, mid May to mid September is the preferred time to visit (with June-August being the best), but not all of the state is as unbearable, cold and miserable year-round as a lot of people believe. There are actually five or six different climates. The interior region (Fairbanks area) has a wide range, with summers in the 70s-80s F/20-31 C or higher and winters far below 0 F/-18 C. The south-central (Anchorage) region has summers in the range of 55-65 F/13-18 C and winters well below freezing.

Southeast Alaska (Juneau and the Inside Passage) has summers in the 50s-60s F/10-20 C with mild winters that hover around the freezing mark. The southwest is generally in the 50s F/10-15 C during the summer and below freezing in winter, coupled with lots of wind, snow, sleet and rain. In eastern Alaska (along the border with Canada’s Yukon), temperatures average about 60 F/15 C in the summer and about 10 to 14 F/-11 to -9 C in winter. Northern Alaska is cool to cold year round, with summer highs generally in the 40s-50s F/5-14 C and winter temperatures well below 0 F/-18 C (similar to winter in Fairbanks).

And just to confuse things, it can drizzle, fog over, gust mightily or chill out even during the peak of summer throughout the state. Hawaii it isn’t, but the climate is part of what makes Alaska such a magnificent place to visit.

No matter when you go, sweaters, warm clothing and rain gear will be useful. From mid May to 1 August, many Alaskans live in near constant daylight. This phenomenon, known as the Midnight Sun, reaches as far south as Fairbanks and Anchorage.