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It goes without saying that it is incredibly important to do your research before heading out on your RV vacation.  But when traveling to Alaska, you need to take special care to make sure to know where and when you are going.  Alaska is a huge state, far larger than most people realize, and the temperature and rainfall can depend on which area of Alaska you are visiting.

The most populous city in Alaska is Anchorage, and it is located in the south central part of the state.  Anchorage’s average high in July is 65 degrees, and their average low is 51 degrees.  Compare that with the average high and low in Barrow, which is the northernmost point in Alaska, and is on Alaska’s north slope.  Barrow’s average high in July is just 45 degrees, and the average low is 33 degrees.  Now, that’s cold!  I am a Southern Californian, and when the temperature drops to 55 degrees here, we get all decked out in coats and boots.  The interior part of Alaska is probably the warmest, being that it is not on the ocean, as Anchorage is.  Our visit to Denali in July saw temperatures in the 80’s, and it was just heavenly.  Southern Alaska, the area around Juneau and Ketchikan, is also on the cooler side, being that it is completely surrounded by water.  July nights average around 64 degrees, with average lows around 48 degrees.  So, for this trip, I had to bring quite the variety of clothing.  We need both shorts and jeans.  T-shirts and sweaters.  Sandals and boots.  Quite a variety, which of course means that much more packing to do.  However, I did manage to teach my kids that jeans did not have to be washed every day, and we utilized a lot of layering, so we could keep coats at home.

A well know fact about Alaska, is that during the summer, they have very little darkness.   Using the above cities as examples again, Anchorage averages 18 hours of daylight in July, and Barrow averages 24 hours of daylight.  24 hours!  That is all daylight, all the time.  When I first told my children about the daylight issue, they were extremely excited.  After all, for a child, more daylight equals more time to play.  However, they didn’t realize, nor did I, the effect it would have on their sleep.  Our bodies are strictly regulated by our circadian rhythms, and daylight is an extremely integral part of that.  For example, you wake up when the sun comes up, and get sleepy once it has been set for a while.  Imagine never having the sun go down.  It was pretty tough on my kids, and quite frankly, for me as well.  I never realized how much daylight has to do with our daily schedules.  It was fun for the first few days, then we all became pretty cranky.  We only stayed in Barrow for a week, and as much as I loved that destination, I do feel the daylight issue made it a bit more difficult.  Now, I can only imagine what it must be like in the winter, when the full time daylight is switched with full time darkness.  Sunlight provides us with vitamin D, and keeps us from becoming depressed.  I imagine it must be very difficult to live full time in that environment, but based on the wonderful people who live their full time, they have obviously found a way to adapt quite well.

For the daylight issue, I was prepared.  Our RV had pull down shades for the windows.  We replaced those with shades made of black out lining.  Have you ever stayed at a hotel in Las Vegas, and used those powerful black out drapes?  They truly block all light out, and are absolutely amazing.  Well, they were a fantastic investment.  They weren’t cheap, but I figured we could use them at other destinations as well, when I want the kids to be able to sleep in.

I wasn’t prepared for it to be as cool as it was most of the time.  Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t cold (except up in Barrow).  But I would say temperatures averaged in the low to mid 70’s.  That is a nice, warm day.  When we set up camp, all the kids weren’t fighting to sit under the awning, because it just wasn’t hot enough to need it.  However, I felt it was a bit to chilly to go swimming, and I did at times crave a hot day.  I live in the Southern California desert, so I am used to very hot temperatures.  Perhaps others wouldn’t find it as cold as I did.  That said, the cooler temperatures did make it much easier to do outside physical activities, such as hiking, fishing, and playing tennis.  I am used to hiking in the early morning, as by the time 10:00 a.m. rolls around, it is just too hot.  But in Alaska, it is comfortable all day long, and you can really slow down and enjoy it all.  Furthermore, because it is only dark for a few hours, you do not have the sun going down and cooling everything down.  It is definitely an interesting way to live, and I do not know if I could do it year round.  But it was absolutely wonderful to experience it for the summer, as we did.  

Before doing all my research, I really had no idea about the weather in Alaska.  Doing all the research really helped me prepare for the trip, and once again, being prepared made the trip that much more enjoyable.  There were no surprises, and we were able to concentrate on the gorgeous state we were visiting, and on each other.  That is what it is all about, so please, do your research, and ensure a stress free vacation.


Please come back on Monday, September 15th for our sixth installment, “Paperwork, Paperwork & More Paperwork!”  See you there!