Alaska land need shorts

[ready2travel54]

FOr the cruise portion I don't think I will need shorts. But the week before we will be inland at Denali and Seward. Wondering if it tends to be warmer there???

[Andee]

We spent 19 days in Alaska during July and August a few years ago. We wore shorts in Anchorage, but it wasn't so hot that we would have been uncomfortable in long pants.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Throw in a couple of pairs, can't hurt and they don't weight much or take up much room;). When are you going? We were in Skagway last year the first week of June - it was very warm, wore shorts on our car rental excursion up into the Yukon. By the time we got to Spirit Lake, guess who was changing into jeans in the back of a very small rental car? Yup, you guessed it. Got quite chilly up there!

 

Certainly the interior will most likely be warmer than the southeast, but ya never know w/weather in AK - changes day to day, hour to hour and sometimes even minute to minute. Pack the shorts - better to have them and not use them, right?;)

[burky12]

Cruising goddess posted her wonderful experiences during her trip last summer. She recommended taking pants that convert to shorts. You can find them in many places. That is what we are taking.

[jean s]

We did the northbound cruise to Alaska and then 5 nights on land. It was quite warm (80 degrees) and we were very glad we had brough shorts.

[tampafish]

I"m packing some roll up capri's so that if it's warm enough they can be worn in the fully rolled up position and then I can keep them down if it's colder.

 

Those zip off pants look nice, but I couldn't find any in my size and they fit kind of strange on me.

[Nancyquilts]

And the mosquitoes will love you.:D

[sunsetbeachgal]

The only place we needed/wore shorts was Fairbanks and Denali.

[Stevesan]

sailed a Vancouver/Seward B2B during June 2002. Week one was wet and cold. Week two was sunny and warm.

 

Not untypical.

[timetravler]

When we were in Denali in June, it snowed. I brought shorts but never wore them. I would bring maybe one pair or those zip off pants would be good too. Bottom line is the weather in Alaska in the summer can be warm to cold so you need to be prepared for anything. Most important is to bring a poncho of rain jacket. I have used that on every Alaskan cruise(3).

[cindep]

And the mosquitoes will love you.:D

 

I was thinking the same thing. If you pack shorts, you'd better make sure to have insect repellant too! I know the joke is the mosquito is the "state bird" of Alaska, but honestly, I'd never seen them that big!!

[Toto2Kansas]

We needed shorts for some areas, but Denali was not one of them. We visited Alaska in August and we had snow in Denali and wished we would have had hats, gloves and scarves. lol

[starsjohn]

Many times in Alaska I have had to resort to long sleeve shirts, long pants and head protection because of the mosquitos. They can be the no see-um types that bite by the hundreds. Never know where they will show up, but once it was downtown Skagway.

[sherryf]

On our trip to Alaska 2 years ago, in late July, it was around 80 in every port. We wore shorts most of the trip. When in Skagway, we took the train/bus to the Yukon. One woman in our group was wearing a turtleneck with a pullover sweater. She looked so miserable. Once we got to Caribou Crossing, she went to the restroom and took off the turtleneck, but she still looked hot.

 

Last year it was hot in Juneau, but cool and rainy the rest of the time. We used our rain jackets a lot. It poured during about half of our Eagle Preserve rafting trip.

 

Pack a little of everything and layer appropriately. You never know what to expect in Alaska.

[ready2travel54]

I do have rollup pants that convert o capris and zip offs. I will toss in a pair or two of shorts. I do have some that are that wash and dry very quickly. Wouldn't it be lovely to need more shorts than what I bring. lol

[NHsnowpup]

FOr the cruise portion I don't think I will need shorts. But the week before we will be inland at Denali and Seward. Wondering if it tends to be warmer there???

 

 

Hubby and I went last July; a week on land first then cruise. I wore shorts almost every day, (except glacier viewing days) the whole trip and he wore long pants and a sweater most every day. Both of us were comfortable. Our warmest day was Ketchikan, where I felt really bad for the girl wearing the bear suit on the dock for the photo ops. It really is just like a New England summer, you never know what tomorrow will be like. 98 on Thursday, and hubby wanted the heater turned on Saturday night in the camper when it hit low 50's.

 

Only mosquito issue was at Earthquake Park in Anchorage where they tried to carry us off our bikes. Kantishna had a few in the early misty AM while we were waiting to start our hike.

[rayandshirl]

Just returned from the land/sea cruise. Spent 2 nights in Fairbanks, 2 nights in Denali and 2 nights at Princess Mt. McKinley lodge. It was 80 degrees at Denali!

 

The mosquitos come out in droves in late afternoon.

 

Shorts, maybe but bring lots of bug spray.