If I cruise in Alaska in September will I see a lot of snow?

[darnheather]

My sister has never seen a lot of snow before. I want her to experience that and since we both enjoy cruising I figure an Alaskan cruise would be awesome. And not just see it but get out and play in it.

 

[apathetic]

Not likely to be any snow. It will probably be cold, but not cold enough for snow.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

You'll probably need to take an excursion inland to find at least glacier snow.

 

[Annge]

I was in Denali NP the week after Labor Day and walked through patches of light snow.

 

[southerngirl528]

My sister has never seen a lot of snow before. I want her to experience that and since we both enjoy cruising I figure an Alaskan cruise would be awesome. And not just see it but get out and play in it.

You will DEFINITELY see snow, I'm betting, up on the high mountains. But as other PP said, likely the only way you could walk and/or play in it would be to take some sort of excursion that gets you up to the higher elevations, like to a glacier.

We sailed the end of May, I believe the first cruise of DCL's Alaska season, 4 years ago and there was snow on all the high mountains. It was very beautiful!

 

[darnheather]

Well bummer. I've seen pictures of people doing the dog sled thing. I'll have to ask her if she wants to actually see it snowing or just play in it.

 

[southerngirl528]

Well bummer. I've seen pictures of people doing the dog sled thing. I'll have to ask her if she wants to actually see it snowing or just play in it.

What dates in September is your cruise? I'm guessing it's the Sept 3rd sailing? I am no expert on precipitation in Alaska by ANY means! I would think they could have early snows. As I recall, Skagway is the farthest north the 7 night sailing goes? I would check into the weather predictions for that time of year at your various ports of call, and perhaps contact some of the excursion operators that look promising. Good luck!

 

[darnheather]

What dates in September is your cruise? I'm guessing it's the Sept 3rd sailing? I am no expert on precipitation in Alaska by ANY means! I would think they could have early snows. As I recall, Skagway is the farthest north the 7 night sailing goes? I would check into the weather predictions for that time of year at your various ports of call, and perhaps contact some of the excursion operators that look promising. Good luck!

No dates yet, thinking 2020.

 

[southerngirl528]

No dates yet, thinking 2020.

Ahhhh. Well, on a bright note, perhaps you can watch what the weather is doing in the port stops this September, which is only weeks away!

 

[cmph]

I would think you may have a better chance of seeing snow in the early sailings, perhaps? We saw snow on Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, mid-June. But it was snow piled into hills after being plowed off the pathways. They said they'd had a really late snowstorm. There are some excursions that are only available very early in the season b/c that's the only guarantee of seeing snow. The ports the cruises visit just don't see snow like you're thinking, though, so look into excursions that get you away from the ports.

 

[owensamo]

We did a late June/early July Northbound cruise on Celebrity a couple of years ago (Vancouver to Seward), and while we saw a lot of glacial ice, we didn't really encounter much in the way of snow until we went up the mountain at Alyeska (in Girdwood) to have dinner at the Seven Glaciers restaurant. The mountain had some snow still on the ground, which was pretty cool. I would imagine that there's probably fairly fresh snow at that elevation in September - so if snow is really something you're looking for, you may be better off with a cruise that goes farther north, or even a land-based trip out of Anchorage.

 

[lklgoodman]

If she wants to play in snow, just send her to Boston sometime this upcoming winter. They always have more than enough to play in!!❄❄I know it's not a cruise, but Boston is a great place to visit. Btw, I don't live there, but love it anyway☺

 

[SRQ57]

No snow when we sailed second week in September. Weather was mild, in the 50's. Had one rainy day, and several cloudy days. Last couple of days we spent in Seward Alaska, and weather was beautiful. Sunny, bright sunshine, and weather in the 50's.

 

[Pens Fan]

Well bummer. I've seen pictures of people doing the dog sled thing. I'll have to ask her if she wants to actually see it snowing or just play in it.

The best way to experience that kind of snow would be to do some type of glacier excursion. I know they offer a lot of them from Skagway, but be prepared for sticker shock. Any time helicopters are involved it's very expensive.

The inside passage of Alaska isn't really that far north. You are basically just off of the coast of British Columbia.

I also agree with @cmph that your best chances of seeing normal snow on the ground would be early in the season rather than later. You might see residual snow from the winter if you get up to a high enough elevation. We've played in the snow in Colorado as late as July, but it required jeeps getting us up over 12,000 ft or so.

 

[MillauFr]

If you want to see the snow stop at Mt. Rainier in Washington State on the way to/from Vancouver, BC. Some years they get 100 feet of snow at Paradise on the south slope of Mt. Rainier at 5,400 feet above sea level. The picnic tables are frequently still buried in snow on the 4th of July.

 

[jdb in AZ]

In Alaska they refer to snow as "termination dust" meaning the end of tourism season because of snow.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

If she wants to play in snow, just send her to Boston sometime this upcoming winter. They always have more than enough to play in!!❄❄I know it's not a cruise, but Boston is a great place to visit. Btw, I don't live there, but love it anyway☺

I live just outside of Boston-yeah, you will get to play in the snow if you come around January/February. This past year was March. People were on their knees, praying for it to stop. LOL Boston is a great city to visit. We all just get a bit winter weary sometimes

 

[darnheather]

If she wants to play in snow, just send her to Boston sometime this upcoming winter. They always have more than enough to play in!!❄❄I know it's not a cruise, but Boston is a great place to visit. Btw, I don't live there, but love it anyway☺

Yeah it looks like cruise is out. I'm looking at Yellowstone, Telluride, and Niagara Falls right now. Probably February 2020 time frame. Boston is a great city, but I want something more in nature.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Yeah it looks like cruise is out. I'm looking at Yellowstone, Telluride, and Niagara Falls right now. Probably February 2020 time frame. Boston is a great city, but I want something more in nature.

If you want snow, think ski resort. I don't ski, but I have often thought of going to one during the winter just for the snow access. Of course, I realize that some resorts make their own snow for skiing as needed, but they also experience a lot of the natural stuff. Plenty to play in, plus nice resorts, restaurants, accommodations, and fantastic mountain views.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

More like a lot of rain. If you do one of those excursions where they fly you up into the mountains, you will see some.