Season guide · Anchorage · United States
Anchorage in spring
April–May: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Skvader, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Breakup mud in April gives way to fresh green and bright, dry days in May as summer services resume. Expect highs up to 13°C (55°F) and lows around -1°C (30°F), with about 12 rainy days across April–May.
Key facts
- Months
- April–May
- Temperatures
- -1°C (30°F) to 13°C (55°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 12
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in spring
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 7°C (45°F) | -1°C (30°F) | 6 | 14.6 h | 1/5 |
| May | 13°C (55°F) | 4°C (39°F) | 6 | 17.4 h | 3/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 10°C (50°F) against a yearly 7°C (45°F), and 12 of the year's roughly 115 rainy days fall in these 2 months. Crowds rate 2/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
Good choices for spring
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Museum · Downtown
Anchorage Museum
Start with the Smithsonian gallery on the second floor; it gives the best background for the rest of an Alaska trip.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Museum · Northeast Anchorage
Alaska Native Heritage Center
Run by Alaska Native people, the centre presents the state's major cultural groups through a gathering place with dance and storytelling, and six life-size village sites around a small lake showing traditional dwellings from the Arctic to the southeast.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Art
- Kids
Experience · Airport and Lake Hood
Lake Hood Seaplane Base and Alaska Aviation Museum
Watch takeoffs from the lakeside road on a summer evening, or book a flightseeing trip to see glaciers from the air.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Day trips in spring
- Seward and Kenai Fjords National Park (About 2.5 hours by car or 4 hours by train) — A harbour town on Resurrection Bay with the Alaska SeaLife Center, Exit Glacier's walking trails and boat cruises into Kenai Fjords National Park for tidewater glaciers, whales, puffins and sea lions.
- Matanuska Glacier (About 2 hours by car) — A large valley glacier visible from the Glenn Highway, where guided walks on private access land let visitors step onto the ice.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is spring a good time to visit Anchorage?
It is a trade-off: Breakup mud in April gives way to fresh green and bright, dry days in May as summer services resume. The best months overall are June–August.
+What is the weather like in Anchorage in spring?
Highs of up to 13°C (55°F) and lows around -1°C (30°F), with about 12 rainy days over the season.