Best time to visit Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve
The short answer
Best months to visit Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve: July. Daily highs run around 65°F, with visitor numbers near the yearly peak (July).
Hardest months: January–March and October, mostly because of cold weather.
How we picked these months: each month is scored on daily highs (65–82°F is ideal), rain, snow and seasonal closures, then reduced by up to 30% for crowds, measured against the park's busiest month. We list the months within 15% of the top score (at most 5).
Weather and crowds by month
Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve month by month
Park-wide averages across 5 locations. Crowds compare each month with the park's busiest month: Quiet is under 35% of it, Moderate under 60%, Busy under 85%, Peak above that.
| Month | Rating | High / low | Rain | Snow | Crowds | Closures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Poor | 14° / 5°F | 0.3 in | 12.9 in | Quiet | – |
| February | Poor | 15° / 4°F | 0.1 in | 10.8 in | Quiet | – |
| March | Poor | 24° / 11°F | 0.1 in | 8.8 in | Quiet | – |
| April | Poor | 37° / 23°F | 0.2 in | 5.5 in | Quiet | – |
| May | Poor | 51° / 36°F | 1.4 in | 4.4 in | Quiet | – |
| June | Good | 59° / 46°F | 3.1 in | – | Busy | – |
| July | Best | 64° / 51°F | 3.2 in | – | Peak | – |
| August | Fair | 59° / 48°F | 4.7 in | – | Busy | – |
| September | Poor | 50° / 38°F | 3.5 in | 3.0 in | Quiet | – |
| October | Poor | 35° / 25°F | 1.3 in | 11.0 in | Quiet | – |
| November | Poor | 21° / 11°F | 0.2 in | 12.6 in | Quiet | – |
| December | Poor | 16° / 5°F | 0.2 in | 17.0 in | Quiet | – |
Weather by location
Parks with a big range of elevation can differ a lot from one area to another. Open a location to see its own numbers.
Park-wide (center of the park)
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°F | 10°F | 0.5 in | 17.2 in |
| February | 17°F | 8°F | 0.1 in | 13.7 in |
| March | 25°F | 12°F | 0.1 in | 11.6 in |
| April | 37°F | 24°F | 0.2 in | 6.2 in |
| May | 51°F | 37°F | 1.4 in | 4.3 in |
| June | 60°F | 47°F | 3.5 in | – |
| July | 65°F | 53°F | 3.5 in | – |
| August | 60°F | 49°F | 5.6 in | – |
| September | 50°F | 40°F | 4.4 in | 3.4 in |
| October | 36°F | 26°F | 1.5 in | 13.5 in |
| November | 23°F | 13°F | 0.3 in | 16.2 in |
| December | 19°F | 9°F | 0.1 in | 22.0 in |
Copper Center
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°F | 0°F | 0.3 in | 8.6 in |
| February | 14°F | 1°F | 0.1 in | 6.9 in |
| March | 27°F | 11°F | 0.1 in | 4.8 in |
| April | 42°F | 25°F | 0.2 in | 2.3 in |
| May | 56°F | 38°F | 1.1 in | 1.2 in |
| June | 65°F | 49°F | 1.9 in | – |
| July | 70°F | 54°F | 1.8 in | – |
| August | 64°F | 51°F | 2.6 in | – |
| September | 54°F | 41°F | 2.6 in | 0.9 in |
| October | 38°F | 28°F | 1.1 in | 7.2 in |
| November | 22°F | 11°F | 0.2 in | 9.9 in |
| December | 14°F | 2°F | 0.3 in | 12.2 in |
Chitina
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°F | 7°F | 0.4 in | 16.9 in |
| February | 17°F | 7°F | 0.2 in | 12.5 in |
| March | 26°F | 14°F | 0.2 in | 9.6 in |
| April | 40°F | 27°F | 0.3 in | 6.2 in |
| May | 53°F | 39°F | 1.6 in | 1.1 in |
| June | 62°F | 48°F | 2.6 in | – |
| July | 67°F | 53°F | 2.4 in | – |
| August | 62°F | 50°F | 4.8 in | – |
| September | 52°F | 41°F | 4.1 in | 1.6 in |
| October | 38°F | 28°F | 1.9 in | 10.9 in |
| November | 23°F | 14°F | 0.4 in | 14.9 in |
| December | 18°F | 8°F | 0.5 in | 21.3 in |
Kennecott
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18°F | 10°F | 0.5 in | 17.5 in |
| February | 17°F | 8°F | 0.2 in | 15.4 in |
| March | 24°F | 13°F | 0.1 in | 12.8 in |
| April | 36°F | 24°F | 0.2 in | 7.7 in |
| May | 49°F | 36°F | 1.5 in | 5.4 in |
| June | 58°F | 45°F | 3.7 in | – |
| July | 63°F | 51°F | 3.9 in | – |
| August | 58°F | 48°F | 6.5 in | – |
| September | 49°F | 38°F | 4.9 in | 5.1 in |
| October | 35°F | 25°F | 1.8 in | 15.0 in |
| November | 22°F | 12°F | 0.3 in | 16.9 in |
| December | 19°F | 10°F | 0.2 in | 22.4 in |
Slana
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9°F | -2°F | 0 in | 4.3 in |
| February | 9°F | -2°F | 0 in | 5.4 in |
| March | 18°F | 3°F | 0 in | 5.1 in |
| April | 31°F | 17°F | 0.1 in | 5.1 in |
| May | 45°F | 31°F | 1.0 in | 10.1 in |
| June | 53°F | 40°F | 4.0 in | 1.9 in |
| July | 58°F | 46°F | 4.5 in | – |
| August | 53°F | 41°F | 4.2 in | – |
| September | 44°F | 32°F | 1.5 in | 4.2 in |
| October | 30°F | 19°F | 0.2 in | 8.6 in |
| November | 14°F | 4°F | 0 in | 5.3 in |
| December | 10°F | -2°F | 0 in | 6.9 in |
Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve by season
Spring (March–May)
Spring (March–May) is a difficult time to visit Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve. Daily highs average 24–51°F and lows 11–36°F. Expect about 0.5 in of rain a month and 6.2 in of snow, with up to 53 in on the ground. Visitor numbers run 1–18% of the busiest month, which is quiet by this park's standards.
Summer (June–August)
Summer (June–August) is a good time to visit Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve. Daily highs average 59–64°F and lows 46–51°F. Expect about 3.7 in of rain a month; some snow can linger on the ground. Visitor numbers run 70–100% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
Fall (September–November)
Fall (September–November) is a difficult time to visit Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve. Daily highs average 21–50°F and lows 11–38°F. Expect about 1.7 in of rain a month and 8.9 in of snow, with up to 21 in on the ground. Visitor numbers run 0–28% of the busiest month, which is quiet by this park's standards.
Winter (December–February)
Winter (December–February) is a difficult time to visit Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve. Daily highs average 14–16°F and lows 4–5°F. Expect about 0.2 in of rain a month and 13.5 in of snow, with up to 51 in on the ground. Visitor numbers run 0% of the busiest month, which is quiet by this park's standards.
For what to do in each season, see our guides to trip planning, fees and hours, trails, camping and things to do, where the planning page also has our written advice on when to go. In-depth topic guides cover individual places and hikes.
Seasonal closures
- CLOSED Fall-Winter-Spring - October through April.
What the National Park Service says about the weather
Varies widely depending on location in park and time of year. Visit https://www.nps.gov/wrst/planyourvisit/weather.htm for detailed information.
Weather: modeled monthly averages for 2014-2023 (Open-Meteo Archive API), averaged over 5 locations. Modeled grid cells can read cooler than weather stations in deep canyons and deserts, and warmer or colder at high elevation. Visits: monthly recreation visits for 2021-2024, National Park Service.
