How Seasons Shape Experience
Most people may think traveling to Sitka, Alaska is strictly reserved for the summer season. But what they don’t realize is that by eliminating the other seasons right off the bat, they lose the opportunity to connect with locals, experience moody Octobers, or discover the first buds of spring.
Sitka in the summer gives the best chance to see the sun-we can’t deny that. But there is so much more to experience that happens the rest of the year. It’s waiting for you!
The Summer Buzz
When it comes to weather, summer in Sitka has a large range. The lucky few will step off a cruise ship on a bright sunny day, where the sun stays out from the early hours until it’s time to rest for the night. Many others may sail straight into gray skies.
Because there are few days where Sitkan’s see the sun, the town comes alive. Trails fill up, shorts are dug up from the depths of closets, and many visitors wonder how people can be in summer clothing in 60 degree weather.Â
Sitka Fine Arts Camp showcases music and art for months, crab and fish booths line downtown, and locals are often sitting at dusk fires under lifted cloud ceilings.
Summer is also filled with overcast and even misty rainy days. The trademark of Alaska, however, is the long lasting light. Thjis light keeps things moving. People hang out after work. They stay up late. Others find time outside amid gray, yet lit up, skies. The days are filled with visitors and the evenings are filled with the charter fisherman and locals.
When October Comes, Sitka Slows Down
The cruise season ends, school is a couple months in, and locals are settling down for the long winter. Fall in Sitka is filled with stormy weather, dramatic clouds, and the summer frenzy slows down.
You will meet locals during October. If you are escaping the rain at a local coffee shop, exploring trails with waterproof shoes, or grabbing a bite to eat at one of our many restaurants, Sitkans return to their daily cycles.
Annual activities, such as Sitka Whalefest, bring in educators. Alaska Day brings in rainy celebrations and locals find their way back to their usual rhythms again.
The end of cruise season feels like a different world. It is sudden, the town quiets, people breathe a sigh of relief, summer workers leave, and walking into a store usually involves a catch up rather than a quick wave.
No, Sitka Doesn't Have Polar Bears
Winter arrives faster than everyone seems to expect each year. After a hail-ridden Halloween, cold weather seems to close in from every corner.
Snow creeps further down the mountains and threatens to blanket Lincoln Street during holiday shopping.
If you are traveling to Sitka during the winter, you shouldn’t expect only snow, though. There are seasons where Sitka sees a lot of snow, but oftentimes winter brings rain, chilly temperatures, and cloudy skies.
Even in the winter, locals stay busy. They have high school basketball tournaments around the state, Monthly Grinds (Sitka’s open mic night), and arts performances from the school and community groups.
We still recommend you bring Yaktrax in case the temperatures drop into the freezing range.
Spring Comes Inching Along In April
Patience is a quickly-learned skill for local Sitkans. As winter continues, gardeners hope each morning that temperatures didn’t go into frost range last night. During some years, freezing temperatures continue all the way into April.
Once Spring hits, it floods Sitka. Salmonberry leaves start to reach up to the sky, the bright greens flood the dark evergreen forests, and locals hit the trails without Yaktrax again.
Locals know spring by the turquoise ocean that coincides with the annual Herring spawn. The spawn triggers fleets of fishing vessels, and marks the beginning of the fruitful new season.
April also brings the first cruise ships of the season. Things start to speed up again. The slow, contemplative winter is over, and people are out and about, serving our lovely visitors, catching up with friends, and gathering whatever Vitamin D the sky allows.
Sitka has a season for everyone and each season brings a new experience. When you’re planning your next trip, remember that summer isn’t your only option. You’re welcome any time of the year.
