Best Time to Drive: Ketchikan, AK to Dutch Harbor, AK

The best overall window to drive from Ketchikan, AK to Dutch Harbor, AK is June. May is especially comfortable, and 7 AM to 10 AM is usually the easiest departure window. The main things to watch are heavy rain and ponding.

Best overall window

June

This stretch gives the steadiest mix of comfort, daylight, and lower weather friction.

Easiest departure pattern

7 AM to 10 AM

A morning departure gives you more room to adjust if rain slows the drive down.

Most challenging stretch

January to April

January is one of the harder months for this route because the weather friction stacks up faster.

Why This Route Scores Differently

This route is long enough that weather comfort across the whole day matters more than just departure conditions.

The current best window is June, when the drive is more likely to feel steady end to end.

This score uses multiple NOAA sample points along the route instead of a single state-wide climate average.

Month-by-Month Driving Conditions

Jan

Difficult 33°F

Feb

Difficult 34°F

Mar

Difficult 35°F

Apr

Difficult 40°F

May

Fair 46°F

Jun

Good 51°F

Jul

Good 55°F

Aug

Fair 56°F

Sep

Fair 51°F

Oct

Challenging 44°F

Nov

Difficult 38°F

Dec

Difficult 34°F

Best Good/Fair Challenging

Average Conditions by Month

January

Avg high / low 37 / 29°F

Moisture 10 in rain

Rating Difficult

Best departure

7 AM to 10 AM

Storm-prone Winter mix risk

Temperatures are workable, but not as easy as the best shoulder-season windows.

Rain is common enough that extra buffer time makes sense.

February

Avg high / low 38 / 29°F

Moisture 7.1 in rain

Rating Difficult

Best departure

7 AM to 10 AM

Storm-prone Winter mix risk

Temperatures are workable, but not as easy as the best shoulder-season windows.

Rain is common enough that extra buffer time makes sense.

March

Avg high / low 40 / 30°F

Moisture 6.8 in rain

Rating Difficult

Best departure

7 AM to 10 AM

Storm-prone Winter mix risk

Temperatures are workable, but not as easy as the best shoulder-season windows.

Rain is common enough that extra buffer time makes sense.

April

Avg high / low 45 / 34°F

Moisture 5.6 in rain

Rating Difficult

Best departure

7 AM to 10 AM

Storm-prone Winter mix risk

Temperatures are workable, but not as easy as the best shoulder-season windows.

Rain is common enough that extra buffer time makes sense.

May

Avg high / low 52 / 40°F

Moisture 5.3 in rain

Rating Fair

Best departure

7 AM to 10 AM

Storm-prone Patchy fog

Temperatures are workable, but not as easy as the best shoulder-season windows.

Rain is common enough that extra buffer time makes sense.

June

Avg high / low 57 / 46°F

Moisture 4.1 in rain

Rating Good

Best departure

8 AM to 11 AM

Wet stretches

Temperatures are workable, but not as easy as the best shoulder-season windows.

Weather is mixed enough that departure timing still matters.

July

Avg high / low 60 / 50°F

Moisture 4.3 in rain

Rating Good

Best departure

8 AM to 11 AM

Wet stretches Holiday traffic

Temperatures are workable, but not as easy as the best shoulder-season windows.

Weather is mixed enough that departure timing still matters.

August

Avg high / low 61 / 50°F

Moisture 6.5 in rain

Rating Fair

Best departure

7 AM to 10 AM

Storm-prone Patchy fog

Temperatures are workable, but not as easy as the best shoulder-season windows.

Rain is common enough that extra buffer time makes sense.

September

Avg high / low 56 / 46°F

Moisture 10.7 in rain

Rating Fair

Best departure

7 AM to 10 AM

Storm-prone Patchy fog

Temperatures are workable, but not as easy as the best shoulder-season windows.

Rain is common enough that extra buffer time makes sense.

October

Avg high / low 48 / 39°F

Moisture 11.5 in rain

Rating Challenging

Best departure

7 AM to 10 AM

Storm-prone

Temperatures are workable, but not as easy as the best shoulder-season windows.

Rain is common enough that extra buffer time makes sense.

November

Avg high / low 42 / 34°F

Moisture 10.9 in rain

Rating Difficult

Best departure

7 AM to 10 AM

Storm-prone Winter mix risk Holiday traffic

Temperatures are workable, but not as easy as the best shoulder-season windows.

Rain is common enough that extra buffer time makes sense.

December

Avg high / low 38 / 30°F

Moisture 11.4 in rain

Rating Difficult

Best departure

7 AM to 10 AM

Storm-prone Winter mix risk Holiday traffic

Temperatures are workable, but not as easy as the best shoulder-season windows.

Rain is common enough that extra buffer time makes sense.

Seasonal Hazards on This Route

Heavy rain and ponding

Jan - Dec

Short intense downpours can make a same-day drive feel longer than the raw route time suggests.

Winter mix risk

Jan - Dec

Even light snow or freezing precipitation can matter more than usual when this route turns into a same-day commitment.

Best Departure Time by Season

Spring

7 AM to 10 AM

A morning departure gives you more room to adjust if rain slows the drive down.

Summer

8 AM to 11 AM

Mid-morning is usually the steadiest all-around departure window.

Fall

7 AM to 10 AM

A morning departure gives you more room to adjust if rain slows the drive down.

Winter

7 AM to 10 AM

A morning departure gives you more room to adjust if rain slows the drive down.

How This Score Was Built

Source

Route-sampled NOAA climate normals

High confidence. Built from 4 NOAA-backed route checkpoints rather than a single statewide estimate.

Origin zone

Alaska

Destination zone

Alaska

Route sample points

Late route

Late route checkpoint

AK BEAVER FALLS (2.2 mi away)

Late route

Late route checkpoint

AK PETERSBURG 1 70386 (6.3 mi away)

Late route

Late route checkpoint

AK SAND POINT 1 ENE (1.8 mi away)

Destination

Dutch Harbor, AK

AK DUTCH HARBOR (0.4 mi away)

Ready to plan? See the full trip plan from Ketchikan, AK to Dutch Harbor, AK with stops, fuel costs, and directions.

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