Riley Creek Ranger Cabin No. 20 · Photo: National Park Service inventory · Public domainHardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Denali Park
Sunny July days climb to about 66°. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Temperatures cover 72° across the year, low to high. The outdoor season, with highs of 65–66°, runs through June and July.
A year in Denali Park at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Denali Park’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Denali Park’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Denali Park feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 77 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 6 and the first by August 25. Frost dates and degree days from Mckinley Park, AK, 13 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Denali Park’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −29°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 77 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mckinley Park, AK, is heaviest from November through December, about 13 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; July is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 123 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Denali Park
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55°: every month but July.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Mckinley Park, AK.
Living with Denali Park’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
77 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by Jun 6 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Aug 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and July. 17 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Denali Park from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Denali Park and its neighbors
Healy has the coldest January nights next door (-9°, 3° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Denali Park’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denali Park, AK | −6° | 66° | 16" | 77" |
| International Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 73" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
| Marquette, MI | 11° | 76° | 32" | 102" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
How Denali Park compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Denali Park’s place among Alaska’s.
Denali Park weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mckinley Park, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10° | −6° | 0.6" | 9.6" | 8 | 31 |
| February | 20° | −1° | 0.7" | 9.6" | 7 | 29 |
| March | 25° | 0° | 0.5" | 8.2" | 6 | 31 |
| April | 41° | 17° | 0.4" | 6.9" | 4 | 29 |
| May | 55° | 31° | 0.8" | 2.6" | 7 | 8 |
| June | 65° | 41° | 2.4" | 0.1" | 14 | 0 |
| July | 66° | 45° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| August | 61° | 41° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| September | 51° | 31° | 1.7" | 5.0" | 13 | 3 |
| October | 34° | 16° | 0.8" | 9.4" | 10 | 18 |
| November | 18° | 2° | 0.8" | 12.9" | 11 | 27 |
| December | 14° | −3° | 0.8" | 12.4" | 10 | 31 |
| Year | 38° | 18° | 15.9" | 76.7" | 123 | 206 |
Where Denali Park’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station (NOAA’s grid doesn’t cover Alaska).
- Snow: Mckinley Park, AK.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Mckinley Park, AK, 13 miles away.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Denali Park’s climate
What is the weather like in Denali Park?
A typical July afternoon reaches 66°, a January night drops to −6°, and about 77 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 10 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 40 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Denali Park in winter?
January nights average −6°. About 242 nights a year reach 32° or below and 86 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Denali Park get?
About 77 inches in a normal winter at Mckinley Park, AK, heaviest from November through December, about 13 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 206 days a year.
How hot does it get in Denali Park?
July, with a typical high of 66°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Mckinley Park, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Denali Park?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 6 and the first fall frost by August 25, about 77 frost-free days, at Mckinley Park, AK.
What growing zone is Denali Park in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −29°.
What is the best time of year to visit Denali Park?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and July. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Denali Park.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.