Matanuska Glacier in November

Autumn in the first half, winter in the second

November is when the Matanuska turns from an autumn glacier into a winter one, and the change happens partway through the month. The park at Mile 102 of the Glenn Highway runs its tours on a four-season calendar: its autumn window closes on 14 November and winter begins on 15 November, give or take two weeks either side for the weather. The operator there says the ice becomes solid around the middle of the month, after weeks of below-freezing temperatures and testing its thickness.

So the date you travel matters more in November than in any other month. In the first week or two you are visiting a cold autumn glacier, with a walk out to the ice and fresh snow on the surface. By the last week, winter routines are starting: sleds behind snow machines on some tours, and the first chance of ice caves once guides judge them safe.

The weather, with numbers

There are no official climate averages for the glacier itself, so the nearest reliable figures come from NOAA’s stations in Anchorage and Palmer. Anchorage averages a high of 28.9°F (−1.7°C) in November and a low of 18.3°F (−7.6°C). Palmer is the same by day and colder at night, at 15.6°F (−9.1°C). The glacier sits higher up the valley and catches the wind off the ice, so it feels colder than both. Plan for a day below freezing from start to finish.

November is also when the snow settles in. Anchorage averages 12.6 inches (32 cm) over the month, more than double October’s total, and the Glenn Highway is usually snow-covered by the second half.

Daylight drops fast

On 15 November the sun rises over Anchorage at 9:06 in the morning and sets at 4:21 in the afternoon, a little over seven hours of light. The day is still shrinking by about five minutes a day. Daylight saving time ends on 1 November, which makes the mornings a little lighter and the evenings darker. A full-day tour from the city will spend some of its drive in the dark at one end or the other, but the time on the ice falls in daylight.

Which tours run in November

The summer-only operators have closed by now. NOVA’s glacier walks from its camp at Mile 96.5 run from 1 June to 10 September, so they are not an option this month. The tours that run in November are the day trips from Anchorage and the park’s own guided tours at the gate.

From Anchorage: Matanuska Glacier Winter Tour with Lunch is the one we would book. Greatland Adventures switches from its summer tour to this winter version on 1 November, and GetYourGuide’s first bookable date for it is 1 November. It is eight hours with pickup from select Anchorage hotels, all glacier equipment, lunch, snacks and water, and a hot meal at a local eatery to finish. It is rated 5.0 out of 5 from 16 reviews. One cost to plan for: a winter clothing package of parka, snow pants, boots, hat and gloves rents for $30 on the day. The same tour has a much larger review base on Viator:

From Anchorage: Matanuska Glacier Full-Day Tour from 907 Tours is the one to watch if you are travelling late in the month. The operator lists its summer season as running to early November, when the approach is a walk. From late November it takes guests out to the blue ice on sleds towed behind a snow machine, with a guide at the controls. It is ten hours, all entry fees included, and rated 4.8 out of 5 from 118 reviews. Our sled tours guide explains how the ride works.

Anchorage: Matanuska Glacier Hike with Transfers picks up from your hotel or Airbnb and hands out gloves and snow pants along with the safety gear. It runs year-round, about eight hours door to door, rated 4.8 out of 5 from 36 reviews.

If you have a car, the park’s own operator at Mile 102 runs guided tours every day, leaving at 10am, 11am, 1pm and 2pm, for about $150 per adult with the gate fee included. Its pages quote slightly different prices, so confirm before you drive. From its winter season on, it pulls visitors to the face of the glacier in a sleigh behind a snow machine whenever conditions allow.

Early November or late November?

Travel early in the month if you want the ice as it looked through the autumn, with a walk across the moraine and bare blue ice showing through the snow. Days are longer, too, with more than eight hours of light at the start of the month.

Travel late in the month if you want winter conditions. The ice is firmer, the sleds are starting, and the guides begin to look for caves. The ice caves are a winter feature, though, and in November they are not a sure thing. If seeing one matters, December to March is a safer bet, and our ice caves guide explains why.

Thanksgiving week

Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, and it is one of the few busy weeks of the cold season, as visitors fly in for the long weekend. The tours are still small by summer standards, but book the dates around the holiday earlier than you would for the rest of the month.

Driving yourself in November

The Glenn Highway is maintained every day, but November brings the first proper winter driving of the year, with snow, ice and short days. The stretch between Chickaloon and Sheep Mountain twists and climbs, with a switchback at Caribou Creek. Studded tyres are legal from 16 September, Alaska’s 511 service posts road conditions and cameras, and it is worth keeping at least half a tank of fuel and filling up in Palmer. Sheep Mountain Lodge’s restaurant closed in mid-September, so bring food. Our winter driving comparison weighs the drive against a tour with pickup.

What to pack

Dress for a day below freezing: a warm insulated layer, a waterproof shell, snow pants, waterproof winter boots with a stiff sole, wool socks, gloves, a hat, a buff or scarf for the wind, and sunglasses. If you have flown in without winter kit, the $30 package on Greatland’s tour or the gloves and snow pants on the hike with transfers will cover most of it. Everything else is in our what to wear guide.

The northern lights

November nights are long and dark, and the aurora season, which Visit Anchorage gives as September to April, is well under way. A day tour is back in Anchorage by early evening, though, and the city’s lights wash out all but the strongest displays. To see them you need a clear night away from town, on a separate evening outing or an overnight stay up the valley.

For the months either side, see our October guide and our December guide. When you have a date, check November availability.