It’s the most magical time of year in Alaska! The summer traffic has died down and our glorious outdoor playground is ours to enjoy, sans the crowds. We are beginning to wake up to a light frost followed by peaceful days or crisp air and relentless beauty. The fall foliage that surrounds us is picture perfect and the Northern Lights dancing in the night sky leave us completely breathless. Before we know it, the termination dust will come and we will be catapulted into a frosty winter wonderland. Without further ado, here are 16 undeniable signs that fall is almost here in Alaska.

1. Suddenly, your favorite fishing spots become tranquil again.
Courtney Stanley
No more combat fishing means that we are some happy Alaskans!
2. The leaves will begin to change colors and fall off the trees.
Flickr - Twila
Which basically starts at the end of August.
3. The tundra will turn fiery red.
Flickr - Abhijit Kamerkar
A natural phenomenon is how we describe it.
4. While the rest of the world is excited about football season, you’re just stoked to fish for trophy trout.
Flickr - J
Hog wild, baby!
5. The sun will actually set again and you’ll be able to fall asleep before midnight.
Flickr - Lynda Cazort
You'll feel sort of like a member of the real world again.
6. Crisp, clear evenings mean that the Northern Lights will be returning to dance the night away.
Flickr - Tom
And you'll forget all about needing to sleep altogether.
7. In the early morning hours you’ll notice a light frost covering everything around you.
Flickr - JLS Photography - Alaska
And it's completely beautiful.
8. Did somebody say moose season?
Flickr - Peter Kozlowski
Otherwise known as the unofficial start of fall.

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9. You’ll notice that there is hardly any traffic on the roads compared to the last four months.
Flickr - amy halverson
Bye bye tourists!
10. Except around 7am and 3pm when the school buses are seemingly EVERYWHERE.
Flickr - fdecomite
Stop and go. Stop and go.
11. Because fall in Alaska is basically over before the ‘official’ first day of fall arrives, you’ll start winterizing your entire house.
Flickr - Arthur T. LaBar
If you're lucky, you'll get halfway through before winter hits you like a ton of ice cold bricks.
12. The air is crisp and cool.
Flickr - Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
And fresh and reviving and ahhhhhmazing!
13. Your wardrobe will change overnight and will now feature an assortment of flannel, puffy coats and warm boots.
Flickr - Wonderlane
We'll take practical over stylish any day because we really aren't concerned with impressing anybody. We'd rather just be warm and happy!
14. If you live in a small touristy town, you’ll notice that over half of all the local businesses will completely shut down.
Flickr - Christoph Strässler
So you better get used to eating at the same small restaurant and shopping at the same small grocery store for the next 8 months.
15. Every coffee shop in the state will now offer the same pumpkin spice latte on special.
Flickr - Ken Kozak
Because doing something to set yourself apart from the competition would just be too easy, right?
16. Last but not least, you’ll look up at the mountains every morning in dooming anticipation of the termination dust.
Flickr - Terry Lawson
When she comes, she's ferocious. But she sure is a beauty!

Before fall comes and then winter blows in like a ton of ice bricks, be sure to check off as many of these 26 activities to add to your Alaskan summer bucket list as possible. This ultimate bucket list for anyone in Alaska who loves the outdoors is also a great read if you want awesome ideas for enjoying the last frontier all year long.

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