Skip summer crowds – Alaska’s winter months are where the real adventure lies.
Home to eight National Parks, the Last Frontier state lives up to its name with some of the most expansive wilderness in the entire world. Tourists might flock here during the summer for the warmest weather from June through August, but allow us to make a case for the wild of Alaskan winters!
No doubt, Alaska is a place of extremes, and the winters are certainly no exception. But instead of resisting the harsh cold, locals and native Alaskans lean fully into the outdoors and thrive. The phrase “no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing” rings true as they don their warmest gear and hit the ground running. An average wintry temperature of 18°F (-7°C) and over 6 feet of snowfall fails to dampen their spirits or cease their recreation. And with a mere 5 to 6 hours of daylight in the winter, they waste no time before losing the sun to long, dark nights. Here, pushing the limits yields a paradise that rewards the bold and adventurous.
After moving up to Anchorage, our beloved friends Sam and Justine of The Goldon Queers invited us to experience the wintry wild of their new home state. So in January 2024, we shipped up with our warmest layers and joined their whirlwind tour of the Alaskan wilderness.
There, we managed to slide through glaciers, bike on frozen lakes, and witness the most vivid light show we’ve ever seen. Before then, we had no idea some of these activities were even possible! And now, we’re sharing it with you to kick off your own wintry adventure! And hopefully, convince you to follow suit!
Sliding Through a Glacier
Alaska is the perfect playground for winter adventure, and a trip to Matanuska Glacier is the epitome of recreation. At 27 feet long and 4 miles wide, this colossus stretches across the valley and welcomes thousands of visitors on guided tours.
And this is not your average glacier tour – the guided hikes here certainly lack no thrills! In Iceland, Chris explored Sólheimajökull Glacier, but in comparison, Matanuska is practically an amusement park. Not only will you be walking to the glacier, but you’ll find yourself climbing, crawling, and sliding through frozen caverns!
Photos by Justine Goldon
Keep in mind, glaciers don’t disappear in the warm summer months – they transform! Gradual melting and refreezing throughout the year reshapes the structure, so what you explore in the winter would be completely different in the summer. It guarantees that no two trips to Matanuska Glacier will ever be the same!
Biking on a Frozen Lake
If you’re looking for the ultimate thrill, you’re going to have to hit the ice! Once the deep freeze hits, frozen lakes come to life with hikers, ice skaters, and snowshoers recreating on the surface. Portage Lake in Portage, Alaska, particularly makes for an unforgettable day adventure.
The best way to explore it? Grab a fatbike! In Alaska, locals swap out their summer wheels in exchange for fatbikes, or fat-tire bikes, to pusue the ultimate off-roading adventure. They’re often used for slippery cross-country trails that have been packed down with layers of snow, but the most daring take this hobby to the ice.
Strap in and take your fatbike on a whopping 6 mile round-trip trek across Portage Lake. The prize at the midpoint is the enormous namesake Portage Glacier. Towering over 100 feet tall, you can stand practically face to face with this Ice Aged behemoth. Remember, save some stamina to finish the other three miles back!
Visiting a Nordic Spa
All that Alaskan adventuring can surely be taxing on the body! So unwind like Scandinavians do and head to Alyeska Nordic Spa in Girdwood, Alaska, for a little R&R. Alyeska has everything you could possibly need: wooden hot tubs, forest saunas, halotherapy, and rainforest steam rooms, just to name a few amenities.
Rain, snow, or sleet fails to stop spa activity. In winter, be prepared to recline in a hot pool in a balmy 0° F (-18° C). Such drastic shifts create thermal shocks in the body that are quintessential to Nordic spa culture. Some of the benefits include boosted immunity and increased circulation.
If you need a little something extra, Alyeska also offers a medley of a la carte massages to accentuate your day of pampering, perhaps easing your mind off all that thermal shocking. And of course, what completes the experience is a hearty meal at their onsite Two Trees Bistro. Rested up and ready to explore? The resort property also boasts the largest skiing area in the entire state!
Thru-Hiking to a Lake Cabin
Remove yourself from algorithms and societal nonsense and head to the woods for an unforgettable weekend! Saddle up in either snowshoes or cross-country skis and grab your favorite friends to make the trek to your own rustic retreat.
Cabin culture is deeply embedded into the Alaskan way of life. It’s a testimony to the historical resilience of its people that desire community in the deepest parts of nature. Fortunately, reserving your own cabin could not be easier, but be warned: plenty of locals will be doing the same!
Photos by Justine Goldon
We found our home away from home at Rhein Lake Cabin in the Nancy Lake State Recreation Area of Willow, Alaska. With direct access to the namesake lake, our group skied on the frozen surface by day and hunkered down with bonfires and board games at night. To say that it was the perfect reset from civilization would be an understatement!
But keep in mind, cabins are not hotels! Cabins lack running water, electricity, and a bathroom attached to the main building. Brace yourself for midnight outhouse runs! And remember to pack in everything you need – literally! That means food, water, sleeping bags, firewood, toilet paper, clothing layers, and any creature comfort you may need to make your experience an enjoyable one.
Observing the Northern Lights
Keep your fingers crossed for a clear night and look up for the most stunning adventure of all. To see the Northern Lights is often a bucket list item for the average person. For Alaskans, it’s among their most popular night pastimes.
Peak months are those with the longest nights, so they’re best seen from November to February. Fairbanks, Alaska famously gets some of the best viewing of the lights because its location on the Auroral Oval zone. Fortunately, big cities like Anchorage and Juneau also get to witness them. In fact, we first saw them just before landing from 30,000 feet above!
During our time at Rhein Lake Cabin, the lights emerged just over the frozen lake and gave us a breathtaking performance of a lifetime. To try to describe just how beautifully visible they were even to the naked eye would be an injustice. It was truly a reminder of what makes Alaskan winters so exceptional – you just have to be brave enough to pursue the adventure!
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