10 Reasons to Visit Anchorage in the Winter

Alaskan weather is certainly unpredictable, but not unbearable. Average highs in Anchorage for January run around 23 degrees Fahrenheit-similar to Minneapolis. Because of its position on an ocean inlet, warm currents and air streams can blow in from the Pacific, giving the city several pleasant days, even in the dead of winter.

High visitor demand and a short tourism season can drive hotel room rates into the rafters during the summer season. The tony Hotel Captain Cook offers rooms in January from around $160, compared with $290 during the July peak. Sheraton Anchorage has winter weekend rates from $109 in January, compared with $319 during July-a nearly 200 percent increase.

Visit during the winter and you'll generally share space with locals, airline crews on layover and other hardy travelers seeking adventure. Eavesdrop on neighborhood gossip at perennial favorite Snow City Café, grow an addiction to treasured local coffee roaster Kaladi Brothers Coffee or discover the world-class Anchorage Opera during a performance at the oil-funded art temple Alaska Center for the Performing Arts.

Visits in late February will come across the winter festival called Fur Rendezvous (locals lovingly call it "Fur Rondy" or just "Rondy") where Alaskans shake off mid-winter cabin fever with parades, sports tournaments, a carnival, parade, outhouse races, snowshoe softball, a fancy dress ball and other winter-themed events.

You can dog sled on a wheeled cart in the summer, or do it for real on a snowy back trail with bracing cold winter air. The real heart of the modern Alaskan experience, though, is the snow machine. Cross-country skiing on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail or ice-skating at Westchester Lagoon rounds out winter activities available to locals and visitors alike-all right within the city limits.

The Aurora Borealis or "Northern Lights" are actually a year-round phenomenon at northern latitudes, but long summer days can make the lights difficult to see. Cold, clear winter nights make the Aurora often visible from right within the city, although views will be much better away from the street lamps and building lights.

Many hotels offer wake-up calls to alert guests whenever the Aurora Borealis is visible.

40 miles south of the city lies Girdwood, Alaska, home to Alyeska Resort, one of the few ski resorts in North America where the base of the chairlift is virtually at sea level. Experienced mountaineers will appreciate the "steep and deep" mountain, which features North America's longest continuous double black run.

For après ski, don't miss The Hotel Alyeska or Cajun cuisine at the Double Musky Inn.

While the Anchorage-Denali-Fairbanks service runs daily during the summer, the scenery is just as spectacular in the winter when the Alaska Railroad provides a weekend-only yeoman service over the exact same route, making the journey in about 12 hours.

You'll see plenty of winter scenery and wildlife, as well as locals flagging the train down.

While many of Alaska's most sought-after species for viewing migrate during the winter (such as whales and birds) many land mammals can be seen in the city during the winter, particularly moose, ptarmigan, wolves, owls, bald eagles and Dall sheep. Visit the Alaska Zoo for the full spectrum of Arctic wildlife.

Soaring alpenglow-dressed mountain peaks cut into ice-capped ocean waters as the sun on the distant horizon casts golden rays and long shadows across a landscape of human and animal residents making the best of the cold climate. Visitors to Anchorage in the winter will find genuine warmth, breathtaking beauty, and unforgettable memories to treasure.