2023 Alaska Winter Activity Guide

from 2025 Alaska Winter Activity Guide

2023 Alaska Winter Activity Guide

Want to explore Alaska’s winter backcountry in warm clothing while riding a swift machine? Encounter browsing moose in the forest? Or maybe travel to the face of a glacier riddled with stunning blue caves and crevasses? Book a snowmobile adventure!

Touring by “snowmachine” (what Alaskans call snowmobiles!) is one of the most enjoyable ways to experience Alaska in winter. Freeze-up and snowfall creates a network of trails that spreads out across hundreds of miles, making remote locations and rugged terrain more accessible. No other mode of travel combines the same speed and efficiency with the up-close intimacy of the snowy wilderness.

Girdwood, just 45 minutes south of Anchorage, offers several opportunities to ride. In the early season, once there’s good snow (generally mid-November through January), book the Scenic Mountain Tour with Glacier City Snowmobile Tours’ (907-382-1050). You’ll ride your snowmobile on groomed trails beneath massive, 7,000-foot glaciated peaks, going through the historical mining area of Crow Pass and crossing the famous Iditarod Trail. Or hit the trail with Alaska Wild Guides (907-250-4250) through legendary Turnagain Pass. You’ll see historic cabins, mining ruins, and towering mountains. Later in winter (once the U.S. Forest Service permits), both companies specialize in day trips to Spencer Glacier. There you’ll ride through the forest, over a glacier lake (sometimes studded with icebergs frozen in place) to the bright blue face of the glacier. Enjoy a hot meal and beverages, then explore the ice caves if it’s safe to do so. If you want to spend a few days out on the trail, ask either company about their multi-day tours.

All companies specialize in introducing newcomers to the sport! They’ll provide winter gear, including boots and helmets, to ensure that you’ll be warm and comfortable. And you’ll be riding top-of-the-line snowmobiles.

@ Salmon Berry Tours

DOG SLEDDING

Get hands-on experience with Alaska’s state sport! You’ll be greeted by a group of dogs barking excitedly and waiting anxiously to do what they love best—run. Hop on a sled, and those dogs will pull you through the stunning Alaskan winter wilderness. This experience is available once there’s enough snow, usually from mid- to late-November through early April. Go with Salmon Berry Tours (907-278-3572) and you’ll have the unique opportunity to mush the

sled yourself! You’ll head north from Anchorage to the town of Talkeetna, enjoying views of Mt. Denali on a clear day. Then you’ll arrive at the kennel of a champion Iditarod musher, where you’ll meet your dog team and head out on a 6-mile adventure through private trails. You’ll get to mush and experience riding in the sled; it’s the best of both! Your tour concludes with a tour of the homestead, followed by a warm lunch in Talkeetna.