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Winter Vacations

Information Courtesy of TravelAlaska.com

Northern Lights

This Far North phenomenon turns an average winter, fall or spring night into a widescreen extravaganza like nothing else. Auroras most often occur in the spring and fall because of Earth’s tilt in relation to the sun. But in the winter, when darkness prevails, the lights stand out even brighter and can be seen longer.

Bright yellow-green — almost lime-colored —lights are the most common, hovering some 70 miles up in the sky. Purple and blue hues are particularly beautiful. Fairbanks is one of the best places on earth for aurora watching because of its close proximity to the North Pole. There are several tour companies that offer aurora expeditions or opportunities to view the northern lights. Remote cabins, away from the city lights, will bring you closer to the auroras. Or travel by dog team at night: Guided tours will take you into the high country to see northern lights AND learn about mushing. A visit to Alaska in the wintertime is not complete until you’ve seen the sky dance.

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Dog Sledding

In Alaska, mushing is part of life in winter, and dog drivers of all ages and abilities take part in what has now come to be considered the state sport. Visitors, too, can benefit from the sport’s popularity. Many mushers offer learn-to-mush programs, or simply offer short dog sled rides for a small fee. It is great training for the animals, and helps the people who own the dogs keep them in shape for competition.

Whether it’s a quick ride in a sled that you prefer, or a weeklong dog sledding adventure, it can be arranged.

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Great Dog Sled Races of Alaska and the Yukon

For those wanting a true taste of adventure in the Far North, look no further than the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Both are drawing visitors from all over the world during the heart of the winter.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is a 1,150-mile (1850-km) race over the rough and vast terrain connecting Anchorage and Nome on the western Bering Sea coast. Whether you decide to attend the start in Anchorage or the race finish under the burled arch in Nome, it is an extraordinary experience.

Yukon Quest

With starts alternating between Whitehorse, Yukon and Fairbanks, Alaska, the Yukon
Quest runs 1,000 miles between these two cities over some of the world’s most spectacular and rugged terrain. Mushers and their dogs make their way over routes made famous over a century ago during the Klondike gold rush.

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Skiing

In Alaska, skiing is a way of life. It is a rare Alaska child who has never been on skis, and adults of all ages, sizes and levels of physical fitness get out there and swish. Never has a sport been so much a part of a community as skiing is in Alaska.

SOUTHCENTRAL

For those who prefer the luxury of ski resorts, there is no better place to tip your skis than Alyeska Resort, located a half hour drive south of Anchorage in the quaint ski town of Girdwood. The resort offers winterlong skiing and snowboarding lessons, and countless runs to sample from beginner to advanced.

In Anchorage, there are two other downhill skiing and snowboarding options, at Hilltop Ski Area and Alpenglow at Arctic Valley.

Cross-country skiing is available too. Kincaid Park offers plenty of challenging trails as well as the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, great for beginners or intermediates.

Two other fun and free Anchorage trail systems to check out: Russian Jack Springs Park, which offers classical-only skiing on terrain suited for beginners; and, the Hillside Trail System near Service High School.

Across Prince William Sound, there is Valdez, perhaps the snowiest place in Alaska and a true gem of a skiing destination. While there is no resort to cater to pampered skiers, there are countless events that attract ski-loving spectators.

INTERIOR

The newly built Birch Hills Recreation Area — site of the Junior Olympics — promises to be popular, and a trail system at the University of Alaska Fairbanks also is heavily used. But perhaps the most popular method of cross-country skiing involves just going out the door and hitting the most readily available wild spot.

But for downhill skiers in the Fairbanks area, speed can be had at a few locations. Moose Mountain Ski Area off Murphy Dome Road and Mount Aurora Skiland are two options.

SOUTHEAST

Juneau, surrounded as it is by steep mountains, is the perfect place for a mini snow resort. It’s much smaller than Alyeska, but the Eaglecrest Ski Area offers Southeast residents — and visitors — a great place to carve snow.

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Cross-country and backcountry skiing is easily accessible in just about every Alaska community, whether it is via groomed trails or trackless mountainsides. But if your skiing plans must include the comfort and familiarity of a lodge, chairlifts and a place to gather with friends, there are plenty of beautiful destinations to be found.

Heli-skiing

The heli-skiing season runs in late winter, from about February through April, when snow conditions are optimal, there’s lots of light and flying conditions the safest. The most popular areas for heli-skiing in Alaska include the Prince William Sound communities of Valdez and Cordova, Girdwood in Southcentral Alaska and the Southeast Inside Passage communities of Haines and Juneau.

For those who would rather view heli-skiing as a spectator, Valdez holds its annual Chugach Mountain Festival in April.

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Snowmachining

It’s easy to enjoy Alaska by snowmachine. A growing number of tour operators offer treks into the backcountry, both guided and unguided, for snowmachine riders of all abilities. Here’s a sampling from across the state:

Girdwood

This popular ski town is located in Southcentral Alaska, just 30 miles south of Anchorage, and the snowmachining is endless.

Fairbanks

This Interior city attracts snowmachiners galore, who appreciate the vastness of the land, much of it going on for hundred of miles at a time before approaching civilization.

Valdez

If you want snow, there is perhaps no better place to visit than Valdez. Where there is snow, there will be snowmachines. Valdez receives something in the neighborhood of 325 inches of snow per year, and that’s just the average. One year, there was a whopping 560 inches on the ground. Valdez is host to two major snowmachining events: The Mountain Man Hill Climb and the Mayor’s Cup.

Haines

Here’s a snowmachining hot spot that offers wilderness tours in untracked snow. Snowmachiners can have their choice of places to ride and companies to guide them.

Kenai Peninsula

While the peninsula may appear to flatten out between the towns of Cooper Landing and Homer, look off in the distance to see that the mountains are still quite close—perfect for snowmachining. Despite the area’s name, you’ll more likely spot moose than caribou, but be on the lookout for old homesteader cabins, too.

White Mountains National Recreation Area

Packed into its 1 million acres of land, just 30 miles north of Fairbanks, are more than 200 miles of groomed and maintained trails, a dozen public-use cabins equipped with many necessities and scenery that will leave you stunned into silence. Not only does the Bureau of Land Management maintain the trails and cabins for winter use, but it has established two campgrounds and created hiking areas for those visiting the land in the summer. In the fall and winter, moose and caribou hunters frequent the area on all-terrain vehicles. Today, the White Mountains National Recreation Area is the largest national recreation area in the United States, the only NRA in Alaska and the only one in the nation managed by the BLM.

Cross-country skiing, snowmachining and dog mushing are the latter’s most popular activities in the winter, and hiking near Wickersham Dome and Mount Prindle (the highest point in the White Mountains at 5,286 feet) is popular in the dry summer months. Floating the Beaver Creek National Wild River is fast becoming popular, too.

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  • Reservations can be made in person at the BLM Public Room, 1150 University Ave., Fairbanks AK or by calling (907) 474-2200.
  • Or call the Alaska Public Lands Information Center in downtown Fairbanks at (907) 456-0527.
  • Out-of-town travelers can visit the White Mountains National Recreation Area Web site at www.aurora.ak.blm.gov/WhiteMtns/html

Snow Biking

In Alaska during the winter, mountain bikes don’t get put away, they are simply equipped with studded tires, multiple gears and better lubrication to withstand cold temperatures. The cyclists themselves use warmer clothing, battery-operated lighting systems and any number of accessories to make winter riding — or “snow biking” as it is commonly termed — a joy.

Even if you are an avid mountain biker, there are many tips and tricks you’ll want to consider before taking on winter conditions on two wheels. Do some research so you’re well-prepared before snow biking.

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