Season guide · Anchorage · United States
Anchorage in winter
November–March: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Craig Talbert, CC BY 2.0
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Quick answer
Snow, short days, skiing, dog-sledding, Fur Rondy, the Iditarod start and chances of northern lights. Expect highs up to 1°C (34°F) and lows around -12°C (10°F), with about 45 rainy days across November–March.
Key facts
- Months
- November–March
- Temperatures
- -12°C (10°F) to 1°C (34°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 45
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -5°C (23°F) | -12°C (10°F) | 9 | 6.3 h | 1/5 |
| February | -3°C (27°F) | -11°C (12°F) | 8 | 8.9 h | 2/5 |
| March | 1°C (34°F) | -8°C (18°F) | 7 | 11.5 h | 3/5 |
| November | -2°C (28°F) | -8°C (18°F) | 10 | 7.1 h | 1/5 |
| December | -4°C (25°F) | -11°C (12°F) | 11 | 5.5 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of -3°C (27°F) against a yearly 7°C (45°F), and 45 of the year's roughly 115 rainy days fall in these 5 months. Crowds rate 2/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- February: Fur Rendezvous winter festival (usually late February to early March)
- March: Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race ceremonial start on 4th Avenue (usually first Saturday in March)
- December: Anchorage International Film Festival (usually early December)
Good choices for winter
Museum · Northeast Anchorage
Alaska Native Heritage Center
Run by Alaska Native people, the centre presents the state's major cultural groups through a gathering place with dance and storytelling, and six life-size village sites around a small lake showing traditional dwellings from the Arctic to the southeast.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Art
- Kids
Experience · Airport and Lake Hood
Lake Hood Seaplane Base and Alaska Aviation Museum
Watch takeoffs from the lakeside road on a summer evening, or book a flightseeing trip to see glaciers from the air.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Downtown
Anchorage Museum
The state's largest museum covers Alaska's art, history and science.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Day trips in winter
- Whittier and Prince William Sound (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car or 2.5 hours by train) — Whittier is reached through a 4 km single-lane tunnel shared by cars and trains.
- Seward and Kenai Fjords National Park (About 2.5 hours by car or 4 hours by train) — A harbour town on Resurrection Bay with the Alaska SeaLife Center, Exit Glacier's walking trails and boat cruises into Kenai Fjords National Park for tidewater glaciers, whales, puffins and sea lions.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat, gloves and thermal layers
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Anchorage?
It is a trade-off: Snow, short days, skiing, dog-sledding, Fur Rondy, the Iditarod start and chances of northern lights. The best months overall are June–August.
+What is the weather like in Anchorage in winter?
Highs of up to 1°C (34°F) and lows around -12°C (10°F), with about 45 rainy days over the season.