Alaska in January: Northern Lights, Dog Sledding, Weather and Where to Go

On a January evening in Fairbanks, the air is so cold that the snow squeaks underfoot, and woodsmoke hangs low over the rooftops while the sky turns slowly from deep blue to black. Down in Anchorage, skiers and skaters work the trails after a short afternoon of pale light, and along the Inside Passage the winter comes as rain, wet snow and mist. January in Alaska is a month of long nights, hard cold and winter sports, with the northern lights as the great reward for those willing to bundle up.

It suits travelers who want winter on its own terms: dog sleds, hot springs, clear dark skies and quiet towns.

What is the weather like in Alaska in January?

January is cold everywhere in Alaska, but the kind of cold changes sharply by region: bitter and dry in the Interior and the Arctic, cold and snowy in Southcentral, and damp, near-freezing and gray along the Southeast coast.

Fairbanks is the deep-cold town of the list: afternoons barely reach above zero, and nights drop well below it. The air is dry, with only a couple of days of precipitation, so the cold comes with clear skies more often than with storms. Utqiagvik is colder still and sits in the polar night, with no sun rising on the 15th.

Anchorage is cold but a step milder, with afternoons in the low 20s and a modest amount of snow over the month. Juneau and Seward hover around freezing and get far more moisture, and Ketchikan is the wettest of all, with rain falling on most days of the month and highs in the upper 30s. Daylight grows with every step south, from about five hours in Fairbanks to nearly eight in Ketchikan.

Where to go in Alaska in January

Winter travel here is about choosing a region and settling in, since the state is vast and January favors places with a town, a warm room and a dark sky.

Southcentral and the Kenai coast

Anchorage is the easiest base for a winter visit, with skiing, skating, dog sledding, snow biking and flightseeing over the Chugach Mountains and the Alaska Range all part of its winter menu. Museums fill the short days with Russian, Native, gold rush and pioneer history, and the northern lights can be watched from the city even after sundown. A ski resort sits not far from downtown, in the Girdwood area.

Seward, at the head of Resurrection Bay, is a small port town with Mount Marathon rising behind it and the waters of Kenai Fjords National Park in front. January here is quiet and damp, a town of snow-dusted rooftops and a working harbor. The Alaska SeaLife Center, the state’s only public aquarium, gives you something to do indoors when the weather turns.

The Interior: Fairbanks and Denali

Fairbanks is the classic January base for the aurora. Its viewing season runs from late August to late April, and clear weather plus a few nights in town raises the chances considerably. Chena Hot Springs, where the lodge’s aurora viewing season runs from late August to mid-April, adds the pleasure of soaking in hot water on a very cold night.

Denali National Park is open year-round, but winter is a different park. Bus service runs only in summer, and the Denali Park Road may close at Mountain Vista or Park Headquarters at any time because of winter weather. The winter visitor center is the Murie Science and Learning Center, and the park kennels welcome visitors on weekend afternoons through the winter.

Southeast and the Inside Passage

Juneau, the capital, cannot be reached by road, only by air or sea, which gives its winter a pleasantly cut-off feel. Temperatures hover around freezing, and the town’s wooded mountains stand in cloud and rain. The Alaskan Hotel, more than a century old, and the brewery that makes Alaskan beer are cozy places to wait out a wet afternoon.

Ketchikan, in the same rainforest country, is the wettest place in this list, with rain on most days. The cruise crowds of summer are gone, so this is a month for people who like gray, misty, moody coastal scenery and do not mind getting wet.

The Arctic: Utqiagvik

Utqiagvik, the northernmost city in the United States, spends January in polar night, with the sun staying below the horizon. It is dry and extremely cold, and the experience is about darkness, snow and silence rather than sightseeing. It is a trip for travelers who want the far north at its most extreme.

What to do in Alaska in January

Watch for the northern lights

The aurora is the headline of an Alaska winter. Over Anchorage, the lights are active from late September through the middle of April, and in Fairbanks the viewing season runs from about late August to late April. The northern lights oval covers most of Alaska, so a clear, dark night is what matters most.

Fairbanks is known for aurora watching, with many tours and viewing sites. Chena Hot Springs runs a winter aurora viewing tour lasting five hours, for riders at least two years old. Activity is statistically higher around the equinoxes than at midwinter, so January is a chance, never a promise.

Dog sledding and winter sports

Dog sledding in Anchorage typically runs from October through March, so January sits squarely inside the season. In Alaska, sled dogs traditionally pull side by side in pairs, and watching a team lean into the harness is one of the most memorable winter scenes. The Denali kennels, open on Saturdays and Sundays in winter, let you meet Alaskan huskies in the snow.

Around Anchorage you can also ski, skate and snow bike, or take a flightseeing tour over the Chugach Mountains and Alaska Range, which departs year-round. Fairbanks adds the Winter Solstice Celebration in December, and its ice art sculptures arrive later, from mid-February. Looking ahead, Anchorage’s Fur Rendezvous, Alaska’s largest and oldest winter festival, and the start of the Iditarod on the first Saturday of March both come after January ends.

Is Alaska busy in January?

No, January is one of the quietest months in Alaska, because the big visitor seasons belong to summer. The cruise ships that bring thousands of passengers to Juneau do so between May and September, and Denali’s buses, ranger programs and most organized events run from mid-May through mid-September.

What remains is winter travel: aurora chasers in Fairbanks and Anchorage, people on dog sledding trips, skiers in the Girdwood area and travelers who simply like the cold. Anchorage, with its large airport and many hotels, stays the main hub, and Fairbanks is the center for the lights.

Small coastal towns such as Seward and Ketchikan are calm in January, and Denali is nearly silent under snow. Utqiagvik, in polar night, is the most remote of all.

What to pack for Alaska in January

Packing changes with the region: the Interior and the Arctic call for the warmest layers you own, Southcentral wants cold-weather gear for snow, and the Southeast coast needs rain protection as much as warmth. Daylight is short everywhere, so plan outings around the middle of the day.

• A heavy insulated parka and thermal base layers, for Fairbanks and the Arctic where highs sit near zero or below
• Insulated waterproof boots with good traction, for snow and ice in Anchorage and the Interior
• A waterproof shell and rain pants, for Juneau, Seward and Ketchikan, where much of the moisture falls as rain or wet snow
• Warm hat, face covering and insulated mittens, for aurora nights spent standing still outside
• A headlamp, for the long dark hours of the day

Good to know before you go

Denali National Park is open year-round, but its bus service runs only in summer, and the Denali Park Road may close at Mountain Vista or Park Headquarters at any time because of winter weather. The Alaska Railroad’s Anchorage to Seward trains run in summer, from May 13 to September 14, so they are not part of a January trip.

Daylight runs from about five hours in Fairbanks to nearly eight in Ketchikan, and Utqiagvik has none at all. Juneau has no road link to the rest of the continent, so it is reached by air or sea.

Is January a good time to visit Alaska?

January is a good time for travelers who want real winter, and the Interior around Fairbanks and Chena Hot Springs is the best region for it, thanks to dry air, long dark nights and a settled aurora season. Anchorage is the easier choice for those who prefer a city with winter sports and a wide choice of rooms.

Compared with December, January in Anchorage is slightly colder, with highs around 22.7°F against 25.0°F, and Fairbanks is a few degrees colder still. By February both warm up a little, and the days lengthen noticeably, so January is the coldest and darkest stretch for most of the state. Juneau stays close to freezing in all three months. What makes January special is its stillness: dark skies that favor the aurora, kennels and trails in snow, and towns with the summer crowds long gone.

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To plan your stay

• Things to Do in Alaska: Glaciers, Denali, Wildlife and the Northern Lights
• Where to Stay in Alaska: Anchorage, Girdwood, Fairbanks and Denali Lodges
• Alaska Airports: Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Sitka and Bush Flying
• Know Before You Go to Alaska: Layers, Bears, Road Conditions and Time Zone