Winter trip to Alaska on last minute travel

I’m taking a winter trip to Alaska in February. A last minute travel deal lowers the prices to a fraction of the cost of a summer trip. Despite the cold weather, Alaska can be just as exciting in winter as summer.

Alaska Airlines offered a last minute trip that was too good to pass up. Adding to the excitement is that the Alaska Airlines fare sale was timed to coincide with peak chances of seeing the Northern Lights.

With the fare sale I snagged discounted airfare for $350 round trip. This is main cabin fare instead of saver tickets with insurance from Raleigh-Durham airport to Anchorage (one of the closest airports to me now).

In contrast, my church mission team paid $600 for round trip tickets from Atlanta to Anchorage in summer 2019. This was economy / saver fare and without insurance.

What are things to do in Alaska in winter? Assuming you are flying into Anchorage you may have the opportunity to…

See the Northern Lights

Go to Turnigan Arm on the Gulf of Alaska

Visit the museums

See Earthquake Park. This free city park tells the story of damage incurred during Good Friday Earthquake.

It is important to buy good winter gear before going to Alaska. Generally, temperatures are milder in Anchorage than at Denali than in Fairbanks but can still hover around zero. There is also more daylight in the southern parts of the state than farther north.

Winter gear is often on sale this time of year. Stores are starting to stock for spring. I was able to get ski bibs from Amazon for $38 and change. A much lower price than just a couple of weeks ago. https://amzn.to/2uzI9Jc

Another thing about Alaska is that everything is weather dependant. Always. No matter what the season. The weather can be unpredictable. Keep an eye on the forecast in summer or winter in Alaska.

The budget is adding up. With the discounted airfare sale on American Airlines, I’m confident that this may be a cheap trip to Alaska. Maybe even the cheapest trip I’ve ever made.