Visit more of Alaska in winter, and you’ll be treated to unique experiences across the state

“If people want to learn what our small, quirky town is all about, they’ll visit Cordova during the Iceworm Festival,” said Cathy Renfeldt, head of Cordova’s Chamber of Commerce.

Renfeldt had just arrived on the ferry from Cordova to Whittier when I caught up with her. But she was in a hurry to get back after running errands in Anchorage.

“My husband drives the fire truck in the parade,” she said. “So my daughter and I ride up front with him. The Miss Iceworm contestants are bundled up and they ride on top of the truck.”

The Cordova Iceworm Festival starts this weekend and runs all week long with a full schedule of community events including cribbage tournaments, a chili cook-off, a shuck-and-suck oyster competition and a contest to find the “tail” of the mythical Iceworm. The big finale is next Saturday, Feb. 5, with a parade, streetside food vendors and fireworks.

“My daughter asked if other communities celebrate Iceworm,” said Renfeldt. “I said no, it’s a special holiday just for our town.”

There are ferries sailing from Whittier or Valdez to Cordova and Alaska Airlines offers a daily flight. Accommodations are available downtown at the Reluctant Fisherman, the Prince William Hotel and other locations, listed with the Chamber of Commerce.

Cordova is one of a handful of Alaska communities where residents are eager to get outside and enjoy the longer days — even if they aren’t much warmer yet.

Next weekend, Feb. 5-6, Talkeetna is hosting an Ice Festival. Ice sculptors will be working all week on their creations in the village park downtown. On Feb. 5, there will be ice sculpting demonstrations before the winning sculptures are announced. Then, there’s an art show, plenty of kids’ games and music in the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar.

On Feb. 6, there’s a ski race and curling lessons.

In March, there’s another big ski race, the Oosik Classic race and tour on March 12. The Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge will open March 4-21, with room rates from $129 per night.

The lodge is hosting trivia nights each Tuesday, live music each Friday and a variety of special food and beverage offers.

KVAK radio in Valdez is organizing its 26th annual Frosty Fever Festival, Feb. 18-27. Special events include a community skating party on Feb. 19, a chili cook-off on Feb. 20, a firefighter’s “splash-in” at the harbor and snowmachine races.

Around the same time, Feb. 18-20, the Valdez Adventure Alliance is hosting the Valdez Ice Climbing Festival. If you’ve ever driven to Valdez, you can’t miss the frozen waterfalls in Keystone Canyon. That’s heaven for ice climbers, and the festival offers great opportunities for people to learn how to ice climb. There are clinics for beginners, for photographers and classes for more advanced climbers.

Even if you miss these specific events, Valdez still is a storybook winter playground. There’s plenty of snow and ice everywhere. Bring your own gear, or pick up free ski/snowshoe rentals at Prince William Sound College. In addition to skis, there are poles, headlamps and gaiters.

With more than 20 miles of groomed trails in the winter, as well as a walk-up glacier, Valdez resident Colleen Stephens urges visitors to just “get out and enjoy the area.”

With the free skis and the groomed trails, “you can just go do your own thing,” said Stephens.

If you’re eager to get embedded in peak Alaska winter, look to the northern kingdom in Fairbanks. Trails? They’ve got ’em. Fat bike rentals? Check. Northern lights? Check. International ice carving championships? Check.

The quickest way to get to Fairbanks is to fly on Alaska Airlines. But save that for your return trip. Spend the day headed north on the mighty Alaska Railroad. The weekly Aurora Winter Train heads north each Saturday morning, returning on Sundays. But starting Feb. 15, there’s a Tuesday morning departure (Wednesday return). Then in March, the railroad adds a third weekly departure on Thursdays.

Fairbanks is a big-time winter destination. “The northern lights are driving our increased popularity,” said Scott McCrea, CEO of Explore Fairbanks. “But when they’re not hunting the aurora, they find out about the dog sled tours, the ice fishing and the fat-biking.”

Starting next month, two groups in Fairbanks take advantage of one of Fairbanks’ abundant natural resources: ice.

“There’s plenty of ice to go around,” said McCrea.

There are two venues where carvers are showing off their artistic talents. The Fairbanks Ice Art park is open now and is hosting a carving competition. There are ice slides for the kids, opening Feb. 1, and a “dancing lights” drive-thru option. Visit them at 3574 Phillips Field Road.

The World Ice Art Championships, or Ice Alaska, is located at the Tanana Valley Fairgrounds at 1800 College Road. This ice park hosts carvers from around the world who compete in several different categories, including single, double and multi-block categories. There’s also a “Youth Classic” category.

The Ice Art park opens on Feb. 14. The sculptures are incredible, but they really come alive at night, when they are lit with multi-color LED lights.

One of Fairbanks’ biggest sled dog races, the Yukon Quest, is changing. There are four different races, from 100 to 550 miles. Two of the races, the 200 and the 550, end in Fairbanks instead of Whitehorse. The 550 race starts on Feb. 5 in Tok. The 220 starts on Feb. 8 in Circle.

If you want to learn more about mushing, there are plenty of opportunities to get in a sled with one of many tour operators in Fairbanks, including Trail Breaker Kennels, which was started by Iditarod superstar Susan Butcher. Today, the kennel is run by Butcher’s husband, Dave Monson and their daughters. Go for either a 2-mile or a 4-mile dog sled ride.

“For an immersive mushing experience, there are even dog mushing schools,” said McCrea. At Just Short of Magic Tours, you can ride your own dog sled on the Yukon Quest trail.

Explore Fairbanks offers a comprehensive guide of winter activities, including aurora viewing, snowmachine tours, ice fishing and dog mushing.

To get out on the trails in and around Fairbanks, stop in at Beaver Sports to rent skis, snowshoes or fat bikes.

After checking out the winter festivals around the state, you’ll be primed to enjoy Anchorage’s own winter festival, Fur Rondy, starting Feb. 22!