The 10 Coldest Places in Alaska Will Send Shivers Down Your Spine

Alaska is a unique place full of natural wonders, diverse wildlife, and a rugged, stunning landscape. However, Alaskan winters are long, dark, and cold. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the United States occurred in Alaska when it reached negative 80 degrees Fahrenheit in Prospect Creek. Just what are the top ten coldest places in Alaska? Read on to find out.

10. Bethel

• Annual average minimum temperature: 24 degrees Fahrenheit
• Population: 6,270
• The coldest temperature on record: -52 degrees Fahrenheit on January 25, 1947

Coming in tenth on our list is Bethel, AK, where the average minimum temperature is 24 degrees Fahrenheit. However, that’s nowhere near as cold as it’s ever been in the small town of Bethel. That would be the day it reached negative 52 degrees Fahrenheit on January 25, 1947.

Bethel is 40 miles from the Bering Sea on the Kuskokwim River. To reach Bethel, you need to take a 400-mile flight from Anchorage. Bethel has been home to the Yup’ik people for thousands of years. The town is surrounded by the 20-million-acre Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, which supports one of the largest populations of waterbirds in the world. 

9. Nome

• Annual average minimum temperature: 22 degrees Fahrenheit
• Population: 3,594
• The coldest temperature on record: -54 degrees Fahrenheit on January 27 & 28, 1989

Nome is located on the tip of the Seward Peninsula on the coast of the Bering Sea in Northwest Alaska. It’s only reachable by sea or air. With an average annual minimum temperature of 22 degrees Fahrenheit, Nome is a very cold place. The area is also very snowy, with an annual snowfall of 77 inches yearly. This makes Nome the perfect endpoint for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Each March, Nome hosts the finish of the over 1,000-mile trek that sled dogs and their owners make across the harsh Alaskan landscape. 

8. McGrath

• Annual average minimum temperature: 18 degrees Fahrenheit
• Population: 298
• The coldest temperature on record: -75 degrees Fahrenheit on January 27, 1989

The very small town of McGrath is located in the interior of Alaska along the Kuskokwim River. The only way to get to McGrath is by flying in from Anchorage unless you lead a team of sled dogs. (It’s a checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail sled dog race.) McGrath’s annual average minimum temperature is a chilly 18 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest temperature on record is a stunning 75 degrees below zero, which occurred during a cold snap on January 27, 1989.

McGrath is known for its remote location, rugged beauty, and diverse wildlife. It’s not unusual to see a moose wandering down the main road in town. Some other wildlife you may encounter in McGrath include caribou, grizzly bears, river otters, porcupines, wolves, and beavers.

7. Gulkana

• Annual average minimum temperature: 18 degrees Fahrenheit
• Population: 83
• The coldest temperature on record: -65 degrees Fahrenheit on February 2, 1947

Gulkana is a unique town that began as a telegraph station in 1903, although the Ahtna people have lived in the area for thousands of years. The town is located along the Gulkana River and was once a stop for miners traveling between cities. Today, the Gulkana Village Council (GVC) is a federally recognized tribe. 

Gulkana is seventh on our list, with an annual average minimum temperature of 18 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest it’s ever been recorded in town was 65 degrees Fahrenheit below zero on February 2, 1947.

6. Fairbanks

• Annual average minimum temperature: 17 degrees Fahrenheit
• Population: 32,702
• The coldest temperature on record: -62 degrees Fahrenheit on December 12, 1961

Fairbanks is the largest city on our list of coldest places in Alaska and the second-largest city in the state. While summers in Fairbanks are dry and pleasant, the winters are downright cold. Fairbanks is so far north that it gets 70 straight days of sunlight in the summer. 

In winter, the days are short and cold. The shortest day of the year happens on the winter solstice on June 21. Fairbanks receives only 3 hours and 42 minutes of sunlight on this day. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Fairbanks is a dangerous low of negative 62 degrees Fahrenheit on December 12, 1961.

5. Kotzebue

• Annual average minimum temperature: 17 degrees Fahrenheit
• Population: 3,110
• The coldest temperature on record: -52 degrees Fahrenheit on March 16, 1930

Fifth on our list of coldest places in Alaska is the small town of Kotzebue. Just 26 miles north of the Arctic Circle, winters are dark and cold here. The annual average minimum temperature is only 17 degrees Fahrenheit. The residents of Kotzebue are primarily Inupiat. Their descendants were among the first to cross the Bering Sea Land Bridge 10,000 years ago. Its central location on the confluence of several rivers makes it an ideal transportation and trading hub for the area.

Tourists come to Kotzebue for a unique outdoor experience in the rugged wilderness. People enjoy wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, photography, hiking, and rafting. The area is also popular with bird enthusiasts. Some species you may spot here include sandhill cranes, tundra swans, and the state bird, the willow ptarmigan.

4. Tanana

• Annual average minimum temperature: 15 degrees Fahrenheit
• Population: 235
• The coldest temperature on record: -76 degrees Fahrenheit on January 27, 1989 

The tiny village of Tanana is fourth on our list, with an annual average minimum temperature of 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Although cold, it’s not as cold as the record cold temperature, which was negative 76 degrees Fahrenheit on January 27, 1989. The town is located at the confluence of the Tanana River and Yukon River and is a 50-minute flight from Fairbanks. The majority of Tanana’s population is descended from the Alaskan Athabaskan people.

3. Bettles

• Annual average minimum temperature: 14 degrees Fahrenheit
• Population: 21
• The coldest temperature on record: -70 degrees Fahrenheit on January 4, 1975

Tourists come to the small town of Bettles to fish, to marvel at the Northern Lights, and to hike the remote wilderness. The winters are frigid, with the lowest temperature ever recorded at the Bettles Airport of 70 degrees Fahrenheit below zero on January 4, 1975. Bettles is known as the gateway to adventure at the nearby four national parks and public lands.

2. Tok

• Annual average minimum temperature: 13 degrees Fahrenheit
• Population: 1,214
• The coldest temperature on record: -70 degrees Fahrenheit on December 13, 1964

The first major community travelers see when leaving Canada on the Alaska Highway is the small town of Tok. About 90 miles from the Canadian border, Tok is known as the “Sled Dog Capital of Alaska.” Tok is a chilly place with an average annual minimum temperature of only 13 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The coldest temperature on record was 70 below zero on December 13, 1965. However, there is debate whether the low may have reached negative 80 degrees Fahrenheit on January 8, 2009. An amateur weather station recorded the unusually low temperature. Still, the official record for Tok on that day was negative 63 degrees Fahrenheit, leaving Prospect Creek to keep its place as the coldest spot in Alaska.

1. Utqiagvik 

• Annual average minimum temperature: 6 degrees Fahrenheit
• Population: 4,383
• The coldest temperature on record: -56 degrees Fahrenheit on February 3, 1924

Finally, coming in first on our list as the coldest place in Alaska is the town of Utqiagvik (formerly called Barrow). The annual average minimum temperature here only reaches six degrees Fahrenheit. Located on the Chukchi Sea coast, this small community is the furthest northern town in the United States. 

The effects of climate change are easy to see in this small northern town where the tundra is warming. The warming soil and the melting ice are triggering erosion that threatens homes and businesses in the small community. 

Summary of the 10 Coldest Places in Alaska

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