The Best Things to Do in Winter in Cordova
Summertime in Cordova is bustling with visitors and seasonal workers who come for the salmon runs. But winter here is much quieter; it’s the perfect time to experience the community and get to know the locals.
It’s also a great time to get outside and have some fun! If the snow conditions are right, you’ll find amazing opportunities. Downhill skiers and boarders can ride the lift -- one of America’s oldest single-chair lifts in the country -- at the Mt. Eyak Ski Area. Or go cross-country skiing or snowshoeing along Forest Service trails. Even before the snow flies, though, the cold weather in November and early December freezes the ponds along the Copper River Highway, making for magical ice skating. Locals love to take their blades to Sheridan Glacier Lake, a stunning glacier lake studded with icebergs(bring your safety gear!). Come ready to Instagram.
Winter is also when the community joins in together for fun events like the Cordova Iceworm Festival, which kicks off in late January. Find out why the sole purpose of this festival is to help get people outside and cure the winter blues—it’s a blast!
And if you’re looking to plan an event or meeting, consider the Cordova Center—a new, state-of-the-art facility that can host meetings up to 200 people. Winter is often the time when groups will bring their team to Cordova to enjoy the area and meet in a beautiful space.
Winter Activities
This 1.5‑mile hike is an easy stroll down to the lake that offers a great payoff in the form of a gorgeous glacier. If you’re here in winter and the conditions are right, it’s a great spot for wilderness ice skating, fat biking, or cross-country skiing!
The Cordova Center is a sustainably built, state-of-the-art facility featuring meeting and event spaces. It can hold groups of up to 200 people and it blends perfectly into its surroundings, with big windows that look out onto Orca Inlet and Hawkins Island. Once work is done, it’s a landscape your group will want to explore!
Discover year-round recreation above Cordova on this gorgeous mountain. In winter, you can lose yourself among the puffy snowdrifts and powder-covered trees as you schuss down the slopes. And in the summer, you’ll find berry picking, hiking, and festivals.