Q: I'm planning on visiting Alaska this coming Feb or March and trying to figure out what to do. I'm visiting Alaska with the prize I earned on a photo contest, so I’d like to do some photo shooting activities while I'm in Alaska. I guess I'll come back in summer another time, so would love to experience some things I can only try in winter time.

I'm planning to view auroras, of course, and dogsledding, but would like to do some other outdoor activities, too. What should I check out? —Leo

A: Leo, I’d come during Fur Rondy or Iditarod, which starts on March 6—the dogsled races are a lot of fun to photograph. Plus, the days are getting longer by then, and the temperatures aren’t as consistently cold. By March in Anchorage, where the race starts, average highs are about 33 degrees.

Other winter photo ops include renting a car to photograph the ice formations in Turnagain Arm, near Anchorage; going flightseeing over Mt. McKinley and shooting aerial photos; or perhaps riding the Alaska Railroad through the wilderness (if it happens to operate on one of the days you're here). Another great option: taking a glacier and wildlife cruise out of Seward—again, which operates only on certain days that time of year.

Check out Alaska.org’s Weather Planner to check temperatures for your visit, as well as our page on Auroras, or Northern Lights. And while you obviously know what you’re doing with your camera, go ahead and check out our page of Alaska photo tips—like pointers on shooting glaciers and wildlife.