By Shilo Urban
Can you cool off by thinking about icy-blue glaciers, arctic skies and snow-covered mountains? When it’s August in Texas, anything is worth a try. Whether you want to escape the heat right now or plan a frosty excursion for wintertime, you’ll find a rejuvenating chill in the air at these seven vacation hotspots coldspots.
Iceland
Fire and ice dance together on dramatic landscapes alive with smoking volcanoes, shifting glaciers and bubbling thermal pools. Surreal sights abound, like moss-covered lava fields and black beaches with cliffs of hexagonal columns. Viking folklore breathes beneath Iceland’s uncommon geology; hissing steam vents whisper stories of elves, and troll-shaped rocks tell legends of long-ago warriors. Explore an ice cave under a volcano. Walk behind a roaring waterfall. Stroll between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates at Thingvellir National Park, site of the world’s oldest surviving parliament. Excellent infrastructure makes Iceland a fully DIY destination, and cruising the island’s Ring Road is an easy way to reach hidden hot springs and snug wooden cabins with sleek Scandinavian design.
Average August temperature: 55°F
Fairbanks, Alaska
No passport? Escape to the coldest town in the USA. Set deep in Alaska’s interior, Fairbanks sees the Northern Lights almost 200 nights each year. Absolute wilderness is only minutes away — a heaven for adventurers and outdoorsy types who come for dogsledding, moose-watching and fat tire biking on backcountry trails. Visit the ice museum and have a round of cocktails at the ice martini bar. Ice hotel? They have that, too. And if you want to witness the aurora borealis, Fairbanks might be the best place on the planet with its abundance of glass-roofed igloos. You can also book photography tours and nighttime outings on snowshoes or skis.
Average August temperature: 57°F
Antarctica
Antarctica claims the lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth, a bone-cracking -128.6°F. Most travelers arrive on cruise ships from Argentina, but you can also book a day trip from Cape Town, South Africa, with the White Desert tour company — complete with a champagne picnic on the ice. There are no borders or nations here, just otherworldly icescapes and magnificent isolation. It’s a journey for participants, not spectators, so get ready: You’ll kayak in subzero waters, learn about sea life from scientists and hop in Zodiacs to get up-close-and-personal with colonies of waddling penguins.
Average August temperature: 19°F
Finnish Lapland
No passport? Escape to the coldest town in the USA. Set deep in Alaska’s interior, Fairbanks sees the Northern Lights almost 200 nights each year. Absolute wilderness is only minutes away — a heaven for adventurers and outdoorsy types who come for dogsledding, moose-watching and fat tire biking on backcountry trails. Visit the ice museum and have a round of cocktails at the ice martini bar. Ice hotel? They have that, too. And if you want to witness the aurora borealis, Fairbanks might be the best place on the planet with its abundance of glass-roofed igloos. You can also book photography tours and nighttime outings on snowshoes or skis.
Average August temperature: 57°F
Mongolia
Genghis Khan conquered half of Asia from Mongolia, an arid steppeland that undulates into silent forests and craggy, rugged mountains. Khan’s hardcore horsemen stayed warm by drinking yak-butter tea, eating plenty of meat and sleeping in hardy felt yurts — circular tents with a central fire. You can do all of the above today in Mongolia, along with hiking and horseback riding with local cowboys. The capital city, Ulaanbaatar, blends the country’s deep-rooted nomadic soul with the youthful energy of a modern economic hub. Soviet-era high-rises perch beside centuries-old monasteries, and many families keep yurts in their yards as summer residences.
Average August temperature: 62°F
Yukon, Canada
While anywhere in Canada is a cool respite from Texas, only this far northwestern territory claims the coldest temperature ever recorded in North America: -81.4°F. Yukon sees a fraction of the tourists that arrive in neighboring Alaska, and such remoteness provides visitors with a vast playground of peaceful solitude and unspoiled wilderness. Self-governing First Nations cultures own and operate numerous tourism initiatives, from hunting and fishing to artisan markets and heritage walks. Immerse yourself in Klondike Gold Rush history and watch for bears, wolves and caribou in their natural habitats.
Average August temperature: 53°F
Greenland
Roads? Where you’re going, you don’t need roads. You’ll take boats, planes, dog sleds and snowmobiles to get around Greenland, the planet’s largest island. With no mass tourism, this far-flung destination offers raw, unvarnished adventure. Arctic foxes frolic in the snow, and glaciers calve cathedral-sized icebergs in endless fjords. Over 80% of an ice sheet covers Greenland, but along the coast you’ll find tiny villages and empty hiking trails. Wander the windswept ruins of Viking settlements that mysteriously disappeared, leaving empty churches and longhouses behind. Wi-Fi may be sparse, and flashy hotels nonexistent, but this edge-of-the-map expedition is worth sacrificing a little comfort.
Average August temperature: 45°F