So you want to see the aurora. What should you do? How to maximize your chance of seeing aurora? Let me break it down a little bit for you.
Let’s start with this. To many, the only reason many would go to an extremely cold place during winter is because of something they may not be able to get; otherwise, that is seeing the aurora. Interior Alaska is the perfect place for this. Due to the lack of moisture in places like Coldfoot or Wiseman, interior Alaska doesn’t experience cloudy weather as intense or frequent as Iceland places. You don’t even have to sign up for a tour to see it. All you needed are 4 key things in interior Alaska to see the aurora: be in the right area/city, have clear sky/can see stars, lack of light pollution, staying awake around 10;30pm to 2pm. Below are some of the locations I have seen the aurora to elaborate with more details and pictures.
Yes it can go down to -30
Frozen hair during hikes
It’s said that you can see aurora 4 nights out of 7 in Fairbanks. It’s just a matter of the strength of the aurora. Some nights the aurora is a bit faint; other nights are a complete spectacle.
Either way, I recommend staying around Fairbanks for 3 days to a week in increase your chance of seeing a good show. Don’t worry if you think you might get really bored in Fairbanks. There are plenty of other activities to keep you entertained during the day. You can also venture back down to Healy and check out the famed Into The Wild “Magic Bus” movie replica. As of spring 2021, the actual bus was airlifted out of the original location and was being prepared for exhibition in Fairbanks.
I was there during the celebrations of the famous Iditarod race. Even though it was during COVID, both Fairbanks and Anchorage have events lined up throughout the race. You can see the ice sculptures in Fairbanks, snow sculptures, fireworks in Anchorage.
Snow sculptures
I rented a dog musher’s dry cabin 20 minutes outside of Fairbanks on the road to Chena Hotsprings. You can book this on Airbnb.
Now being able to see the aurora while soaking in the hot springs sounds like a very romantic idea. On a solar storm night, you can definitely see it. Just know you can’t really photograph it. For the most part, you may not even see the aurora unless you are by the edge of the pool due to the intense steam in the hot springs.
If you do want to photograph it close to the Chena Hot Springs direction, there are plenty of opportunities along the way, literally. There are many pull-outs and parking areas for camper or trailheads on the Chena Hot Springs road, prime locations for photographing the aurora. I saw the best show on my entire Alaska trip at one of those parking lots. The sky lit up by the dancing red, pink, white, and green colors. I just wished I could capture it all on camera. Well, you just have to come to Alaska to enjoy these fleeting moments of natural wonders yourself then!
The Lodge at the Black Rapids, an hour south of Delta Junction, is a less known but fantastic spot on the Richardson highway. This lodge exemplifies an ideal lodge-in-the-mountains experience that should look like fantastic food, a sweet host, and a hot sauna. During my stay, the host also celebrated with a solo and duet guitar performance.
The easiest location so far is probably the famous truck stop at Coldfoot, located 60 miles north of the arctic circle. A full day’s drive North West of Fairbanks on the Elliott and Dalton highway. The lights are the most intense and most beautiful at this location. Plus, we had the advantage of the solar-blast, which intensified all the light activities around the area. You can also sign up for an additional aurora tour that takes you to Wiseman, just a bit north of Coldfoot, which has a heated cabin and fire ring set up.
As this location is by the Dalton highway, normal rental cars won’t get you there. Two companies rent out vehicles that go on the Dalton Highway, which has radios equipped. This is important as the Dalton highway is mainly used by the truckers as a haul road at a dangerous speed and extreme angles for trucks. In fact, the incline angle (8%-10% grade) of the highway is illegal for trucks to go through in the lower 48 states. It indeed takes a special breed to navigate this kind of gravel mess.
