The city is so cold, that even going outside can be a challenge. Of all the incredible life experiences that I’d had up to that point, seeing and photographing the northern lights in Fairbanks may have been the most epic.įairbanks isn’t the easiest place to visit in winter. Speechless.Īs I stood in the middle of a small road and watched the green and purple lights of the Aurora Borealis dance overhead, I remember wondering how I might find the words to describe the beauty and magic of what I was seeing.Īnd I remember wondering-much as I did when I stood atop the world’s tallest dunes in Sosussvlei-how I could possibly convey the feeling of witnessing something too beautiful for words without sounding cliche or trite. Galloping and darting and flickering about the midnight sky. We parked the car in the middle of the empty road, turned off the car’s headlights and looked upward.Īnd we saw them. So reluctantly, we gathered our belongings and headed toward the car.Ībout half an hour into our drive back to Fairbanks, however, we decided to give it one more shot. when we began to succumb to the fact that luck might not be on our side. With dozens of Japanese tourists, we stood staring out the windows–eyes glued to the sky–waiting patiently for the unpredictable and often elusive phenomenon to occur. Despite waiting weeks to make sure we visited Alaska when there was a perfect combination of Auroral activity and clear skies, it looked as though our quest to see one of the world’s greatest natural wonders would be to no avail.Īt about 10 p.m, Dan and I reluctantly left the warm waters of the thermal pool, put on our warmest jackets and headed toward the Chena Lodge observation room. OUR NORTHERN LIGHTS VIEWING EXPERIENCE IN FAIRBANKS ALASKAĮven when the northern lights forecast is good and the skies are clear, seeing the aurora borealis often boils down to luck. Unfortunately, we saw little more than a faint green glow, stretching out across the star-speckled sky.
Away from the light pollution of the city, we soaked in the warm waters and waited for the Auroral hour to approach. The pool house is open daily from 7:00am to 11:45pm.Īt the Chena Hot Springs, we relished the feeling of relaxing in thermal waters in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a blanket of snow and below-freezing temperatures. For guests who choose to visit the resort without staying in its pricey rooms, a hot springs pass is available for $15. The resort offers lodging, dining, a pool house, and a northern lights viewing room. While Dan and I didn’t stay at the resort during our Fairbanks weekend getaway, we could immediately see why it is such a popular location for aurora-viewing. The thermal pools are attached to the Chena Hot Springs Resort. The thermal pools are a popular place to visit near Fairbanks-especially in winter, when Alaska’s other great natural wonders are effectively off-limits due to ice, snow and freezing temperatures. In order to increase our chances of seeing the northern lights, Dan and I drove from Fairbanks to the remote Chena Hot Springs. Perfect viewing conditions consist of a new moon, a cloudless sky, and high auroral activity. The aurora season in Fairbanks extends from September through April, though winter is the best time to visit due to darker skies.
The city sits within the Auroral oval-meaning that when conditions are favorable, the lights are frequently viewable. When the opportunity arose, we journeyed northward.īEST TIME TO SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS IN FAIRBANKS ALASKAįairbanks’ low precipitation and clear skies make the Alaskan city one of the world’s best places to see the northern lights. The flexibility of flying standby allowed Dan and I to wait around for a weekend with clear skies and a promising Aurora Forecast. And with the ability to fly standby on a moment’s notice due to my airline job, chasing the northern lights in Fairbanks was both a feasible and economical weekend getaway. I’d always dreamed of witnessing the world’s greatest light display with my own eyes. The reason? To see the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights. In mid-December, as the Northern Hemisphere approached its shortest and darkest day of the year, Dan and I chose to spend a weekend in an unlikely Destination: Fairbanks, Alaska.
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