Fairbanks, Alaska is Alaska’s largest inside metropolis, it’s positioned proper within the Aurora oval, and is just under the Arctic Circle.
It’s additionally a navy city, is straightforward to get to, and is well-situated for anybody hoping to see the northern lights in addition to street tripping to a few of Alaska’s most magical winter locations.
I visited on the finish of February, early March in 2021 and these are all the fantastic issues I discovered to do in and round Fairbanks:
Chase the Northern Lights
My predominant cause for heading to Fairbanks within the winter was to see the northern lights, additionally generally known as the aurora borealis. Fairbanks is located within the aurora oval (as is Iceland, Finnish Lapland, and components of Canada), and has a greater place than Anchorage, or particularly Juneau, for lights viewing. Even when exercise is a bit decrease, you may have a greater likelihood of seeing the lights throughout the Aurora oval than outdoors of it. You may see what I imply by trying out the aurora forecast.
So how do you see the northern lights? You want clear skies, darkish skies, and excessive exercise. The KP index measures how sturdy the aurora are on a scale of 1 to 9. Even when it’s solely a two or three, you continue to have an opportunity of seeing a faint glow supplied you’re throughout the aurora oval. Nevertheless if you happen to get fortunate and see a KP 4 or 5, you’ll actually see the sky dance!
Though we flew into and based mostly ourselves round Fairbanks, town itself just isn’t an amazing place to see the lights as a result of mild air pollution of town. I’d keep on Moose Mountain, a ski space outdoors of city, or head right down to Denali Nationwide Park like we did (extra on that later). You may as well drive or take an aurora to the Chena sizzling springs, which you’ll see extra on under.
Though you possibly can take Aurora excursions, which can drive you out to one of the best viewing places and can show you how to get images of the northern lights, the best way I’ve all the time carried out it’s by having a rental automotive and driving myself. The good factor about touring in Alaska within the winter is there aren’t many vacationers, and lodging hardly ever runs out forward of time, so leaving room and your itinerary for serendipity might work in your favor in case your predominant goal is to see the northern lights.
Nevertheless I perceive not everybody is aware of methods to {photograph} the lights, and never everybody feels comfy driving at night time within the snow, so listed below are some nice choices for lights viewing round Fairbanks:
- The Aurora Lodge: Completely located yurts which you can keep in whereas watching the skies for aurora. This expertise contains transport and studying about canine mushing as nicely.
- Arctic Circle and Aurora Tour: Drive alongside the well-known Dalton Freeway to the Arctic Circle with possibilities for wildlife and northern lights viewing (observe that almost all automotive rental corporations won’t permit their autos on this treacherous street, so a tour like that is your finest wager!)
- Moonlight dogsled, dinner, and northern lights: Get a magical expertise mushing at night time whereas trying on the aurora.
The Castner Glacier Ice Cave
The Castner glacier ice cave is a couple of 2 1/2 hour drive south of Fairbanks. Hill additionally handed by the north pole, which has Santa themed actions. I’ll discuss extra about that under, however if you happen to don’t have children and would reasonably have an outside journey, the ice cave is tremendous cool (pun supposed).
Although I’m used to ice caves showing and disappearing in a single day in most glaciers, this ice cave is all the time there. Even if you happen to go to in the summertime, you’ll nonetheless discover an ice cave! Watch extra within the video:
That mentioned, within the winter you possibly can stroll alongside the frozen river to entry it. I used to be capable of comply with a fairly clear set of snowshoe tracks to achieve it, making it simple to search out. Nevertheless that doesn’t imply it was simple to hike to! Though the path is flat, the snow was very deep once I went, requiring snow sneakers. Most individuals who didn’t have snow sneakers saved sinking into the waist-deep snow and didn’t make all of it the best way. I perceive it’s not all the time like that, nevertheless it’s laborious to know the circumstances earlier than you go, so if you happen to do have snow sneakers, carry them together with you. It could be a bummer to drive all that method and never attain the cave.
You’ll find the cave’s roadside parking space right here.
Denali Nationwide Park
Denali Nationwide Park is swarming with individuals within the summertime. It’s not laborious to grasp why, because the park is attractive and Denali is the tallest peak in North America. Nevertheless though I’ve been to Alaska twice in the summertime, the crowds have saved me away from Denali.
However what about within the winter time? Many of the nationwide park is inaccessible within the winter, with solely the street as much as mile 3 cleared. However ever since 2018, in February they start to plow the park’s predominant street all the best way as much as mile 12.5 (sure, even in 2021 COVID instances when this put up was written). This lets you get superb views of the mountains throughout.
Only a few individuals whom I spoke with really useful going to Denali within the winter, however I’m glad I didn’t pay attention. There are nonetheless loads of snowshoe trails, and we solely handed a handful of different individuals within the park all day. Are you able to think about having Denali Nationwide Park nearly completely to your self?
Keep
The city itself is actually boarded up and all the pieces is closed within the winter – even the road lights are turned off! However there are a number of locations to remain together with the Denali Lakeview Inn, which I adored. It was so cozy, and the balcony was good for watching the northern lights. We noticed our greatest show on the market, and didn’t must share it with anybody!
I like to recommend bringing your individual meals. The inn has a microwave, fridge, consuming space, and included breakfast for every room. We introduced sandwiches, soup, and salad from the grocery retailer in Fairbanks and it was good.
The World Ice Artwork Championships
In mid-February every winter till mid-March, Fairbanks hosts the World Ice Artwork Championships.
I didn’t actually have excessive expectations of this, nor did I’ve low expectations. I assume I didn’t have any expectations in any respect – however I used to be past impressed! Although I’ve had the pleasure of seeing ice sculptures earlier than, the best way that the World Ice Artwork Championships are organized is genius. There’s an space the place you possibly can work together with the ice, taking part in video games like chess and cornhole, in addition to ice slides for teenagers. BYO sled.
However that’s not all! The aggressive ice sculptures are scattered all all through a lovely forest and I used to be so impressed by what individuals created! There was all the pieces from whimsical scenes out of a Disney film to political statements about peace and understanding one another. I didn’t anticipate to love it as a lot as I did. It was well worth the $16 entry for positive! Professional tip: Go at night time to see the sculptures all lit up.
For this yr’s dates try their official web site.
Chena Sizzling Springs
As a Sizzling Spring fanatic, once I heard concerning the Chena sizzling Springs out of Fairbanks I knew I needed to examine them out. They’re self-proclaimed rustic, and I must agree. Now I don’t have an issue with this, since primitive sizzling springs are my favourite (I even did a visit to Idaho simply to take a look at sizzling springs a few years in the past), however these had been a bit too rustic for me.
At solely $15 entry (if you happen to self-drive and convey your individual towel), they’re a fairly good discount. I did benefit from the springs themselves, notably at night time if it’s a transparent night time and ripe for aurora, and within the early morning went nearly no one was there.
Nevertheless the lodging weren’t good in any respect, nor was the restaurant or the locker rooms. Each the meals and the rooms supplied little or no worth for the cash, at $226 all-in for the room and $20-50 per dinner entree. To place it into perspective, we paid the identical for 2 nights on the Denali Lakeview Inn, but the room at Chena Sizzling Springs didn’t really feel clear nor was it very good.
That mentioned, it’s good to have the ability to be on the sizzling springs, away from metropolis lights, notably within the winter when driving at night time could be treacherous. The springs are an hour outdoors of city, so with the ability to run from the room in my bathing swimsuit to the water was fairly good. They do even have an ice museum on web site, however entry is $15 and I feel you’ll discover the ice artwork championships way more spectacular.
Should you don’t have transport, you can even e book a tour to soak within the sizzling springs and see the northern lights. This is perhaps the most suitable choice to keep away from the meager lodging however nonetheless get an opportunity to get pleasure from it at night time.
Canine Sledding
Canine sledding is a part of the tradition within the northern communities of the world, Fairbanks included.
On the floor degree it’d seem to be dogsledding might be merciless, till you present up and see how batshit loopy these canine are about doing it! They go completely loopy for the possibility to run. It’s one thing you’ve bought to see to consider.
I’ve carried out sufficient canine sledding world wide to have had my fill, so I didn’t do it in Fairbanks, however if you happen to’ve by no means tried it earlier than I do advocate you attempt it! You may e book it right here.
Go Snowmobiling
Given how chilly Alaska will get within the winter, snowmobiling turns into one other method of getting round! Most lakes and rivers ice over, offering the right freeway for snowmobiles.
Should you’ve by no means tried it earlier than, it may be tons of enjoyable. And so long as you’re not being a complete fool, the snowmobile’s are fairly laborious to tip. Simply keep on the established trails and even higher, take a guided snowmobiling tour the place you get an opportunity to grasp methods to use the snowmobiles and be with a information who can present you precisely methods to get pleasure from it to the fullest.
Go to Santa Claus within the North Pole
Relying on if you go to Fairbanks, you may wish to pop by the North Pole, which is about an hour south of town. Should you’re going to go to the Castner ice cave, this might be in your method.
Driving by means of, you’ll get the sense that it’s all the time Christmas within the north pole! On the time that I used to be in Fairbanks, Santa wasn’t greeting guests, however he’s there across the holidays and in the summertime time. You may as well go to his reindeer staff. That is most likely one thing children would love!
Aurora Winter Prepare
Wish to see the Alaskan countryside within the winter with out having to function a car? Then the Aurora winter prepare is perhaps for you! I needed to do that, however the prepare instances didn’t fairly match up with our itinerary. The opposite factor to contemplate is that do you have to transportation everytime you get to the place you had been attempting to go. In our case, that was Denali nationwide park and having been there now within the winter I might see that there would have been no choices for us if we hadn’t had a car to drive ourselves.
Nonetheless, if the journey is sufficient of a vacation spot for you, simply driving the prepare might be superior. You may as well take all of it the best way from Fairbanks to Anchorage and right down to Seward. Verify timetables and e book the prepare right here.
General it wasn’t essentially Fairbanks itself that was the locations for us, however reasonably all the fantastic issues that we might simply entry by flying into there. It’s additionally an amazing spot if you wish to catch the aurora borealis, with loads of companies and choices for automotive leases (learn extra about renting a automotive and winter circumstances in Alaska right here), excursions, and superb issues to do.
And though I went in winter, just about all of those choices can be found within the summertime too, apart from northern lights viewing, which you want darkish skies for. Within the land of the midnight solar, that may be laborious to return by in Alaska.
However no matter if you go, benefit from the final frontier!
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