Fairbanks Alaska for the Northern Lights

For anyone hoping to see the northern lights, anywhere, I suggest you read this thread in the Iceland forum to understand what's needed and to set expectations. I'd humbly recommend my own post, the second response in that thread (the whole thread is worthwhile):

Northern Lights

Bring plenty of warm clothes, patience, and luck.

My husband and I’ve gone to Fairbanks the last 3 years in March. The longer you stay the better chance you’ll have seeing the lights. Check the Aurora forecast from UAF as well. Clearly summit is a good place to view them. There are places that will shuttle you up there for a fee. I’d just make sure it was going to be a clear night before booking one. Enjoy!

I lived outside of Fairbanks for two years/winters and while I did see the Aurora many times, it was never planned, predicted, expected or timed. We ran sled dogs in winter and were outside at night a lot, camping and or caring for the dogs so we caught them on several nights (often at 2 or 3AM) It was always a thrill to see an extraordinary show, but we never knew when it would happen. People came from all over the world, would spend a week or two and never see a thing. And a couple nights later we might have a spectacular show. I think Alaska is magnificent, you should go, but plan to experience Alaska for itself! She's best in winter. Consider it a bonus if you should luck out and see the Aurora too. IMHO

As I've been looking things up, I am finding some very interesting things for me to do in Fairbanks, I'm ready to have fun while I freeze my booty off!

I figured if I were going to take a trip and hope for a chance to see the aurora borealis, might as well be a trip with free room and board. That just frees up my budget for a few winter sport activities and hot springs! Even if there are is no light show, I'm going to have a good time. If I get lucky, all the better. Thanks all!
If you have ideas of what kind of things i should try to do while I'm there for a few days or if there are any favorite local restaurants you love, please share!

I've been to Fairbanks twice and did not see Northern Lights either time.

I lived just outside of Fairbanks for seven years and saw a number of good aurora displays, with full color shimmering lights dancing across the sky. And many more that were just so-so. It takes certai;conditions to produce a good one. Read David,s post linked above, and also the information of this page, from the U iversitynof Alaska’s Geophysical Institute:

https://www.gi.alaska.edu/monitors/aurora-forecast

Greetings,
I live in Alaska. I recommend layers. If you aren't used to cold climates, bring two sets of long underwear. Today they also call them base layers. Let one air or dry out, while you are wearing the other set. I'd recommend merino wool or modern synthetic fabrics. In my experience, silk isn't warm enough for below freezing temperatures.

Chena Hot Springs resort has an aurora viewing area. When the aurora appear, they wake the guests that sign up for the aurora watching tour and drive them to the viewing area in all terrain tracked vehicles. I'm not sure if it's available for guests who are not staying at the hotel, but if the website doesn't say, give them a call.

They have an ice hotel in addition to normal buildings. The ice hotel tour was full when I was there, so I didn't get to go inside. There is a frozen bar where the bar tender makes cocktails and several unique drinks.

Everything is heated by their geothermal power plant. They offer a tour of the geothermal plant and I think it's an interesting tour. They have sleigh rides, too, but if it's too cold they don't take the horses out. The restaurant has excellent food, be sure to ask if you need to make reservations, as it can get busy.

If you go into the hot springs or the pool, a warning for those with color treated hair. The water may not be color friendly. Friends have had their hair color ruined. Bring a swimming cap or keep your hair out of the water.

The hot springs are great. Walking outside in freezing temperatures and then dipping into the warm water is fantastic! I love it. My friends and I like to stay for two nights. I walked from the hotel buildings to the hot springs building wearing my swim suit, flip flops and a towel. We were staying in the closest building, so it wasn't a long walk. It was 11 degrees Fahrenheit and I thought it was refreshing. It made the dip into the hot springs extra wonderful! (If you are in the farthest hotel building, this is probably not recommended.)

Rinse your swim suit at Chena to get the sand out. Then rinse it AGAIN when you return to Fairbanks. The water at Chena is full of minerals and you will want to rinse your suit with ordinary water and let it dry. And bring a ziplock bag to put your wet swim suit in. Towels are available to rent, but they might not be very big. I had packed in a duffle bag for a weekend trip, so I brought a towel from home.

Just let me/us know if you have any other questions. You are going to love Alaska! elisa

Greetings,
Check out the Santa Clause House website to see if it's something you might want to go visit. https://www.santaclaushouse.com/visit.asp

It's a giant Christmas gift shop in North Pole, Alaska. It's a short drive from Fairbanks, if I recall correctly it's about 30 minutes in good weather. Winter driving conditions may take longer.

Call ahead and verify if Santa will be on duty if you are interested in photos. The reindeer are usually outside, as is Santa's sleigh. Great photo opportunity. I don't know if you are allowed to feed the reindeer, check ahead and see. I know they like carrots, but sometimes they put the reindeer on special diets.

I like to stop in when I'm in the neighborhood. elisa

We spent 2 nights at Chena Hot Springs 2 years ago in early March and had a wonderful time. It is about an hour out of Fairbanks - they have a shuttle van that can take you there from your hotel or the airport. The rooms are a bit basic/old but adaquete, and we really only stayed in our room to sleep. The on-site restaurant and bar is surprisingly good, and considering it is really the only choice that is a good thing! They grow a lot of their own produce in their thermal-heated hydroponic greenhouses, and heat all of the buildings & get their hot water from the hot springs.

In spite of being in the middle of nowhere, there is plenty to do during the day. The hot springs themselves are wonderful. There are indoor pools if you prefer, but we loved the large outdoor rock-surrounded pool, with steaming hot water surrounded by snowy mountains. There are miles of compacted trails that we hiked virtually by ourselves in the beautiful surrounding area, or you can rent snow-mobiles to ride. We saw one moose, lots of bunnies & birds, and had a fun time figuring out what made the different tracks in the snow as we hiked. There is a sled-dog kennel, where you can learn more about the amazing dogs and take a short sled ride. Highly recommend signing up to be the first in the morning, so you can watch them choose the dogs and harness them up before your ride. There is a large ice museum, with beautiful rooms and sculptures made from ice, as well as ice martini's you can sip at the ice bar! You can tour their geothermal plant, the geothermal greenhouses, and watch them feed the resident arctic animals they keep on site.

We were blessed with 1 clear night and one pretty cloudy one. Since Chena is far from the lights of Fairbanks, there is pretty decent viewing just walking a few minutes away from the buildings. But we signed up to go out both nights to their remote hut, which has the best views. They take you there in an old military-type transport that has tracks like a tank, a very bumpy half hour ride. Do not recommend if you have a bad back/neck. Once you arrive at the viewing area, there is a large heated hut with chairs, and the staff make hot water for your hot cocoa/ tea or cup-a-soup to keep you warm. There are outhouse toilets nearby.

The first night the aurora viewing was amazing - non-stop shimmering sheets of green light dancing across the ski. We would stay out and watch for a half hour or until we were freezing, then pop back into the hut for a hot drink or cup-a-soup to warm up, and go right back out to watch again, for several hours. Fabulous! The second night we only got short glimpses of the northern lights between the clouds, so we were so glad we had signed up to go both nights.

We also spent one night in Fairbanks, and the hotel had a service where they would awaken you if there were northern lights visible. They were much harder to see in the city as compared to out at Chena however.

Hope you have a great time!

I'm not a fan of Fairbanks in the winter; the older I get the less I like snow. But Chena is one of the best places up that way in the winter, and I second the advice printed above for visiting there. Another, more remote, lodge would be the one at Chatanika. You might look into that.

One thing to remember, Moose are not afraid of much, and will easily destroy an SUV if hit. Give them a wide berth and be patient.

Definitely tag along! What other chance you might have to see the northern lights? Ok no guarantee, but you are guaranteed not to see them while you are at home!
here you can find more info https://www.gi.alaska.edu/monitors/aurora-forecast
also, you need a dark place to see it. Not spoiled by artificial lights like lights from the city. Ask some of the locals, they for sure know the perfect spot. Enjoy!