Witness the Magic of the Aurora Borealis: Alaska Northern Lights Tours
First things first: The best time to see the northern lights in Alaska is from late August to mid-April, when the nights are long and dark. (You won’t see them during the summer months because of Alaska’s midnight sun.) Plan to look for the spectacular, multi-colored lights from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., when the sky is at its darkest and the auroras are the most active.
Where should you go? The main auroral band, the ring of geomagnetic particles around the Arctic Circle where the Northern Lights are most visible, crosses the state in an arc above the Alaska Range, which makes Fairbanks and points north the sweet spot for northern lights viewing. Fortunately, it’s easy to get there: You can fly into Fairbanks and be at a world-class aurora-viewing venue in under an hour.
While you can look for the lights on your own, taking a northern lights tour in Alaska is an easier, more efficient way to go. You’ll have a guide who will take you to the best viewing spots and explain the science behind this natural phenomenon. Most tours will also provide warm clothing and hot beverages so you can stay comfortable and enjoy the show!
Interested in tracking the aurora yourself? Download The Alaska App! Our weather tab links directly to the Alaska Geophysical Institute forecast, issuing a nightly forecast and a 27-day forecast.
Why Alaska?
If you’re browsing northern lights–viewing vacations, you’ve likely seen trips to Norway, Canada, Sweden, Iceland, and Greenland. They’re all great places, but here are 4 reasons why Alaska tops the list:
1. Easy Travel from the Lower 48
You can book nonstop flights to Anchorage year-round from major U.S. hubs (like Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Portland), so you can get here in just a few hours—no passport required.
2. Fall or Winter
From mid-November through March, you can check into a lodge or look for the lights each night as you try a different activity, like ice fishing or dogsledding. And if you’re on an aurora quest from mid-August to mid-September, (Fall) there’s still time to enjoy summer activities, like visiting Denali National Park or taking a glacier cruise.
3. Great Odds
Visitors to Alaska who spend 3 nights looking for the lights from Fairbanks have a 90% chance of spotting them!
Jump to our list of recommended tours
How to Increase Your Chances of Seeing the Lights?
There’s no guarantee, of course: Clouds may cover them, or they may simply not show up in your location. Fortunately, there are a couple of ways to greatly improve your chances of seeing the aurora:
Plan 5-7 Days
Dedicate at least 3 nights to looking for the lights, so that you, too, will have a 90% chance of seeing them. It can work as a three- or four-day trip centered on a weekend, but then you will need to be more focused.
Go to Fairbanks and the Auroral Oval
Fairbanks sits just below the main auroral band, offering dark skies, minimal light pollution, and clear views of the night sky - all of which make the area a sweet spot for northern lights viewing.
The city has a variety of aurora-viewing venues, from a number of scenic drives and parks to cozy cabins and lodges. With the airport located just a short drive away, visitors can fly into Fairbanks and be at a world-class aurora-viewing venue in less than an hour.
Lodges & Overnight Tours
- Northern Alaska Tour Company offers 3-day/2-night (and longer) trips from Fairbanks to Coldfoot Camp above the Arctic Circle. Located halfway between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay, this is an exceptional spot to see the lights.
- Iniakuk Lake Wilderness Lodge, a fly-in luxury wilderness lodge inside Gates of the Arctic National Park, offers one of Alaska’s most exclusive experiences for viewing the northern lights. Step outside or scan the sky from the lodge’s huge picture windows.
- Just an hour from Fairbanks is Borealis Basecamp, where you can book your own clear-roofed igloo for the night.
- Salmon Berry Tours offers 6-day/5-night packages from Anchorage. You’ll work your way north, stopping in Talkeetna, and look for the northern lights each night once you reach Fairbanks.
- Wild Journeys Alaska offers custom, private multi-day packages (3+ nights) from Anchorage. Enjoy fun activities during the day and 3 nights of aurora viewing. Going for more than 3 nights? You’ll get an aurora forecast each day, so you can pick which 3 nights to chase the lights.
Evening Tours
From Fairbanks
- Aurora Pointe is a northern lights–viewing venue just 15 minutes from downtown Fairbanks. You’ll find a beautiful, warm space serving coffee, tea, and locally made snacks while you wait for the lights to appear.
- With Alaska Wildlife Guide, you can leave from Fairbanks and combine a soak in Chena Hot Springs with your search for the aurora.
- Travel beyond the Arctic Circle to see the lights with Northern Alaska Tour Company. Drive, fly, or do both!
- For something really unique, head out with Rod’s Alaskan Guide Service for a night of ice fishing. You’ll be nice and warm in a cabin out over the lake as you cast your line and enjoy refreshments. The wide-open view is perfect if the aurora makes an appearance.
From Anchorage
- On the Anchorage Aurora Quest with Alaska Photo Treks, you'll photograph alpenglow on snow-capped mountains, frosty scenes glowing in rich winter light, wildlife wandering snowy paths, city lights reflecting on the water at twilight, and possibly even the northern lights!
- With Wild Alaska Journeys, you’ll head out of Anchorage (or Wasilla/Palmer) between 9 and 11 p.m., and for the next 7 or so hours, you’ll be on a hunt for the aurora!
Other Tips
Aurora + Hot Springs
Soak in the healing waters of Chena Hot Springs, a prime location to view the lights if the forecast is good!
Join Alaska Wildlife Guide in exploring one of Alaska’s most desired attractions, Chena Hot Springs Resort. From visiting the most northern Ice Museum, soaking in the all-natural hot springs to viewing the breathtaking Northern Lights dance across the sky, this tour will be a highlight of your Alaskan experience.
Clear-Roofed Igloos
Gaze up at the northern lights from your private Igloo, just north of Fairbanks
Located on a quiet ridgeline outside of Fairbanks, the Borealis Basecamp offers 20 elegant igloos and a new village with 5 aurora-viewing cubes, including a family suite custom-designed and specifically positioned to maximize your viewing of the Northern Lights. You’ll also have the chance to take advantage of the camps many winter activities like dogsledding, snowmachining, snowshoeing, and fat-tire biking.
Arctic Circle Fly, Drive and Overnight Adventures
Drive north (or fly) from Fairbanks to the Arctic Circle
Spend some time above the Arctic Circle under the mysterious, eerie northern lights. From mid-September to late April, when you have the best chance of witnessing phenomenon of the aurora borealis, you’ll fly from Fairbanks to the remote village of Coldfoot, in the Brooks Mountain Range. After the spectacular flightseeing experience, you’ll have either 3 days/2 nights or 4 days/3 nights to explore this rugged, fascinating landscape, with ...more
Stand out on the Arctic tundra under the northern lights, experiencing their eerie glow on a one-day tour you won’t soon forget. From October to April, you’ll depart from Fairbanks on this one-day adventure and get a majestic flightseeing trip to the remote town of Coldfoot, above the Arctic Circle. Explore this fascinating town and look for the mysterious lights overhead. Then drive south and get a close up of all the terrain in between, seeing ...more
Photography Tours
Tours from Anchorage. Learn how to photograph the northern lights. Non-photographers are welcome to enjoy the show and have their photo taken.
Photograph alpenglow on snow capped mountains, frosty scenes glowing in rich winter light, wildlife wandering snowy paths, city lights reflecting on the water at twilight, and possibly even the northern lights!
Multi-Day Winter Vacation
Experience Alaska's iconic winter activities + northern lights viewing
Chase the lights on a private tour with Wild Alaska Journeys and you’ll be in the capable hands of local guides who know where to look and understand the science behind them. All trips are private, so bring your family or group and spend a night on the lookout for the aurora or make it part of a multi-day journey. Either way, you’ll leave with unforgettable memories.
Wondering how folks up here deal with Alaska’s long winter days? It’s easy when the inky night sky comes alive with an amazing light show like the aurora borealis. Braving the cold is nothing if you get a chance to see the lights dancing and waving overhead. Combine your aurora viewing trip with a few other highlights planned out by Salmon Berry Tours, and you’ll experience the best of winter in Alaska.
Aurora Ice Fishing
Spend the evening ice fishing from a warm hut, situated in an unobstructed viewing location
Seeing the Northern Lights is an unforgettable wintertime experience. Of course, you never know quite when (or even if) Mother Nature is going to unleash the display into the night sky. So while you wait, you’ll be trying your hand at another activity that’s unique to the Alaskan winter: ice fishing!
Remote Wilderness Lodge
View the aurora from the comfort of a remote wilderness lodge in the Brooks Range
If you want to view the northern lights, this family owned lodge offers a remote and exclusive experience north of the Arctic Circle. Whether you are dogsledding, snowshoeing or just scanning the skies for the northern lights, you will still be able to relax in comfort and never feel like you are roughing it.
Evening Viewing, Short Drive from Fairbanks or Anchorage
Just a short 15-minute drive from downtown Fairbanks, wait for the northern lights to appear in a warm, inviting space. Cozy up to the fire, sip on cocoa and coffee, and step outside when mother nature puts on a show. Although the center is a short distance from town, it is far enough away so that you won’t have to worry about light pollution interrupting your view as you stand gazing under the vast, starlit sky.
Chase the lights on a private tour with Wild Alaska Journeys and you’ll be in the capable hands of local guides who know where to look and understand the science behind them. All trips are private, so bring your family or group and spend a night on the lookout for the aurora or make it part of a multi-day journey. Either way, you’ll leave with unforgettable memories.