On a lark in 2021, I clicked on a Delta Airlines email boasting of cheap flights to Alaska. Granted, we were just coming out of the pandemic but we’re talking incredible prices. For a song I flew to Fairbanks and checked off a bucket list item: the incredible light display of the aurora borealis. The “aurora season” runs from Aug. 21 to April 21, when solar light displays hug the northern and southern pole regions of the earth. The northern lights in our top half of earth are occasionally spotted in the Lower 48, as we’ve seen this past winter. But in Alaska, it’s prime aurora viewing.
The Best Year
The brilliant pulsating lights of the aurora borealis occur when the solar activity—sunspots and solar storms—crank up and the electrically charged particles hit the earth’s magnetic poles and collide with gasses. NASA predicts that the peak of the current sun cycle, which has been heavier than usual, will be this season, producing more light displays and brighter lights in a larger area than normal. In other words, now’s the time.
Best Places for Viewing
I used Fairbanks as my basecamp on my search for the Northern Lights, a town located within the “Auroral Oval,” where aurora activity is concentrated. An eight-hour bus trip to the Arctic Circle where I overnighted at Coldfoot allowed me a guided tour to a remote area near Wiseman to view a faint light show. I would have been pleased with my experience had not the aurora showed a more brilliant display my last night in Fairbanks, even with the lights of my hotel interfering. Bottom line is you never know what location will deliver the best display.
Best Time for Viewing
Unfortunately, the best time to catch these solar colors are between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. so don’t plan on sleeping. Many hotels, however, offer wake-up calls should the lights arrive. I recommend having clothes and camera at the ready should that call come through.
Join a Tour
John Hall’s Alaska routinely brings visitors to the state during the warmer summer months, but for those hardy folks who wish to see auroras, the company now offers Alaska’s Arctic Aurora, an eight-day tour that includes a visit to the Arctic Circle, a curling lesson among other winter adventures and stays in a private igloo at the Borealis Basecamp near Fairbanks. The tour company also offers an 11-day Iditarod and Aurora Adventure that combines the Northern Lights with the famous dog race. For information, visit kissalaska.com.
Get Hot
About an hour outside Fairbanks, deep within a forested area lies Chena Hot Springs. The resort offers accommodations and an activity center where visitors may hang out in the middle of the night hoping the lights appear. If you dare to get wet during an Alaska winter, soak in the massive pool of hot springs to watch the sky light up and dance above. The water’s delightful—once you slip in. The resort runs winter activities as well, such as ice fishing, dog sled tour, trips on snowmobiles and, yes, a guided aurora tour. Be sure to visit the Aurora Ice Museum created from more than 1,000 tons of ice and snow, where you can step up to an ice bar and enjoy cocktails in ice glasses.
Cheré Coen writes mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire and her latest book, “Ghost Lights,” places her New Orleans characters in Alaska during the aurora season.
