Visiting Alaska in Winter

Visiting Alaska in winter wasn’t at the top of my bucket list, but when my friend, Aimee, asked if I wanted join her to attempt to photograph the northern lights, I told her to sign me up.

I was worried it would be harsh with wicked cold temperatures and a lack of daylight, but Fairbanks, Alaska was actually a spectacular place to visit in the middle of winter with the right planning and preparation.

Seeing the Northern Lights is probably the main reason many people want to visit Alaska during winter. If this is your goal, Fairbanks is a great place to stay. Not only is it a quiet city with minimal light pollution, but there are a ton of great activities to keep you busy just in case you end up with less-than-ideal conditions for aurora viewing.

We stayed with a local family that runs a B&B called Cafego’s Aurora View Farm, and being there was a major highlight of the trip! Tony, Laina, and their son were absolutely wonderful. Their home is cozy and beautiful, and they have a spectacular view of the Northern Lights. If you’re an animal lover, you will be in heaven staying with them… they have the sweetest dogs, bunnies, cats, and all kinds of other wonderful critters!

Even if you stay elsewhere, I recommend checking out their website and booking one of their available tours. They also provide transportation services, which is great because driving there isn’t exactly the easiest or safest task.

Great Alaska Winter Activities

My friend and I spent five nights in Fairbanks in the middle of January, and we were busy every day we were there*. Here are my recommendations for activities to help you plan your Alaska winter adventure.

*Special thanks to Lindsay from Bee the Light Imagery for all of your help planning this trip!

Aurora Viewing and Chasing

If you are considering visiting Alaska during the winter months, obviously seeing the northern lights should be at the top of your bucket list. If you are staying in a quiet area away from the city lights, just look up at night! But if you want to get a great view, I highly recommend booking an aurora viewing tour.

While it is entirely possible to see the aurora while staying in the city, light pollution can affect the quality of your view. An aurora viewing tour will give you the opportunity to be with a guide in a quiet area known for getting amazing views of the Northern Lights. The lights can be delicate colors, and being in a dark location with minimal light pollution will increase your chances of seeing them.

The guides I viewed the aurora with were a wealth of knowledge and knew exactly where to look for the first glimpses of the lights. They also knew the best places to view them, understood how to monitor the aurora tracking devices, and knew exactly when to call their tours outside when the lights were easily visible.

Here are some local companies I visited during my trip that offer aurora viewing:

Aurora Photography Class

If you enjoy photography, I highly recommend taking a class while you are in town.

Although I do a lot of photography, I haven’t spent much time on nighttime photography. Capturing the aurora was something I was worried I would struggle with, but the photography instruction I received made it a piece of cake to get some incredible shots during my entire trip.

The first night we were in town, we took a photography class and aurora viewing tour with Aurora Bear. This was hands down one of the best things I did while I was there! The owners of the property were absolutely wonderful, and the whole experience was mind-blowing for me.

In addition to the excellent instruction, Frank and Miri’s cabin was the perfect place to warm up. They served coffee, wonderful soup, and treats throughout the night. Also, they have friendly dogs. I LOVE dogs, so of course I was immediately happy when we arrived.

I will definitely sign up for another class when I’m back in town.

Dog sledding is an amazing Alaska winter activity!

I’m a huge animal lover, so dog sledding was definitely one of my Alaska trip musts.

I couldn’t believe how incredible the dogs were. They were friendly, smart, energetic, and SO eager to run. They seemed to have so much fun sledding!

If I’m being completely honest, my favorite part of the dog sledding was actually meeting and playing with the puppies. The adult dogs were wonderful, but the puppies were more interested in playing with the new human in their midst. They were so sweet and fun. I tried to get pictures, but the lighting was dim and they moved too quickly for me to get a good shot.

We did the ridge top dog sledding tour at Sirius Dog Rescue. The property is beautiful, and the view of the afternoon sunset was stunning. I was a little less-than-enthusiastic about using the wooden outhouse in sub-0° temperatures, but I didn’t end up with frostbite on my butt and got a good laugh about stumbling around in the dark and almost missing the toilet hole after the fact.

Chena Hot Springs

Ever seen those photos of people hanging out in a hot spring with frozen hair? If you’re visiting Alaska in winter, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO BE THAT PERSON!

It wasn’t quite cold enough for me to create an outrageous hairstyle, but I still ended up with a frozen head of hair with a little patience.

Although I’d heard it’s a touristy area, I actually loved Chena Hot Springs and thought it was a great Alaska winter activity. It wasn’t nearly as busy as some of the other hot springs I’ve visited, and the water was the perfect temperature for an extended soak.

I also appreciated that the hot springs were limited to 18+. Even though I have never minded having kids around when I’ve been in other hot springs, this actually made for a quiet, relaxing experience. If you are traveling with kids, there are hot tubs and an indoor pool available for the whole family.

The only thing I wasn’t impressed with was the locker room. It’s a tight squeeze and the floor is soaking wet. However, I’ve never been a fan of locker rooms, so it’s no surprise I wasn’t fond of this one.

Aurora Ice Museum

I wasn’t sure what to expect from an ice museum, but it was really neat! It’s a building full of ice sculptures, and you have the option of trying an appletini at the Aurora Ice Bar if you’re 21+ years of age.

The ice museum is located in the same area as the hot springs, so I recommend visiting both on the same day unless you’re planning to stay at Chena Hot Springs Resort.

Snowmobiling

If you love a good adrenaline rush, you will probably love snowmobiling at Rod’s Alaskan Guide Services. I have to say… this experience was a blast!

The snowmobiles, gear, and guides at this place are top notch. The company provides the snow bibs, jackets, boots, gloves, and even neck gaiters needed to withstand the bitter cold temperatures. And the helmets and handlebars are actually heated. I didn’t know I needed heated handlebars in my life until I was snowmobiling at 45mph in -15°, but I was sure glad to have them!

Although snowmobiling was the only activity we did at Rod’s, I will absolutely book other activities with them next time I’m in town. In addition to the warm (and clean) gear, I really appreciated the friendly staff, warm check-in cabin, and clean bathrooms (which isn’t something you necessarily find everywhere when you’re out in the middle of nowhere).

Visit North Pole and see Santa

This would be a great activity to do with kids. North Pole, Alaska is a quick drive from Fairbanks, and it is Christmas 365 days a year there.

Driving up to Santa Land is pretty cute. The building is covered in murals, a huge decorated tree sits out front, and the world’s largest Santa is visible from the parking lot. The inside has a huge gift shop and a Sweet Shop with coffee and sugary treats.

Other activities to consider while visiting Fairbanks, Alaska in the winter…

Snowshoeing is available in multiple locations. Consider booking an Aurora Viewing and Snowshoeing adventure at Aurora Bear.
Ice fishing is a popular option at Rod’s Alaskan Guide Services.
Castner Glacier Ice Caves are a 2.5 hour drive from Fairbanks. This may or may not be available when you visit. Unfortunately, this was not a safe option due to glacier melt when I was in town.
Skiing or snowboarding at White Mountains National Recreation Area is always a fun winter sport.
You can book an Arctic Circle tour. Please do not attempt to drive in this remote area by yourself. You need to go with a guide.
Moose hunting is available if that’s your bag of chips. It’s not on my bucket list, but I respect if it’s on yours.
Need more ideas? I like to book activities through Get Your Guide.

A few important things to keep in mind when visiting Alaska in the winter…

Transportation is expensive, and I do not recommend renting a vehicle unless you have extensive experience driving through extreme winter conditions. While planning activities, also budget for transportation expenses.
Consider traveling with a buddy. My friend and I were able to get photos of each other and had a lot of fun together. It was also nice to split the cost of the transportation bill.
An abundance of fresh fruits and veggies is not exactly easy to come by during the winter months. When in Alaska, try the local cuisine.
Be careful with your expensive DSLR camera gear in the extreme cold! Leave your camera outside until you are done taking pictures for the day, then store it in a large ziplock bag with a pouch of silica gel before bringing it indoors. This will keep your camera from fogging up. I *might* have learned this the hard way.