How to See the Northern Lights in Alaska (2024)

Experiencing the aurora borealis may be easier than you think. While some travelers head to remote areas of Canada or Scandinavia to catch the elusive phenomenon, you can see the northern lights in Alaska without needing a passport. The Far North offers the best opportunities for aurora chasers, but Fairbanks, at a latitude of just under 65° N, also makes a great base. The real trick is finding clear skies.

The best time to see the northern lights in Alaska is in the fall or spring. Auroras occur because of solar activity, so during the early part of the solar cycle, known as solar minimum, there is a smaller chance of experiencing a full-on auroral storm. As we move toward the peak of Solar Cycle 25, the odds of seeing the northern lights increase.

The Best Time to See the Northern Lights in Alaska

Alaska's northern lights season is between late August and late April, peaking in March. However, the season is defined more by its long, dark nights than by solar activity.

Displays of the northern lights tend to intensify around the equinox months of September and March because Earth's tilt in relation to the sun means that the magnetic field of Earth and the solar wind are in sync. Plus, there's a higher likelihood of clear skies during spring, so March is the best month to maximize your chances of seeing the northern lights in Alaska.

If you can find dark and clear skies, be on alert from dusk onwards and you might get to see an aurora. According to the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the best time to see the aurora is around midnight, give or take an hour. However, they can occur at any time.

Where is the best place to see the northern lights in Alaska?

You'll have the best chance of seeing the northern lights in locations between 65° N and 70° N latitude. Fairbanks is about 198 miles south of the Arctic Circle and enjoys sporadic northern lights. Skip southern destinations like Anchorage and Juneau, which see dramatically fewer displays.

Fairbanks

The old gold rush boomtown of Fairbanks is the undisputed capital of the northern lights hunt in Alaska. It's not the very best place for aurora viewing — it's just below the Arctic Circle — but auroras frequently occur here.

Its popularity among northern lights seekers has a lot to do with its accessibility. There are frequent flights and plenty of options for accommodations. Good vantage points in the vicinity include Cleary Summit, about 20 miles from Fairbanks, which is easy to get to and offers parking and a solid view of the horizon.

The Geophysical Institute also recommends Haystack Mountain, as well as and Ester, Wickersham, and Murphy Domes on its website. Chena Lake Recreation Area is a popular place to look for reflections in the water (you can park your car near the jetty). At nearby Chena Hot Springs Resort, you can even watch the show from an outdoor hot tub. By day, try your hand at either cross-country skiing or ice fishing through pre-drilled ice holes while you're there.

Coldfoot

Once a gold mining settlement, this Alaskan Arctic destination is now little more than a truck stop at 67° N latitude on the famed Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. It's a prime northern lights observation location, largely because of the rustic Coldfoot Camp in the Brooks Mountain Range on the edge of the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, the northernmost national park in the U.S. Many aurora adventure tours take guests here, and to Wiseman about 15 miles north, for the high chances of a northern lights display. Another option nearby is the fly-in luxury Iniakuk Lake Wilderness Lodge. Coldfoot is 250 miles north of Fairbanks and 60 miles above the Arctic Circle.

Utqiaġvik

This small town, formerly called Barrow, is on the extreme northern edge of Alaska at 71° N latitude and is home to the Top of the World Hotel, which organizes tours and outdoor adventures connected to Indigenous Iñupiat culture. You can also visit the Iñupiat Heritage Center to learn about bowhead whale hunting and traditional crafts. Alaska Airlines flies to the town's Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport from Anchorage.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve

Spanning 13.2 million acres, this national park is the largest protected reserve in the United States. Travelers can bed down at the 14-person Ultima Thule Lodge for a wild adventure facilitated by small aircraft and filled with glacier trekking, rafting, and (of course) waiting for the northern lights to flicker across the sky.

Northern Lights Forecasts

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a Space Weather Prediction Center, which is a great resource for a short-term forecast of northern lights activity. Fairbanks also happens to be the headquarters of the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska, which issues a nightly forecast on Aurora viewing alongside a 27-day forecast.

SolarHam gives a reliable three-day geomagnetic forecast that's often used by aurora hunters, while the Aurora Forecast app shows travelers the position of the auroral oval around the Arctic Circle. It also indicates the probability of seeing the northern lights where you are (green, not so much; red, and they're probably happening right above you).

7 National Parks Where You May See the Northern Lights

Northern Lights Tours in Alaska

You'll likely get to Coldfoot on an organized tour, and if you fly to Utqiaġvik, your accommodations will also act as a local tour guide. If you're going to be in Fairbanks, however, you have excursion choices to make. The Northern Alaska Tour Company runs round-trip van tours 60 miles north of Fairbanks to the town of Joy for an increased chance of seeing the northern lights. During the aurora season, 1st Alaska Tours offers evening trips to Chena Hot Springs, about 60 miles north of downtown Fairbanks, and to Murphy Dome, one of the highest peaks in the Fairbanks area, which provides a 360-degree view of the horizon.