One of my wife's few remaining bucket list items is to see the Northern lights. For us, it seems Fairbanks is the best option. Any recommendations would be welcome. I'm particularly looking for thoughts on the best time to go and whether we should go with a guide or tour service, or just go it alone.
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Northern lights question
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Last: 19 days ago by 62strat
GF and I saw them in Finland in April. From what I understand that was the tail end of the 25 year cycle. My recommendation would check the reviews on some tours in Fairbanks and call a few to see how confident they are about seeing them. We did a tour but didn't see any. Luckily I woke up at 2AM our last night in Lapland and saw some color through our glass igloo. We walked out to the end of the resort where it was dark and got a decent show.
I've seen them in Canada and Alaska, both times in the summer. They are obviously more intense in the winter, but I'm not sure I understand the point of a guide. You just look up at the sky and they are there or they aren't. I guess a guide could take you to a good viewpoint maybe?
Going in winter is definitely going to improve your chances of seeing it. Take a look at Chena Hot Springs Resort. It is about an hour out of Fairbanks. It is not fancy and it is isolated with not much to do other than cross country ski and soak in the hot springs, which are great. But it is a good spot to go if you want to see the Northern Lights.
Finland is a wonderful spot to see them and probably not much longer a flight than to Fairbanks. We had peak lights last winter and are starting a waning cycle but there will still be plenty of aurorae, not to worry.
There are heaps of aurora forecast sites out there, my advice is to pick a place where you'll have a car as cloud cover can ruin everything (which is why Iceland can be so hit and miss for the lights).
October-March are peak time for the lights. You can see them outside of those windows, it's just not as dark near the horizon so it's a bit tougher.
Can vouch it's worth the effort though!
There are heaps of aurora forecast sites out there, my advice is to pick a place where you'll have a car as cloud cover can ruin everything (which is why Iceland can be so hit and miss for the lights).
October-March are peak time for the lights. You can see them outside of those windows, it's just not as dark near the horizon so it's a bit tougher.
Can vouch it's worth the effort though!
Sandpoint ID May 2024
If you are not working with a travel advisor, I work with quite a few clients that this is on their bucket list. My contact information is in my bio. You are correct Fairbanks is one of the best places to see but there are definitely certain times of the year where your chances are better.
Brooke Harrington
Hyatt Certified Confidant
AmaWaterways Specialist
Certified Sandals Specialist
www.harringtontravelco.com
brooke@harringtontravelco.com
IG: harringtontravelco
Hyatt Certified Confidant
AmaWaterways Specialist
Certified Sandals Specialist
www.harringtontravelco.com
brooke@harringtontravelco.com
IG: harringtontravelco
Is this any different than the Marfa Lights?
Go in February and fly to Fsirbanks. Then arrange a flight (probably through Wright air to Cold Foot, AK. Have reservations to stay here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/kFhkN3KuXkQoNKhW6?g_st=ipc
Make sure you take some groceries as there is no way to buy any. The BandB will make breakfast but for the rest, you're on your own. You'll love it and probably get some of the best views you can anywhere.
Also, download one of the apps that tend to be pretty good at forecasting. One is 'Aurora'. Try to be able to go on short notice.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/kFhkN3KuXkQoNKhW6?g_st=ipc
Make sure you take some groceries as there is no way to buy any. The BandB will make breakfast but for the rest, you're on your own. You'll love it and probably get some of the best views you can anywhere.
Also, download one of the apps that tend to be pretty good at forecasting. One is 'Aurora'. Try to be able to go on short notice.
TyHolden said:
Is this any different than the Marfa Lights?
This is a bad joke, right?
Second here for Chena Hot Springs
Gig 'em Aggies!
Gig 'em Aggies!
Also, if you decide on the Fairbanks area, try and time it to do the World Ice art festival in February and March. They have teams from all over the world come to carve ice.
AggieOO said:
I've seen them in Canada and Alaska, both times in the summer. They are obviously more intense in the winter, but I'm not sure I understand the point of a guide. You just look up at the sky and they are there or they aren't. I guess a guide could take you to a good viewpoint maybe?
Right, lol, call the sun, not a tour guide.
Here you go, OP: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/aurora-dashboard-experimental
Go north. Hopefully you catch an active cycle. It doesn't matter what time of the year, geomagnetic storms happen. Winter gives you more of a window with the shorter days, but introduces more cloud cover.
Use an app like, https://apps.apple.com/us/app/my-aurora-forecast-pro/id1075462280 , that gives you Kp and cloud coverage forecast for a likelihood of seeing aurora. Keep an eye on it, call into work sick, hop on a quick plane.
We get them every now and again even down here in OR. Last fall on Hood:
TW1993 said:
Also, if you decide on the Fairbanks area, try and time it to do the World Ice art festival in February and March. They have teams from all over the world come to carve ice.
Yes, indeed. Check out the World Ice Art in Fairbanks. We stumbled on it by accident.
Gig 'em Aggies!
Outside now if you're in the heart of USA. All the way down to DFW you can see the current storm. Denver is bullseye. Pretty insane CME event! We're socked in on the west coast, but Twitter/NOAA/NWS/NASA is lit tonight! Point your iPhone up and snap a photo if you can't see with naked eye. Even if you're in a light polluted area, it could render the aurora.
wildcat08 said:
One of my wife's few remaining bucket list items is to see the Northern lights. For us, it seems Fairbanks is the best option. Any recommendations would be welcome. I'm particularly looking for thoughts on the best time to go and whether we should go with a guide or tour service, or just go it alone.
You need either a really strong solar wind or an earth directed CME to stoke them. There is still probably another year or two of the waning of cycle 25, after which it will probabky be fairly quiet for a couple of years. The best time of year to go is around the march or september equinoxes. For some reasons, the geomagnetic storms are more severe around the equinoxes for the same level of CME/solar wind.
RangerRick9211 said:
Outside now if you're in the heart of USA. All the way down to DFW you can see the current storm. Denver is bullseye. Pretty insane CME event! We're socked in on the west coast, but Twitter/NOAA/NWS/NASA is lit tonight! Point your iPhone up and snap a photo if you can't see with naked eye. Even if you're in a light polluted area, it could render the aurora.
I'm in denver and saw anyone's and everyone's pics they took.. somehow I missed it.
So can you not even see it without a phone pic?
Maybe my expectations are too high.. but I really want to catch these one day, but not if I can only see it after I've taken a pic of it. I want to see it with my eyes.
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