Chasing the Aurora: Key Lessons From Our Fairbanks Winter Adventure

High level thoughts on our recent trip to Fairbanks

Travel Dates	February 2-9, 2024
Airlines	Alaska Airlines direct flight from Seattle to Fairbanks took ~4 hours
Accommodations February 2-5	Northern Lights Cabin through Alaska Aurora Adventures LLC located in North Pole AK
Accommodations February 5-9	Borealis Basecamp located north of Fairbanks AK
Transportation	Rented a Subaru Outback through Turo and used Basecamp shuttles

Seattle offers daily flights to the small Fairbanks Airport

Flights from Seattle to Fairbanks are ridiculously easy and reasonably priced! Alaska offers multiple daily flights from Seattle to Fairbanks and Delta offers 1 daily non-stop. Alaska Airlines flight #106 left Seattle at noon and landed just after 3pm Fairbanks time which is behind by one hour. The return flight left Fairbanks at 4pm and arrived at 830pm Seattle time.

Fairbanks Airport has six gates, a gift shop, one restaurant, and one coffee shop. The restaurant and coffee shop have tables where you can camp out and play card games!

The extreme cold weather wasn't the only challenge we faced

We could be suffering from a bit of recency bias having just traveled to India and stayed at amazing hotels (more on that later); however, we can't fully recommend either the Northern Lights Cabin (North Pole AK) or Borealis Basecamp.

Below is a summary of what we liked and did not like about the Northern Lights Cabin. Read more about our North Pole experience and the Northern Lights Cabin.

What we liked	What we did not like
👍 Quiet location	👎 Lack of rails on the stairs to enter the cabin
👍 Well stocked kitchen & snacks provided	👎 Bedroom setup with no table/stand by the bed and no plugs near the top of the bed
👍 Comfortable bed	👎 The smell of the water from all faucets
👍 Full size washer & dryer	👎 The size of the shower - too small
👍 Cozy slippers provided	👎 The very cold bathroom experience
👍 Plenty of storage space in the downstairs bedroom	👎 The limited and uncomfortable dining seating
👍 Covered parking and available plug	👎 The location of the switches to turn on main lights when entering the house
👍 Games and DVDs provided	👎 The cabin stayed pretty cool even with the heat on a higher setting; seating near the windows was very, very breezy
	👎 Would be extremely tight for 4 guests

Video walkthrough of the cabin: https://photos.app.goo.gl/vMXcQCrDqwNDF1EH8

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Here is a summary of what we liked and did not like about Borealis Basecamp. Read more about our Borealis Basecamp experience.

What we liked	What we did not like
👍 Beautiful, picturesque location	👎 Expected to stay at Basecamp - especially if you used the shuttles for transportation and given the included excursions
👍 The igloos are unique, spacious, and comfortable -- hella unique!	👎 Small resort meant lack of privacy and inability to disconnect from social experiences
👍 Powerful heating system and very hot water in the igloo	👎 Small rainfall shower head - does anyone like a rainfall shower head?
👍 Large bathroom with plenty of storage and fully connected to plumbing (was a dry toilet in the past)	👎 No place in the igloo to chill and play games as a couple other than the bed
👍 Mini fridge & tea kettle in the igloo	👎 The restaurant - many things about the restaurant were not great, especially the lame breakfast that was included with the package and the lackluster menu.
👍 Excellent, friendly, knowledgeable staff for excursions	👎 No options for food other than the restaurant (including snacks and beverages)
👍 Gear for excursions is provided for guests - Carhartt Insulated overalls, NEOS overshoes, mittens, and neck gaiters. Other gear is available for rental.	👎 Excursions are brief (30-60 minutes) and more of an introduction rather than an experience (except the 4-6 hour snow mobile excursion which we opted out of causing us to have a large credit)
👍 Wake-up calls when the Aurora is visible - 24/7	👎 Packages include excursions without your input. If you do not want to go on an excursion, you get a credit. Large credits are hard to use up given the limited number of excursions (and they cannot be used in the restaurant).
👍 Photographer on staff to take photos of you and the Aurora (for a fee)	👎 Neighbors... there is no way to make guests in other igloos turn off their lights when the aurora is visible. The light pollution from nearby igloos really jacked photo opportunities.
👍 A lounge is available most of the day, but has limited options for food or snacks	👎 The location of your igloo really matters. Luckily, our igloo had an unobstructed view of the aurora because there were no igloos in front of us.
👍 Igloos have a private deck that is great for setting up tripods for photos. Cubes do not have a deck.	👎

Video walkthrough of our igloo

https://photos.app.goo.gl/g2UoThv8vxKrvyxx5

Fashion be dammed... we focused on staying warm

We dressed in layers - at least 3 - at all times. The temperature ranged from -40°F to 20°F during our stay, M found out just how fast frostbite occurs at -40°F. We cobbled together gear from friends and clearance sales. In addition to our clothing choices, the electronics, and gadgets we took along had a big impact on our experience. We share our favorite gear choices and lessons learned in this deep dive.

Take 2 - Chasing the lights next time

The memory of the pale green blobs in the sky shifting and intensifying lingers in my mind. Chasing the Aurora Borealis was definitely worth the effort, and we have our sights set on another Fairbanks adventure. Our draft playbook for Take 2 is below!

Transportation: Fly Alaska Airlines. Rent from Jason on Turo - his local knowledge and transparent service truly made a difference. Driving was not a challenge.

Accommodations: Next time, we're taking the whole family! We'll rent a cabin or vacation rental outside the city limits, ideally with comfortable beds, spacious living areas, and especially nice showers and warm bathrooms. We'll prioritize one with minimal light pollution and no close neighbors for optimal aurora viewing.

Aurora Viewing: We'll implement our own "aurora sentinel" rotation to wake the family when the lights appear. In theory, if you are far away from light pollution, you should be able to see it. If needed, we'll hire a local guide (there are so many!) for a more guided experience.

Food: We'll plan a mix of home-cooked meals and restaurant visits, ensuring a hearty breakfast after late nights. Exploring Fairbanks' restaurants is high on our list!

Gear: Gear up for the -40°F to 20°F temperature range or explore gear rental options like this one or this one. Even though we were cozy enough, extra gear is needed for some of the excursions. Wunderlust Gear Exchange in Seattle offers used gear in the Small to Large size range. Check out the gear that worked for us.

Excursions: To minimize disruption to sleep schedules (aurora activity peaks 10pm-3am), we'll keep excursions to a minimum, prioritizing downtime and relaxation. Our dog sledding experience at Borealis Basecamp left us wanting more, so we'll book a longer adventure directly with Pro Dog Racing Kennel or a similar local operation. Instead of a quick reindeer visit, we'll opt for a longer, information-rich experience at a local reindeer farm like Running Reindeer Farm. There are so many amazing excursions and sights near Fairbanks, and we can't wait to explore them!

Adventure awaits, regardless of wrinkles and wobbly bits, and no matter the pace!