How to See the Northern Lights in Alaska (2024)

While many travelers think they have to head to Canada or Scandinavia to see the northern lights, you can actually spot this phenomenon without leaving the United States. Northern Alaska is ideal for Americans wanting a chance to see the aurora borealis. It may be cold in winter (temperatures can drop to 30 degrees below zero), but the inland Alaskan Arctic — where skies tend to be clearer — is one of the best places in the world to see this famous light show.

The northern lights 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 solar maximum, which returns in 2025, the odds of seeing the northern lights will increase. The real trick is finding clear skies.

These are our top tips for seeing the northern lights in Alaska.

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 in Alaska during spring, so the best time to maximize your chances of seeing the northern lights is in March.

Where in Alaska Are the Northern Lights Most Visible?

The northern lights are best seen in Alaska between 65° N and 70° N latitude. Fairbanks is about 198 miles south of the Arctic Circle and enjoys sporadic northern lights. It's best to forget the more southern destinations of Anchorage and Juneau, which see dramatically fewer displays.

Those wanting to maximize their chances should head for the more remote northern villages of Coldfoot in the Yukon Territory or to Prudhoe Bay and Utqiaġvik in the extreme north. Below are some of the best places to spot the northern lights.

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 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.

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 filled with glacier trekking, rafting, fishing in Tebay Lake, 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).

Alaska Northern Lights Tours

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. And 1st Alaska Tours runs nightly trips to Chena Hot Springs 60 miles north and to Murphy Dome, one of the highest peaks in the Fairbanks area, which has a 360-degree view of the horizon.