Bucket List 4283: Northern Lights in Alaska
I will be the first to admit it. I don’t love the cold. In fact, I despise it - I would rather have insane humidity than be cold. Of course, planning a trip to Alaska in March seemed like the clear choice for my next trip. We timed it to coincide with the start of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race the first weekend in March. Another bucket trip for me included seeing the Northern Lights. For the peeps that live in Northern locations, seeing the Northern Lights is probably just another late night Saturday, but for someone who lives in Southern California it has always been a solid MUST. And oh, it truly didn’t disappoint.
On our way to Fairbanks…
We started our trip flying into Fairbanks, Alaska. Much bigger than I anticipated, Fairbanks is pretty sprawling with a population of 32,000+ (2021 Census). Just 196 miles south of the Arctic Circle, Fairbanks is the second largest city after Anchorage. When we arrived at the car rental desk, we were told it was “unseasonably warm”; it was -15 degrees outside. Clearly when it gets that cold, we had to go in search of beer(s) to stay warm.
We ended up at Silver Gulch Brewing in Fox, Alaska about 10 minutes north of Fairbanks. It is also known as the “most northernly brewery in America”. Worth it. Good beers and food so we were happy. Throughout this time we were constantly checking an app called My Aurora which gives you a % prediction of seeing the Northern Lights for that night. It was not looking good. So we decided to drink some more beers and head back to the hotel to check in. We were talking to the one of the guys at the front desk who casually mentioned, that in the winter it can get down to -60 degrees. I just looked at him with a pained face. My delicate Southern California affect couldn’t believe him.
Map of Chenna Hot Springs Resort
The next day we woke up early and went downstairs to eat breakfast, the gentleman delivering water to the hotel was in shorts. We were headed to the Chenna Hot Springs Resort a little over an hour outside of Fairbanks. The road to Chenna Hot Springs is one long stretch of beautiful trees, white snow, and seclusion. We saw a few moose alongside the road! We teetered back and forth whether it was worth going, but hands down one of my favorite experiences of the whole trip. The only true ice bar in the entire state, Aurora Ice Museum will not let you down. So cool (both literally and figuratively). You have to buy tickets to enter the museum and then if you want a drink that is a separate ticket as well. There is only one drink option, an apple martini but it is served in an ice glass that you get to “keep”. Would highly recommend getting the ticket for the drink at the same time as the ticket to the museum; there is no way to purchase the drink once inside.
Inside the Aurora Ice Museum
Martini ice glass you get to “keep”.
After the martini and the tour, we were primed and ready for the hot springs. The hot springs might be one of my favorite parts of the trip. Initially discovered in 1904 and further explored in 1905, the hot springs were surrounded by tall heaps of snow and hills. It is quite a brisk walk from the locker room to the entrance of the hot springs, but once you get in - so glorious. After about 15 mins, my eyelashes started to freeze and turn white. Next the moisture in my hair started to freeze, so there were steaks of white throughout my hair. It was unreal.
Beautiful area surrounding the hot springs.
After our great day trip, we headed back to Fairbanks. The My Aurora app was showing 19%, so the best we could hope for. We decided this was the night. After some dinner and beers we went to sleep early and set our alarms for 2am. We barely made it. At 2am when our alarms went off, it took all of our will and determination to get out of bed. We started off driving towards Fox, but it still too close to the city. So we went to another lot about 30 mins up a hill. We were in the car for about 15 mins and didn’t see anything and oh, it was cold outside so we didn’t dare go outside, yet.
Then suddenly the sky started to turn different shades of light green and the light catapulted across the sky. This was it. And it was so beautiful and fleeting.
Glorious. Captivating. Magical. I am not sure I can express how cool it was to see the Northern Lights or to describe it in a way that would do it justice. All I dare say: is to get out and explore this great beautiful world; because it really is beautiful.
At the end of my journey, I always document to remember the best and worst (link).
