Searching for the Northern Lights, Kaneohe Photographer Travels to Interior Alaska

It was cold. Well actually, I thought it was cold, but apparently I was wrong.

I know this because the people of Fairbanks, Alaska have told me this over and over again.

The week I was there in February to see the Northern Lights, they were experiencing a “heat wave”. Some days it almost went above freezing point. For someone who’s only lived in Florida and Hawaii, their words didn’t really warm me.

However, I was prepared and it was worth it.

The Northern Lights are a visual spectacle that occurs when the solar wind disrupts the Earth’s magnetic field.

Winter is the best time to see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), and Fairbanks might be the best and most reliable place to do so for two reasons. First, with around 30,000 residents, Fairbanks is not a big city. This makes it quite easy to get out of town and away from light pollution. However, you can still see the Northern Lights in the city. The second is that Fairbanks is right in the middle of the Northern Lights belt, which greatly increases your chances of seeing them. I managed to see them three of the six nights I was there. They may have been out on a fourth night, but I passed out after staying out until 4 or 5 a.m. chasing the northern lights.

The first night I saw the Northern Lights was while staying at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge (pikeslodge.com). They didn’t come out until around 4am and only lasted 15 minutes. Pike’s was a great place to base myself; it is located right next to Fairbanks International Airport and a short distance from downtown. The lodge has two towers and several cabins directly on the Chena River (which was frozen). The resort also has one of the largest art collections in Alaska.

The second sighting of the lights came during a stay at Borealis Basecamp (borealis basecamp.net), which is located on 100 acres about 25 miles outside of Fairbanks. The night sky is very poorly lit by the city. The base camp consists of 20 man-made white igloos with a bed, a bathtub and a very large window facing northeast towards the main attraction.

The lights went out around 10 p.m. and spread across the sky. The light show lasted about 30 minutes. It came back about an hour later but not as strong. The Northern Lights can be temperamental; you have to put in the time and hope for the best. During downtime, you can get some sleep and ask the staff to call your igloo every time the lights come on.

Borealis Basecamp’s main building serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Latitude 65 Restaurant, and they have coffee all night.

On the third night of spotting the lights, I went to Aurora Pointe (aurorapointe.net). About 15 minutes outside of Fairbanks, the facility, which specializes in Northern Lights viewing, is primarily aimed at people staying elsewhere in Fairbanks. It is open from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.; those odd hours work well for seeing the lights.

Aurora Pointe guides track approaching lights from remote cameras. Next to the large outdoor viewing area is a building where coffee, tea and cookies are served throughout the night.

It was the best viewing of the three nights. The lights went out sharply around 11pm and lasted quite a while. I was able to go inside to warm up, have a coffee, then head back out to take more photos.

I’ve always wanted to see the Northern Lights – it was kind of on my bucket list. I’m glad it worked for me. However, even if it had been cloudy all week, I think I would still have had a great time. From numerous museums to dog sledding and other activities, there’s a surprising number of things to do in and around the city in winter.