Aurora Pointe: Fairbanks’ Awesome, Beautiful Northern Lights Experience

From late September to early May the Northern Lights make their appearances in the sky over Fairbanks. Yes, it’s free to see when it happens, but sometimes that means you’re sitting in your car in the cold in the middle of the night waiting for them to show up. Aurora Pointe is a really cool place that’s open in the winter months, and it’s the perfect place for watching the Aurora Borealis and doing it in comfort.

We’ve got the whole scoop on what to expect up at Aurora Pointe, how to prepare for your adventure in the cold and even some photography tips for getting good Northern Lights photos. If you have any questions about the experience or planning your time in Fairbanks, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great Alaska trip.

Highlights of Visiting Aurora Pointe

I’m always excited for new experiences and new ways to enjoy something I’ve done many times before. Spending the evening and into the morning hours up at Aurora Pointe is very different from driving outside of the city to pull over on the side of the road and watch the Northern Lights. Aurora Pointe is set up to be an experience, both for seeing the Aurora Borealis and for enjoying the Alaskan winter. Visiting with our kids, they thought it was awesome because it meant that they got to stay up late into the night drinking hot cocoa and eating snacks, and then the natural phenomena was just a bonus.

What I really liked about watching the Northern Lights from Aurora Pointe was that you could easily spend time outside and then go warm back up with just a few steps into the building or by the fire. Having the option of a cozy indoor space made it easy to spend several hours enjoying the Aurora Borealis. Additionally, during the lulls in the Aurora’s activity, the staff at Aurora Pointe gave presentations on the science of what creates the Northern Lights and how the technology that tracks and predicts it works. It’s a pretty cool experience for all ages that can stay awake late. This is a must for a winter visit to Fairbanks!

Book an Aurora Pointe visit here!

Tips for a Great Northern Lights Experience

Aurora Pointe opens for visiting at 10:00 pm, and in the winter months the Aurora Borealis tends to start around then or soon after, so you can arrive and maybe even immediately be under the Northern Lights. Because the Aurora tends to dance across the sky, you won’t necessarily get a sore neck from looking up, but you may get really cold. It’s okay to take a break and relax between your stints of watching the lights. Go inside and warm up, review your photos and then head back out to watch some more. The vibe of the warming lodge here is very different from the warming yurts for the Chena Aurora Tour (which is awesome too).

While you’re at Aurora Pointe, there are some really experienced staff around who can give you advice on capturing photos of the lights. Getting good Northern Lights photos is a highlight of being in Alaska in the winter, so if you’re struggling with it, use the experts and their advice. For me, I’ve found that my best Aurora Borealis photos come from still photos that I lift from my long exposure videos or from my cell phone long exposures themselves.

We’ve got lots of practice using camera phones, DSLR cameras and GoPros and ultimately the best pictures come from cell phone cameras. You can’t really just point and shoot, but you need to understand how to manually change your settings to ensure your camera is capturing enough light and is balancing the contract properly for this unusual photography subject. The Aurora Pointe folks are great for making suggestions.

Being Prepared for Aurora Pointe Northern Lights Night

I can’t stress enough how cold the hilltop above Fairbanks is when you’re up at Aurora Pointe watching the Northern Lights. Having good, extreme cold weather rated jackets and gloves is very helpful, and then layers for both your upper and lower body. We like to use both temperature rated gloves AND thin glove liners to keep as warm as possible. Once you’re uncomfortably cold, your Northern Lights experience starts to become much less enjoyable. Also, because being outside in negative temperatures really can be stunningly chilly, we invested in eclectic heated vests. They have a pocket for a power bank and you just plug them in and turn them on. They are great!

The other important gear to bring when you’re heading up to Aurora Pointe in Fairbanks is your camera gear. Even if you’re an amateur photographer who’s just using their camera on their phone, you’ll still want to bring a tripod for photos. No human standing on a hilltop in the middle of the night in negative temperatures is steady enough to get a good photo of the night sky… and that’s why a tripod is necessary. You can get clamps to hold your phone atop the tripod and then be completely set for good Aurora Borealis pictures.

If you’re interested in using a GoPro for getting pictures, you’ll need to shuffle through the settings until you get to Night Lapse mode. You’ll have options of different length exposure, but 30 seconds tends to do a great job. There is a wonderful long exposure video option with the GoPro 10 and up for getting great star trail videos, and this can be interesting while the Northern Lights are going on. While you’re at Aurora Pointe and can take breaks inside warming up, enjoy the process of perfecting your Aurora Borealis photos!

Where is Aurora Pointe located?

As you head out of Fairbanks to the northeast, you’ll head towards Chena Hot Springs Resort (another fun, beautiful place for the Aurora Borealis). As you get out of town, and start heading up into the hills, you’ll come to Aurora Pointe, about a half hour from downtown Fairbanks. When you arrive, there is ample parking. If you get there after the Aurora Borealis has started and you see people outside, immediately turn off your light and be courteous to everyone. Even on a night when the Northern Lights are wonderfully bright, the headlights of cars absolutely detract from the brightness of the Aurora and they RUIN people’s photos. Don’t sit in your vehicle with your lights on. Don’t sit there with your foot on the brake activating the red tail lights. Park and go inside. We experienced a lot of people not being courteous or understanding how their actions were impacting others’ experiences. Don’t be that person.

Is Visiting Aurora Pointe Free?

No, there is a fee and you need to have a reservation for visiting Aurora Pointe outside of Fairbanks. Your entrance cost grants you access to the warm indoor spaces, wine, hot cocoa, light snacks, experts on the Aurora Borealis, and fun engagement with people from all over the place. There is also a campfire outside and the whole vibe is just special. Access to Aurora Pointe is from 10:00 pm to 2:00 am.

Things to do in Fairbanks

I feel like when people talk about visiting Alaska, Fairbanks is a last thought, but it shouldn’t be. I love this city, it’s people, it’s dogsled culture and the beautiful nature all around it. Fairbanks is THE winter destination in Alaska with ample dark sky space to watch the Northern Lights and endless outdoor opportunities, whether you’re looking for a mellow snowy escape or hardcore Alaskan adventures. In summer, Fairbanks is a great home base for visiting the Arctic Circle, Denali National Park, spending days kayaking or fishing. It’s beautiful!

Ideas for Fairbanks activities:

Where to Stay in Fairbanks, Alaska

Keep in mind when you’re planning your trip to Fairbanks that it is not a large city. It’s the second largest in Alaska, but it’s not huge. Hotel options are limited and when it comes to booking a luxury hotel stay, that’s not really a thing here. There are nice hotels and really cool lodges and vacation rentals, but white glove luxe ain’t happening. We’ve stayed in all kinds of Fairbanks accommodations, so have solid recommendations (below). I like being based downtown if we have a diverse, busy itinerary, but staying outside of town up in the hills is such a treat, it’s worth planning a night or two away from the city.

You’ll find that the cost of lodging in Fairbanks ranges wildly from season to season. In the summer, standard hotel rooms are not likely available for under $250 per night, with the average being well over $300 per night. In the winter you can get some awesome hotel deals as low as $125 per night. Just keep this in mind as you’re planning your visit to Fairbanks or anywhere in Alaska.

Here are our hotel picks in Fairbanks: