My FAVORITE Northern Lights Experience: the Chena Aurora Tour

Visiting Chena Hot Springs is a quintessential Fairbanks expereince, but if you’re here in the winter you MUST do the late night Auror Tour up the mountain. We arrived and were dinking around, enjoying the relaxing vibe and our cabin and as the day wrapped, we decided to go off book and be wild. We ended the night with the coolest experience of the trip: late night snow cat Aurora Borealis tour. Leaving at 10:30 pm, we hopped in the back of a snow cat / winterized transport tank to headed up the mountain above Chena Hot Springs. At the top we experienced the most vibrant, most active Northern Lights I’ve ever seen in my whole life. It was astounding!

So are you intrigued? We’ve got all the info about this unique Aurora tour at Chena Hot Springs near Fairbanks, including tips for staying warm when you’re out viewing the Northern Lights. If you have any questions about the Chena Aurora tour or need other Northern Lights suggestions, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help others plan unforgettable times visiting Alaska.

Highlights of the Chena Aurora Tour

I’ve told more people about the Chena Hot Springs Aurora Tour than any other Alaskan experience (well, except for taking the seaplane to Lake Clark National Park for bear viewing). I really think this is one of the coolest adventures a regular person can have when they come to Alaska in the winter. Leaving from Chena Hot Springs Resort well after dinner time (they do multiple tours), you get to ride in the back of a snowcat trailer to one of the mountain tops far away from the city lights of Fairbanks.

The ride up the mountain is kind of rough, but you’re well buckled in and the drivers know what they’re doing. When you arrive at the top, the darkness is the darkest you can get… except for the stars and the amazing Aurora Borealis displays. From departure to return the Chena Aurora Tour is about five hours. Less than an hour of this is the transportation up and down the mountain, meaning you get four hours of Northern Lights bliss during the tour.

You don’t have to stand on a freezing cold mountain top for four hours, though, as there are very large warming yurts at the top. Inside you’ll find seating, snacks and warm drinks, board games and roaring fires to keep you warm. “Why are there board games?” Well, not everyone is as hardcore Aurora chaser as the next guy, so spending four hours on the mountain top during the Chena Aurora Tour might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But I’ll tell you, I spent less than a half hour inside during out visit.

There are lots of open spaces to set up a tripod and take photos, and there are chairs that you can bring out into the snow to just sit and enjoy. Yes, it really is cold but the darkness paired with the Aurora dancing above is worth braving it. The best photos I’ve ever gotten of the Northern Lights were during the Chena Aurora Tour, and I would happily do it again!

Book the Chena Aurora Tour here!

Tips for a Great Aurora Tour

Luxury has worked its way into Alaska travel with places like Borealis Basecamp and the Arctic Hive Resort creating comfortable wintertime Northern Lights experiences for guests, but those aren’t within a lot of people’s budgets or schedules. Visiting Chena Hot Springs in the winter is really cool and I think most people coming to Fairbanks are making the trip out here… so you might as well take advantage of being so far from the city to have this incredible experience.

Keep in mind that the transport up through the snow is not smooth, and for some may be a little scary (it’s very bumpy and loud and you cannot see outside). Even once you’re at the top of the mountain at the Chena Aurora Tour yurts, they’re not luxurious, but are very comfortable and practical. There aren’t fancy restrooms at the top, but nice outhouses which are freezing cold. Basically, the experience is unique and amazing, but I’m tell you that it’s not luxe and that’s okay.

When you do the Chena Hot Springs Aurora Tour, be ready to have fun outside of your comfort zone. Embrace the cold, embrace hanging out with strangers having a once in a lifetime experience, ask questions about the Aurora Borealis and learn something, ask for help getting good photos… Make the experience something you won’t forget.

Is the Chena Aurora Tour Good for Kids?

Every family is different and every kid is different, so whether or not the Chena Aurora Tour is good for YOUR child is a very subjective question. The tour begins very late at night and gets back to the Chena Hot Springs Resort area in the wee hours of the morning. Just the timing alone may determine whether or not your kiddo would do okay on this tour.

The other thing to consider is how hardy the child is. When I say that the ride up and down the mountain is a bit rough, I’m not joking. You’re strapped into airline style seats and are jostled back and forth as you climb the mountain, and you really cannot see outside. This can be terrifying for a claustrophobic person or a little kid. I think it’s worth it and I know our kids are resilient enough for it, but that may not be the case for everyone.

Being Prepared for the Chena Aurora Tour

Anytime you’re in Alaska in the winter, out in the night air watching the Northern Lights it’s going to be exceptionally cold.. 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 on the Chena Aurora Tour 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 interesting 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 atop the mountain on the Chena Aurora Tour, be sure you take breaks inside the yurts warming up, and seeing how your pictures or videos are turning out. Enjoy the process of perfecting your Aurora Borealis photos!

Getting to Chena Hot Springs and the Aurora Tour

The Chena Aurora Tour goes from the activity center at the Chena Hot Springs Resort. You can park in front of the main lodge or the overflow parking and walk to the activity center. Since the tour goes out and returns in the dark, don’t worry, it’s well lit. Remember which lot you parked your car in if you’re not staying at the resort, because when you get back at 3:00 am you might not be thinking straight because you’re tired, and you don’t want to be wandering around in the cold looking for your car. Parking is free.

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: