Northern Lights and Chena Hot Springs Tour

Relax in Chena Hot Springs and visit the Aurora Ice Museum, then hunt northern lights on a guided 10-hour evening tour.

Getting started

Get picked up at your Fairbanks hotel and board a climate-controlled vehicle for the drive to Chena Hot Springs. Your professional guide with northern lights expertise outlines the evening schedule, including hot springs time, Aurora Ice Museum entry, and your standing dinner reservation at the resort restaurant. Settle in for the journey as you head toward the resort.

What to expect

Chena Hot Springs Resort

Arrive at Chena Hot Springs Resort in the late afternoon, with time to settle into the property before nightfall. You spend several hours here, dividing your evening between the hot springs, Aurora Ice Museum, and your pre-arranged dinner slot.

Features

• Use your resort pool passes to access the bathing facilities, including the outdoor hot springs pools at Chena Hot Springs and the indoor swimming pool areas. Adults can enter the outdoor rock pool, while all ages can use indoor options, subject to resort age rules.

• Soak in the outdoor hot springs pools at Chena Hot Springs, where naturally heated mineral water contrasts with the cold Alaskan air. Steps and pool edges may be icy in winter, so waterproof sandals or water shoes are recommended.

• Enjoy the convenience of a standing dinner reservation at the resort restaurant, which secures you a dining time during this busy evening. Dinner itself is not included, so bring cash or card to order directly from the menu.

• Change into your swimsuit, which is required for pool use, and optionally rent a towel at the resort for an additional fee if you do not bring your own. The tour is minimally physically demanding, although steps at the pools can be challenging for guests with limited mobility.

Aurora Ice Museum

During your resort time, you visit the Aurora Ice Museum, a signature feature of Chena Hot Springs built from ice and snow. Entry is scheduled so you can explore the interior before the late-night aurora search.

Features

• Use your admission to the Aurora Ice Museum to step inside this frozen space and view the sculpted ice environment. The experience focuses on walking through and observing the museum rather than a guided art tour.

• Time inside the Aurora Ice Museum is flexible within the evening schedule, coordinated so it does not conflict with your hot springs soak or dinner reservation. The optional ice glass apple martini available onsite is not included in your tour price.

Northern lights tour and return drive

After your resort visit, you rejoin your group and guide for the late-night drive back toward Fairbanks, focused on aurora viewing. The return leg integrates dedicated northern lights hunting with several viewing opportunities.

Features

• Travel with round-trip transfers from Fairbanks hotels in a climate-controlled vehicle with aurora viewing stops along the route. The guide monitors conditions and chooses locations that can offer clearer skies away from city glow when possible.

• Rely on your professional guide with northern lights expertise to explain current aurora forecasts, typical viewing conditions, and what to look for in the sky. The guide also helps manage expectations, since northern lights are a natural phenomenon and sightings cannot be guaranteed.

• Join northern lights hunting during the return drive, with chances to step out at selected locations when conditions permit. You dress in warm winter clothing and layers suitable for potential temperatures between -20°F and -40°F while standing outside to watch the sky.

• The experience runs approximately 10 hours, from about 4:00 PM to 2:00 AM, so consider energy levels, especially for children. The tour operates in all weather conditions, including extreme cold and possible cloud cover.

Wrapping up

At the end of your northern lights hunting, the vehicle returns to Fairbanks and you are dropped back at your hotel. From there, you can rest after the late finish or plan a slower morning to recover from the extended evening.