Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Aurora Borealis From Fairbanks Question(s)

My world traveler brother called me tonight and offered to pick up my air ticket using his air-miles to accompany him on a trip to Fairbanks in March to see the A.B. as well as be there to check out the ice sculpture festival. Sounds like we will spend the first week of March in Fairbanks. What say you on this trip? Odds of seeing the lights? Decent yet inexpensive places to stay? Restaurants/bars to visit or stay away from? Anything else to take in during the day? Any and all thoughts/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast .....i'll hook u up...there are a few of us hiding up here ... http://www.icealaska.com/ ... www.chenahotsprings.com ...... www.pikeslodge.com ..... http://www.menupix.com/fairbanks/restaurants/5301602/Sams-Sourdough-Cafe-Fairbanks-AK ... $$..... www.uaf.edu/museum ..... http://www.menupix.com/fairbanks/restaurants/5301599/Red-Fox-Bar-and-Grill-Fairbanks-AK $$..... www.pumphouse.com ... $$+ www.alaskanturtle.com ..$$$ yum!..... www.morristhompsoncenter.org ... http://www.newsminer.com/arctic_cam/ .... http://weather-warehouse.com/WeatherHistory/PastWeatherData_FairbanksMidtown_Fairbanks_AK_March.html and u can't leave out a few beers at the red fox with them local campfire folks!!! .... www.santaclaushouse.com .....Steese Highway just outside Fairbanks. The Steese Highway viewpoint, which has an information cabin, also allows visitors to walk up to the pipeline> http://www.milepost.com/highway_info/trans_alaska_pipeline ...... http://www.explorefairbanks.com/articles/detail/13/how-far-is-the-arctic-circle-from-fairbanks ...

Here are my thoughts......taking a big trip to see the Aurora Borealis is somewhat akin to buying the clearest, brightest scope to go winter hunting in Alaska. There's a very good chance that your view may be clouded, voiding whatever advantage you paid for. But carry on anyway, the ice sculptures can be nice, though check to be sure March isn't too late for them. Sunlight is not a friend of ice, and March is getting pretty light.

If serious about seeing the lights, you should plan on being up until the wee hours, say 3 or 4 AM. If it's not clear, go to bed or hit the bars.

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/Alaska/2014/01/08 is a good source for aurora activity, but predictions are only a few days out. No way to predict March activity, but good odds of seeing it in Fbx in a dark location - IOW, get out of town.

Chena Hot Springs Resort caters to Japanese tourists here to see the aurora. Check atv's links above.

Fixed it for ya!

More:

March 21-23 � Open North American Championship
Unlimited (20/20/27.6 mi.)
http://www.sleddog.org/races/2013-2014-race-schedule-and-results/


Other events taking place will be the annual Alaska Trappers Association Fur Auction on Saturday & Sunday, March 22, 23, 2014 and the Interior Freight Dog Association North American Weight Pull, on Saturday March 22, 2014. The annual Parka Parade will take place on Sunday, March 23 after the last team has left the starting line.

Arctic Winter Games will also be concluding on Saturday, March 22, 2014. Thousands of competitors will be in Fairbanks for AWG from March 15 - 22. We're happy they will be here to enjoy the Open North American!
http://www.opennorthamerican.com/home.php

It'll be "spring", but have warm clothes.

What he means, since you may not be able to translate, is that it's too early to scrape off that warm layer of dead skin that resides beneath the inner layer of "long johns" you haven't taken off since the end of September.

Thanks!

Ever-helpful, I am.

Appreciate all the comments thus far. Would love to meet any of you folks up there that might want to have a beer or two, or three, or........

Great information, thanks a bunch!

I'd almost be thinking end of Jan or Feb would be better than march, but I ain't knowing that for sure.

Have seen pretty good lights in September when you really should not.

Plan the other stuff... this September we saw lights probably half the nights out on a 2 week visit while moose hunting. 11 miles away at our friends home, his photographer wife said they had clouds every night and never saw them....

And as others note, sometimes much later at night... so to speak. Have not seen them by midnight often, get out of the tent to pee at 3am and boom...

If you're coming up at the beginning of March, I would add a trip to Willow to watch the start of the Iditarod. We started doing this a couple of years ago, except we stay with some friends at their cabin near Camp Caswell and ride sleds 25 miles or so to where the dog teams drop onto the river. If you love dogs like we do, this is a must see.

dmmm I forgot !! > www.fountainheadmuseum.com

great info by fellow Alaskans


I like beer! Provided you understand it's an equal rights state.

IOW's I can stomach it if you buy the first round, but round 2 is on me.

suggestion: take a night vision scope or bino's, what ever you can get without spending too much $.
I used to fly in Fairbanks, US Army, and under the NVGs we'd see GREAT northern lights almost every night. just need to amplify it sometimes.

and before u book rooms ...let me know ....some place u can walk to the store and some are close but across the hwy... cold and slick out is no fun carting things from the store!

Flight are booked, car is booked, and my brother is finalizing room arrangements. I do believe he booked this place:

http://www.fountainheadhotels.com/wedgewood-resort/accommodations-lodging/index.cfm

Now working on fun things to do. Might try some mushing, I personally would love to go snowmobiling as I've never done that, and perhaps a glacier landing and hiking. Anyone in the area up for some beers?

I'd offer to take you out on the sleds but conditions right now suck. What snow we have left is super crusty and the trails are hard as concrete. How long are you going to be up here? The Irondog starts on the 16th and that's always fun to watch.

http://www.irondograce.org/