4-Day Itinerary: Fairbanks, Alaska (Winter)

[@Oldcrazy82]

Went to Fairbanks in February 2022 saw the northern light from the plane while at cruising altitude. Absolutely amazing experience.

[@ronimontes2368]

My 13yr old son and i traveling to alska in January 2024 and this is by far an informative video... thank you

[@Jeff_Hyer]

Glad this video was helpful for you, thank you for watching and safe travels!

[@savanahdurham2060]

Me and my mom too 😭😭 can’t freaking wait

[@SequoiaKC]

I’m taking my two daughters 12 and 15 in February! Your video is great! Too bad that kids can’t go in the hot springs though

[@yitzchokusa]

​@@SequoiaKCtake me along!

[@MatheusHenrique-tc8ei]

how was it?

[@mouangsaeteurn4t632]

Hi Jeff! Appreciate the detailed itinerary you provided. I would love to visit Fairbanks sometime this year to witness the northern lights myself! Mind also sharing the Airbnb details as well? Thanks!

[@TheVintageVoyager]

When he says best crapes he ain’t lying went in the summer also at the hot springs resort a moose came out of the woods to drink from a small pond in the resort super cool

[@skatergirl8019]

Best video on Fairbanks I’ve seen!! Thank you for all the info!

[@carolbartling2528]

How helpful your video has been... I believe by the dates of the Ice Sculpture events we are going at nearly the exact time of February you went. Like Arden we will also be celebrating my birthday during our trip and likewise we will be staying at the North Pole Cabin for Two.... We are leaving in a couple of days and your video has made me just that much more eager, and excited to go to all the places ~ plus perhaps a few extra adventures on the Arctic Circle tour.. Thank you for helping us get familiar with the area and opportunities of the Fairbanks Northern Lights Stay

[@nataliasell99]

Good luck! We leave in a few days too 🤞🏼🤞🏼

[@nataliasell99]

@carolbartling2528

[@siyuhou2841]

The best winter Alaska itinerary video I watched! There are many great itineraries out there but this one is so well presented. That cabin looks awesome too. Thank you!

[@mariacokonut]

Love this video. I booked my trip before seeing this vid but were doing all the same things AND i was so excited you stayed in the same airbnb we booked

[@cookieirizarry3866]

What the name of the air b&b

[@carolpires1468]

Thanks for sharing this! I was wondering if going to Alaska in winter could be a good deal, and you have definitely confirmed it!!! Thanks a bunch

[@MaryJaneHancock]

TY for such a great adventure!!

[@Jeff_Hyer]

@@MaryJaneHancock thank you for watching! I hope this helped inspire your own adventure to Fairbanks, AK!

[@a_e254]

Love the video! Planning to go March 2024 and hoping to see the Northern Lights as well ❤

[@a_e254]

Where did you rent your car? Was the snow tires included? Thank you 🫶🏻

[@nataliasell99]

@@a_e254awesome! We are trying to plan for March too! Good luck!

[@karnbreadd]

hello! I am planning the same for march 2025. Were you able to see the lights?

[@nicelyfaithful]

Aww Bless yall. Thank you for inspiring me, going in March next year with one of my buddies, stoked!!!!!! Shooting great vibes from NC.

[@rebirthphoenix5646]

I’m planning on going to Fairbanks from March 3rd-10th this coming year and I’ve never been so far north since I’ve always lived here in Georgia so hopefully the stuff that I’m getting for there doesn’t end up freezing me over lol I’ll continue to use this as a guide for that!

[@nataliasell99]

@rebirthphoenix5646 awesome! We are trying to plan to go to Fairbanks around this time too

[@rebirthphoenix5646]

@@nataliasell99 Oh i hope the planning goes well! In fact tonight we just bought our tickets to go from March 2nd to March 6th! It’s gonna be a wild ride and I’m really looking forward to it!

[@nataliasell99]

@@rebirthphoenix5646 awesome!! Good luck!

[@karnbreadd]

Hi i am planning to go march 2025! Were you able to see the northern lights? I am trying to decide which month gives the best chance of seeing the light

[@rebirthphoenix5646]

@@karnbreadd Hey Karen! I went to Fairbanks this March and I did get to see the northern lights on my first night there! As a first timer, I recommend going to Aurora Pointe on Funk Road off of the Chena Hot Springs Road but don’t miss it because there’s private property ahead. It’s like 50 bucks per person and they allow you to go like around 10 or so PM to 2 AM and they give you complimentary cookies, games, and information about the northern lights (you must pay for additional snacks though). They’re manned by some incredibly friendly staff and professional equipment meant to see the northern lights in real time and they’ll also tell you when to go outside to see them yourself and they’ll even take pictures with you and your family or friends with their cameras. If you don’t want to pay for it, you can try to find cheaper alternatives or travel outside of the city where it’s super dark, then look north to see them. Obviously don’t travel south of the city because then light pollution from Fairbanks will block the northern lights. I will say though that traveling outside the city can be treacherous and most if not all rental vehicles do not allow you to travel through roads that go outside of the city. It’s some of the darkest you’ll ever see since there’s nothing outside the city limits of Fairbanks but if you do, make sure you absolutely travel with high beams on. Besides that, I’d suggest you travel with very warm gear because March nights in Fairbanks can be as high as 10 degrees Fahrenheit, to -25 degrees Fahrenheit which freezes you very very fast so come well prepared although there’s plenty of stores in downtown that have that gear too. Also, you must hope that the nights aren’t cloudy because while Fairbanks is typically clear, all 4 of my nights this March were super cloudy and the one night I did go to see them, there was a break in the clouds at the exact moment the northern lights appeared in. To go back to that point, the northern lights appear quite randomly and while the forecast can be predicted about 12 or so hours in advance, it’s never 100% certain that they’ll even appear that night. They may come out as early as 9 PM, or maybe sometime before sunrise like at 6 AM, or somewhere in the middle like at midnight like me. I’d recommend staying up some nights (all nighters) for the best chance of seeing them. In the end though, it’s a lot of preparation but it’s also a lot of luck so I wouldn’t go to Fairbanks or any place that has visible northern lights if that’s the main thing you want to see because there’s the off chance you’ll get super unlucky in your trip and never see them so keep expectations at a moderate amount. If you do though, I hope you enjoy the experience and take in the moment with your own eyes because it’s an unforgettable experience. Would also say take pictures with a good night mode camera like an iPhone 14 Pro or a professional camera and take videos too (you can’t turn on dark mode on videos) so you can edit them and increase the brightness and saturation and such to see them even better. I personally regret not filming them more to be honest. That should be all but if you have more questions, feel free to ask and I may be able to answer them! Happy travels!

[@aliciac854]

I just came back : stayed at the alaska lodge - they have an aurorium - and a moose that showed up daily . I would add to this the raindeer farm - it was an amazing 3 hrs - we did happen to go to bahn thai ( amazing) also the pump house , the crepery . The dog sleed we used was paws for adventure- they were great

[@tonilavorgna1175]

I’m planning a trip for winter 2024 and I’ve been watching a lot of videos. This one is great! I love that cabin, can you put the info for the cabin in the comments? Seeing the lights from the cabin must have so amazing!!

[@ladhkay]

Nice to the point video! Thx!

[@Jeff_Hyer]

I’m glad you found this video helpful, thanks for watching!

[@raymondkoehler9299]

Been there but someday will be doing that , thanks for the peek .

[@yitzchokusa]

Fabulous fabulous! So clear cut. A real good itinerary video, hope to copy it soon!

[@ChefJB-u7g]

Very true on the Northern Lights

[@drfaizan]

Thanks for the video, it's going to be really helpful in planning our trip to AK in March this year.

[@genericalaskanexplorer4470]

Also if you want a good place to see the lights with a lot of wilderness which is not a far drive from Fairbanks check out Delta junction Alaska.

[@genericalaskanexplorer4470]

There's also a couple really good places to Durant hotels / cabins in the Delta area also b&B's are a very popular thing here

[@melisamikko]

Thank you for the informative video!! We're planning a trip in 2024 and this was super helpful. :)

[@claireliske5105]

Love this sweet video! What was it like driving around with a rental car? Debating on booking a trip in March and trying to figure out if it's best to go with tour guides or safe to drive ourselves. I do have experience driving in Eastern WA winters!

[@alicechui1142]

Thank you for the great video! And thank you for the helpful links to places, we are definitely planning our trip!

[@kellll3420]

Excellent video! I may go in December and hope to see the northern lights and moose!!! This was the inspiration / sign I needed, thank you so much!

[@J_H72]

If you can go in February, your chances of seeing the Northern lights increases.

[@ChefJB-u7g]

❤❤Hi Jeff! I really enjoyed your videos🎉🎉 I just recently moved to Fairbanks and I love it!

[@timlaubhan7927]

Going end of Feb. How important to get merino wool first layer, waterproof boots, down jacket, etc. Should I just plan on renting from a Fairbanks outfitter?

[@betsyoutlaw9938]

Anti aging queen 🤣🙌🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@markolwick2223]

Arden is gorgeous!

[@linesbylisa3557]

This is a very informative video and was a great help in planning our trip to Alaska this September. We are very interested in the Northern Lights viewing trip that you went on…we were wondering what company you booked it with. I would like to contact them and reserve 2 spots. Thank you for all of the info… we will definitely go to the museums you mentioned as well. 😁👍🏻

[@TashaM-i7p]

Thinking of going in December, Northern lights and seeing a Moose is on my bucket list this year. I enjoyed the video and thank you for sharing the info!

[@poojithap9920]

Hi Jeff!! Really appreciate the itinerary video. Your cabin looks amazing, mind sharing the AirBnB details?

[@PilatesandMindfulMovement]

Thank you!

[@kanatomorov8254]

Great informative video. Also would be nice if could share those b&b cabins. I will appreciate it

[@fauzanhafidz7265]

Hi Jeff, I love your video and it is wonderfull, I plan to go to alaska next year and may I know how did you get the aurora alert when you guys in the cabin ?

[@kimberlyj4538]

Going in February 2024. Great info. Say, did you need base/mid/top layers of clothing during your visit?

[@vbgirl3023]

Great question! we are going Feb 2024 as well. Not sure if we should bring extra top layers or if we rent them somewhere?

[@denissita_cubanita]

How about the cabin? Do you have a link to renting it? Thanks! Loooooved this video!

[@muhammadawaisishaq6028]

We are planning to visit Fairbanks next week 3 days - any recommendations also some guidelines on layering

[@Jeff_Hyer]

Based on experience I’d dress as warmly as possible. Wool socks, neck scarves, hand warmers, everything bundled !

[@Fijiispsradise]

In what month was your trip? Thank you for the nice video 👍👍

[@7cornersmusic]

what's our options if we are not comfortable driving in the snow? We want to go to Chena Hot Springs as well as Castner Glacier. Is there good transportation options or would we need to do a tour?

[@timlynnhilltophotrods9328]

We are planning a trip to Alaska around December 8-16 this year. Thanks for your video. What was the name of the cabin you stayed at? Were the roads cleared good for going to the North Pole?

[@namratabalachandra7616]

Hey how did you get the Aurora alert ? Is there an app?

[@frankisme7792]

When did you guys visit it? (Sorry if I miss the date info from the video, I really didn't notice it, haha, I am planning to go in Mid Jan 2025), this is really helpful! Thanks!

[@NitishaDoxsee-dz8wn]

Do you have a link for this cabin that you stayed in?

[@mrsesh05]

thank you for the video. could you please share link to the log cabin place?

[@monalisasha7188]

Hi Jeff, we are planning to travel to Fairbanks on November. Could you please share the cabin details (Cozy Cabins) where you guys stayed ?

[@SamuelGarcia-rf4th]

How was driving during that time in Fairbanks?

[@bilalahsan8038]

Great video much appreciated putting step step guide as well. Can you please tell how was the experience with rental car? were it equipped with winter tires? Did you leave it on in severe winter condition? I am planning a trip with my brother in Jan 2025. Any winter related tips! Thanks

[@nataliasell99]

@jeff_hyer thanks for this!! We leave in a few days & really took your video as inspiration. Hope to see the northern lights in all her glory 😂

[@Jeff_Hyer]

You are most welcome, thank you dropping a comment! Enjoy your trip and safe travels, I hope you get the chance to witness the northern lights in all her glory! 🤞🏼

[@NathanDHNam]

Jeff, Thanks for sharing your experience. When (in which month) did you visit Fairbanks?

[@ortiznoguezlauraestefania6900]

Hi jeff, Love this video thank you for sharing it, where do you rent your car?

[@BiswaRanjanNanda]

What was your expenses ball park figure for two of you?

[@islandguy6672]

hi there! whats the name of your cabin airBnB rental? whats the apps for the northern lights notifications? thanks

[@Plut0-LJJA]

Hi, how was driving there? I am going in November with my son and am kind of scared to drive in the snow

[@MrSaurabhgupta1985]

Which jackets / gloves do you wear on this trip? How many layers did you wear? Please suggest

[@cindyarias544]

Do you have the airbnb link?

[@erim5088]

Hola, iremos en Septiembre 2024, nos puedes compartir el link del arbnb por favor

[@peggychu9654]

Did you put snow chains on tires? Did you rent 4WD vehicle? Thank you.

[@Jeff_Hyer]

Definitely get a vehicle with 4WD if you’re traveling during the winter. I rented a Toyota RAV4 and it worked great, no need for snow chains on tires

[@vegano740621]

Thank you for this helpful video!! I'm planning to go there on match, I'm going by myself, de do you have any advice? Thank you!

[@bagm27drano27]

thank you for sharing

[@Jeff_Hyer]

Thank YOU for watching and leaving the comment 🙏

[@shreyasi_traveldiary]

Hi Jeff, very precise travel plan, and useful thanks for this. In which month did you visit? we are planning to go in December but could not find any sledge tour, do you have anything in mind?Also, can you share the Airbnb detail? 😊

[@islandguy6672]

hi there! any airB&B rentals recommendations that is just nearby ?

[@jessepadron5499]

I am trying to go here but I will be landing in Anchrorge do you think it will be ok Driving back and fourth?

[@Pikecounty84]

How did you get the alert you could see the lights from your cabin?

[@lupo4cl2]

Could you give me link of the Airbnb cabin? Please

[@tocloff]

Would you recommend going on between the end of November and starting December or better between January or February?

[@luckyjones1622]

I’m going next month. My brother lives in the North Pole (station in Alaska). I want to see the Northern Lights so bad but I’m worried it’s going to snow everyday lol what’s the alert thing you mentioned so I can get the app? And what was the tour?

[@vbgirl3023]

How did it go? We will be in Fairbanks Feb 2024

[@nataliasell99]

@@vbgirl3023good luck! 🤞🏼we are going in a few days too. Hope to see her in all her glory!

[@aliciac854]

I just came back ( sept 29), i am from south florida , hate the cold - wear ski pants and it really blocks the cold

[@jorgebecerro6719]

Loved the video!

[@Jeff_Hyer]

Happy to hear that! Thank you for watching 😄!

[@07vgar]

What time of the year did you go to Alaska? My husband and I would like to see the Aurora as well.

[@TheDayPlayground]

What’s the name of the place you stayed?

[@KaiExploresLife]

I absolutely appreciate your itinerary. I’m planning to do a solo trip and this seems perfect. I’m curious, is that area near the cabin known for a view of the northern lights?

[@plamenbuzinski2583]

Wow that's awesome fantastic 👏 yes Alaska 🇺🇲 😅😊❤

[@crownkids5023]

Is July month is good for planning Alaska with kids

[@eugenehwang2754]

Hi Jeff. Thank you for the information. I am planning to go on March 2025. Can you please share the Cabin information. Location and how to book it and the cost if you don't mind. Thanks again. Eugene

[@frederickong6568]

Thank you for your video!

[@Jeff_Hyer]

Thank you for watching ! I’m glad it was helpful for you :)

[@PaladarMundanoBlog]

Great video with great info. I can’t wait to go there myself. Would you share your cabin rental info plz? Thanks

[@jasminesajulga3999]

Wow! Thats on my bucketlist to see the northern lights 😍😍what month did you guys go? and did you use your phone to capture the lights?

[@gregklugiewicz5037]

Great video Thanks, I am particularly interested in how you got an aurora "alert" on your phone. Is there an app that you used to get this alert?

[@Jeff_Hyer]

Thanks for watching ! To answer your question, I follow an account on Twitter called Aurora Notify. They post nightly updates from sightings across the the world including Fairbanks :)

[@martinvalencia1356]

in what month was that

[@gaiello292]

Sorry if I missed this but Did Jeff reply with aAirbnb details?

[@SDB1992]

which year and month did you go?

[@AF0093]

Is there an app to alert for the Aurora lights?

[@ElenaSemenekUSA]

I have the same question. If know a good app for aurora light alert, please share its name 🙏

[@cristinamedina8278]

Hey! Which month did you go? Is it a good idea to go in November?

[@Jeff_Hyer]

Hello! I travelled to Fairbanks in the month of February. If you're hoping for a similar winter time experience involving the northern lights, dog sledding etc. November is a great time to visit! :)

[@MrSaurabhgupta1985]

Which tour operator you booked for Aurora chasing and dog sledding tour?

[@captainskippy6622]

Great video! Maybe I missed it but what month did you go?

[@Jeff_Hyer]

Thanks for leaving the positive comment! To answer your question, we visited in late February !

[@saramaharjan154]

Did you visit alaska early feb or late feb?

[@Jeff_Hyer]

Late Feb :)

[@saramaharjan154]

Aw thanks for your quick response

[@LucianaBriguente]

What Aurora Chasing Tour did you get it? Thanks in advance

[@PBprincessbriseis]

Hi jeff, what did you use to take those aurora shots? Do you have a camera or smartphone? Thank you

[@Jeff_Hyer]

I took most of the photos on my Sony a7iii, but believe it or not I took all of the videos on my iPhone 14 Pro!

[@PBprincessbriseis]

@@Jeff_Hyer thanks Jeff!

[@nmiel5753]

@Jefhyer Sir.What month did you go there?

[@Jeff_Hyer]

This trip was in late February :)

[@LG-mm5ie]

Where did you stay?

[@emmarosagonzalez532]

Hi! How was the driving to Chena?

[@Jeff_Hyer]

@@emmarosagonzalez532 not bad at all, even in the snowy conditions! Granted, I’m used to driving through the snow back home and have ample experience in winter driving

[@emmarosagonzalez532]

@@Jeff_Hyer thank you so much! I’m going in January 2025 and that is my biggest fear… driving to Chena because I heard/read the roads downtown are well maintained but not the road to Chena

[@genericalaskanexplorer4470]

So fun fact the Santa Claus at the Santa Claus House in North Pole is Santa Claus he had his name changed.

[@noraguzman6147]

What month did you go?

[@Anaya-ez2ri]

He put it in the description. Looks like February 2023

[@nott5555]

What month did you go visit Fairbanks?

[@Jeff_Hyer]

February :)

[@956bucks]

What month did you visit fairbanks

[@Jeff_Hyer]

February :)

[@DarkKnight_RJ]

Hey Jeff, where is this cabin you checked into?

[@Jeff_Hyer]

It's located just outside of North Pole, Alaska. Here's the link to the Airbnb if interested: www.airbnb.ca/rooms/643678364707125800?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=fa1ebdba-47f4-4ac1-8262-92501289c370

[@devleenadutta]

which month is this ?

[@islandguy6672]

whats the name of your cabin or AirBnB? whats the apps on the phone to get this northern lights notification? thanks

[@suesadler8824]

Can you give me an idea of the total cost of your 4 day stay (without air fare) for all this magic?!

[@Jeff_Hyer]

Excluding flights, I budgeted about $2k for this itinerary. This covered 2 travelers for all activities, entries, accommodations, meals, and more :)

[@janicehenning4505]

Cabin you stayed in? Please?😊

[@itsNits1]

What month was it?