 We
can't make them appear with the flick of a switch, but we can
provide one of the best spots on earth to see them. Beautiful
and mysterious curtains, the colors range from green to red to
purple, with the brightest and most common color, a
yellow-green. Fairbanks sits under what is called the auroral
oval, a ring-shaped region around the North Pole. Our location
offers a great balance of occurrence, frequency and activity.
Intensity varies from night to night, with the best viewing from
late evening through the wee hours of the morning, late August
to April.
See the Northern Lights from a heated "aurorium"
cabin, on an overnight dog sled trip, by snow cat tour to a
panoramic vista, on a horse drawn sleigh, or on a flight above
the Arctic Circle. Ask the front desk for a wake-up call; if the
aurora appears, they will awaken you. No guarantees, but the
longer you're here, the better your chances of seeing a great
display.
January: Usually thought
of as the coldest month (but see story above!.) Mushers
begin racing their dogs.
February: Yukon Quest,
more dog
sled races.
March: Still good Aurora
Viewing. Many think of this month as the beginning of
spring. We celebrate with an Ice
Art Festival.
April: Not a month for
rain showers, but there might be snow. We begin to see some road
traffic now, but roads can still be hazardous.
May: Gardeners are
definitely thinking about spring by now, and preparing to plant
June 1. You have to look quickly, though, for Spring is short.
If you live in a northern state, you might want to take a look
at the Alaska
Gardening Guide, Alaska Vegetables for Northern Climates.
Usually in May is the "Great Cleanup" when all
Fairbanks turns out to help clean up roadsides (see notes
above).
June: Tourist season is
well under way. The summer solstice this month inspires lots of Midnight
Sun Events.
July: Height of the
tourist season. Golden
Days (celebration of discovery of gold in Fairbanks) and the
World
Eskimo-Indian Olympics.
August: Season beginning
to wind down, but still very busy, especially during the Tanana
Valley State Fair. Fall - another very short season here.
September: If you plan to
visit in September, be sure to read our special
September page. Many of the tourist attractions will close
after Labor Day.
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