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Chena Hot Springs, Alaska. Photo: Nina Matthews, CC BY 2.0
Soak at Chena Hot Springs, ride behind a dog team, and give one long day to the Arctic Circle; the nights are for the aurora.
Key takeaways
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In short Soak in the outdoor pool at Chena Hot Springs, tour the Aurora Ice Museum, and in February and March see the World Ice Art Championships.
$20 adult · $15 child · All year · ~60 mi from town
An outdoor rock pool fed by natural hot springs, in the forest about an hour and a half northeast of Fairbanks. The contrast is the point: hot water, frozen air, steam everywhere. Drive yourself or go on a tour that bundles the springs with aurora viewing.
$20 adult · $15 child · 45 min tour
Rooms, sculptures and an ice bar built from ice harvested on site, held at 25°F year round. The resort lends parkas. Order a drink in a carved ice glass for an extra $20.
Feb 15 – Mar 2, 2027 (main contests) · Tanana State Fairgrounds
Ice carvers compete to turn huge blocks of ice into sculptures at the fairgrounds on College Road. The multi-block contest runs 15–20 February 2027, then the double-block and single-block contests through 2 March. Ticket prices weren't published when we checked.
In short Try dog sledding from $75, a reindeer walk booked ahead, near-silent electric snowmobiles at Chena, or a slow afternoon of guided ice fishing.
from $75 · 20 min to 2 h
Fairbanks is a serious mushing town. Chena runs a 20-minute ride for $75. Around town, kennels offer longer runs. This one-hour ride is among the best reviewed.
Check dates on GetYourGuide1 h 30 min · 5.0★ (34) · from about $195
A private, longer run with a dog team on the historic Yukon Quest trail. For anyone who wants more than a short ride.
Check dates on GetYourGuide$85–120 adult · 2–2.5 h · Book ahead
Running Reindeer Ranch runs guided walks with its reindeer all year. The price varies by season. There are no walk-ins, so reserve online.
from $150 at Chena · 45 min – 1 h
Chena runs all-electric snowmobiles, which means near silence on the trail. Closer to town, a guided ride near North Pole is well reviewed.
Check dates on GetYourGuide$205 at Chena, 3 h · from about $175 near town, 4 h
Fish through a hole in a frozen lake with a guide. A slow, easy afternoon between late nights.
Check dates on GetYourGuideIn short On a very cold day, visit the Museum of the North, the free Morris Thompson visitor center downtown, Santa Claus House in North Pole, or a brewery tour.
$23 adult · Daily 9am–5:30pm in winter
Alaska's natural and cultural history, on the university campus. The easy indoor stop on a very cold day. The planetarium show ($12, 45 minutes) ends with a live tour of the night sky. A combined ticket is $32. Tickets are sold by the museum: plan your visit.
Free · 101 Dunkel St, downtown
Cultural exhibits, including a potlatch display, programs on rural Alaskan life, and a public lands desk for parks and trails. A good first stop for maps and local advice. Explore Fairbanks also lists it as a place to watch the aurora in town.
North Pole, Alaska
A Christmas shop in the town of North Pole, with Santa's reindeer to visit and letters from Santa sent since 1952. Kitsch, in the best way.
3 h 30 min · from about $190
A guided tour of Fairbanks breweries, billed as the Arctic Ale Trail. Check the listing for pickup.
Check dates on GetYourGuideIn short The two big outings are a long Arctic Circle day trip up the Dalton Highway and an aurora tour at night, from about $65.
~15 h · $299–339 · Sun, Tue, Fri
Northern Alaska Tour Company leaves at 9:45am and drives the Dalton Highway past the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and across the Yukon River to the Arctic Circle sign, back between 1 and 2am. You get a certificate. It is not an aurora tour: the operator says it won't stop to wait for the lights. Tours that include aurora viewing cost more.
Check dates on GetYourGuide
from about $65 · 4–6 h
Not a daytime thing, but the reason you came. A tour drives you to a dark hilltop, a heated cabin or a glass house and keeps you warm while you wait. We compare six on Fairbanks northern lights tours.
About these prices
Tour prices marked "from about" are GetYourGuide's 'from' prices for 15–20 February 2027, converted from Indian rupees at 95.54 per US dollar (the booking sites' own rate on 23 September 2026) and rounded to the nearest $5. Chena, museum, ranch and Arctic Circle drive prices are the operators' own.
With five nights, a sensible order is below. The full version is our 5-night Fairbanks itinerary.
Museum of the North and the visitor center while you adjust to the cold. Aurora tour on the first clear night.
Dog sledding in the morning light, then drive to Chena for a soak and the ice museum.
Reindeer walk or ice fishing. In late February, the ice art at dusk.
The Arctic Circle, if you still have energy. Otherwise a slow day and one more night out.
Chena Hot Springs and its ice museum, dog sledding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, reindeer walks, the Museum of the North, and a day trip to the Arctic Circle.
A day pass to the pool is $20 for adults and $15 for children. The Aurora Ice Museum tour is another $20 for adults.
If you want to stand on the Arctic Circle, yes, but it is a 15-hour day on the Dalton Highway and the standard winter drive is not an aurora tour.
In 2027 the main World Ice Art Championships contests run from 15 February to 2 March at the Tanana State Fairgrounds.