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Wickersham Dome, near Fairbanks, Alaska. Photo: FairbanksMike, CC BY 2.0 · 20-second exposure: much brighter than the eye sees
Yes, you can. The best place is the dark hills around Fairbanks, in Alaska's Interior.
Key takeaways
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In short A good spot is a hill away from city lights with a clear view of the northern horizon, visited in the three or four hours around midnight.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks gives simple advice:
The Interior has a second advantage. Fairbanks sits far from the coast, and Explore Fairbanks, the town's visitor bureau, puts its clear nights down to low precipitation and distance from coastal weather. Our own count of airport weather reports agrees for late winter:
In short The hills around Fairbanks rank first, followed by Chena Hot Springs, Borealis Basecamp, the Arctic Circle road and Coldfoot, with Anchorage last.
Ranked for a first trip: how dark, how clear, and how easy it is to be there at midnight.
Named by UAF · By car or on a tour
The University of Alaska Fairbanks names Cleary Summit, Ester Dome, Chena Lakes Recreation Area and highway turnouts as viewing spots. Murphy Dome is another tour favourite. Rent a car or join a tour that picks the clearest hill on the night.
~60 mi from Fairbanks · 1.5–2 h drive
A resort 60 miles out along Chena Hot Springs Road, far from town lights. Soak in the evening, then take the resort's aurora tour up Charlie Dome to heated yurts.
~25 mi from Fairbanks · Packages from $1,990 per party
Clear-roofed igloos on a ridge. You watch from bed, and staff call your room when the lights appear. The priciest way to wait.
~15–19 h tour · Sun, Tue, Fri
The Dalton Highway heads north into near-total darkness. The standard winter day trip is not an aurora tour; a longer Aurora Drive version stops to watch.
Mile 175, Dalton Highway · Brooks Range
A truck stop camp with rooms, a café and fuel, deep in the Brooks Range. Coldfoot Camp sells it for aurora viewing. Remote, and a serious drive or a flight.
Southcentral, on the coast · Best: go north
The aurora does show here, from mid-August through April according to the city's visitor bureau. But it is a big, lit city near the coast. Use it as a gateway. On a summer cruise the odds are lower still: see whether you can see the northern lights on an Alaska cruise.
If you don't want to drive icy roads at 1am, these tours do it for you.
A night drive up Murphy Dome, a hilltop outside Fairbanks. Simple and one of the cheaper tours.
Dog sled + yurt · Fairbanks
A dog-sled ride, then a salmon dinner in a heated yurt while you wait for the aurora. The listing says the lights can't be guaranteed and there's no refund if they don't show.
North to the Arctic Circle by day, aurora on the way back. A very long day.
Prices are GetYourGuide's 'from' prices for 15–20 Feb 2027, shown in INR and converted at 95.54 INR per US dollar, rounded to the nearest $5.
In short From Fairbanks, join a tour that collects you from your hotel, drive yourself with the daily UAF forecast, or take the Chena shuttle at $90 each way.
Everything here starts from Fairbanks.
On a tour
On your own
Chena shuttle
Yes, from roughly 21 August to 21 April, when nights are dark. Fairbanks and the Interior give the best odds.
Fairbanks. It sits under the auroral oval and away from the coast. Anchorage gets displays too, but the state's tourism board points aurora-seekers to the Interior and the Arctic.
Sometimes, on strong nights. City lights wash out faint displays, so the University of Alaska Fairbanks recommends a hill away from town.
No. Fairbanks is already under the auroral oval. The Arctic Circle trip is for the road and the place, not better odds.