Locals will tell you that one of the best experiences one can have is sitting in the soothing natural hot springs rock lake at Chena Hot Springs Resort and watching the lights dance above your head! Viewing the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis has been listed as one of the “top 100 things to do before you die” by the Travel Channel and in a survey of Japanese, it was listed as one of the top ten things they wanted to see on Earth, (second only to viewing the Pyramids). The best viewing tends to be late evening to early morning hours and a slight tendency for more Auroras in the spring and fall. Auroral intensity varies from night to night and throughout the night. The official website of Alaska Fairbanks University, gives a 21 days forecast for auroral activity in both hemispheres, as well as some practical information. When booking your stay at the Resort, it’s best to stay at least three nights to have the best opportunity to see them. Alaska You can also predict the Northern Lights in Fairbanks using this Northern Lights in real-time camera. The 27-day long-term Aurora forecast for Alaska. Hang out in the Activity Center with other Aurora chasers and stay up until 3AM! As soon as the Aurora comes out, folks hanging out in the Activity Center will be flocking outside to get their first look at this phenomenon. The Alaska Northern Lights forecast in Fairbanks, Anchorage and all the Alaskan territory.
Your best bet is to take a nap before or after dinner and wake up around 10PM. It is located under the most active band of northern lights, it is away from the light pollution of city lights, and the skies over Chena are clear more often than those over Fairbanks, 60 miles away. For your viewing pleasure, Chena Hot Springs Resort provides a special “aurora wake up call” for guests staying in the Moose Lodge, since most aurora “shows” are more visible during that time frame.Ĭhena Hot Springs Resort is world renown for being one of the best places on Earth to see the northern lights. You need to have clear skies, and look for auroras between 10 pm and 2 am. In addition, Fairbanks, Alaska’s very cold weather tends to produce clearer skies. The aurora can be seen most frequently at night between August-May from 10PM-3AM, and dark nights provide better opportunities than light days to view them. When reading the forecast, don’t forget to account for time zone conversionsAlaska Standard Time applies for most of the winter and is nine hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) Alaska Daylight Time is eight hours behind UTC when daylight saving time is in effect. Sometimes it cannot be seen because of unclear skies, rain, snow or sunlight.