How Do I Find The Best Aurora Borealis Tours In Alaska?

If seeing the Northern Lights is on your Alaska vacation bucket list, make sure you visit during Aurora Season! Aurora Season in Alaska takes place from August 21 to April 21. If you are planning to book an Alaska Aurora Lights tour with a tour company, make sure you reserve a spot well in advance of the season. Aurora Lights Alaska tours are very popular with travelers and can fill up quickly, so be sure to reserve a spot with the tour operator of your choice as soon as you can.

The Aurora Borealis are visible under dark skies on clear, cloudless nights. This means that you will likely be traveling during the winter season. But that’s okay – Aurora Borealis tours are geared toward finding fun during the winter season! Many of the itineraries offered by tour companies include traditional Alaskan activities by day – like dogsledding – and unique opportunities to scan the skies for the Northern Lights by night.

Planning The Perfect Trip To See The Northern Lights

Planning a trip to Alaska can be overwhelming. There is so much to see and do, and the logistics of lodging and simply getting around such a huge state can be daunting. That’s why reserving one of the many Aurora Borealis tours offered by a reputable tour operator can be so helpful! A tour company can put together a customized itinerary for you based on your interests, or you can select from one of the standard Aurora Lights Alaska tours that they offer.  If you need help getting started with your planning, we’ve included a sample itinerary below!

Start Your Aurora Adventure In Anchorage!

Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city. It lies between the Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet, and is a top destination in the summer and winter – with activities, festivals, tours, and other amenities available year-round! The town is well known for its cultural sites, including the Alaska Native Heritage Center, as well as for being a gateway to nearby wilderness areas and mountains. Anchorage is also a great place to begin an Alaska Aurora Lights tour. Here are a few things you won’t want to miss when you visit Anchorage:

• Kincaid Park – this popular year-round recreation destination has 20 miles of hiking trails and 20 miles of singletrack bike trails winding through 1,4000 acres. As you crest the rolling hills, you will be able to see Mt. Susitna or Mt. Denali if the sky is clear.! Nature lovers will enjoy spotting moose, black bears, lynx, eagles, and ptarmigans as they explore the park. Winter offers visitors a host of fun activities, including cross-country skiing and fat-tire biking.
• Chugach State Park – this 495,000-acre wilderness area is the fourth-largest state park in the United States! The park offers visitors the chance to hike, backpack, and bike through 280 miles of trails – just 30 minutes from downtown Anchorage!
• Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge – located just 12 miles southwest of Anchorage, this is one of the best destinations for birders in the state! A boardwalk trail leads visitors through Potter Marsh to view ducks, songbirds, grebes, swans, gulls, and even moose.
• Flightseeing tours - A wide range of flightseeing tours are available from tour operators in Anchorage, each offering an eagle-eye view of the wilderness, glaciers, and mountains that lie outside the city. Many will fly you over Prince William Sound for glacier tours of Blackstone Glacier, while others head north towards Knik Glacier or Denali for spectacular Aurora lights Alaska tours.
• The Alaska Native Heritage Center – this epic museum invites visitors to experience Alaska Native culture by exploring the historical and preset-day influences of Alaska's 11 Indigenous cultural groups. The main cultural center includes exhibits on traditional arts and culture as well live performances of song, storytelling, and dance. Outside, a recreation of typical structures from tribes throughout Alaska forms a village where visitors can watch artists practice their traditional ivory carving and beadwork skills.

A Glacier Walk And Northern Lights Tour

If you plan to visit Alaska, seeing a glacier should be on your bucket list! Many Aurora Borealis tours incorporate a glacier walk during the day with a Northern Lights tour by night. If you are based in Anchorage, the Matanuska Glacier is relatively close and easy to visit! This gigantic glacier is the largest in the U.S. that can be reached by vehicle and is accessible even during the winter months. The Matanuska glacier is a stable, 27-mile-long river of ice flowing from the Chugach Mountains all the way to the Glenn Highway. It’s the most popular roadside attraction between Anchorage and Glennallen!

Many tour operators offer visitors a glacier walk and Northern Lights tour. When visiting the Matanuska Glacier with a tour guide, you will be able to take a guided glacier walk that explores this magnificent river of ice! Expert guides get you geared up with helmets, crampons, and poles so that you can trek safely across the glacier to explore the stunning blue surface of this massive block of ice. Be warned, though – you will need to dress warmly as tours can last 1-2 hours!

An Alaska Aurora Lights Tour At Chena Hot Springs

Now that you’ve explored Anchorage and trekked across a glacier, you may feel like unwinding at the Chena Hot Springs Resort! This unique resort features natural mineral hot springs for soaking, as well as a host of other amenities including Aurora Borealis tours! If the resort is part of your itinerary, your tour guide will probably arrange a flight for you from Anchorage to Fairbanks. You will then board a shuttle for the rest of the journey to the resort. Once there, you can spend the day enjoying the spa-like offerings before getting ready for an exciting night scanning the skies for the Northern Lights!

• Visitors to Chena Hot Springs Resort can visit the Aurora Ice Museum as part of an all-inclusive tour! Explore the massive ice sculptures carved by local artists and relax with an iced appletini in the museum’s ice bar.
• Soak in the natural mineral springs that have made the resort so famous.
• Enjoy a gourmet dinner and then grab a quick nap in the hotel’s lounge area so that you are ready for a night of Aurora viewing!
• Once night falls, hang out in the resort’s Activity Center with other Aurora chasers and stay up until the Aurora makes its appearance.
• Alternatively, you can take the resort’s Aurora Snow Coach tour to the top of Charlie Dome Mountain, where you can wait in a Mongolian-style yurt until the Northern Lights come out.

An Alaskan Adventure Of A Lifetime!

Aurora Lights Alaska tours are very popular in Alaska, and are a great way for a first-time visitor to enjoy their Aurora chasing experience without having to worry about the logistics of lodging, transportation, or even finding the Northern Lights in the night sky! If you start your research today, you’ll be sure to find a tour operator to guide you through a memorable Alaska Aurora Lights tour.