1 day

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About this activity

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Aurora Ice Museum, 17600 Chena Hot Springs Rd, Fairbanks, AK 99712, USA

Dress in warm winter layers before being picked up from your Fairbanks or North Pole hotel and transported to Chena Hot Springs Resort, located roughly 60 miles (97 kilometers) northeast of Fairbanks. On your 1.5-hour drive, keep your eyes peeled on the passing landscape for wildlife that might include a moose, beaver or fox.

Once you arrive at Chena Hot Springs Resort, enjoy an array of activities as you wait for the prime time to view the northern lights. First, follow your guide to the Aurora Ice Museum, which is crafted from more than 1,000 tons of ice and snow. Kept at a cool 25 degrees F (-7 degrees C), the museum houses intricate ice sculptures created by world- champion ice carvers Steve and Heather Brice. Their two-story observation tower includes a circular staircase, life-size jousters on horseback, an ice outhouse and more. If you’d like, purchase a drink served in an ice-carved martini glass inside the museum’s bar, where you can relax on caribou fur–covered stools and warm your hands by the ice fireplace.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Chena Hot Springs Resort, 56.5 Mile Chena Hot Springs Road, Chena Hot Springs, AK 99711

After wandering through the cool museum, don your bathing suit and enjoy entrance to the resort’s legendary namesake hot springs. The revitalizing mineral water lake soothes muscles with its warm temperatures, which averages 106 degrees F (41 degrees C) year-round. You can also soak under the stars in an outdoor hot tub, or head indoors for the heated pool. Between your evening activities, you can always slip away to the Aurora Café or the historic Chena Hot Springs Resort Restaurant, where you can purchase meals, snacks or beverages.

When the conditions are right, bundle up and join your expert guide for a small-group outing to view the aurora borealis. Your guide leads the small group around Chena Hot Springs, one of the best places on earth to witness the green and purple illuminations loop across the night sky. Wait and witness the celestial wonder with hot beverages in the late evening, when viewing opportunities are the highest. The lights are also visible inside the cafe's Aurora room, which serves as a comfortable and warm location for viewings.

After taking in the northern lights, your guide will return you to your hotel. Note: We can never guarantee the Northern lights sighting. It is a natural phenomena and cannot be controlled.

Duration: 9 hours

Included

Local Guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Access to Chena Hot Springs Resorts' hot springs, hot tubs and swimming area
Entry/Admission - Aurora Ice Museum
Entry/Admission - Chena Hot Springs Resort

Not included

Gratuities
Food & drinks

Additional

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Operates in cold weather conditions; please dress appropriately
Please don't forget to bring bathing suits, bath towels, at least 2 quarter for each locker and a picture id for the cocktail in the ice museum. (has to be purchased separately)
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Infants must sit on laps
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
The outside rock pool is only allowed for Adults 18 years and up. However, children are allowed in the inside pool.
Pregnant travelers are not allowed in the outside rock pool.
We have enough room for a foldable wheelchair. The hot springs are wheelchair accessible.
We can only pick you up from inside the city limits of Fairbanks or North Pole. Everyone else can be picked up at the Walmart parking lot in Fairbanks or the North Pole hotel.
Most travelers can participate
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund