Chasing the Aurora: Tourism from a tourist's perspective.

AuthorOrr, Vanessa
PositionTOURISM

Lying in my cozy bed inside the toasty, tastefully decorated room staring up at the star-filled night sky from a Borealis Basecamp igloo, it was hard to believe that, with all of these creature comforts, I was actually spending the night off-the-grid outside of Fairbanks waiting for the aurora to light up the sky.

I had planned on roughing it a little, having made plans to travel in February to Fairbanks and then up the Dalton Highway to above the Arctic Circle to chase the elusive Northern Lights. What I hadn't expected was the level of quality, custom-tailored accommodations and tours that would take the trip to a higher level.

While I often write about Alaska businesses, I rarely get to experience them from a user's perspective, especially when it comes to being a tourist in the 49th state. But my recent trip to Fairbanks and the Arctic Circle to witness the aurora gave me a first-hand look at why more and more travelers cite Alaska as one of the number one items on their bucket lists.

Seeing the Lights

During aurora season, generally August 21 through April 21, there's always the chance to catch the Northern Lights in action. What many people don't realize is that it doesn't have to be winter to watch them dance--a fact of which I was naively unaware. And while other Alaska sites advertise themselves as Northern Lights locations, the aurora is especially impressive in Fairbanks and all the way north to Wiseman, as these cities sit under the Auroral Oval: a ring-shaped region that encompasses Fairbanks on the southern end and Wiseman to the north.

This has spawned an entire industry focused on helping tourists have an incredible aurora experience. A number of lodging companies, already decorated to the hilt with photos of authentic Alaska experiences such as dogsledding and gold-panning, have added special warming huts, called auroriums, to keep tourists toasty while witnessing the lights. In Fairbanks, for example, the Taste of Alaska Lodge not only has rooms with patio doors that open right out to a field where you can stand to view the immense sky but also a yurt on the property where aurora-watchers can get warm. The 280-acre property, homesteaded by Walter and Dorothy Eberhardt in 1947, is now run by their grandson, Kory Eberhardt, who is more than happy to share his knowledge and photo tips with his guests. The hotel itself is a mix of Alaska-themed items and antiques collected from all over the country, making it a unique destination for those who are looking for something far different than a franchise hotel.

Borealis Basecamp, located twenty-five...

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