Alaska's Northern Lights

Your journey starts in Anchorage, a city on the edge of the snowcapped Chugach Mountains and 60 sparkling glaciers. This is your gateway to wilderness and adventure. Due to varied arrivals, there are no group activities planned for today.

Experience a captivating introduction to Anchorage before embarking on a journey along the Seward Highway, following the stunning shorelines of Turnagain Arm, considered one of the most picturesque highways in America. Then, visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center with a guide to explore this sanctuary dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through education, research, and quality animal care. In the evening, gather with new friends for a welcome dinner in a local restaurant.

Take a step into the past when you visit Musk Ox Farm. Learn about the Musk Ox project – a sustainable domestication effort that has worked to preserve, protect, and increase awareness for these wooly creatures since 1954. Continue on to Talkeetna as Denali, North America’s tallest mountain, looms large over the landscape. Perhaps you will take an optional flightseeing tour and experience a breathtaking perspective of Denali (weather permitting). Check into the iconic Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, perched on a ridge offering unforgettable views of Denali (when conditions allow). Later, perhaps you will spend some time on the lodge’s expansive deck, a great place to search for the northern lights, or just enjoy some hot cocoa by the roaring fireplace in the great room.

Begin your day with a lecture on the down-to-earth Alaskan lifestyle before hopping on Alaska Railroad’s Aurora Winter Train for a full-day journey to Fairbanks. Sit back and relax as you are whisked away, through snow-covered mountains and striking valleys. Have your cameras ready – the train conductor will point out wildlife as you pass by. Dinner is included in the train’s dining car. This evening you arrive in Fairbanks, your home for the next three nights and one of the best places in Alaska to see the northern lights.

Enjoy a full day at leisure in the city of Fairbanks. Take this opportunity to relax or flex your sense of adventure with optional excursions: consider flightseeing to the Arctic Circle. Late this evening, chase the legendary northern lights, considered to be one of the most amazing natural spectacles in the world. Walk out in the snow under an unspoiled bed of stars and search for the shimmering hues of green.

Feel the brisk air and discover Fairbanks, the perfect combination of nature and civilization. Look into the past at the Antique Auto Museum, where vintage cars sit between timely artifacts and fashionable designer dresses from times gone by. Hop in a car and pose for a perfect souvenir snapshot. In the afternoon, embrace the Iditarod spirit as you step into a sled with an expert guide and glide over the snow with a pack of sled dogs. Stay for dinner at the kennel owner's home and learn more about what the life of a musher is like. Later in the evening, enjoy a final chance to spot the northern lights.

Enjoy a relaxing morning before heading to the Museum of the North, the University of Alaska’s collection featuring 2.2 million years of biodiversity and thousands of years of human history. The remainder of your day is at leisure. Your hotel room is available for your use whether your flight is today, tonight, or tomorrow morning.