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Northern Lights and Chena Hot Springs Tour from Fairbanks

Northern Lights and Chena Hot Springs Tour from Fairbanks

Overview

Discover the ethereal beauty of Alaska’s famous celestial display, the Aurora Borealis, see impressive ice carvings and experience the State’s ancient healing waters on an evening trip from Fairbanks. Sit back and relax and enjoy the 60 mile journey to Chena Hot Springs Resort. After arrival, take a guided tour of the Aurora Ice museful. Then enjoy some dinner in the resort's restaurant (not included in price) and take a dip in the outdoor mineral rock pool or just explore the grounds while you wait to see if the lights appear. Your guide will lead your group out to the springs and explain the most ideal viewing locations, where you can wait for a chance to glimpse the multicolored display in the sky. Round-trip transport from Fairbanks or North Pole hotels, entry to the ice museum and hot springs is included.

Note: the resort does not allow children under 18 in the outside rock pool. However, they may use the indoor pool under adult supervision.

City: Fairbanks

Mon 28 Apr

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $230.00

Make a reservation

Mon 28 Apr

Starting at $230.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Guided tour of the Aurora Ice Museum

Local Guide

Access to Chena Hot Springs Resort's hot springs, hot tubs and swimming area

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
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 photo ID for purchases at the bar.
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 up from inside the city limits of Fairbanks or North Pole. For other locations, you will need to go to an agreed location (eg Walmart), please contact our office to discuss if you are staying outside the city limits.
Water is not supplied for this tour. We recommending bringing a refillable water bottle.

What To Expect

Aurora Ice Museum

After being picked up, sit back, relax and enjoy the 60 mile (97 kms) journey out to Chena Hot Springs Resort. Keep a lookout for wildlife that might include a moose, beaver or fox. Upon arrival, you’ll be given a guided tour of the Aurora Ice Museum, constructed of over 1000 tons of ice and snow. Marvel at magnificent ice-sculptures created by world-renowned ice carvers, sit at the ice bar on a caribou-hide covered bar stool or indulge in an appletini served in a hand-carved ice glass (optional-not included in price). You will then be shown to our table in the restaurant where you can enjoy some dinner and hot or cold beverages (optional and not included in price). Rejoin your group a little after midnight and head back to Fairbanks. Your guide may make a few stops along the way for further aurora viewing if it is active. Please note the aurora is an act of nature and it's appearance cannot be guaranteed.

Chena Hot Springs Resort

After arriving at the resort, you'll be taken to the restaurant where you can sample some home grown Alaskan fare (optional and not included in price). Enjoy a hot or cold beverage at the bar or don your bathing suit and head to the hot springs. The revitalizing mineral water soothes muscles with its warm temperatures of 106 degrees F (41 degrees C) year-round. You can soak under the stars in an outdoor hot tub, or indoors in the heated pool. When ready, join your expert guide for a small-group outing to view the Aurora Borealis. Your guide will lead you through 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 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. Note: We can never guarantee the Northern lights sighting.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (1000)

marktY9018UP

Mar 2025

This was a very good experience. Chris was our tour guide. He was great. Very passionate about the tour and Fairbanks community as a whole. We were picked up right on time. It was a short ride to the Hot Springs, but Chris filled the time with great information. We got there a little early and Chris got us all set up. We went to the Ice Museum which, honestly, was meh at best. They try to give you a speech outside the museum when it's 2 degrees out. Then when you get inside it's overcrowded with "influencers" standing in front of everything taking 100 photos. My wife did a Martini at the Ice Bar. That was pretty cool. We then moved on to dinner, which happened to be very good. Once again, Chris had some great information to pass along. Then came the main event. The Hot Springs were amazing, and we were able to get good glimpses of the Aurora. Chris did a great job getting us out of there before the rest of the crowd and took us to a nice overlook where we took in a great aurora viewing opportunity. All in all, this is a great trip. It is worth your time.

deborahtD5555YW

Mar 2025

Christopher was a knowledgeable and informative guide who shared interesting and personal stories about life in Fairbanks. The dinner was delicious and the hot springs were amazing. I was nervous about getting into the water considering it was -9 degrees outside. However, the experience was so worth it.

stephaniesQ6117UJ

Mar 2025

First off, the tour company itself was great. Our guide was super knowledgeable about all the wildlife in Alaska. They were very punctual picking us up, and appreciate that they are willing to stop to look at the lights or moose if you see one. 5/5 for the company. Would recommend doing a different experience with them 2/5 for the experience The ice museum wasn’t bad, but wasn’t exactly spectacular. The best part was getting an Appletini at the ice bar. It was much smaller than we thought. You’d be better off going to see the world ice competition in Fairbanks for about $15 per adult. There’s sledding as well. Dinner was bland and overpriced. Recommend getting food at the cafe or bringing your own. Ok, so now we get to the hot springs…. First off all, as soon as you walk you in, everyone must take their shoes off. I don’t know why this couldn’t be done in the locker room. The room has dingy carpet, they don’t provide shower shoes, so make sure you bring some slides. I’m honestly worried I might get athletes foot from walking around here. The locker room floor was nasty. Basically the whole locker room had pooled water everywhere. The changing area was small, making changing awkward with not enough space for everyone. The hot springs were pretty crowded while we there, and there were a ton of couples. Would not recommend bringing children if you go in the evening, not sure what it’s like during the day. My wife and I were expecting more of a wellness/relaxing vibe, but this isn’t it sis. The water was nice and hot, and it was kinda cool to have your hair freeze and look at the stars while in the hot springs. Not worth a 9 hour trip imo Hope this helps Steph

Response from Host

Mar 2025

Hello, Thank you so much for your valuable feedback regarding our company. We truly appreciate your insights. We’re sorry to hear that your experience at Chena Hot Springs did not meet your expectations. As the resort is a private entity, we are unable to directly address concerns regarding their services. However, we encourage you to share your feedback with them directly via their official page, where you can express your thoughts and grievances. We appreciate your understanding and hope you had a great rest of your trip.