Alaska Northern Lights Tour

Silence, solitude and the sheer expanse of Earth and sky. This is what one experiences on a winter Alaska Northern Lights tour. Join Kevin Clement on this snowy adventure into the boreal forest and see Alaska as few travelers do. Spend your days cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and mushing your own sled dog team through the taiga. Spend your nights gazing upwards in search of a dazzling northern lights display from the deck of your wilderness lodge. This Alaska expedition coincides with the Iditarod, and you will be present to send off the mushers at the official start of the Last Great Race. See Denali in all its snow-covered glory, look for Moose and porcupine along old-growth boreal forest trails, and bask in the crisp winter sun on this 12-day Alaskan snow safari.

• Day 1
• Day 2
• Days 3 & 4
• Day 5
• Day 6
• Day 7
• Day 8
• Day 9
• Day 10
• Day 11
• Day 12

• Tuesday, February 28: Arrive Anchorage

  Arrive in Anchorage and transfer downtown to the Hotel Captain Cook. Enjoy a welcome dinner with your expedition leader and fellow travelers. You will also be joined by Jeff Schultz, the famed Iditarod photographer. Hear Jeff’s own stories of the trail, and see his favorite images of the dogs, people, and landscapes from the last 30 years. Overnight at Hotel Captain Cook.

• Wednesday, March 1: Anchorage / Winterlake Lodge

  Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, before transferring to the airport for a scenic flight with views of Denali en route to Winterlake Lodge. Situated 200 miles northwest of Anchorage, along the western edge of the Alaska Range, the lodge sits on 15 acres, overlooking a finger-shaped two-mile lake, and is a checkpoint for the Iditarod Race. See lodge staff and officials preparing for the mushers to come through. Dinner and overnight at Winterlake Lodge.

• Thursday & Friday, March 2 & 3: Winterlake Lodge

  The next two days are dedicated to enjoying this remote and pristine location. Spend your time in dog-mushing school, learning how to drive your own dog team, then mush, cross-country ski, or snowshoe along the Iditarod Trail. Each evening, look for Alaska’s northern lights from the lodge’s deck. Dinners and overnights at Winterlake Lodge.

• Saturday, March 4: Winterlake Lodge / Talkeetna

  This morning, enjoy a short flight to the charming hamlet of Talkeetna, standing in the shadow of the 20,310-foot giant, Denali. After lunch, trek through the area’s taiga on snowshoes, looking for Wolf, Moose and Caribou tracks along the way, before reaching a spectacular viewpoint over the Alaska Range. Hear tales of a Denali summit from a local mountain climber. Dinner in town and overnight at Talkeetna Cabins.

• Sunday, March 5: Talkeetna – Willow

  Enjoy breakfast at a local Talkeetna bakery this morning, before heading out to Willow for the Official Start of the Iditarod. The atmosphere will be raucous and festive as spectators gather to watch the dog mushers take off on their 1,100-mile journey through the most majestic landscapes and perilous conditions in existence, in this “Last Great Race on Earth.” Return to Talkeetna afterwards and enjoy dinner in town. Overnight at Talkeetna Cabins.

• Monday, March 6: Talkeetna / Fairbanks

  After breakfast, load up for a drive on the Parks Highway through the Alaska Range. Stop in Denali National Park for a guided driving tour to the Savage River (weather permitting). Enjoy a tundra walk along the river’s edge, and keep your eyes open for Pika and Snowshoe Hare, as well as Caribou. Afterwards, continue on to Fairbanks and enjoy dinner in town before your overnight at the secluded Taste of Alaska Lodge outside the city.

• Tuesday, March 7: Fairbanks / Bettles Lodge

  This morning, the great Alaskan dog musher, Mary Shields, will show you around her property. Mary will introduce you to her family of huskies, the very same sled dogs who have seen her through a number of breathtaking long-distance races. Learn about how it felt to be the first woman to complete the Iditarod, and about the greatest adventure of her life so far—the 1,200-mile Hope ’91 journey through Siberia. After lunch, transfer for a short flight across the Yukon River and Arctic Circle, to the tiny village of Bettles. From the plane, enjoy views of the majestic Brooks Range—the northernmost mountain range in America—and Gates of the Arctic National Park. Settle into your hotel, and take advantage of its remote location to look for Alaska’s northern lights. Dinner and overnight at the historic Bettles Lodge.

• Wednesday, March 8: Bettles Lodge

  Today, enjoy a guided tour of the Bettles area, including the Inupiaq Eskimo village of Evansville. There will also be time for a dog-sledding tour, for those who enjoy the view of the tundra from this perspective, or a rousing snowmobile ride. After dinner, enjoy more northern lights viewing. Bettles sits under what is called the “Auroral Oval”, a ring-shaped region around the North Pole, which offers a great balance of occurrence, frequency and activity. Intensity varies from night to night, with the best viewing from late evening through the early morning hours. Dinner and overnight at Bettles Lodge.

• Thursday, March 9: Bettles Lodge / Fairbanks

  After breakfast, fly back to Fairbanks and visit the Museum of the North, which offers 1.4 million artifacts and specimens representing thousands of years of culture and natural history in Alaska. Enjoy dinner in town, then view one of Fairbank’s most popular winter attractions—the Alaska Ice Park. Partake in a variety of activities such as the giant ice slide, ice-skating, and of course, viewing the magnificent ice sculptures. Carvers from around the world travel to Fairbanks to showcase their talent. Some sculptures are many stories high, built from giant ice blocks. Overnight at Taste of Alaska Lodge.

• Friday, March 10: Fairbanks – Chena Hot Springs

  Head out of town to Chena Hot Springs Resort, legendary for its healing geothermal pools. Tour the resort’s ice museum, visit the dog kennels or join a geothermal renewable energy tour. You’ll also have time to soak in the hot springs, in the peaceful, outdoor rock lake or indoor pool. This evening, return to the hotel for a festive farewell dinner. Conclude your Alaska winter tour with one last night of viewing the aurora borealis. Dinner and overnight at Taste of Alaska Lodge.

• Saturday, March 11: Depart Fairbanks

  Head to the airport for your early morning flights home.