Northern Lights & Arctic Circle Tour
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Fairbanks, USA
- 12 to 14 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Go far off the beaten track on this small-group tour that takes you along one of the world's most isolated roads. Travel into the Alaskan wilderness along the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to the edge of the Arctic Circle. On the way back, keep your eyes peeled for the northern lights, though the natural phenomenon cannot be guaranteed.
- Afternoon and nighttime tour from Fairbanks to the Arctic Circle
- Travel the remote Dalton Highway, seen in Ice Road Truckers
- Hotel pickup and drop-off within Fairbanks city limits
- Small-group tour provides a more personalized experience
What's Included
- Local guide
- Hotel Pickup & Drop-Off (within Fairbanks city-limits)
- Coffee and/or Tea
- personalized Arctic Circle Certificate
- Gratuities
- No Gluten-Free or Vegan Lunch Options Available
- Cold-Weather Gear
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We will contact you the day before your tour with your exact pickup time. We can only pick up from hotels within the Fairbanks City-Limits. We cannot pick up from the airport. If you are staying at an Air BnB or outside of city limits, please contact the office via email or phone call.
Start time.2:00 pm
Itinerary
Journey along one of the world’s most isolated roads from Fairbanks to the Arctic Circle on this 14-hour tour through the Alaskan wilderness. Following afternoon hotel pickup in Fairbanks, travel with your informative guide along the Dalton Highway, technically Alaska Route 11. You’ll stop occasionally to stretch your legs and snap memorable photos of key sites. Plus, keep your eyes open for Alaskan wildlife like foxes, moose, or possibly even bears, wolves, or lynx.
Dalton Highway runs north–south through Alaska, almost to the Arctic Ocean, and parallels the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Drive over the EL Patton Bridge, the only vehicle bridge in Alaska that crosses the Yukon River. At an impressive 2,295 feet (700 meters) long, the bridge carries not only vehicle traffic but also the pipeline.
When you arrive at the edge of the Arctic Circle, pose for commemorative photos around the sign displaying your latitude of 66°33’ north. Absorb the natural beauty around you and enjoy the provided sandwiches, coffee, and homemade hot punch.
Then, climb back aboard your vehicle to begin the drive back to Fairbanks. At this time, it'll be about two to three hours before midnight, an ideal time to start watching for the northern lights. If they do appear, your driver will pull over at several different spots, including the Tolovana River and Wickersham Dome, to give you ample time to marvel at and take photos of this natural phenomenon.
Your Fairbanks northern lights tour concludes with hotel drop-off in the early morning hours.
Dalton Highway runs north–south through Alaska, almost to the Arctic Ocean, and parallels the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Drive over the EL Patton Bridge, the only vehicle bridge in Alaska that crosses the Yukon River. At an impressive 2,295 feet (700 meters) long, the bridge carries not only vehicle traffic but also the pipeline.
When you arrive at the edge of the Arctic Circle, pose for commemorative photos around the sign displaying your latitude of 66°33’ north. Absorb the natural beauty around you and enjoy the provided sandwiches, coffee, and homemade hot punch.
Then, climb back aboard your vehicle to begin the drive back to Fairbanks. At this time, it'll be about two to three hours before midnight, an ideal time to start watching for the northern lights. If they do appear, your driver will pull over at several different spots, including the Tolovana River and Wickersham Dome, to give you ample time to marvel at and take photos of this natural phenomenon.
Your Fairbanks northern lights tour concludes with hotel drop-off in the early morning hours.
1
Alyeska Pipeline Viewing Point
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Hilltop Restaurant & Marketplace
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Yukon River Camp
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Arctic Circle Sign
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
James Dalton Highway
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Most travelers can participate
- Adult pricing applies to all travelers. We do not recommend this tour for children under the age of 10 years due to safety concerns
- Please dress appropriately. The temperatures can reach extreme conditions during the winter month and we recommend to dress in layers.
- Please note that the Northern Lights are a natural occurrence and therefore cannot be guaranteed! (no refund possible)
- The weather conditions are in no way predictable in our area and we will not offer a refund in the case of too many clouds.
- Exact schedule and itinerary of stops are subject to change based on daily conditions and Northern Lights activity on the day of your tour.
- There is a possibility of cancellation due to dangerous weather and/or road conditions. If this occurs, an alternative date or full refund will be offered.
- Type of transportation: climate controlled van
- The group size is limited to 8 people for each passenger van.
- Customers are strongly encouraged to rotate seats at least a few times on the tour to give each person the opportunity of having a different view.
- This tour requires being able to enter and exit our van with limited assistance. Please contact us if you have any concerns about mobility.
- Every guest must sign a waiver before any tour so they clearly acknowledge the inherent risks of wilderness travel, assume responsibility for their own safety, and confirm they are medically able to participate.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
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Frequently Asked Question (1)
Q:I am a vegetarian / I have allergies / I am gluten or lacto free.
A:Just let us know any dietary requirements in the 'Special Requirements' box in the Traveler Details section during checkout. Or you can let us know after booking by visiting 'Manage my Booking' and emailing us there.
Jul 2019
The answers provided are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Fabulous experience! Shannon the guide was a fantastic guide and so knowledgeable about not only the stops but Alaska life and history in general. I so enjoyed sharing a ride with her for the 12 hour trip. The stops were so cool and the journey there was beautiful. Highly recommend this tour!
Reviews
4.6
based on 988 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Our guide was Milo -A++++++. His knowledge and enthusiasm were quite evident during our adventure. I highly recommend this tour and with Milo, you’d be in great hands. I’m sure the other tour guides are great as well. We too lots of great shots of the Northern lights on our trip. My wife and high are extremely pleased.
15 hrs and got back at 5.00AM. Three vans in convoy. Everything worked as promised and our driver/ guide Wesleyto couldn't have done more to make the trip a success. We had a brief appearance of Aurora Borealis but the star was seeing the miles of trees on both sides of the road changing colour against the backdrop of the mountains. Oil pipeline was a frequent presence.
The drive up to the Arctic Circle is very bumpy but so worth it. The scenery is beautiful and we saw wildlife as well along with the Aurora Borealis.
If you have a young female driver expect 1/2 knowledge to questions on area. Radio too loud, never asked if her music was acceptable by all passengers. Pretty much rushed you at Artic Circle sign to leave before sun all the way down. Did make a short stop at another spot to view. Still felt rushed to leave. If not for her experience would have been awesome.
This itinerary is not really worth it. The main issue is that the tour starts relatively late, and dinner is scheduled in the middle of the itinerary. By the time we finally reach the attractions, it is already dark, so the sites have to be illuminated by the vehicle’s headlights. The experience is nowhere near as good as seeing them during the daytime.
If the itinerary could start one to two hours earlier, allowing us to visit all the attractions during daylight hours and have dinner at the end, it would be much better.
This was a great adventure. Our guide/driver was the best of best. We had a great time on this 14+ hour tour. It was so much more than we had expected. John our guide worked hard to get us in position to see and photograph the northern lights multiple times. It was neat becoming one of the 1% who has been in the Artic Circle.
Our van driver was Milo he said he never saw this road so bad. We stopped to help two ladies with a flat tire. Milo said we were going back as he was afraid we had no say in this at all! Then he started to argue with the other driver that the road was unsafe! We sat in the van for an hour while they argued! The other driver went on and we turned back as he was afraid! Never saw the artic circle! We were in the van for eight hours two and half hours sitting by the side of the road!!!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Dear Mary,
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are deeply sorry for the stress, discomfort, and disappointment you experienced during your tour.
While safety along the Dalton Highway in severe weather and rain must always be our drivers’ primary consideration, the communication breakdown and extended wait on the roadside fell far short of the standard our guests deserve. We deeply regret the distress this caused you and all the guests.
This situation has been reviewed thoroughly by our operations management to prevent anything like this from happening again. We want to ensure your case is fully resolved and handled. Please connect with us directly at our email referencing your Viator booking details so our team can follow up with you immediately.
Sincerely,
This was a fantastic tour. Left Fairbanks at 2pm. Pickup was from my hotel which was very convenient. And I got dropped back off at 6am the next day. There were 7 people (different parties). We had such an adventurous time on the way to the Arctic Circle and back. We also saw the Northern Lights on the way back at around 2.30am. But what made all this possible was the very fine driver we had - Wes (Wesley). He is extremely dedicated to ensuring his customers have a fantastic time and ensuring they are able to see the things they were promised. He has a very calm and focused personality which can see you through any kind of situation that arises on a long trip like this. You also get a certificate at the end of the trip. Definitely recommend both the trip and Wes.
The good: First, I want to say that our tour guide and driver, Shannon, was absolutely the best! She went out of her way to take amazing photos of all her guests and provided us with much information along the way. She is an asset to this company. The tour itself would be a 10 if they were honest and abided by what they show in their listing.
We were able to see arctic hares, a lynx, moose, and wolfs. The stop at Yukon Camp was great. We were able to get a decent meal and the bathrooms were nice and clean. Not what we expected for being out in the middle of nowhere!
There are outhouses to stop at along the way. After arriving at the Arctic Circle, we were fortunate enough to see the northern lights on our return to Fairbanks. Shannon helped us all with photos and spent much time taking photos for people. She is a great photographer!
The bad: We were picked up at our hotel in a 12 person van. The van only had seats for 12 people including the driver. We were told AFTER being picked up that the tour would have 9 people. It then changed to 11 passengers. That meant that every possible seat on the van was taken for a tour of 14 hours! No one was happy about this! We do not fault Shannon, who was very apologetic and put in a bad situation by her company. The listing showed that the group would be limited to a MAX group size of 8.
We would like the owners of this company to try to sit in the very back seat with a completely full van and go on this tour for 14 hours to see what their customers had to experience. Portions of the roads are bumpy and with pot holes. While the van is comfortable, there was no room for us to stretch out. Luckily, our group was considerate of each other and people were good about switching seats periodically.
For what we paid for this tour, we cannot recommend it unless they abide by the 8 person max pledge.
Jessica was fantastic!!! Great tour! I learned a lot and she is very smart! Learned a lot about Alaska and the land and the aurora’s. Super safe and comfortable!! I was nervous before trip about no service and transportation. It felt like a new adventure and road trip and reassuring to know we had a great guide! Def a tour worth taking!!
First we would like to start with our guide Jessica. She was extremely knowledgeable, very friendly, accommodating, adaptive and prepared. She kept us very informed of the route we were going on and what to expect. Unfortunately, the Northern Lights did not accommodate us but Jessica tried. She stopped so many times to see if they were showing and did everything possible to find them but it was not to be.
Her driving was extremely safe. The condition of the highway with the snow and ice could have made the drive trechararous but at no time did we feel unsafe.
As far as how to dress, check the weather and dress appropriately. It was -11 and we had on thermals, coats, gloves and scarves and were as comfortable as could be.
The only negative we have to say is, because it was so cold out, except for the windshield and front side windows, all the others were iced over on the inside so we couldn't see out at all. We tried the scraping with a credit card as Jessica suggested but it really didn't work. Maybe wipe them down with shaving cream or have a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and rags to wipe them with.
This was a bucket list that we definitely will remember and was totally worth it!
We’re can’t going by myself. No internet. I used Starlink internet by Elon musk at gift shop near Yukon River. It’s so far from Fairbanks. Jessica is tour guide. She did a good job. It’s safe my life. We’re finally get the point at Article circle. Thank you. I love Alaska. ❤️😎✈️🥶😇
Loved the tour! We got clear skies and were able to see a lot of northern lights. A special shoutout to our awesome tour guide Coltin who stopped at multiple points for us to capture some amazing photos with the northern lights as well as at the Artic Circle.
Unfortunately, this tour was cancelled just one day before the scheduled date. Because of the late cancellation, we were unable to complete the tour as planned and had very limited time to make alternative arrangements. This caused significant inconvenience to our schedule.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Sir, we are under an extreme cold weather advisory and our weather changes often so we waited to see if the temp would change so that the tour could operate. It is -50 degrees at the Arctic Circle and it is unsafe to operate this tour. The inconvenience is for your safety. If something happens, no one can get to you in several hours and leaves you at risk of hypothermia or worse. There are no emergency services in that part of Alaska. We are sorry that your vacation did not go as planned, but that is part of coming to Alaska in the winter.
Fabulous experience! Shannon the guide was a fantastic guide and so knowledgeable about not only the stops but Alaska life and history in general. I so enjoyed sharing a ride with her for the 12 hour trip. The stops were so cool and the journey there was beautiful. Highly recommend this tour!
100/10 experience!
The convenience of being picked up at your hotel makes this start off well!
Jessica greeted me in the morning and off we went to pick up other passengers. She was super friendly right off the bat!
As we gathered up the others, the tour started immediately! The itinerary was given as we were driving and we were warned to be ready to jump out to check out the lights at any moment.
Boy oh boy we were in for the best treat ever! Aurora danced for us all night long.
You will start off at the pipeline and get a few facts, then we whisk (loosely stated) down to the James Dalton sign, infamous! Next off to the Enchanted Forest, whoa, this was quite brisk! Next stop to eat at the Yukon River Camp to have supper. You can either order noodles from there or take the sack lunch (highly recommend the noodles if they are open). You can buy your Arctic Circle souvenirs there too (not cheap, but my sweatshirt was worth it)! Next to the FAMOUS Arctic Circle sign. We got so lucky, as we had the Aurora dancing behind us for the pictures.
Another few hours of stopping and chasing the lights was amazing!
Jessica was an incredible guide and it was awesome to see how she lit up like a child seeing them for the first time like me, even though this is a “norm” for her!
Highly recommend this tour!
Our guide Shannon was amazing. This was her 10 trip as a guide to the Artic Circle. She was very knowledgeable, answered all our questions. We stopped at the pipeline, Dalton Highway sign, Yukon River Base Camp for dinner, numerous times to see the Aurora as it was very active along our trip and the Artic Circle sign. She helped take pictures for us. Shannon took an amazing video of the Aurora with my phone showing it dancing and the colors were awesome. Unfortunately it will not allow me to upload it.,
Overall great experience. We saw the northern lights, cool scenery etc….
Shuttle van was clean, warm, and comfortable. Did quite a few stops to see pipeline and northern lights.
Its worth taking the tour to get to the Arctic Circle without the fear of driving there yourself. Our guide Guy was knowledgeable and took us to every stops to make sure we had a comfortable ride. Food was provided with chips and 2 bottled water which was good but we also opted for some warm meal at the Yukon River stop which was a good stopover. Guy did his best in order to find us an aurora show eventhough forecast wasn't really great that evening but somehow lady aurora showerd herself a little. Overall it was a very good experience.
This tour was completely worth it!! It seems a little long, but the driver was completely safe and it was impressive how well she drove the van there and back. It was really unique to see how the terrain changes from snow to frost towards the Arctic Circle. And even though it was completely cloudy and snowing in Fairbanks and in the Arctic Circle, she was able to find us a patch of clear sky where we saw amazing Aurora lights.
This experience has been amazing. We could also see some aurora on the way and Shannon’s been a wonderful guide.
The ride is long and in bad weather (we had constant snow) is a bit scary. However, the enchanted forest and being able to say you crossed the Arctic Circle is an experience of a lifetime. Our guide, Jessica, was amazing. She had a ton of knowledge and was a very safe driver. She made sure, throughout the drive, we were comfortable (needed a bathroom break) and gave us peace and quiet when people appeared tired. Unfortunately, because we had constant snow, we were not able to see the Northern Lights!
My only complaint was the actual transportation. With the cost of this tour, it is time to purchase new vehicles. The van was old, very small (for 8 people) and not suited for the rough highway road. It’s time to purchase an actual shuttle for a ride this long!
Amazing experience. Andrew & Leo made sure we were going to get the best experience of it & we did..Absoluty great tour operators.. Thanks for all the great pictures taken. The great sensor of humor completed the trip.I would definitely do it again.
We had a wonderful trip to the Arctic Circle! We felt very safe traveling along the Dalton Highway. Our guide (Jessica) was absolutely amazing! She kindly made the effort to find clear skies on a cloudy day, we were lucky to see the aurora on our way back. Thank you so much, Jessica!
Jessica, our tour guide, was absolutely amazing. She was friendly and helpful, and was patient with the folks who didn’t speak much English. She made every effort to help us experience the aurora on a very cloudy snowy night. We finally were successful.
Guide was very knowledgeable about Alaska and the Aurora. He was patient and made sure everyone was safe, and went individually to everyone to ensure we knew how to get the best pictures of the N lights. Very competent driver through muddy areas as well as snow and occasional icy areas. Never felt unsafe. We ended up being gone 14 hours: But we saw the Aurora in more than one Location. Dalton highway is just like you see on ice road truckers show. Entertaining in itself! Food and drinks were available. Stopped about every two hours for restroom needs…. Port a potties… all had paper and sanitizer. It’s an adventure you’ll take once if you’re lucky- we will always remember our ‘van mates’. Well worth the time and money. PS. Go for it!!!
These tour guides know their aurora . If you want to see the Northern Lights these are the people to make it happen for you. Thank you for the opportunity of a life time! It was incredible!
It is a long day but worth it! Unfortunately weather didn’t cooperate but our guide was awesome and through the clouds we got some northern lights
My tour did not get to see the northern lights because it was cloudy, it’s hard to predict the weather and not the tour‘s fault. We had a very good driver and Alaskan native as our tour guide.
Fun trip. Our driver Ron, was excellent. I only rated 4 stars because a bad accident stopped us short of our destination. We would book this trip with Viator again.
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