Book SkyChase™
SkyChase™ is a guided Northern Lights experience from Fairbanks, Alaska. We read the sky, head for the clearest skies we can reach, and put you in the picture.
Before every night, our guides compare forecast models, satellite views and live sky cameras. Then we head for the part of Interior Alaska where the sky is opening.
"Due to cloud cover in the Fairbanks area, they drove 65 miles out of town to find a clearing in the clouds."
Dale Backlund · Google review · Oct 2025Fairbanks glows. Even on a clear night, city light washes out a fainter aurora. We head past the glow to skies that are properly dark.
An open northern horizon. A lake that mirrors the lights. Spruce silhouettes against the glow. Our guides know the ground, and they choose places that make the night, and your photos, unforgettable.
The aurora surges and fades. Stay warm in the van or the Mobile Lodge while your guides keep watch outside. SkyCommand gives them an early read on the solar wind, so when activity starts building, we call you out for it.
"The mobile lodge with wood stove kept us warm while we would wait for activity, then could quickly step outside and see the northern lights when they were most active."
Justin H. · Viator review · Dec 2025Alaskan guides who know the ground, the weather and the camera settings. Guests mention them by name in hundreds of reviews.
"Andre was so friendly and patient with helping us get the best pictures possible!"
Sandy Lynn · Google review · Apr 2026"Our tour guide Tony is a must request."
Rachel A. · Viator review · Dec 2024So what do you take home from a night like this?
"The Aurora appeared on 9/13 at 2:14 am We cried!"
Lori B. · Viator review · Sep 2023"The guides and photographers were so knowledgeable and made sure to take as many pictures and poses as everyone wanted."
Alicia K. · Viator review · Oct 2024"My fiancé and I got engaged during it, and the tour guides made sure that it was a special experience."
Matthew L. · Google review · Oct 2024"He took pictures galore for all of us and even helped me with my settings so I could take my own."
Rachel A. · Viator review · Dec 2024"We saw a sky full of Northern Lights … and took unlimited photos (all emailed to us in raw form at no extra cost)."
Mike I. · Viator review · Aug 2025Ask for as many portraits as you like during the night. Unedited photos are included.
Included when conditions allow.
Guides help set up your phone or camera. Complimentary tripods on request, subject to availability.
Our target for delivering your gallery. An optional edited gallery is $59 per booking group.
For the sharpest portrait, stay as still as you can until your guide says the photo is finished. Even a small movement during the exposure can blur it.
Our 360° night-lapse camera records the entire sky while you watch. The footage is yours, included when conditions allow.
The Northern Lights come first. The fire, the food and a warm place to sit make the waiting part of the night.
Tea, apple cider, hot chocolate and freshly brewed, locally roasted coffee from North Pole Coffee Roasting.
Alaska reindeer sausages to cook over the fire, a vegan option, and s'mores when available.
A warm place to sit between views, on nights it travels with us.
"My parents were in their 70s and were bit worried about the restroom during the five hour tour. There was a mobile lodge coming with us which made us very comfortable."
Hirotake H. · Viator review · Dec 2025Food, drinks and fireside offerings vary with availability and conditions.
SkyCommand is our own system, built in-house this season. Scroll through the screen our guides now work from: the Sun, the clouds, the cameras, and the call.
SkyCommand reads the solar wind a million miles upstream, before it reaches Earth. When its magnetic field turns south, the aurora tends to wake up.
Weather models disagree. SkyCommand lays them over each other and checks them against the satellite, so guides can see where clear sky is actually opening.
Sky cameras around Interior Alaska show what's overhead right now, not what a model guessed hours ago.
The data informs the plan. Guides who know the ground make the call, so you're in the right place at the right time.
Illustration of the SkyCommand guide display. Example values, not a live forecast.
You ride in a 14-passenger high-roof van, and most nights we leave seats open. Guides head where the sky looks best and set up a warm camp there. On busy nights, several vans meet at the same viewing site and share the fires and the Mobile Lodge.
From your lodging within about five miles of downtown Fairbanks, or an assigned meeting point. Early and late in the season, pickup moves to 10–11 PM because of daylight.
Your guide shares what the sky is doing tonight and why we're heading where we are.
Watch, take photos, warm up, repeat. Guides call you out when the lights pick up.
We usually aim to return around 2–3 AM. Long or difficult nights can run to about 3–5 AM.
Across Google, Tripadvisor and Viator.
4.9 out of 5on Google · 600+ reviews as of Oct 2026
800+ reviewson Viator · Badge of Excellence · as of Oct 2026
4.9 out of 5on Tripadvisor · 540+ reviews as of Oct 2026
Proud memberFairbanks' visitor bureau
Review counts and ratings as listed on each platform, October 2026.
Your own luxury Sprinter with a private restroom, mini fridge, high-speed internet, two flat-screen TVs and reclining seats, plus a dedicated photographer whose photos are delivered separately. Same Aurora Guarantee; Standby not included.
Private SkyChase · dates & prices ↗Mother Nature makes the final call, but you deserve an honest assessment before heading out. If conditions look very challenging, we'll explain what we're seeing and give you three options:
We typically send our weather decision by 3:00 PM Alaska time, and you need to reply by 3:30 PM to cancel or reschedule. Unavailable that afternoon? Tell us your preference ahead of time.
On a Guaranteed Night, if no Northern Lights are seen by eye or camera, you choose a 50% refund or a rescheduled outing. A Guaranteed Night means we're confident about clear-sky windows we can reach. No one can promise the aurora will appear.
You ride in a 14-passenger high-roof van, and most nights we don't fill every seat. On busy nights, especially when weather moves several nights of guests onto one clear night, several vans meet at the same viewing site and share the fires and the Mobile Lodge. Want your own space? Private SkyChase gives your party its own Sprinter and photographer.
We drive to where the sky looks clearest, then set up camp there most nights so you can watch, warm up and take portraits. If the sky changes, guides decide whether moving is worth it. Exact viewing sites are never promised in advance.
Our target is about seven days. Unedited photos are included; an optional edited gallery is $59 per booking group.
Colder than you think. Bring warm winter clothing and good boots. Heated vans, fires and the Mobile Lodge (when it travels with us) give you places to warm up between views.
Families are welcome. Guests 15 and older pay the adult rate; younger guests join with appropriate safety restraints. Nights run late, so plan for a 2–3 AM return. Tell us about car seats or mobility needs when you book and we'll work through them with you.
Sometimes the long shots pay off, and sometimes they don't. We'll tell you honestly what we see, and the choice is yours.
"We are so glad we didn't cancel on a night that predicted only a 10% chance of seeing the Lights."
Sherrie S. · Viator review · Feb 2023Share the nights you'll be in Fairbanks, and our Aurora Advisory Service helps you choose based on the conditions we're seeing. Book SkyChase™ directly and you can also request standby for seven days after your night, even if you already saw the lights.
Complete your SkyChase™ experience booked directly with us.
Any night in the seven days after your original tour. Sightings on your first night don't matter.
Text us on the day you want to go. Each night has a new queue in the order texts arrive. We don't share list positions.
Standby is confirmed at or after 8:00 PM Alaska time, if seats remain. First confirmed outing free; each extra one $50 per person.
Standby depends on spare seats and isn't guaranteed or transferable. Private SkyChase™ is not included. Call or text (907) 931-4000.