Professional, on-time, and efficient, Aurora in Alaska was our favorite part of our trip to…read moreFairbanks last December. The photographers provided professional photos 48 hours after our tour, at no additional cost! Overall, the roasting of reindeer dogs over open fires on a snow covered lake with the aurora dancing overhead was such a surreal experience. -- We were a group of 4 and booked the "Incredible Aurora Viewing Adventure" with Aurora in Alaska in December 2024. It consisted of a hotel pick-up and drop-off, very professional photography, roasting of reindeer dogs over campfires set up by the fleet, hot chocolate and tea, camping chairs set up around the fires, and access to a public park restroom. We stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suite Fairbanks, which is a bit outside of the city center. Some tours we viewed couldn't pick us up, but we had no issues with Aurora in Alaska. The pick-up communication was clear and was coordinated excellently. The pick-up was also on time. We did many tours during our week in Fairbanks, and Aurora in Alaska truly boasts the most comfortable vans, which also weren't overcrowded with passengers. The vans felt very new and clean, each of us had ample room, and it was only 6 of us in the van total. The driver did some introductions and some explanations about the night's schedule and about auroras in general, then dimmed the lights and played gentle music for the rest of our ride. Our first stop was the North Pole to reconvene with all vans in the fleet. It was a brief stop to let us look around and take photos here. The actual gift shop was closed that late in the night, but it was nice to stop by and see it from the outside. You could stay in the van if you wanted to. Afterwards, we drove to a frozen lake for the aurora viewing. Once we arrived, the Aurora in Alaska team spent maybe 10 minutes setting up the fires, food, drinks, and cameras. It was a beautiful site! It was only us there, and it was great talking to other travelers and watching the aurora with food and drink. If you ever got too cold, the vans were left running so that you could head inside to warm up before going back to take pictures, sit by the fire, or explore. There were three different photographers spaced out at different locations, so you could get photos taken with different angles of the aurora. Overall, it was a great experience, if not expectedly very chilly. I'd recommend bringing extra hand and foot warmers! Even though the vans were idling, it still wasn't enough for those who were underdressed.We were super lucky and had great aurora viewing, but we were happy that even if we hadn't seen much we would've had great memories roasting dogs and chilling by a fire in Alaskan wilderness.

Lights nice, guides nice, but not enough guides. Three vans of people were dropped off at this…read morefield. 42 people. No personal attention. Warming hut small for number of people. 3 fires. And vans were kept running. This is not a private or even small group tour. You cook your own food if you want it. No cautionary speech about the -34 weather. You are on your own. 90 minutes from Fairbanks with no back up plan if something goes wrong. Again. Lights nice. The photos the guides took were very nice. Guides were nice. But you are really on your own so make sure you know how to handle yourself in this extreme weather.

Excellent half-day tour from Fairbanks to Coldfoot and back. The tour lasted around 4 hours. The…read moreviews from the plane were gorgeous, our pilot was very nice. The Coldfoot guide was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot during our short visit. Would definitely recommend You also get a certificate to take home showing that you crossed the Arctic circle!

We did the Gates of the Arctic Air Adventure. We had an Amazing experience - We worked with Matt…read morewho was great to work with. Our pilot Nick did an amazing job narrating us. We had plenty of airtime, and literally flew through the actual Gates. The lunch they offer is really good. Once in a lifetime experience!!

George, our tour guide lead a fun and educational experience throughout Fairbanks. He was extremely…read morehelpful with questions and made our happiness his #1 priority!

We had an incredible experience with 1st Alaska Tours and would absolutely recommend them…read more We originally booked an outdoor Aurora Borealis tour for December, but the day before the tour they called us to explain that temperatures were already around -41°F and that being outside for hours would likely be miserable. Instead of pushing forward anyway, they upgraded us to their Yurt experience, which was the perfect solution. We could stay warm inside and step outside only when the aurora appeared, warming up in between with hot chocolate, coffee, and soup. One unexpected bonus was that the yurt next to us was offering dog sled rides, so we got to see a dog sled team up close, and that was also an option we could have added. It was a really fun and unique part of the experience. Our driver and guide, Zach, was fantastic. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and very accommodating, and shared great insights about the aurora, Alaska's history, and geography. He was also very honest when he did not know something and tried to find the answer. The next night at the hot springs, we ran into Paul, another guide from 1st Alaska Tours who was leading a different group. He was just as friendly and helpful and offered some great tips, which really says a lot about the company. If you are considering an aurora tour in Fairbanks, 1st Alaska Tours is a great choice. I do apologize for my photography skills and the video was from inside the yurt!

Had them do some work. They not only squeezed me into their schedule, but got it done in record…read moretime. The quality was top notch. We discussed how to do the work that was non standard requiring non standard engineering and adapting to the existing design. They got me out in record time before they closed. I was very happy not just with their work, but the people were very courteous and understanding. Brett

We had booked an excursion to Last Frontier Mushing Co-op and got lucky enough to have David as our…read moredriver. We had planned to use Lyft/Uber for our stay instead of renting a car. This proved to be less dependable than we had figured, therefore it was a huge relief to meet David who took us to the Mushing Co-op, and the Chena hot springs. We were discussing our plans to take the train to Denali the following day, and the logistics of it all when David noted he would be willing to come to get us if we took the train to Denali. We eagerly agreed to this, and David became our go - to while we were in Fairbanks for any rides we needed. He is very kind, prompt, dependable and knowledgeable. We had a great time, and HIGHLY recommend David!

The weather ma be cold in Fairbanks but David with Cold Compass Tours offers warm hospitality. He…read moreis dependable and will get you where you need to go when you need to be there. DO NOT hesitate to call him for your transportation needs.

We went on the Northern Lights excursion. Jason, the owner…read morepicked us up in the van right on time. It was about a 30-40 minute drive. I'd rented a camera from him with the proper settings preset. He also helped anyone who needed their camera phones adjusted. They provided tripods for free. Jason, and his wife Heather have a great set up. Big cabin for warmth. Lots of beverages, snacks, seating. Indoor plumbing. They have modern technology for tracking the northern lights. They told us when to head out. They have a huge, dark field for viewing. We watched a great Northern Lights show. We also saw a lot of stars and constellations. I'd definitely book with them again.

If there were half stars I'd give the experience a 2.5- because the actual dog sledding portion…read more(all 20 minutes of it) was 5 star fantastic, but the getting there and getting back was a one star. Let me explain: Pick up was at Walmart because we stayed in a VRBO. There wasn't very clear communication ahead of time as to exactly where at Walmart and what vehicle I was looking for- tho I was able to reach someone on their business number after I arrived in the parking lot. A large passenger van picked my son and I up, the driver was very young and pleasant looking but literally said nothing but "hello", not even his name. There was one other couple in the van. Here's the weird part- the driver gave us ZERO communication on anything. Not how far we were going, or where, or some background on dog mushing, or pleasant conversation. I asked maybe 2 questions and he answered them but it was clear he wasn't going to offer anything further. The van was so uncomfortably silent I felt like I had to whisper to my son. After about a 35min drive "out of town" I guess I expected to arrive at some kind of professional kennel/facility but it was actually someone's house with dog kennels out back. Again, we piled out of the van, I was holding my purse and my son had a backpack (do I take them? Are there lockers? Do I leave them in the van? Who knows...) and our driver just walked off, giving no instructions. We decided to follow him. I asked if I could use the restroom before we started and he waved me in the general direction of an outhouse in the woods (which I never found- I just took care of business in the trees, clutching my nuisance of a purse). There was a team of dogs already hooked up, and he told the other couple "you're first" and loaded them on the sled with the owner/musher named Amy (we didn't know any of this til my son and I actually got our "turn" because again, ZERO conversation or communication). I guess I expected that if there were other people we would be on separate sleds but all go out together? Nope. Other couple took off with musher. So here we are, standing in the middle of the dog yard with significant dog kennel odors and yelping dogs and van driver than won't say a word and wondering what the hell is going on. I'm still wondering what to do with my purse, as it's obvious this is no place to be carrying it and there's no where to put it. I asked the driver if I could put it back in the van, and he said, "I guess I can take it for you, they'll be back any minute". (Again, I'm confused... they've only been gone 10-15 minutes... is that how long the "experience" is?) Sure enough, they returned a few minutes later. So my son and I load up. Here is where the 5* part comes in. Amy (owner of kennel/dogs/professional musher) quickly introduced herself with a smile and warm welcome. We took off into the woods on a well groomed trail, and she talked the whole time about her dogs, the breed of Alaskan Husky, the sport, her experiences, and more. It was thrilling and fun and interesting to hear her point of view and expertise! Tho the time on the sled was only 20 minutes or so, my son and I both really enjoyed every moment. In short- If you're looking for a full-service 5* adventure, this isn't it.

I had the best Fathers Day Ever! The staff was super friendly and helpful!…read moreThey provided my wife and I riding gear for a beautiful Harley Davidson Electra Glide, We ar from Atlanta Georgia and this was a awesome way to travel and take in the beauty of Alaska!!! I would give 10 Stars if I could!

Awesome customer service with Keith. He even had helmets and jackets for us. Loved the bikes we got…read more(Harley). Would definitely come back to rent from him again.

Amazing one night tours and week-long workshops! I have done both and both are five star without…read morequestion! Michael, is an amazing pro photographer that will answer all your questions and is very patient with novices (me)!. If you travel with Michael, you will enjoy beautiful scenery and knowledgeable leadership. Definitely a must do if you are traveling to Alaska to see the northern lights, and if you are looking for more in depth, photography tours, Michael's week-long Fall Equinox tour was absolutely fantastic!

My sons and I had the most amazing Aurora experience with Michael from Face the Outdoors. He is so…read moreincredibly knowledgeable and we were able to have incredible experiences on nights with totally clear skies as well as a night where we had to chase clear skies. Michael was able to find places for us to see this spectacular site when other chaser groups couldn't. We can not recommend highly enough!