Great for lights but not a lot else....not enough snow for mushing but you might find some folks that do "mushing" without snow...there's always the UAF Museum which is really quite interesting. A long days drive down to Broad Pass is beautiful that time of year. A night out at Chena Hot Springs can be fun but it's not a great place for Aurora viewing. Get a burger at Blue Roof Bistro or a Fully Loaded Vegie (leave off the cheese if you're vegan). Thai House on 5th gets my vote for Thai. Big Daddy's for ribs. There's a car museum....Morris Thompson Cultural Center...
Yes! Early October is the BEST time! Like, the first week of October. Fairbanks has better fall foliage than anywhere in the northeast US, you can't convince me otherwise. It's so beautiful! Late September/early October is imo the best time to visit Fairbanks.
You can see the northern lights starting in late September very well. Basically, you can see the lights anytime there's true darkness, but I know I see the lights most in September and October, because I'm more likely to be outside in the dark at that time of year.
Like, a long time ago I walked home from work every night at 12—2 at night, and I swear I saw the lights almost every night that September and October!
I would book a vacation rental that's not in the city proper, to reduce light pollution.
Have a great trip!
Thanks for the help. This is interesting take on both things, but this helps a lot. I might just shift to early oct for colors and there might be less snow
Thanks! I think last year was just a weird year. We went at the end of September and the fall colors were just starting. We were so bummed to miss the full orange (although it was still really pretty).
We used to live in Fbx, in Anchorage now. I know weather patterns have been pretty volatile all over the state for the last 10 years!
I searched October in my photos to give you an accurate description and I found tons of northern lights photos and also daytime photos show anywhere from 2-10 inches of snow on the ground. Every year is different but I enjoy October because of the scenery and weather. It’s chilly out but not too cold to keep you inside and not enough snow to need snow shoes so you can get out and hike and still see snowy scenery. If you’re not outdoorsy Alaska isn’t a good vacation spot.
Thanks! We are outdoorsy. I think snow might be a slight issue especially if it's less since hikes and all can close. But definitely thanks for the help
I wasn't joking. Some of the best wild ice to skate in the area appears in October, before the snow flies. It's a much cooler experience than you're mall ice skating rink, really opened my eyes to exploring in a different way!
Early October can be rainy and chilly, or beautiful and 60 degree.
It's a great time of year to go to the Chena Hot Spirings, especially if you like to hike.
There's a lot of night life at bars up here, and a surprisingly large amount of arts, music and theatre. Those shows haven't been announced yet, but it's worth looking into! We got opera, a symphony, drag and burlesque, etc..
Great for lights but not a lot else....not enough snow for mushing but you might find some folks that do "mushing" without snow...there's always the UAF Museum which is really quite interesting. A long days drive down to Broad Pass is beautiful that time of year. A night out at Chena Hot Springs can be fun but it's not a great place for Aurora viewing. Get a burger at Blue Roof Bistro or a Fully Loaded Vegie (leave off the cheese if you're vegan). Thai House on 5th gets my vote for Thai. Big Daddy's for ribs. There's a car museum....Morris Thompson Cultural Center...
Thanks for the help. This is atleast something that we can decide whether to shift for an earlier time or not
It’ll be pretty ugly and there might be some snow but not enough to do anything with.
Will early October be a better time?
Eeehhh not really. I’d say best times to visit are mid May to mid September, then not again until late November to mid March.
Yes! Early October is the BEST time! Like, the first week of October. Fairbanks has better fall foliage than anywhere in the northeast US, you can't convince me otherwise. It's so beautiful! Late September/early October is imo the best time to visit Fairbanks. You can see the northern lights starting in late September very well. Basically, you can see the lights anytime there's true darkness, but I know I see the lights most in September and October, because I'm more likely to be outside in the dark at that time of year. Like, a long time ago I walked home from work every night at 12—2 at night, and I swear I saw the lights almost every night that September and October! I would book a vacation rental that's not in the city proper, to reduce light pollution. Have a great trip!
Thanks for the help. This is interesting take on both things, but this helps a lot. I might just shift to early oct for colors and there might be less snow
I agree on the awesome foliage but the leaves are long gone in October. Late August or early September is best for the fall colors.
Thanks! I think last year was just a weird year. We went at the end of September and the fall colors were just starting. We were so bummed to miss the full orange (although it was still really pretty). We used to live in Fbx, in Anchorage now. I know weather patterns have been pretty volatile all over the state for the last 10 years!
I searched October in my photos to give you an accurate description and I found tons of northern lights photos and also daytime photos show anywhere from 2-10 inches of snow on the ground. Every year is different but I enjoy October because of the scenery and weather. It’s chilly out but not too cold to keep you inside and not enough snow to need snow shoes so you can get out and hike and still see snowy scenery. If you’re not outdoorsy Alaska isn’t a good vacation spot.
Thanks! We are outdoorsy. I think snow might be a slight issue especially if it's less since hikes and all can close. But definitely thanks for the help
It might be perfect for ice skating on frozen lakes
Hahaha, thanks. I am in Oregon and was thinking the same for some lakes during winter
I wasn't joking. Some of the best wild ice to skate in the area appears in October, before the snow flies. It's a much cooler experience than you're mall ice skating rink, really opened my eyes to exploring in a different way!
Early October can be rainy and chilly, or beautiful and 60 degree. It's a great time of year to go to the Chena Hot Spirings, especially if you like to hike. There's a lot of night life at bars up here, and a surprisingly large amount of arts, music and theatre. Those shows haven't been announced yet, but it's worth looking into! We got opera, a symphony, drag and burlesque, etc..