Alaska Nights

February 21-28, 2026
$2,900 to $4,300

Northern lights above the Dalton Highway near Wiseman, Alaska.

Experience the beauty of Alaska nights

With the guidance of an expert naturalist and photographer

Chase the aurora on an immersive, exploratory photo workshop based in Fairbanks and Wiseman, Alaska — one of the world’s most reliable regions for photographing the northern lights. Designed for curious photographers and adventurous travelers alike, this workshop blends technical instruction with real-world exploration under Arctic skies.

Fairbanks sits beneath the Auroral Oval, offering frequent displays of dancing shades of green, purple and red. We’ll venture out on clear nights to carefully chosen locations — from frozen rivers and boreal forests to wide-open landscapes far from city lights — maximizing both visibility and creative potential. Along the way, you’ll learn how to prepare for a trip into the frozen world of snow and ice and photograph the aurora with confidence: mastering long exposures, manual focus in the dark, composition in extreme environments and camera settings tailored for fast-moving light.

This is not a rigid, one-size-fits-all itinerary. The workshop is intentionally flexible, adapting to weather, solar activity and participant interests with a small group. As an exploratory tour, you save money on the cost as your leader refines this first-time workshop while still providing you expert guidance as she applies her familiarity of the area, how to photograph at night and ways to compose this amazing display.

Days are spent reviewing images and looking for local wildlife, refining techniques, scouting locations and learning about the unique subarctic environment that makes this phenomenon possible. We will also work on how to make timelapse videos, a fun technique with the moving colors of the auroras.

Whether you’re capturing your first aurora or refining an existing portfolio, this Fairbanks and Wiseman-based workshop offers a rare opportunity to slow down, explore deeply and create powerful night images at the edge of the Arctic.

Trip Details

Join us for an unforgettable winter photography adventure in Fairbanks and Wiseman, Alaska, where you'll spend six nights in the field under the skies (as weather permits) learning about this arctic destination, watching and photographing the most amazing Alaskan experience and capture dramatic, once-in-a-lifetime images of the Auroras, with expert guidance.

Your leader has years of experience photographing at night, including the northern lights in Alaska, as well as familiarity with the Fairbanks and Wiseman regions and how to prepare for the cold weather. She knows what types of scenes make for excellent compositions for the Auroras and how to plan for the best photo opportunities of the vivid displays. As long as the weather gives us partially clear to fully clear skies, we will venture into the field to photograph the colorful curtains above snow-capped peaks, frozen rivers, boreal forests and much more. Located along the Dalton Highway, this region includes the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which makes interesting foreground subjects to combine the ever-growing combination of human and natural elements to tell the story of the experience.

When the skies don’t deliver the clarity we need to see the stars and auroras, we will explore the region to photograph the unique aspects of the frozen tundra as well as wildlife of the area. Wildlife may potentially include moose, porcupine, waxwings, spruce grouse, willow ptarmigan, arctic and snowshoe hares, caribou and fox. Bring your lucky charms and maybe we can spot a wolf, wolverine or lynx.

All outings are done from the convenience of a 4WD SUV, stocked with the necessary safety items for winter travel in the deep arctic cold. Due to the potential for long nights, with more than 12 hours of darkness, we will have plenty of down time during the day to rejuvenate. There is minimal walking and no hiking on this tour, and the vehicle will be close to the group at all photo stops.

Price: $4500

Group Size: 1-3 people

Duration: 4 days, 4 nights in Fairbanks and 3 days and 2 nights in Wiseman.

Price is per person, group occupancy. Single occupancy is available in Fairbanks. Group shares one large cabin in Wiseman. Price includes ground transportation throughout the tour, lodging in Fairbanks, lodging in Wiseman, guidance for preparing for extreme cold weather conditions, and guiding and photo instruction throughout the tour. Price does not include alcoholic beverages, tips, meals, or flight to and from Fairbanks.

The group will meet in Fairbanks, Alaska, which is accessible via the Fairbanks International Airport. All information will be provided about travel to Fairbanks upon booking the tour.

Click the Request Info to email questions, or book today by paying for the trip in full on the Buy Now link. (Cart will appear in the lower right corner.)

Itinerary

Our Nights of Alaska photography experience in Fairbanks and Wiseman, Alaska unfolds over a captivating six-day itinerary designed to maximize your photographic opportunities.

February 21: Arrive in Fairbanks, Alaska where your guide will pick you up at the airport and take you to the hotel for checkin. Please arrive in Fairbanks by 5 p.m. After arriving in Fairbanks and settling into the hotel, we will have dinner as a group and talk about how to photograph the northern lights. If the weather looks favorable, we will venture out for our first night under the stars.

February 22-24: The evening photo shoots will be priority while in Fairbanks. Some of the locations for night photography include North Pole, Chena River, frozen lakes and the boreal forest. We will also stop along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline for this composition only available in Alaska. During the day, if we have not been out the evening before, we will look for local wildlife and photograph a few of the local landmarks.

February 25: This is a travel day. After checking out early from our hotel in Fairbanks, we will stock up on supplies for our visit to remote Alaska before our all-day drive to Wiseman. We will stop along the way to photograph wildlife as we see if (and it is safe to do so) as well as the unique snow-covered landscape. We will arrive in Wiseman, check into our lodge and have dinner in Coldfoot. Anticipate a night outing in the Wiseman region to photograph the northern lights.

February 26: As needed, we will catch up on rest during the day and explore the property of our Wiseman hosts and the local village. We can also visit the winter contact station of the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center, the northernmost visitor center for the National Park Service. After dinner at our lodge, we will venture out for a night of photography (as the weather permits), driving north of Wiseman.

February 27: After catching up on rest, we will check out of our Wiseman lodge to embark on our all-day return trip to Fairbanks. We will stop for any missed photos and wildlife opportunities on the way back to the “big city” for your return flights home. Please book your flights for no earlier than 11 p.m. February 27. If you embark for home on February 28, we will drop you off at the hotel of your choice.

Throughout the tour, you'll have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the cozy comforts of our accommodations, all while soaking in the serene beauty of the Alaska landscape.

If you are ready to book, just click on the Buy Now button to confirm your spot with payment in full.

We can’t wait to see you in Alaska!

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northern lights dance in the darkness of the subarctic
purple and green northern lights over the Alaskan forest
a ribbon of green streaks across the night sky in a snowy boreal forest
green curtains of the aurora borealis dance in the sky above the boreal forest
northern lights above a boreal forest
moose in snowy willows walking towards camera
northern lights above a lake in southeastern Alaska