Explore Fairbanks Virtually

Brought to you by Explore Fairbanks

Grab a front row seat and start your virtual vacation now. Explore Fairbanks is showcasing five, brand-new virtual experiences including an exhilarating dog-sled ride through a snowy, pristine forest, a float down the Chena River on that perfect summer day and a panoramic mountain scene from nearby Murphy Dome.

In addition, you can virtually experience the midnight sun, the northern lights and other extraordinary views of the Fairbanks region.

If armchair traveling is on your to-do list, Explore Fairbanks’ immersive 360-degree stills and videos have the power to virtually transport you to Alaska’s Golden Heart and actively explore like never before. Additional virtual immersive assets include a visit to Eagle Summit, where the sun never dips below the horizon on June 21 (summer solstice), a captivating aurora show, the iconic downtown Fairbanks antler arch and more. Sure, it might not be the same as being here, but it’s the next best thing while you plan to visit Fairbanks when the time is right.

Another one-of-a-kind way to delve into virtual-type reality is via the Midnight Sun Tracker. The onset of the Midnight Sun Season began April 22 when the Midnight Sun Tracker took center stage on the Explore Fairbanks website. The tracker calculates the number of daylight hours, including civil twilight, which people can experience in the sub-Arctic and Arctic areas of Fairbanks, Coldfoot and Utqiaġvik (formerly known as Barrow). For 70 straight days during Midnight Sun Season, Fairbanks experiences 24 hours of light. The Midnight Sun Tracker allows users to change the calendar and/or location and grasp the radical shift in light throughout the year. In August, as the Midnight Sun Season winds down, the focus will turn to the Aurora Tracker, which predicts northern-lights viewing.

The Aurora Tracker predicts viewing in six different locations by combining the northern-lights data feed from the University of Alaska’s Geophysical Institute, location-derived weather forecasts and the amount of daylight hours. Fairbanks’ renowned aurora viewing lures people from all over the world during the Aurora Season that runs from Aug. 21 to April 21. The River City’s location is ideal for northern-lights viewing because it is directly under the auroral oval — a ring-shaped zone over the far north where aurora activity is concentrated. Additionally, low precipitation in Fairbanks contributes to consistently clear nights, and low population density contributes to less light pollution that means darker skies. All combined, these factors make the Fairbanks region an outstanding destination for potential aurora viewing.

Visit explorefairbanks.com to access the Aurora and Midnight Sun Tracker, which is compatible with all devices including smartphones, tablets and desktops. To find a list of current open businesses in the Fairbanks area and to view our fun, new mini-video series showcasing iconic Fairbanks locations and activities, visit the Explore Fairbanks website.