Winter｜Fairbanks, Alaska❄️

Winter｜Fairbanks, Alaska❄️ This is my second time in Alaska, and I came specifically for the northern lights, so I only chose Fairbanks. We were really lucky — we saw the aurora almost every night, and witnessing a major outburst felt incredibly happy 🌌💚✨. ❄️ About the Aurora: Download the Aurora app. If the KP value is above 2, cloud coverage is low, and there’s no light pollution (outside Fairbanks city), you’ll likely see it. Clear weather is most important — if clouds are thick, you won’t see anything even in the aurora red zone ☁️🚫. Viewing spots: You can go to the mountain viewing points everyone recommends. We booked a big house far from downtown with panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, so we didn’t have to brave the cold outside 🏠🪟❄️. ❄️ We saw the pale pink "Ice Crystal Clouds" — every day before sunrise and after sunset, the entire sky would turn into a very even, steady pale pink. At first, we thought it was just sunset glow, but later realized it wasn’t quite the same and learned it was "ice crystal clouds" — only visible under conditions of high latitude, extreme cold, clear skies, and stable weather. They form from diffraction by ice crystals in the stratosphere 🌅💖☁️. Because Anchorage has a maritime climate, you won’t see them there even though it’s also in Alaska. If you come to Fairbanks in winter, keep an eye out — they’re extremely rare and beautiful, like a silent, pearlescent pale pink 💕✨. ❄️ Recommended Activity: Dog Sledding The dogs at the kennel were super cute, chubby, and very friendly 🐕❤️. The owners also genuinely care for the dogs, which really comforted this dog mom 😌🐾 (I’m always worried the dogs might suffer). ❄️ There aren’t many activities in Fairbanks itself — the natural scenery is the real highlight. I recommend these less-traveled self-drive routes: Denali National Park — one visitor center is open in winter; snow-capped mountains paired with pink skies are absolutely stunning 🏔️🌸； Drive past the blue ice cave road all the way to Rainbow Ridge — the scenery is breathtaking, like a fairy tale 🌈🏞️. Not many people recommend Rainbow Ridge, but it’s actually more beautiful than the Denali route. We even spotted a moose there 🦌💫. Alaska is truly worth it. Last time I came for the glaciers and autumn colors; this time, experiencing winter landscapes with the aurora and pink ice crystal clouds felt especially lucky ❄️✨. On the last day of our trip, we visited a Christmas cabin and mailed postcards to good friends and ourselves — expressing love and longing is such a happy thing 💌💕. Next time we’ll be back～ For now, we’re heading back to New York for hotpot～ Merry Christmas🎄！ #alaska#AlaskaState#NorthernLights#AlaskaAurora#AlaskaPinkCrystalClouds#DogSledding#Fairbanks#AlaskaTravel#AlaskaNorthernLights#AlaskanSledDogs