Wonder Lake hours in Sept and Northern Lights

hello

looks like im going to be taking my alaska cruise in mid to late August now. which if things go as planned would put me in Denali around Sept 7th - 8th? Does anyone happen to know if everything in Denali is still open around this time? Also are the Wonder Lake shuttle tours still going on?

Lastly I%26#39;d like to make my way to Fairbanks by Sept 9th or 10th. Do you think I have any shot in seeing the Northern Lights?

thanks in advance

Justin

Wonder Lake hours in Sept and Northern Lights

Denali should be wonderful on Sept. 7 %26amp; 8, in full fall color. Yes, everything is still open unless there is a freak snowstorm which closes the road early--not very likely, though you might see a ';dusting'; of snow further into the park in higher elevations. The Wonder Lake shuttles should still be running, thought not as many of them. The only other thing I%26#39;m aware of that would be cut back by then in Denali is the Ranger sled dog demo, which in early September is held only twice a day instead of thrice (at 10 %26amp; 4).

You might see the Northern Lights anywhere in Alaska during your trip, even from the cruiseship, but don%26#39;t get your hopes too high. Denali and Fairbanks are your best bets, but ask everywhere you%26#39;re staying to alert you if they are seen. Often they are seen between 11 pm and 2 am, but can occur anytime.

And don%26#39;t dawdle if you are notified--they might last only a few minutes, or could go on for hours. Throw your coat on over your pj%26#39;s, hop into your shoes, and head outside. Hey, if your hair isn%26#39;t combed, no one will notice. It will be dark, and everyone will be looking at the sky anyway....

I saw the aurora at Denali at the end of August, 2006. Of course, I%26#39;ve seen them lots of times here in Winnipeg, but you can never see too many aurora. It was very faint though, not impressive to me, but the people who had never seen one before were really excited. I didn%26#39;t say anything, of course, I didn%26#39;t want to spoil their enjoyment. But I chuckled to myself that these people would probably have fainted dead away if they%26#39;d seen a really bright display! There%26#39;s no way to describe that--you just stand there in awe. I hope you are lucky enough to have that happen!

You might try driving just north of Fairbanks for an hour or two late on a cloudless evening to avoid the haze of the city, which obscures a dim display. You just never know your luck. Make sure there are no bright lights (or the moon--you%26#39;re there shortly after the full moon) in your line of vision, or else your eyes won%26#39;t adapt to the dark sky. Even holding your hand ';over'; the light can make a difference. And be sure to dress warmly and take blankets, you can get pretty cold sitting there. :-)

Wonder Lake hours in Sept and Northern Lights

Thanks so much Maple. You wouldn%26#39;t happen to know of a car rental company that will let me rent a car in Anchorage and drop it off in Fairbanks would you? I was originally thinking I would return the car in Anchorage but if I%26#39;ll be in Fairbanks or north of it...I don%26#39;t want to rush back to Anchorage.

thanks again for all you help and great advice while I plan my trip.

Justin

';You might try driving just north of Fairbanks for an hour or two late on a cloudless evening to avoid the haze of the city, which obscures a dim display. You just never know your luck.';

Actually you don%26#39;t even need to drive that far to escape the lights and find a safe place to view the aurora. If you go about 20 miles north out of town, there is a place called Cleary Summit where a lot of people go to view the aurora. There are even a couple of aurora viewing cabins (businesses) for the tourist industry coming to watch the aurora.

Anyway, at the top of Cleary Summit there is a turnout parking area. It is high up, an overlook. When the aurora is active and visible it is a great place to see the northern lights. I have taken a lot of photos from that point and been very happy with them.

It is probably about 25-30 minutes from downtown Fairbanks, and is an easy drive even at three in the morning.

Any of big chain car companies will let you do a one way car rental, Anchorage-Fairbanks, but they will charge a fee. If your local and check around sometimes you can find a company that needs a car moved from one location to another and avoid the fee. In September things are slowing down so you could take your chances with no car rental reservation or play it safe and reserve a car with the one way drop fee included. Just depends on how lucky you feel.

You wouldn%26#39;t happen to know of a car rental company that will let me rent a car in Anchorage and drop it off in Fairbanks would you?';

Most of the national companies will let you do that; however, be aware there will be a large drop-off fee charged (a couple of hundred dollars). However, your alternative is to drive the car back to Anchorage, which would mean an extra day%26#39;s rental (or else a day less in Fairbanks), gas, etc. Plus it might be worth it for the convenience alone. But compare the costs and make your decision.

I suggest you make a reservation that is able to be cancelled (most are) if you come across a better rate. Just because one company is cheaper today, doesn%26#39;t mean they will be tomorrow. Plus, compare renting off-airport in Anchorage. Often (but not always) that can be less expensive because you don%26#39;t have to pay the airport fees. Bottom line: do your homework, lol. A site I find handy for comparisons is www.carrentals.com.

';Actually you don%26#39;t even need to drive that far to escape the lights';

LOL, I guess I wasn%26#39;t clear. I didn%26#39;t mean he should drive for 2 hours, but that he should stay outside the city haze for that length of time. Or until he gets tired--up to Justin how long he stays. As long as he%26#39;s dressed warmly and has a blanket, he should be comfortable for as long as he%26#39;s there.

Justin, Cleary Summitt is great, but as long as you%26#39;re out of the city far enough to look up and see millions of stars instead of the few dozen most of us city-dwellers usually see, then you%26#39;re far enough. Just be sure to find a safe place to pull well off the road. Maybe scout the area a bit during daylight. I know a 5 minute drive outside Winnipeg city limits gets me a great view for meteor showers, etc., and we have a lot more city haze than Fairbanks does.

BTW, you%26#39;re heading north so that your view isn%26#39;t obstructed by the ';glow'; from the lights/haze of Fairbanks. It%26#39;s possible an aurora could be overhead, but much more likely to be in the northern sky. And obviously, if it%26#39;s cloudy you won%26#39;t see anything. And don%26#39;t count on seeing anything. Go with the attitude you%26#39;ll enjoy watching the starry sky, and if you see the aurora or even a meteor, that%26#39;s icing on the cake.

Here is some more info: fairbanks-alaska.com/northern-lights-alaska.鈥?/a>

CarRentals.com is a livesaver and a timesaver. Thanks everyone for the help.

Word to the wise regarding Carrentals.com (who I do use frequently) . . .

Do not accept any rental that is quoted for Advantage Car Rental. They thoroughly messed up our Dec/Jan trip to Orlando (had NO CARS!!) and left us high and dry for Honolulu for this coming August which resulted in booking with another company at more than $50 more for a week. (They closed their Hawaii stations!)

I do not believe this is a company that is stable and cannot be depended on to keep their reservations commitments!

I was in Fairbanks late September 2008 and found that you are given %26#39;aurora reports%26#39; like weather reports, telling you which night has the best chance of viewing. I was up on the hill above Fairbanks off Chena Ridge Road, directly above Fairbanks and got some amazing photographs of the aurora between 1am and 3am. You need to stay dressed, go to bed and set your alarm clock. Get up every half hour to an hour and go out and look. If there are a few of you set up a roster so you get some sleep at least. Stand a few minutes waiting and watching. It really is worth the effort and hopefully you will be well rewarded with an amazing display like I was.

Good luck, great travels!

. . . or you can subscribe here: aurorachasers.com/Adec/Subscribe/index_html . You tell them the KP setting you want to be contacted on and your location . . . and you%26#39;ll get an e-mail or call when the desired level is predicted for the next hour.

This is the service that will call you - my mistake the other is just an e-mail service . . .

http://spaceweatherphone.com/

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