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Northern Lights Viewing at Murphy Dome

star-4.590 Reviews
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Fairbanks, United States
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Northern Lights Viewing at Murphy Dome
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Northern Lights Viewing at Murphy Dome
Customer is proposing under the Northern Lights
Northern Lights at the Aurora Lodge
Northern Lights at Murphy dome Fairbanks
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From $110.00

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Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance. Learn more
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Safety measures
icon5 hours  (approx.)
Pickup from select hotels
Mobile ticket
iconOffered in: English
Good for avoiding crowds

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Overview

Watch the Northern Lights from Murphy Dome, one of the best viewing spots around Fairbanks. During your tour, your guide shares informative commentary about the Northern Lights (aka Aurora Borealis) and other natural wonders of Alaska. Hear about the history of the former Air Force Station on Murphy Dome, and keep warm with complimentary hot beverages and snacks. Includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Fairbanks.
  • Northern Lights tour to Murphy Dome, from Fairbanks
  • Enjoy great views of the Northern Lights from Murphy Dome
  • Watch the spectacular natural light show in Alaska
  • Includes complimentary hot beverages and snacks
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From $110.00

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Beverages
Snacks
Hotel/port pickup and drop-off
Gratuities
Restrooms
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10:30 PM

Hotel pickups commence prior to this time, you must contact the local service provider to verify your exact pickup time.

Pickup times will be between 10:00 PM and 10:45 PM. We will contact you the day before your tour with your exact pickup time. We can only pick up from addresses within the Fairbanks or North Pole city limits. We do not pick up from the airport. If you are staying outside the city limits, we can pick you up at Walmart or another hotel location. Please call our office to discuss what options are available.
After pickup from your Fairbanks hotel, leave the city behind as you travel in a comfortable van to Murphy Dome, located 20 miles (32km) northwest of Fairbanks. Murphy Dome reaches an elevation of 2,930 feet (728 meters) and hosts a former Air Force Station that is now used as a long distance radar station.

From this height, far from the city lights, you can view the Northern Lights as they dance across the sky with breathtaking colors. Take photographs and enjoy the natural light show shimmer in the skies of Alaska.

While waiting for the Northern Lights to appear, you can stay warm in the van and sip a hot beverage accompanied by light snacks.

At the end of your tour, your guide returns you to your Fairbanks hotel.
Itinerary
Pass By:  
Fairbanks
Hotel pickup
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Stop At:  
Murphy Dome
Join us on our tour to one of the most famous Northern Lights viewing spots in and around, located north northwest of Fairbanks, Murphy Dome. Today Murphy Dome Air Force Station (elevation 2930 feet) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. We will leave the city lights behind us in our spacious vans ensuring each guests comfort. Highlights: Travel to Murphy Dome (20 miles west north-west of Fairbanks, was once an Air Force Station, today still in use as a Long Distance Radar Station) Murphy Dome climbs to 2.930 feet (880 meter) above sea level View the breathtaking Northern Lights dance across the sky (360 degree view) Enjoy the opportunity to photograph the Northern Lights for everlasting memories Note: We cannot guarantee the Northern Lights sightings. It is a natural phenomena, which is difficult to predict and impossible to control. Please also note, that the Murphy dome is not a building. This also means that there are no restroom facilities available.
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Duration: 5 hours 
Admission Ticket Free
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Please wear appropriate warm winter clothes
  • We provide hot drinks during the tour.
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • There are no restroom facilities available
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers
  • OPERATED BY Alaska Wildlife Guide LLC
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Learn more about cancellations.

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Q:
What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Northern Lights Viewing at Murphy Dome?
A:The policy on face masks and attendee health is:

  • Face masks provided for travelers
See all safety measures taken by Northern Lights Viewing at Murphy Dome.
Q:
What is the policy on sanitization during Northern Lights Viewing at Murphy Dome?
A:The policies on sanitization are:

  • Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
  • Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
  • Gear/equipment sanitized between use
  • Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
See all safety measures taken by Northern Lights Viewing at Murphy Dome.

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Reviews

4.5
star-4.5
90 Reviews
5 stars
75
4 stars
7
3 stars
2
2 stars
2
1 star
4

Reviews by Viator travelers

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Showing 1-10 of 90 reviews
star-5
Beauty captured with my camera lens
Irma_H
, Apr 2022
This was absolutely amazing! May not be visible to the naked eye, but your camera lens will capture it all! So just keep clicking away with your camera then go back into the warm van, enjoy the hot cocoa, view your pictures and be prepared to be pleasantly surprised!
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HelpfulHelpful1 traveler found this review helpful
star-5
Lexy was amazing..calm...
stephanie_b
, Apr 2022
Lexy was amazing..calm cool collect and informative too. ( as well as funny) She took very good care of us while waiting for lady arora .
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star-5
Beautiful 🤩
Griselle_M
, Apr 2022
So so cold but real worth it Ray our driver picked the perfect spot to see the lights no clouds in the sky you could see everything I even saw a shooting star amazing we had to wait a while but the view after it was a beautiful experience seeing the aurora lights dancing across the sky very worth the wait!
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star-5
Cold
Angelique_H
, Mar 2022
Nice guy knew alot about Alaska was nice 2 meet other people 2 I wish the colors were more vibrant hope I did not. come here at wrong time flew from Florida took about 23 hours. To get here
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HelpfulHelpful1 traveler found this review helpful
star-4
Windy but good
Robin_W
, Mar 2022
RaeDean was awesome! It was very windy but the lights did show up. A little cloudy which hampered it a bit but still incredible. You can't predict the weather! Thank you!!
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star-5
Ray the tour guide.
Katie_R
, Mar 2022
Great experience Ray was so fun. She knew northern light information and made every minute enjoyable.
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star-5
Wonderful view of the Aurora
Michael_S
, Mar 2022
Our guide carefully checked the weather before departing and recommended avoid snow on Murphy Dome. The alternate site he picked provided several lovely views in an uncrowded setting.
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star-5
Bradley family experience
Copelen_B
, Mar 2022
Our guide she was awesome. Got us to an alternate area and it was a phenomenal experience. Thank You
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star-5
Once in a Lifetime Aurora
Betty_B
, Mar 2022
Because weather conditions prevented us from going up to Murphy Dome, our tour guide Angie drove us to Lake Chena. She parked the van on the frozen lake and we had an unobstructed view of the Northern sky. The aurora was already firing on the drive to the lake. The sky lit up almost continuously for the entire 3 hours. The temperature outside the van was 9 degrees. Popping in and out of the van was easy. At one point the aurora was directly overhead. Since my iPone is ancient, I was unable to take pictures of the aurora. Tour guide Angie graciously took pictures of my granddaughter and me using her iPhone and text the pictures to me within minutes. And when the aurora was directly overhead firing off in colors of green and pink, Angie laid on the icy lake and photographed me with the aurora directly over my head as I reached for the sky! Angie also brought snacks and hot chocolate for all. Some chose to view the aurora from inside the van because of the cold. My granddaughter fell asleep in the van after 1 AM. Many jumped in and out of the van for best viewing. My bucket list item of seeing an aurora was more than met this very special night. Thank you organizer Alaska Wildlife Guide LLC and especially Angie! We were lucky Mother Nature put on such a great show that night.
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HelpfulHelpful1 traveler found this review helpful
star-5
Well worth the trip, checked off another item on the bucket list.
Michael_H
, Feb 2022
Even though we were not able to go to Murphys Dome, our guide took us out to Chema Lake to see the lights. She was knowledgeable about the area and helped us to set up our cameras and pointed out when the lights showed up. She was friendly to everybody.
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HelpfulHelpful1 traveler found this review helpful
star-5
Fun and professional tour!
Rob_S
, Feb 2022
Snow dump prevented access to Murphy Dome, so we were diverted to Chena Lake and saw a spectacular show of lights. Our guide Angie was a wealth of local knowledge and even packed us nice snack bags to enjoy during the viewing. Angie helped us find the best camera settings for our photos and really put in the maximum effort to please our group.
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star-5
Ms. Raydene - best tour guide ever!
Huyen_N
, Feb 2022
Our tour guide Raydene is kind, sweet and wonderful. She’s very knowledgeable and also a great van driver. We came up Murphy Dome when the roads were covered in ice but we felt safe. She also made sure everyone in our tour had warm mittens, and she prepared hand warmers and foot warmers for us. We came there in a super windy night but despite the extreme cold and windy she still went to the back of the car to make us hot chocolates and hot teas. She made sure you see the aurora and will go the extra miles for you to be able to see it and take good photos of it. She also helped to take photos for me. She’s one of the best person I’ve met in Fairbanks and I felt fortunate to have her as my tour guide.
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HelpfulHelpful1 traveler found this review helpful
star-4
Clear, windy cold night with nice aurora view and a warm van.
Stella_D
, Feb 2022
The evening was clear but very cold and windy on Murphy Dome. Our guide Raedene did her utmost to position us for protection from the wind with slight success. The aurora did not start it’s middle intensity display until less than an hour before our scheduled return to the hotel, so Raedene asked everyone if they wanted to extend and we did so for more than an hour extra. Snack bags with water and some chips and cookies were provided to each person as well as hot (actually warm due to quick chilling by the wind) chocolate, coffee and tea via hotpot’s of water in the van, whenever requested. Except for numerous 5 minute durations out of the van, we all appreciated getting back in the van to warm up. Murphy Dome is a small mountain about 2000 feet above and overlooking Fairbanks. The aurora was mid intensity that night but still impressive and some good photos were taken by other participants. The only thing that adequate clothing could not compensate was no restroom (not even a pot-a-potty neither on the route to and from Murphy Dome nor on the dome summit nowhere) from 10:00 pm hotel pickup to 4:30 am return to the hotel. Charlie Brown frowns or try to find privacy behind a snow bank on the summit.
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HelpfulHelpful1 traveler found this review helpful
star-1
Scary and disappointing
Alexis_G
, Feb 2022
This was easily one of the most scary experiences I've had. The guide was not communicative at all. We were sat in the very back of the van and the windows were frosted from the inside so we spent close to 4 hours not being able to see anything whatsoever. At some points the lights came out for 5 minutes but because our windows were frosted we were unable to see it. The guides driving was erratic and aggressive, leaving us sore with how the car was jumping on the ice. After the last pickup she forgot to close the van door and started driving. We sat in the car for maybe 2 hours waiting to see something while our guide was on the phone. Otherwise dead silence the whole time, at one point I over heard her say she saw it again for a minute but it went away. This was not communicated so we were not able to experience it. Around 2am she drove off without saying anything to anyone and started dropping us off. I realize it was not guaranteed that we'd see anything, but at least being able to see out the window while feeling safe would've been nice
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icon Response from Host , Feb 2022
We are sorry to hear that your experience on this tour was less than stellar. The safety of our guests is always the top priority for us here at Alaska Wildlife Guide. This winter Alaska has gotten a lot more snow than usual as well as a wonderful freezing rain storm after Christmas. The Department of Transportation has been working diligently on clearing the roads but most of the roads have snow and ice packed down on them. This makes driving on the roads bumpy at times and can be felt even more in our passenger van versus a passenger car. In regards to the windows fogging up, we are working on rectifying this situation on all of our vans. It can be difficult to keep all the windows from fogging up while we have a full van with air temperatures outside below 20* and we are sorry that you did not get to see the lights if they did come out. We expect nothing but excellent customer service from all of our employees and it sounds like this was not what you received. The guide has been talked to and is working on bettering her communication while on the tour. Again, we do apologize that you did not have an amazing experience with us. If you would like to further discuss your experience, please feel free to contact us during normal business hours. If you are even back in Alaska we hope that you will give us another chance to provide an amazing experience.
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HelpfulHelpful1 traveler found this review helpful
star-2
Short change
Reynaldo_M
, Feb 2022
10:15 Pick up @hotel 11:45 - arrive@site Around 1:10am Aurora showed for maybe 5 min and the guide decided to go back to hotel right away Exactly 2:30 am we are in the hotel and we supposed be back @ 4am. The guide don’t even wait a little longer maybe aurora will show up again. Its Frustrating !
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icon Response from Host , Feb 2022
Reynaldo, We were sad to hear that you had a less than excellent experience with us on your Northern Lights and Murphy Dome tour. While we always hope that the Northern Lights will put on a show for our tours, it is never a guarantee. Some tours have seen amazing shows with a Kp index of 2 while other tours have seen no lights with a Kp index of 6. The weather also plays a huge factor in being able to visually see the lights. Looking back at the trip logs for your tour, it seems as though it was a cloudy night with a Kp index of 3. Unfortunately, the lights were only out for a small period of time that night due to the cloud cover. Please feel free to contact our office during normal business hours if you would like to discuss your trip experience in further detail.
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star-5
Great experience and a view despite long odds
Tom_S
, Jan 2022
The weather and sky conditions did not cooperate but our guide, Lexie (sp?) was fabulous. Well-informed and cheerful. And lo and behold that despite the heavy overcast we had a brief glimpse of what must have been a powerful aurora that shone through the clouds. Well done! As was said in Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, everything will be all right in the end, and if it’s not all right, it’s not the end. Turned out to be true.
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star-5
Bucket list checked
pilsook_l
, Dec 2021
Couldn’t go to murphy dome because of the weather and road conditions but It didn’t really matter I saw the beautiful northern lights… she was very kind and she knew where we can see the lights
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star-5
Amazing Northern Lights Experience
Julius_L
, Dec 2021
It’s our first time in Alaska and we’re so blessed to have been able to see the Northern Lights on the evening of Winter Solstice 2021. Radine, our driver/guide, did an amazing job in running this tour. Highly recommended!
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star-3
Could have been better
Vicki_H
, Dec 2021
Be aware that there are NO restroom facilities for this excursion. We did not see any lights, but that was due to cloud cover. The tour advertises hot drinks and snacks, but you can't drink coffee or tea without a bathroom! There were 8 on our trip and no one had food or drink.
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icon Response from Host , Feb 2022
We are very sorry that you did not have an excellent experience on your tour with us Vicki. It is clearly marked on our website that this tour does not have any restroom facilities available while at Murphy Dome. We try our best to relay this message when booking and confirming your tour with us. The guides try to make the opportunity to utilize restrooms before heading out to Murphy Dome whenever possible. We strive on providing and excellent experience on our tours, and we are very sorry that this was not your experience on this tour. Please feel free to contact our office during normal business hours to further discuss this matter.
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star-5
We didn’t see lights but had an adventure.
Steven_J
, Dec 2021
The lights are tricky, and theres no guarantees but the service provided was excellent and the operator was knowledgeable. Good luck on your quest!
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