Planning a trip to Anchorage and Fairbanks over the Thanksgiving holidays in the hopes of seeing the Northern Lights.

Wondering if anyone has some practical tips about getting from Anchorage to Fairbanks and potentially further north above the Arctic Circle.

I realize this will be winter and there is no predicting the weather, but is the distance drivable in a day? What kinds of potential road conditions am I likely to encounter? I presume I should stock the car with winter gear, food and other survival gear in case we get stuck. Any other hazard that wouldn't be immediately obvious that I should be planning on? Also, how much am I going to have to plan for food and gas stops along the way, given that many places are closed for the winter?

Does anyone have experience with this type of trip?

Thanks for all the help! Maria

When I was a child living in a semi-rural neighborhood north of Seattle, we would some years see the northern lights in September:

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/reso...n-lights_x.htm

If the northern lights are your objective, I would look into spending some time at Chena Hot Springs outside of Fairbanks. I would not try for north of the Arctic Circle unless that is some personal milestone you seek.

Juts as there's nothing certain about the weather, there's also no sure-fire predictions about the aurora -- although some of the online resources that I've posted on previous threads might help.

http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/

As for driving, it is do-able in one long day. Prepare for it as you would any northern winter trip with appropriate gear and caution. It's actually easier than many U.S. drives because there are no big mountain passes involved.

Planning stops should not that be that big of a deal. It's a fairly busy year-round highway with a decent spacing of towns/services. There will be no shortage of gas, but because it's potentially cold and snowy you'll want to keep the tank at least half full anyway.

Road conditions will vary with the weather but as one of the state's major roads, they do a good job keeping the surface plowed and dry.

Repete - Thanks for the good advice. Sounds like it is less difficult than I imagines. Will plan accordingly.
Chena Hot Springs looks lik a wonderfully fun place to stay a couple of nights.

A couple of notes regarding driving between Anchorage and Fairbanks in the winter -

It will be cold and dark. Daylight hours are very short at that time of the year, and combined with cold, possibly deep cold (-20F or colder) one should not underestimate the risk of a breakdown or other trouble at night, in a whiteout, etc. The Parks Hwy is traveled, but not heavily so, and unless you're familiar with winter driving it's really not much fun. The road is not especially scenic either.

In terms of cost, you'd probably need to look at driving both ways, since most rental agencies will stick you with a pretty high drop fee for a one-way rental (if they'll approve it at all in the winter.) I think you'd find that the combination of car rental fees, possible drop fees, etc., would compare unfavorably with just flying all the way, and use a rental car just for the bits between Fairbanks and Chena, if that's your destination. Flying would certainly make better use of your time - you'd need to allow a full day for driving in each direction, and not a very relaxing day at that.

Just my opinion.

I have done two winter Alaska trips. You don't mention how much time you have, but IF aurora are your priority, you are best to consider at least 2 weeks. It is vitally important to daily look at the above prediction site. Not only do you need an active prediction, you need clear skys, meaning no clouds and dark nights. Even a full moon will greatly diminish viewing.

I would look at breaking up the drive Anchorage/Fairbanks. I did overnights in Talkeetna and Healy. No way to predict road conditions, one trip had a lot of ice, other had clear roads.

IF you aren't investing in the time, it is hardly worth getting up to Fairbanks with only a couple days. You can get great aurora viewing from Talkeetna/Healy.