2026 Iditarod Race Start and Northern Lights Tour .
This tour combines our very popular 7 Day Race Start guided tour with a 4 day self-guided tour add-on to Fairbanks and the Chena Hot Springs Resort. The aurora borealis has fascinated man for centuries and is truly a natural wonder no one should miss. Bands of green, red, purple and white streaking across the sky are symbolic of winter nights in the arctic. This tour takes you to one of the best places in Alaska for viewing the aurora: Chena Hot Springs Resort . Chena Hot Springs is a rustic resort nestled in the Chena Hills and has a wonderful outdoor pool that is perfect for watching the aurora streak across the sky. Sixty miles away from Fairbanks, the resort is beyond the interference of the city's lights and even has heated viewing huts on a remote mountain to further enhance the viewing pleasure. Staying at the resort for 3 nights gives you the best chance of seeing the aurora. Optional activities such as dogmushing, snowmobiling, skiing, hiking and snowshoeing make it the perfect place for a winter getaway.
11 Day Race Start and Chena Hot Springs Tour Highlights
Learn about dog mushing and ride the runners on a 6 mile dog sled ride at Happy Trails Kennel
Attend the ceremonial Iditarod Race Start in Anchorage
Attend the Iditarod Race restart in Willow
Attend the Mushers Meet and Greet followed by the Mushers Banquet
Visit to the Iditarod Museum in Wasilla
Visit to the Anchorage Museum of History and Art
Informative guided tour of Anchorage
Attend the Iditarod Race restart in Willow
Fly out to either the Rainy Pass or Finger Lake Checkpoint
3 night stay at Chena Hot Springs, one of Alaska's premier locations for Aurora displays
Tour of the Ice Museum at CHSR
Snowcoach ride to a remote aurora viewing hut in the Chena Hills
Informative geothermal energy tour and Aurora Ice Museum Tour
Three days to relax and soak in the hot springs lake
Cost and Details
March 4 - March 13, 2026. $6000 pp. shared accommodation, single supplement $1300.
Price includes all local taxes.
Tour cost Includes
Lodging at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel and Chena Hot Springs Resort
Dog Mushing at Happy Trails kennel
Group meals as indicated on the itinerary
Meet and Greet and Musher's Banquet tickets
Transportation and admission to all activities and events listed
Flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks
Ground Transportation between Fairbanks and Chena Hot Springs
