1st Alaska Outdoor School - Fairbanks, Alaska

Arvindh Shyam Sundar

We had read beforehand that Aurora was a very hit or miss experience as it ultimately comes down to Mother Nature. However, when a visitor is making a trip with nervousness that they may not see what they came for, it is the experience that counts. Even if you do see the lights, experience provided by a professional tour operator just takes it to a different level.

Right from the booking and making the reservation, we had a very nice experience. The lady was very informative, and suggested days when Aurora could be highly probable. The hotel pickup was sharp on time, if not a few minutes early. Our guide Ryan was incredibly knowledgeable about Alaska in general and was just incredible to listen to so many informational tidbits that are quintessential to the Alaskan culture and way of life that always leaves you longing for more..

The dog sled ride was also beyond incredible. We were initially nervous about making this sled ride at night, but our dog mushers were so friendly and informative that we were at ease from the get go, and had such an unforgettable experience. At the end of the ride, when our fingers and toes needed some warmth, we were welcomed with warm drinks and delicious dinner. We were skeptical of the vegetarian dinner options initially, but the hot food prepared by the host were really yummy and absolutely delicious.

Aurora for us showed up only at the end of our tour, towards 1:30 am and it was absolutely mesmerizing.

Would recommend 1st Alaska Tours for an unforgettable experience !

Christina Shamon

Did the Aurora dinner with dog sled tour where they take you out to these beautiful, cozy yurts where you head downhill to see the kennels, do a moonlight dog sled with an experienced musher who has incredible stories, back to the yurt to warm up with hot beverages, then a wonderful Alaskan dinner. You get to sit in the cozy yurts waiting for the lights to make an appearance while getting to know the staff and your tour group. It was the best night of my entire life and I am so grateful for the group and our amazing tour guide, Eliza, who made this experience extra special. You can also book just the yurt viewing lodge on its own, or viewing lodge plus dinner or combine with dog sledding too like I did. Got super lucky with the lights that evening too.

Sun Moon

We had a city tour in Fairbanks with Ryan. It was incredibly fun. We saw the north museum where you get to take very beautiful pictures from the top, Santa clause house and another museum in downtown.
Ryan shared a lot of information with us. He is very patient and fun!

Tom Hunk

You should not book their Aurora tour before you arrive Fairbanks, unless you very sure the weather is perfect. They don't allow you cancel or reschedule, even Fairbanks is snowing. They just drop you at a certain Loge or Murphy Dome, and do nothing. Even trough weather is not bad, you still need some lucky, Aurora may not show in sky where you are looking for. They actually only provide you a shuttle van service.

Camilo Nieva

Came to visit Fairbanks with the family and found the best dog sledding tour! Joe picked us from our hotel, warmed us with an incredible sense of humor, things to do in the area and very interesting stories while we headed out for our adventure. Tyler was our guide, showed us what these beautiful dogs are capable of, fun facts and lots of cool jumps and even some drift ?. Dinner was great, Peggy cooked the best dinner, local salmon and red wine to top off the night. Adam made sure things were going smooth showing his experience on these snowy terrains. 100% recommended! Try it !

Elaine MA

The Arctic Circle tour guided by the military-veteran, Josh, was the highlight of my trip! The Dalton highway was so dangerous in the winter, but Josh drove it with skill and confident. Josh also very kind and knowledgeable about the area and told many facts and stories. He took care of everyone from feeding us hot cocoa, hunting aurora, to make the restroom stops. Thank you, Josh!

Nandini Jayakumar

I am a little late with writing the review, and today I finally got some time to write. I and my Husband had a fantastic experience with 1st Alaska outdoor school. Our guide, Ed was so knowledgeable and friendly and we had a great time on his tour(Chena hot springs tour). We were all a little disappointed as a group when we couldn't see the Aurora, but Ed kept us all really busy with his stories and experiences with Aurora sightings.

Another experience with 1st Alaska we had was, a van ride from Denali to Fairbanks and if I remember correctly, his name is Josh, and he drove us. Josh was so accommodating and friendly and we enjoyed his company. We were also picked up and dropped off on time, and given that we had a flight to catch in the evening, we found him to be very efficient.

I have just a suggestion, as an area for improvement. You should have more staff members to attend calls, or find an alternate way to account for coverage, as I faced difficulty with getting a hold of the representative on the same day. But overall, it was a great experience with the tours.

jerilynn65

The Aurora dinner dogsled & city tour were EXCEPTIONAL! Joseph is a knowledgeable and pleasant tour guide! Bob Emma and team put on a wonderful salmon dinner & dog sled tour under the stars.
I highly recommend both tours!