Frequently Asked Questions about Bettles Lodge.

What is it like to visit Bettles Lodge?

1. Are there hairdryers in the rooms or should I bring one? Yes, we have hairdryers in our 4 Jacuzzi rooms and in the 4 common bathrooms in the Aurora Lodge.
2. Shared/Common bathrooms have a lockable door, sink, toilet and shower.
3. Jacuzzi rooms have an in room toilet, sink & jetted Jacuzzi brand bathtub, no shower.
4. What time will the airplane pick me up in Bettles? Flight arrival/departure times in Bettles are variable due to other village stops on the way here possibly.
5. What time does my flight get back to Fairbanks? Arrival times back in Fairbanks are variable due to other village stops after you get picked up in Bettles, but usually by/before 6 pm.
6. Does the Lodge sell fishing licenses? Nope, but you can print a non-resident fishing license from home, check-out https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=license.main
7. Aurora Lodge has 8 hotel rooms total, 4 Jacuzzi rooms w/toilet, sink, jetted Jacuzzi bathtub, 4 Standard rooms with no plumbing in them, use the 4 common bathrooms all in the same building, a step or three down/across the hall.
8. How early in the year can you see Aurora? We’ve seen the Aurora (very faintly) as early as August 8th but the closer you get to Winter Solstice (Dec 21/22) the better chance you have because of more “dark” night.
9. How late can you see the Aurora? Usually, April 15th is about the latest to see weak Aurora as astronomical twilight stops ending, then dark night, then beginning again for dawn about April 2nd. This year 2023 there was an intense geomagnetic storm that was seen even in south Texas on April 23 rd 2023! (but not usually).
10. Do I need to “bullseye” the New Moon for the darkest nights? No, a week preceding or after the actual New Moon are equally as good, and a little moon actually makes for more interesting photos. Our Star (the sun) is in charge of how intense the show is, when it displays or, can we see it even before “dark” night? how long it lasts etc. Now… all we need are clear enough skies
    to see stars & planets, and YOU have to be awake and outside looking up!
11. Does Spring Equinox make for much better Aurora? Not necessarily… the sun may or may not be throwing CME material or hot fast solar wind out of a Coronal Hole (hole in the sun’s magnetic shield that lets faster solar wind pile up like sand on a shovel blade), and we might have thick enough clouds to not be able to see the Aurora on any day/night of the year.
12. Can I book dog sled rides or snow machine tours before I arrive during the colder months? Nope, we’ll advise you what is prudent and possible once you arrive in Bettles. Mother Nature dictates all we do here year-round.
13. Will you wake us up if the Aurora comes out after we’ve retired for the night? Yep, we have an employee dedicated to just this, until 2 am when their shift ends. We always advise to set your alarm for 2 am and if you haven’t had a knock on your door, get up and outside and check, if you’re serious about catching the Aurora. If you see Aurora, please wake up the other Guests!
14. When is the best time for catching the Aurora? I go with pure statistics… the two weeks surrounding the two or three, new moons closest to winter solstice. There are actually times during any day of the year, that if it were dark, at our latitude, that we could see Aurora.
15. Do more nights booked during the warmer months when I have a “National Park Collector Wilderness Adventure” tour booked give me a better chance to get in to the two Arctic National Parks? Not necessarily… Our small venue can do one of these tours per day, for up to 6 passengers and it wouldn’t be fair to “bump” the folks scheduled for the next day’s tour. That being said, if weather stops us from flying one day, if you do book an extra night or two the other air service that operates in Bettles during the summer may have an opening as they typically hire several Pilots and operate a larger Air Taxi Service.
16. Is R/T air transportation included in the package price? Yep, and it’s actually listed as 1. On the package inclusions list.
17. When do you have enough snow for dog sled rides and snowmachine tours? Historically late October/early November. We typically are two weeks ahead of Fairbanks for snowfall then two weeks behind for “thaw” in the spring. It’s all up to Mother Nature, just like everything else is!
18. One motorboat/float trip is included in your package during the summer months, for a stay of 3 nights or more, and all dependent on river level. Mother Nature is the Boss!
19. Winter flight-see is (like everything else) dependent on Mother Nature i.e. temperature, visibility, wind, etc… AND having a Commercial Pilot in Bettles to be able to do that. Winter flight-see typically is available in February & March, when/if we have a Commercial Pilot on staff.
20. Are there signs where I can take my/our picture in the Arctic National Parks? Nope, as aforementioned, this is unadulterated Mother Nature. We know EVERYONE wants to “have proof” that they’ve actually stepped foot in both Arctic National Parks so we do have a double-sided sign, one side “Gates of the Arctic” and the other “Kobuk Valley” National Park/s. You are of course invited to make your own version/s of this if you like! That being said, if weather stops us from flying one day, if you do book an extra night or two the other air service that operates in Bettles during the summer may have an opening as they typically hire several Pilots and operate a larger Air Taxi Service.
21. Is R/T air transportation included in the package price? Yep, and it’s actually listed as 1. On the package inclusions list.
22. When do you have enough snow for dog sled rides and snowmachine tours? Historically late October/early November. We typically are two weeks ahead of Fairbanks for snowfall then two weeks behind for “thaw” in the spring. It’s all up to Mother Nature, just like everything else is! One motorboat/float trip is included in your package during the summer months, for a stay of 3
    nights or more, and all dependent on river level. Mother Nature is the Boss!
23. Winter flight-see is (like everything else) dependent on Mother Nature i.e. temperature, visibility, wind, etc… AND having a Commercial Pilot in Bettles to be able to do that. Winter flight-see typically is available in February & March, when/if we have a Commercial Pilot on staff.
24. Are there signs where I can take my/our picture in the Arctic National Parks? Nope, as afore mentioned, this is unadulterated Mother Nature. We know EVERYONE wants to “have proof” that they’ve actually stepped foot in both Arctic National Parks so we do have a double-sided sign, one side “Gates of the Arctic” and the other “Kobuk Valley” National Park/s. You are of
    course invited to make your own version/s of this if you like!