RustyC

September is a wonderful month to go and I've probably done 15 trips in September since my very first in 1997 (in October). Have also noticed that fall seems to come later and some of the roads have lots of dips due to collpsing permafrost (i.e. climate change).

With Fairbanks I usually aim for the weekend after Labor Day, as you see the fall colors with the aspens in the nearby hills (some views are like a sea of gold and green, from evergreens). The Friday after Labor Day is usually the last day of the season for the Pioneer Park salmon bake, where they also usually have prime rib and crab legs to draw in locals (but the salmon is still the best).

Denali has always been tricky for me. I booked a bus tour but it couldn't go the full route one year, while on another I was able to drive maybe 30 miles in about a week after the road-lottery days because the roads were still passable. Hard to tell. There's also uncertainty about whether the mountain is clouded over, etc. My composite for all those years is pretty good, but to come out with a big prize like the alpenglow photo of the mountain reflected in Wonder Lake you really need everything to align at once, which is rare.

The FAI-ANC drive can be great in itself, especially if you can go the Parks Highway (past Denali) in one direction and the Richardson in the other. The Richardson (+ the Glenn) are actually more scenic IMO, but both are very worthwhile even though it's 6-8 hours without stops.

I see the aurora on only maybe 1 in 3 trips...you have some chance in September but it's usually not like the colder months. Last year some Koreans at my hotel went on a night trip with an aurora-hunter tourguide, so maybe people are doing that.

As for roads, most should be fine in September as far as ice & snow...Denali is one of the first places to get it, but I've never had a problem anywhere else except one year around the Dalton Highway Sept. 20-ish. Fall and the fall colors can really be delightful, though it seems to be slipping to closer to the second weekend after Labor Day in FAI for the peak (maybe call it 9 days after Labor Day) and the Sept. 20-30 range for ANC.

I do want to get to Nome one of these days, but the lodging choices and car choices always seem extremely limited, like the place is still largely off the grid.