Things to Do in North Pole, Alaska

North Pole is a small Christmas-themed city 13 miles south-east of Fairbanks, and most people come for Santa Claus House, which costs nothing to walk into. The shop takes about an hour, so the day works best when you pair it with something outdoors nearby. Our pick is Rod’s Dog Sledding and Mushing Experience: a 30-minute husky ride in North Pole from $115, rated 4.9 from 126 reviews, with all the winter clothing provided.

Is North Pole, Alaska the Real North Pole?

No. The geographic North Pole is in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, about 1,700 miles further north. North Pole, Alaska is a real city of 2,243 people (2020 census), incorporated in 1953, that has leaned into its name ever since. The streetlights are painted like candy canes and the roads include Santa Claus Lane, St. Nicholas Drive and Kris Kringle Drive.

It is not in the Arctic Circle either. The town sits at 64°45′N, roughly 125 miles south of the circle at 66°33′N. Crossing it means a full day up the Dalton Highway on one of the Arctic Circle tours.

Getting there is easy: about 20 minutes from Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway, which is paved and maintained all winter.

Santa Claus House and the Reindeer

Con and Nellie Miller opened Santa Claus House as a trading post in 1952, and it served as North Pole’s first post office for about 20 years. The Miller family still runs it from the building at 101 St. Nicholas Drive, where it moved in 1972. Inside is a large Christmas shop. Outside stands a fiberglass Santa more than 40 feet tall, in place since 1984 and repainted in September 2026.

Browsing the shop and seeing the displays is free. So is seeing the reindeer through the fence during Silver Bell Square hours. The paid in-the-pen reindeer experience runs only in summer and is closed until summer 2027. Children can also order a letter from Santa with a North Pole postmark, a tradition the shop has kept up for nearly 75 years.

Hours change with the season. In 2026 the shop opened daily 10am to 7pm from late May to mid-September and 10am to 6pm from mid-September to the end of December, closing on Thanksgiving and December 25 to 27. Santa meets visitors Wednesday to Sunday until November 8 and daily from November 9. Check the shop’s website for January to May hours before you go.

Next door, Christmas in Ice fills a park with ice sculptures, slides and a maze. Recent seasons have run from about late November to early January, but 2026–27 dates have not been published, and the event has been cancelled once for lack of ice. Check before you plan around it.

Pick by What You Want

Every tour below runs in or beside North Pole. Prices and ratings are GetYourGuide’s current figures.

The first four are run by Rod’s Alaskan Guide Service, whose kennel and snowmachine trails are on Repp Road in North Pole and whose ice-fishing cabins sit on Chena Lake just outside town. The snowmachine (the Alaskan word for a snowmobile) tour starts with a practice ride, and the guide sets the trail to your driving. Drivers need a valid licence, and passengers must be at least 5.

The Winter City Tour suits visitors without a rental car. It picks up from selected Fairbanks hotels, visits the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the Museum of the North (entry included), and finishes the afternoon at Santa Claus House. A photo with Mr. and Mrs. Claus is possible but not guaranteed. The Half-Day Ice Fishing Excursion from the same operator is the cheapest fishing trip here at $150, with hotel pickup within city limits on some options. It has only three reviews so far.

For every dog sledding option in the area, see our Fairbanks dog sledding tours comparison.

What the Sled Ride Is Like

You meet the dogs before you meet the sled. Your musher talks through how the Alaskan Huskies are raised at the kennel from puppies, then you settle into a custom-built sled while the team does the work. The trail runs through snowy forest, and reviewers mention mushers stopping for photos with the dogs. Thirty minutes suits most families.

Northern Lights at Chena Lake

Yes, you can see the aurora from North Pole. Chena Lakes Recreation Area, just outside town and about 17 miles from Fairbanks, is a listed aurora-viewing spot, with open sky over the lake and far less city glow than downtown. Rod’s aurora ice-fishing trip runs late at night (10pm to 3am on the operator’s schedule) in a heated cabin, with reindeer sausage, hot cocoa and your catch grilled on site. Our northern lights tours cover the rest of the aurora options from Fairbanks.

Season and Conditions

Rod’s opens each activity once there is enough snow or ice, typically around November 1. The sled dogs need 8 inches of snow, the snowmachines 12 inches, and the fishing cabins 6 inches of clear ice. Dog sledding and ice fishing run into early April and the snowmachines through April. Snowmachine tours do not run on Wednesdays. If the weather cancels a snowmachine tour, you are offered another date or a full refund, and every tour on this page has free cancellation on GetYourGuide.

Expect real cold. Fairbanks averages a January high of about 0.6°F and a low near -17°F, and North Pole’s record is -67°F. Rod’s provides boots, bibs, jacket, gloves and hat on the dog and snowmachine tours, with heated helmets on the machines. Bring your own warm base layers.

Practical Notes

• Getting there: Rod’s tours do not include hotel pickup. Drive yourself or arrange transport with Rod’s for $50 per person.
• Ages: Rod’s takes no children under 3 on the sleds, and ages 3 to 4 only when it is warmer than 10°F. Snowmachine passengers and ice fishers must be at least 5.
• Fishing licence: required for non-residents aged 16 and over, even on a guided trip. A one-day licence is $15 online from Alaska Fish and Game.

For the full snowmachine and fishing line-ups, see our Fairbanks snowmobile tours and ice fishing tours pages.

Fitting It Around Aurora Nights

If you are out until 2am chasing the lights, North Pole makes an easy late-morning or early-afternoon outing. Santa Claus House and a sled ride fit into three hours with the drive, leaving time to rest in Fairbanks before the evening. The aurora ice-fishing trip works the other way: it is your night out, so keep the next morning free. Our guide to day trips from Fairbanks in winter sorts the other outings by drive time.

North Pole in Summer

Summer is quieter. Santa Claus House stays open until 7pm, and the in-the-pen reindeer experience usually runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. There is no snow, so the sled and snowmachine tours above do not run; some Fairbanks kennels switch to wheeled carts and kennel visits instead.

A Longer Day Out: Castner Glacier

Some visitors combine North Pole with the Castner Glacier ice cave, but it is a long day. The trailhead is about 145 miles from Fairbanks at Richardson Highway milepost 217 to 218, past Delta Junction, followed by a 2.6-mile round-trip hike on unmarked routes. October to April is the best time for the cave, and there are no facilities at the trailhead, so fill up in Delta Junction.

For most visits, Santa Claus House and the dogs make the better half day. Check availability for Rod’s sled ride.