Where You Can Experience Long Winter Nights on Fishing Excursions in Alaska

Alaska is known throughout the world as one of the most beautiful places on earth. There are gorgeous natural features to admire, from snowy mountains to massive glaciers to expansive green forests. Alaska is also known for its unique cycles of night and day. Because of its proximity to the North Pole and the earth’s rotation and revolution around the sun, certain parts of Alaska go dark in the winter and the sun doesn’t rise on them again for months. In addition, these parts of Alaska have a phenomenon known as “midnight sun,” where the sun stays in the sky for nearly three months nonstop. Find out more about these long days and nights and where you can experience this incredible natural phenomenon.

Long winters in Barrow, Alaska

Barrow is the northernmost city in the United States and the ninth northernmost city in the world. It is located 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and it is subject to extreme changes in exposure to sunlight. Seasonal changes are caused by the Earth’s axial tilt as it relates to the sun. A person in the continental United States experiences longer days during the summer and shorter days during the winter as the Earth rotates around the sun throughout the year. Because of how far north Barrow is, these seasonal changes are far more extreme.

For 60 days during the winter, usually between November 18 and January 22, the sun does not rise over the horizon. This phenomenon is called polar night, and it is unique to just a few cities in the far north of the world. After the winter solstice, twilight in Barrow becomes longer and longer until the sun eventually rises again. Because of this, Barrow doesn’t stay pitch black throughout its 60 days of night. Rather, it becomes lighter and darker during different times of the day without there being any actual sunrise.

In the summer, Barrow has midnight sun from May through August. For 80 consecutive days, the sun never sets in Barrow. However, despite nearly three months of continuous sunlight, the temperature in Barrow has an average high of just 47°F in the middle of July. Because of the unique daytime and nighttime cycles in Barrow and its proximity to the North Pole, lots of people choose to visit Barrow to experience polar night or midnight sun, and even go on fishing excursions in Alaska.

Fishing excursions in Alaska

Alaska is full of amazing and surprising sights, and you can experience them on one of Phantom Tri-River Charters’ celebrated fishing excursions in Alaska. We are a fishing charter service with 25 years of experience providing guests with an incredible adventure out on the water. We can help you plan an unforgettable fishing trip for you and your friends. We provide you with all of the equipment and professional instruction you need to successfully reel in a catch, and we can even provide you with help finding local accommodations. Contact us today to begin planning your next fishing trip!