Fairbanks

Fairbanks' climate is subarctic bordering on continental, with frigid winters from October to April, short spring and fall seasons, and warm summers from May to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 73 °F (23 °C) and average lows of 52 °F (11 °C); January is the coldest month, with average highs barely above 0 °F (−18 °C) and average lows of −18 °F (−28 °C). Being in a valley and far from any large body of water, Fairbanks sees little seasonal lag in both winter and summer.

As Fairbanks is located near the Arctic Circle, one can expect huge variation of daylight, in June the sun is up from 3AM to 12:45AM, but it never gets dark during the wee hours, in the winter the sun is only up from 10:45AM to 2:45PM.

• 🌍 Fairbanks International Airport (FAI  ^IATA), 6450 Airport Way. Flights from remote destinations in Alaska's interior and international destinations. The main carriers are Everts Air, Warbelow's Air Ventures, Wright Air Service. There are international charter flights from Canada (Air North) and seasonal flights from Germany (Condor). There are domestic flights from Chicago (ORD ^IATA), Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA ^IATA). Airlines that operate flights from the lower 48 include Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines. Direct flights throughout the intrastate include Anchorage, Utqiaġvik (Barrow). It is served by 40-Mile Air, Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air, Everts Air, Penair, Ravn Alaska, Warbelow's Air Ventures, Wright Air Service.

There are several highways that reach Fairbanks.

• Highway 2
  • Fairbanks can be reached driving west from Whitehorse, Yukon. In the Yukon, the highway is named Highway 1, until it enters Alaska. The 1488 miles (2395 km) portion of the highway between Delta Junction (66 miles (106 km) east of Fairbanks) and Dawson Creek, British Columbia is known as the Alaska Highway
  • Fairbank can also be reached driving east from Manley Hot Springs.
• Highway 3 (George Parks Highway) - Fairbanks can be reached driving north from Wasilla. The quickest route from Anchorage is to take Highway 1 and transfer to Highway 3.
• Highway 6 - Fairbanks can be reached driving southwest from Circle.

If you are driving up from Anchorage, the Highway 3 (George Parks Highway) is a beautiful trip. Plan plenty of time in your schedule for sight-seeing, meals and photographs. During the summer, when the roads are clear, the trip can easily be made in 7 or 8 hours, with stops for snacks and bathroom breaks - depending on road construction and motorhome-convoy-slowdowns. You will pass through Denali National Park on your way which is a popular attraction. However, if you plan to stay the night have reservations well in advance. By "lower-48" standards, accommodation near the park is either "4-star" or "rustic". Both can be pricey, but worth every penny, especially if you spend a day in the park.

Though many think Denali Park is the highlight of the trip there are long stretches of breath-taking beauty. It is not uncommon to see moose, caribou, dall sheep, bear, and other wildlife along the road - have your camera ready. There are plenty of gas stations scattered along the route, but as expected, the prices are much higher than in Anchorage or Fairbanks. Fill up before you leave.

There are several good places to eat along the way as well. Most places will have specialties like reindeer or buffalo on the menu as well as more traditional fare.

All in all, you should make the drive at least once. It's worth it.

• Interior Alaska Bus Line, ☏ +1-800-770-6652, akbus2@aptalaska.net. Year round service on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday between Tok and Anchorage, and Tok and Fairbanks. Trips between Tok and Anchorage stop along the way at locations including Glennallen and Palmer. Trips between Tok and Fairbanks stop along the way at locations including Delta Junction. Trips depart from Tok in the morning and return to Tok in afternoon. Therefore to travel involving switching between the routes at Tok requires multiple nights stay in Tok. Be sure to reserve in advance and allow some flexibility in your schedule as buses may be rescheduled based on demand. Travel time from Tok is 3.5-4 hours and from Delta Junction is 1.75-2 hours. (updated Aug 2022)

During the summer the Alaska Railroad provides daily service between Anchorage and Fairbanks, stopping in Denali National Park and other spots along the way. Trains depart Anchorage at 8:15AM, arriving in Fairbanks at 8PM. Winter services are limited to one service on Saturdays. Fares vary throughout the season, with rates between $167 and $210 for a one-way ticket.

• 🌍 Fairbanks Depot railway station, 1031 Alaska Railroad Depot Rd. (updated Oct 2020)

By far, the easiest way to get around Fairbanks is by car. Major car rental companies are based at the airport.

Multiple taxi companies provide transportation throughout the city.

• MACS. M-Sa. Although infrequent there are public buses that provide transportation around the downtown area including to North Pole (Alaska). Some buses only operate on weekdays. $1.50 or $3/daypass, as of June 2021 freedom to COVID-19. (updated Jun 2021)

If you are visiting Fairbanks mid-May through the end of September, there are several tours that allow tourists to learn the history and culture of Fairbanks. The tours described below are the most popular and advised tours to take while visiting Fairbanks. All major lodges in the area can set you up on a number of local tours.

• 🌍 Riverboat Discovery, 1975 Discovery Dr, ☏ +1 907 479-6673, toll-free: +1 866-479-6673, info@riverboatdiscovery.com. Daily 2PM. This tour lasts three and a half hours. While enjoying a beautiful day on the Chena River, you will have the opportunity to see and learn a lot about Alaskan Native culture and Fairbanks. This tour demonstrates a bush pilot airplane taking off from the Chena River. The tour stops for an hour at the Chena Indian Village where passengers are taken through a tour by Alaskan Native guides. The riverboat also stops at an Athabascan fishing village where passengers see how fish are cut and prepared. One of the most exciting aspects of this tour is that you are able to witness "Nuchalawoya," an Athabascan Indian term meaning "the wedding of two rivers"-in this case the Chena and Tanana Rivers. $70/adult, $43/child. (updated Jun 2021)
• 🌍 Gold Dredge 8 (formerly El Dorado Gold Mine), 1803 Old Steese Hwy N, info@golddredge8.com. Daily at 10AM. Another tour run by the same family who operates the Riverboat Discovery. It runs twice a day at 9:45AM and 3PM. However, on Saturdays it only runs at 3PM. This tour begins about 20 minutes outside of Fairbanks and takes you on a two-hour tour of Alaska's gold mining history. The tour begins on a train where you go through a permafrost tunnel. While in the tunnel you are shown how gold miners used to mine underground. Following this, you will learn how miners panned for gold and how current gold miners operate. You will also have the opportunity to talk with Alaskan miners. Each person on the tour gets to pan for actual gold! Everyone finds gold and the staff at the El Dorado Gold Mine will weigh it for you to see how much you found. $43/adult, $27/child. (updated Jun 2021)
• Fairbanks City Tour. Available through Princess Tours, or any of the major lodges in the area. This tour runs everyday at 8:30AM and lasts for three hours. This tour takes you to downtown Fairbanks where you are able to tour Golden Heart Park and the Visitor's Center. While on this tour, you also get to view the Trans-Alaska Pipeline that was built in the 1970s and continues to transport oil to this day. The Fairbanks City Tour takes its passengers to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum and Botanical Gardens. 

• Midnight Sun Baseball Game. Held every summer on Summer Solstice. The Alaska Goldpanners are the farthest north semi-professional baseball team. What makes this event so special is that the sun barely goes down in Fairbanks on Summer Solstice. The game begins at 10:30PM and last the whole nine innings without getting dark. Throughout its one hundred years of existence the Midnight Sun Game has never had to turn on artificial baseball lights. 
• Fairbanks Golden Days. A week-long event that was created to celebrate the discovery of gold in Fairbanks in 1902. The event is usually held toward the end of July. Throughout the week people are able to participate in several activities. However, the highlight of the week is the Golden Days Parade. This parade showcases marching bands, antique cars, clowns, jugglers, and several decorated floats. Enjoy watching the parade as it goes through the heart of Fairbanks. During this week make sure you wear a Golden Days pin or take the risk of getting "arrested" and put in the Golden Days jail! 
• Rubber Duckie Race. Following the Golden Days Parade is the annual Rubber Duckie Race. Every year at this time 6,000 yellow rubber duckies race the Chena River to win cash and prizes worth up to $30,000. 
• The Red-Green Regatta. Another event, associated with golden days. Picture 40 or more homemade "boats" floating down the Chena River all created using liberal amounts of duct tape and imagination. 
• Yukon Quest dog race. This race, held in January or February, starts (or finishes, depending on the year) downtown. (updated Sep 2018)

• 🌍 Pioneer Park, 2300 Airport Way, ☏ +1 907 459-1087, pioneerpark@fnsb.us. Summer noon-8PM, winter 6AM-midnight. Definitely something that all tourists should visit while staying in Fairbanks. Pioneer Park includes several gift shops, the Salmon Bake, the Alaska Civic Center, a ccouple museums, a native village, fishwheel, President Harding's rail car, mining tunnel, miniature golf course, playgrounds, merry-go-rounds, and the S.S. Nenana which is an old sternwheeler that used to travel Alaskan rivers. Pioneer Park is set up like an old Gold Rush Town, which makes the activities and surroundings very fun. free, but some activities and museums charge admission. (updated Jun 2021)
  • Pioneer Air Museum, ☏ +1 907 451-0037, don@pioneerair.museum. Noon-8PM. Historical aviation museum housed in a gold dome. $4/adult, $8/group. (updated Jun 2021)
  • Pioneer Museum (Gold Rush Town section of Pioneer Memorial Park). summer 11AM-8PM. suggested donation $5. (updated Jun 2021)
• 🌍 Chena Hot Springs Resort (60 miles outside of Fairbanks), ☏ +1 907 451-8104, info@chenahotsprings.com. Along your way out to Chena Hot Springs you have a very good chance of seeing moose and other wildlife. Once you arrive at the resort you have a variety of things you can do. The swimming area includes an indoor pool, three indoor hot tubs, an outdoor rock pool, and two outdoor hot tubs all using water from the hot springs. Enjoy relaxing in the rock pool under 24-hour daylight! Another must do while visiting Chena Hot Springs is the Aurora Ice Museum. The resort has a hotel and campground. Camping, cabin rentals, and fantastic hiking opportunities are available throughout the Chena River State recreation area. This area is heavily used by mushers to practice dogsledding in the winter months. Hot springs day pass $15/adult $13/senior $12/child. (updated Jun 2021)
  • Aurora Ice Museum. The largest year-round ice environment. Everything in the museum is made of ice including a bar, polar bear beds, full-size game of chess, and an ice tower. Accessible by guided tour, parka included. Tour $30/adult+beverage, $15/adult, $10/child. (updated Jun 2021)
• The Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Built in 1975 and was constructed to carry oil from the oil port in Prudhoe Bay down to Valdez, Alaska the northernmost ice-free port, covering 800 miles of land. The pipeline has transmitted more than 15 billion barrels of oil since 1975 and continues to carry on average 735,000 barrels of oil every day. This represents approx 3.5% of the United States daily oil consumption. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline is one of the largest pipelines in the world. 
• Dog Sledding. Fairbanks has lots of dog sledding operators and it's a popular winter activity for tourists. During the summer, most offer dog cart rides. Most of the operators have variety of options like 30 min, 4-5 hr or even days. (updated Jun 2021)
  • Paws for Adventures. 
  • Chena Dog Sled Adventures. 
• Northern Lights. Fairbanks is one of the best places to see the northern lights. The northern lights are best seen between September and Mid-April on cold clear nights. 
• Arctic Circle Tour (NATC), 3820 University Ave S, ☏ +1-800-208-0200. 
• Flight see. Alaska has few roads. Getting around is about flying. Sure, it isn't cheap. Sample flights include village mail runs, Arctic Circle flights, Barrow or Deadhorse, and numerous other small villages. Some people hitch plane rides from the general aviation side of the airport as well as the float plane base. Bush pilots are for hire. 

• 🌍 Pike's Waterfront Lodge, 1850 Hoselton Rd, ☏ +1 907 456-4500, fax: +1 907 456-4515. Rates vary wildly depending on specials, day of week and time of year. Great art collection, free wireless, free airport pickup, fridges and microwaves in all rooms. 208 rooms. Has cabins. 
• 🌍 Best Western Plus Pioneer Park Inn, 1908 Chena Landings Loop, ☏ +1 907 479-8080, fax: +1 907 479-8063. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Another national chain, this hotel offers an indoor pool and free breakfast. Rates around $160 per night in the summer, $80 per night in winter. 
• 🌍 7 Gables Inn & Suites, 4312 Birch Ln, ☏ +1 907 479-0751. 
• 🌍 Regency Fairbanks Hotel, 95 Tenth Ave, ☏ +1 907 459-2700. 
• Windy Creek Cabin, windycreekcabin@gmail.com. This is an affordable, nice place to stay, it's about 10 miles north of UAF. The cabin has a lot of privacy, a full kitchen, dishes, linens, bathroom/shower, wifi, deck with a grill and is a great alternative to a hotel and a good place for families. 
• 🌍 Alaska Heritage House Bed & Breakfast, 410 Cowles St, ☏ +1 907 388-9595, alaskaheritagehouse@gmail.com. NRHP building. Low season: from $75/room, High season: from $220/room. (updated Jun 2021)

• 🌍 Billies Hostel, 2895 Mack Blvd, ☏ +1 907 479-2034. Clean, spacious and very friendly. Close to the rail/airport and university and a bus route to downtown. Free wifi, linens, and towels. There's coffee available in the morning for free. from $33 shared, from $85 private. (updated Jul 2021)
• Sven's Basecamp Hostel, 3505 Davis Rd, ☏ +1 907 456-7836, info@svenshostel.com. Check-in: 1PM, check-out: 10:30AM. Hostel and campground with shared bathrooms, private cabins, treehouses, and shared wall tents. They also have volleyball, foosball and organize tours. $35 shared, from $75 private. (updated Jun 2021)
• Fairbanks Downtown Hostel, 523 2nd Ave. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Free wifi, bar/restaurant on ground floor. (updated Jun 2021)