As my taxi made its way from Fairbanks International airport to my hotel, my disappointment grew. Fairbanks appeared to a very ordinary town, with an unimpressive downtown and wide roads with big open spaces elsewhere. The Chena riverfront near Fairbanks downtown was neat but Fairbanks was nowhere like a small cozy Arctic town with wooden houses and narrow streets that I was expecting. I actually hoped I had not made a mistake travelling thousands of kilometers to Alaska. Thankfully, the impression changed after a visit to Denali. Given its location and connectivity, Fairbanks serves as the gateway to the Arctic.
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Unique location to experience midnight sun/northern lights
Fairbanks is located right in the Aurora belt and is said to be one of the best locations to view Northern Lights in winter. Or one experience the Midnight Sun during summer. If you are not keen on either, there will be no reason to visit Fairbanks, except for doing the Arctic tour. There is not much to see in Fairbanks itself – a little more than half a day is good enough.
What to see in Fairbanks
Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum
This Auto museum is worthy of a visit, despite an entry fee of $18. Great collection of vintage cars dating back from late 19th century to early 20th century (up to 1930s I think). Only minus point – all the vintage cars have been re-painted and appear bright and flashy! I don’t know if these colors existed back then.
Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center
Most tourists start off here. If you have any questions or looking for guidance, this is a must. It does not need much time but if you have done your homework or have booked through a tour operator, this can be skipped. There is also a museum on Alaska’s history for those interested.
Just behind the building, there is an arch made from over 100 moose and caribou antlers. Just for photo op.
Pioneer park
I visited Pioneer Park based on the advice received at the Visitors centre. Said to be Alaska’s only historical theme park, there are replicas of buildings and boats dating back to the gold rush era. Nice place to spend couple of hours. Entry is free and so is parking.
North Pole
A short drive of 25 minutes from Fairbanks. Nothing to see except the famous Santa Claus House where one can pick up Christmas goodies and catch the x-mas spirit through out the year. Even today, thousands of letters simply marked ‘Santa Claus, North Pole, Alaska’ arrive each year. Can be skipped.
Northern lights
Fairbanks is stated to be among the best places to view Northern Lights. Northern Lights is said to be visible from mid August and I travelled in the first week of September. Post 10pm, on 3 consecutive nights, I drove to 2-3 separate locations, waited for 2-3 hours but there was no sign of Northern Lights. Right place, wrong time! Later, I learnt Northern Lights was visible around 3am.
What I did not visit or do?
- Museum of the North;
- Large Animal Research Station;
- Ice Museum;
- Chena river tour;
- Creamers field…visited only the aurora viewpoint but one can watch birds and hike on one of the many trails;
- Gold mining spots…Gold Dredge 8 where gold was mined till 1959.
Had I not lost half a day trying to rent a car, I would have probably visited the Ice Museum as well as Museum of the North.
Day trips
From the limited options available, I chose the following 2 options.
Denali National Park
Denali National Park is just 2.5 hours away by road from Fairbanks. One full day is adequate to get a feel for one of the most famous Parks in Alaska. Try to get to Denali as early as possible, say by 9 or 9.30am. This will give one enough time for a short hike and to take the bus tour. In my view, a tour by Transit bus is good enough and quite economical too, as compared to the alternative of tour buses. Guided tours from Fairbanks are also available which can be considered if you do not rent a car.
What made the journey special was that Mt. Denali was clearly visible the day I visited. At 6,190 meters, it is the highest peak in US.
More about Denali National Park in a separate post.
Arctic circle tour
Alaska’s Arctic region is among the last wilderness regions on earth. It is remote, wild and unpopulated. Since I could not spend 2 days on this tour, I chose to fly in and out, all in 5 hours.
After pre-departure instructions, the 9 seater twin engine plane took off from Fairbanks a little after 1 pm and I was back by 6 pm. We had to wear headphones to shut off the engine noise and to hear the pilot. The bonus was we could hear pilot’s conversation with ATC and pilots of other planes in the air. The plane ride was certainly enjoyable though a bit shaky at times, especially on the return journey when the weather turned cloudy with light rain. Our plane was in the clear most of the time and it appeared that the dark clouds and rain were chasing the plane!
Hazy views from the plane
I got a birds’ eye view of the mighty Yukon river, Trans Alaskan pipeline and Brooks mountains though the views were a bit hazy much of the time. Nothing that stood out. After about an hour, the plane landed on a gravel runway at Coldfoot. This is a very small village with a population of under 50! There is a café here that possibly serves as the pit stop for those driving to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. It was quite dusty, which was a bit of a surprise to me.
Visit to Wiseman community
We were driven on the Dalton Highway to the Wiseman community where we spent an hour with a native Alaskan, understanding their ways of life. This community boomed during 1911 to 1915 when gold was discovered in the nearby creeks. Today, the population of this community is less than 15! Got a bit boring honestly. I guess when the discussion veers to ‘how to click Northern Lights on mobile phone, significance of the Arctic Circle for the third time(first by pilot, second by our guide), it was bound to get boring. On the way, I had a close look at the Trans Alaskan Pipeline.
I carried snacks and water but it also possible to order a vegetarian meal at the counter before take off. It will be handed over at Coldfoot. No separate time was set apart and I had to eat in the vehicle on way to Wiseman community.
Is Arctic tour a must do?
Overall, the Arctic tour was interesting in parts but I am not sure if it was value for money spent, especially since I had already travelled beyond the Arctic Circle in Norway. The landscape too was nothing very different. If you have a chance to visit a local village on some other occasion(e.g. Chena River Discovery Tour), then this tour can be skipped in my view.
There are few more variations to the Arctic tour, and you check the website of Northern Alaska Tour Company who booked my tour. What I learnt is that the drive on Dalton Highway is a bit uncomfortable. If you take the land tour, you will get an opportunity to take a photo on the Arctic Circle. The tour cost $1178 for a couple, plus tips to guide and pilot.
Other options for day trips
I had also shortlisted Chena hot springs but ran out of time. I did not consider any tours to view northern lights as I had already done so in Tromsø, Norway.
Getting around Fairbanks
There are public buses that cover most of Fairbanks but not a great option for tourists given the frequencies and the fact that there is no service on saturdays and sundays. Taxis on call, private/shared shuttle and Uber are available. But Uber can also take time while even shared shuttle will be expensive but ok for an odd journey or so. The downtown area is walkable but not the rest of the town.
I decided to rent a car for which the Airport is the best place.
Renting a car in Fairbanks
I lost half a day trying to rent a car. A rental company had an office close to the Sophie Station Suites where I stayed. It turned out they rented only ‘trucks’. Had to walk back and wait for an Uber to the airport. At the rental companies’ counters at the airport, I was told cars are not available at multiple counters! Just out of curiosity, I opened the Uber app to check for rental cars and to my pleasant surprising, it indicated availability. I booked Toyota Camry for 3 days, and waited for about 30 minutes before the booking showed up on the rental company’s portal. The same ‘Alamo’ counter, which initially had cited non-availability, handed over the keys after the usual paperwork! They did not even insist on additional insurance protection!
The total rental cost for Toyota Camry was $244 for 3 days. Indian Driving License is valid for driving in USA for 1 year. It is perhaps useful to book a rental car online ahead of time.
Where to stay in Fairbanks?
I visited Fairbanks in the first week of September. There was a wide variety of available options but overall expensive. The rates are apparently much higher in summer. While downtown is the best place, it would not matter much if you have a car. There are B&B options as well as lodges away from the town. I chose the highly rated Sophie Station Suites for the larger size of the rooms that came with a kitchenette. It was good and comfortable but cost me $252 per night per couple, without breakfast. Parking was free and a free shuttle was provided to/from airport or train station.
Borealis Basecamp was interesting but expensive
I also considered a stay in an igloo at Borealis Basecamp, ~25miles from Fairbanks. But the requirement for minimum 2 nights stay, cost (~ $2500 for a couple with breakfast only) and limited vegetarian items available for meals put me off.
Vegetarian food in Fairbanks
The choices at Sophie Station Suites were quite limited. Thankfully , there were few Taco Bells and Subways. There is an Indian restaurant as well but I did not visit. Made good use of the kitchenette though, buying stuff from Walmart.
Most restaurants close by 9PM or so. The Taco Bell near my hotel would be open till very late but for take-away only. No option for on site dining. It was good to have stocked fresh fruits and beverages in the room.
Cash required
For the Arctic tour, I had to pay the parking fee in cash. I think it was $5 for 2 hours and I had to deposit the envelope with $15 in the drop box. The tour operator will provide change if you don’t have it. Other than that, cash was required only for tips.
For more information
https://www.explorefairbanks.com/
