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Finding your hotel on the Map of Fairbanks

Click here for the interactive map of Fairbanks, Alaska, where you can search for your hotel, see where it is located in Fairbanks and find directions to get there.

ALL ABOUT FAIRBANKS

The second largest city in Alaska, Fairbanks is located on the shores of the Chena River in the heart of the interior 350 miles north of Anchorage.

Originally a trading post for gold prospectors and sternwheeler river boats, Fairbanks, is now a popular tourist destination and gateway for national parks and tours further north across the Arctic circle.

Summer, or winter, Fairbanks offers a unique range of attractions for all visitors.

In the summer, with the sun showing for over 20 hours a day, Fairbanks is the perfect spot for outdoor enthusiasts and has become world famous for “midnight baseball” and long days of fishing and hiking.

There are a number of trails in the town, but many hikers make their way to the Chena River State Recreation Area for more “serious” adventures. The Chena River is also popular for canoeing and fishing,

The long days are also ideal for exploring the wilderness areas around Fairbanks, like the Gates of the Arctic National Park and the Brooks Range and enjoying all the wildlife and outdoor adventures the areas have to offer.

In winter, there may not be as much sunshine, but there is plenty to do.

For the active visitors, The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race offers excitement in the 1,000 miles between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and Tesoro Iron Dog, formerly known as the Iron Dog Gold Rush Classic covers 1,971-miles by snowmobile from Wasilla to Fairbanks. For the less active, guided dogmushing tours and lessons offer a less competitive way to enjoy the snow.

Also on the active side, with a six month winter season, Fairbanks is one of the top spots in the nation for cross-country skiing. Host to the likes of the US Ski and Biathlon teams and national championships, Fairbanks has world-class facilities for world-class skiing. There are recreational and competitive programs for all ages including group tours, youth programs, instructional clinics and races.

But one of the must see winter events held in Fairbanks is the annual World Ice Art Championships, an international ice sculpture competition with ice sculptors from more than thirty countries producing more than more than 100 larger-than life sculptures.

Kids Park is a winter favorite for families with slides, twirlees and mazes all crafted from pure crystal blue ice.

The highlight of any trip to Fairbanks, however, is to see the northern lights. One of the best spots on the globe to see them, Fairbanks sits under the Auroral Oval, a ring-shaped region around the North Pole, with displays visible an average of 243 days during the year when there is sufficient darkness and clear skies. No guarantees, but visitors that are in Fairbanks for four days, have a 97% chance of seeing an aurora.

Summer, or winter, for a look at man’s achievements in the area, and as a testament to the mining spirit of the gold fever of 1902, Fairbanks’ attractions feature the University of Alaska Museum of the North, the El Dorado Gold Mine, where visitors can take a narrow gauge train through a permafrost tunnel, and Pioneer Park, an indoor facility with Pioneer and Goldrush exhibits.

The University of Alaska Museum is the state's primary repository of natural and cultural history and is internationally recognized for its comprehensive northern collections.

Another attraction, of course, is the trans-Alaska oil pipeline winding from the Arctic region of Prudhoe Bay to the ice-free port of Valdez. The zigzagging pipeline passes just to the east of Fairbanks. The impact of the 800 miles of 48-inch pipe on Alaska’s economic and social conditions has been enormous and is on many visitors’ "must see" list.

Among the many options for excursions out of Fairbanks, visitors can take a trip to see Athabascan Indian life on the Yukon River with a fly/drive adventure to Prospect Creek, a Koyukuk Athabascan settlement. This narrated tour explains the natural and cultural history of these inhabitants of Alaska's harsh Interior. Another option is to journey to a Tanana River fish camp and spend time with an Athabascan family as they harvest salmon from the river, and see how the fish are processed and preserved in the smokehouse.