Our most recommended things to do in Fairbanks

From Fairbanks: Northern Lights and Arctic Circle Tour

1. From Fairbanks: Northern Lights and Arctic Circle Tour

Experience Alaska like you have never seen it before while enjoying a scenic drive and narration from your expert guide. Travel along the famous and rugged Dalton Highway (well-known from the TV show Ice Road Truckers) to the Arctic Circle. Hear about how the summer nights are white and the winter dark. Take a selfie or have your photo taken with your certificate to mark your crossing of the Arctic Circle. Have a once-in-a-lifetime experience comfortable transportation and personalized service. Enjoy a flexible travel itinerary to ensure guests can take advantage of unique photo opportunities. The tour will incorporate many stops for your viewing pleasure. Please note that seeing wildlife or the Northern Lights is not guaranteed.

From Fairbanks: Arctic Circle Northern Lights Full-Day Trip

2. From Fairbanks: Arctic Circle Northern Lights Full-Day Trip

Alaska is a land of constant change. On this full day tour, you will have the chance to experience some of the best and most unique things that make your Alaska trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Beginning at 1 PM, get picked up from your hotel and venture up to the Arctic Circle (66.5622°) north of the Equator, where you can have your pictures taken and receive a "Cross the Circle-Certificate." It is here that explorers have been venturing for centuries, drawn by the power the planet has to offer. As you continue your day, pass the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline. Here you can glance one of the world's largest pipelines, which stretches over 800 miles (1,287km). It is a crude oil pipeline privately owned by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, and here you will learn the engineering and building process of this epic land-crawling beast. Judge for yourself its impact on the landscape around it. After the pipeline, head straight for the banks of the mighty Yukon River. Walk right up to the edge of its banks, where you will gaze out over the beauty in front of you. From here, head to the high plateau of Finger Mountain, where you will hopefully see moose, fox, bears, and perhaps even a mysterious lynx if you're lucky! Up on the mountain, snack on sandwiches, sweets and hot drinks. Through the night, travel back to Fairbanks. Soon, if we're lucky, the Aurora Borealis appears. This natural light display is caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms high in the atmosphere. The result is a breathtaking display of light that can be bright enough to read a newspaper by! Drive through the night, gazing up at the spectacular Northern Lights, before arriving back in Fairbanks around 3 AM.

Fairbanks: Northern Lights and Chena Hot Springs Tour

3. Fairbanks: Northern Lights and Chena Hot Springs Tour

Start your evening off with a guided tour of the amazing sculptures and carvings at the Fairbanks Ice Museum. See champion ice carvers in action. Then, sit back and relax as you are transported the 60 scenic miles to the Chena Hot Springs Resort. Enjoy a meal at the restaurant that offers locally cultivated vegetables and wild caught Alaskan salmon (not included in price and dining is optional). Afterward, soak in the Chena Hot Springs' legendary healing mineral waters. Take a short stroll outside to watch the beautiful and breathtaking Aurora Borealis dance overhead in the dark nights (appearance of northern lights not guaranteed). The activity center is a great location to warm up while waiting for the northern lights. There will be plenty of time for photography to ensure you will not forget this experience. At the end of the night, you will regroup and head back to Fairbanks. If the lights are out, your guide may make multiple stops on the way back to let you view the lights. Approximate return time to hotels is between 2am and 3am, depending on location.

Fairbanks: Moonlight Dog Sled, Dinner & Northern Lights

4. Fairbanks: Moonlight Dog Sled, Dinner & Northern Lights

Experience the beauty and wild side of Alaska. Yanking on their lines and ready to run, your dog team will be anxious to carry you away from your Fairbanks accommodation to this spectacular viewing of the Northern Lights.  Most of the sled ride takes place in an open area so should the Aurora begin early you will have a thrilling view of the sky from the dog sled. The Aurora Borealis is one of the planet's most breathtaking phenomena. In Alaska, a land that stays dark for most of the winter, these spectacular lights bring the sky to life with other-worldly colors that shimmer and dance across the sky. The yurt is only a short drive from Fairbanks but far from the obstructing glare of city lights. Be treated to a hearty midnight dinner in an off-the-grid yurt.  Stay warm with a late salmon dinner and lively conversation in the comfort of your yurt while waiting for the Aurora. The large north-facing windows of your yurt offer the perfect Aurora viewing opportunity. However, should you decide to go outside for photographs or a full view of the sky, you will need to dress in warm layers.

Fairbanks: Fall Sled Dog-Pulled Cart Adventure

5. Fairbanks: Fall Sled Dog-Pulled Cart Adventure

How do you dog sled without snow? Mush through the stunning fall landscape on our comfortable UTV. Experience the excitement of fall training when the dogs get back in harness after a long summer break. Join us for the start of our mushing season and experience the excitement as the dogs return to the trails after a summer long mushing hiatus. Mush through the fall colors on a comfortable side-by-side as the team splashes through puddles and yips with pleasure. Learn all about dog mushing, racing and living off-grid. Guests are encouraged to dress warm and prepare for potential wet & muddy conditions. Fall rain gear is not provided. **Trail mileage for the Fall Mush varies from 2 to 7 miles as the dogs become more conditioned and we can lengthen the mileage of their training runs. This also dictates the change of scenery (i.e. black spruce stands to birch stands, ponds, streams and fields). FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: What is a side-by-side? A side-by-side is a UTV (utility task vehicle) designed like a golf cart. Unlike an ATV, a side-by-side has car-like controls with pedals, a steering wheel and bench seats that sits 6 passengers. They're called side-by-sides because they usually have two seats beside each other, with the addition of back seats. Do dogs accompany us on the fall tours? Yes, even though we are operating on side-by-sides, the dogs still pull us down the trail. This is part of their fall training to condition them for the upcoming winter mushing season. When do we convert to sleds? We convert to sleds when we have a sufficient snow base to safely control a dog team. This requires at least 2 to 4 inches of compacted snow for the brakes and snow hooks on a dog sled to properly work. What are the mushing conditions like in the fall? Temperatures are cooler in the fall months, ranging from 40 degrees Fahrenheit in September to 15 below Fahrenheit or colder in November. Fall can also be rainy time of year, switching over to dustings of snow later in the season, so come prepared for the elements. What do we see on a fall mushing tour? Early in September our trails are bright with fall colors. Fall foliage season is short live however and leaves quickly litter the trails by the end of September. Be prepared to see different species of wildlife, from moose to spruce grouse and migrating cranes.

North Pole Alaska: Guided Fairbanks Snowmobile Tour

6. North Pole Alaska: Guided Fairbanks Snowmobile Tour

Explore Alaska’s wild side with snowmobiles made for riding in style and comfort. Enjoy the convenience of heated handgrips, helmets, gloves, neck gators, bibs, boots, and jackets included in your tour. Start the adventure from the meeting point. With the help of your guide, get suited up in snow gear to make sure you’re warm enough when you get outside. Listen to a short safety orientation and driving instructions. Then, go on a practice ride on your snowmobile with your guide until you feel confident to drive. Let your guide also gauge your skill level, and take you on trails appropriate for your driving ability. Once ready, head into Alaska’s winter wonderland through dense spruce forests and spindly willows. Zoom through the wilderness and keep an eye out for wildlife. End the Fairbanks snowmobile tour back where it began.

Fairbanks: Dog Sledding and Mushing Experience

7. Fairbanks: Dog Sledding and Mushing Experience

Enjoy an unforgettable experience of dog sledding Alaskan Huskies in Fairbanks. Listen to a local guide and musher talk about their four-legged family members, who are raised as puppies and cared for by this elite team. Take in the beautiful scenery while gliding across the snowy Alaskan landscape and experience a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Fairbanks: Arctic Circle Adventure - Full-Day Guided Tour

8. Fairbanks: Arctic Circle Adventure - Full-Day Guided Tour

Throughout history adventurers have been drawn to the extreme reaches of our planet. On this extraordinary day trip, you will have the chance to walk in the footsteps of explorers before you as you cross the Arctic Circle and enjoy stunning views of Alaska as you've never seen it before. The day begins at 8:00 AM from your hotel, where you will be transported to the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline. Here you can glance one of the world's largest pipelines, which stretches over 800 miles (1,287 km). It is a crude oil pipeline privately owned by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, and here you will learn the engineering and building process of this epic land-crawling beast. After a short visit to the pipeline, stop for breakfast at a rustic truck stop sitting atop a lovely hilltop. After the meal, you'll cross the mighty Yukon River before arriving at Finger Mountain. Here you will enjoy a beautiful hike on a spectacular high plateau far above the tree line. Finally, arrive at the Arctic Circle. Here you will have your picture taken and receive your very own Arctic Circle Certificate. After some time in this lovely land, venture back across the Yukon River, where you'll have the chance to walk right up to its mighty banks. Have a nice dinner before heading back. You will arrive back in Fairbanks by 10:00 PM.

From Fairbanks: Northern Lights & Murphy Dome Tour

9. From Fairbanks: Northern Lights & Murphy Dome Tour

Your Murphy Dome/Aurora Borealis night begins with pickup at your Fairbanks hotel in town. This tour provides you with one of the best northern lights viewing spots near Fairbanks. One of the highest peaks in the area, Murphy Dome is the perfect location to visit and watch the night sky. Its wide open spaces away from the city lights ensure a perfect view of Alaska's winter sky. This 360-degree horizon sets the stage for a phenomenal northern lights show. Stay warm with hot drinks and a seat in a 15-passenger van while waiting for the dancing northern lights. Join this tour for the experience of a lifetime!

From Fairbanks: Chena Hot Springs Northern Lights Tour

10. From Fairbanks: Chena Hot Springs Northern Lights Tour

The Northern Lights are one of the most spectacular natural phenomena on the planet and on this night tour, you will have the chance to see these marvels of nature for yourself. Your evening begins between 4~5pm when you will be collected from your hotel in Fairbanks and head approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) to the Chena Resort. Here you will first have a chance to cool off (before heating up) in the spectacular Ice Museum. This building, built entirely out of ice, boasts a full Ice Bar and chandeliers built painstakingly out of hand-crafted ice.  At 8pm, you can soak your cares away in the warm and inviting Chena Hot Springs. You'll be pleased to know that the resort makes use of the first low-temperature binary geothermal power plant built in Alaska and is working on several alternative energy projects, including the production and use of hydrogen and vegetable oil for fuel. The resort is conducting collaborative experiments in greenhouse production of vegetables with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. All in all, the resort is absolutely beautiful and you can soak in its natural springs for at least two hours. By 12:00 midnight, you can begin to look out for the Northern Lights. Soon, if you are lucky, the Aurora Borealis will appear. This natural light display is caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms high in the atmosphere. The result is a breathtaking display of light that can be bright enough to read a newspaper by. Around 2:00 AM, depart back to Fairbanks and arrive around 3~4am. The night will surely be one you will never forget.

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What people are saying about Fairbanks

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 338 reviews

To be honest- this winter (early February) trip is not for the weak! It was freezing! I had on a fleece lined base layer (top and bottoms), a turtleneck sweater, a fleece vest, snow bibs, a puffer jacket and an OmniHeat hooded parka with hand warmers and I was still freezing!!!! Not to even mention having to pee and stripping down all of those layers IN AN OUTHOUSE!!! Just getting out of the tour van for 5 minutes felt like an eternity! Having said that- it was worth every second of me feeling like I was going to turn into a snowman! 1st Alaska Tour was nothing short of amazing and all credit goes to our tour guide, Kirk! He was very thorough in explaining portions of the roads we traveled- how scary they were while making us feel safe. We really enjoyed his company and hospitality. Seeing the Aurora Borealis in person (and as early and as often) as we did was something I will never forget! We even got to see them at the Arctic Circle! What an experience! We highly recommend this tour!

One of the coolest experiences I have ever had. The views were incredible—It felt like being in Narnia—and I got up to 50 mph at some points! The staff was also really cool and they all had their personal dogs at the main office, so we got to play with the dogs before and after as well. :)

We had such a wonderful time! All of the cold weather gear was provided and we were comfortable and warm...the guides were amazing and the dogs were so friendly...I would HIGHLY recommend this experience...it is truly once in a lifetime!

Extrordinary experience! Thank you to the awesome staff, the awesome dogs and the beautiful landscape of the alaskan winter. My wife and I will do this again and again.

The tour was great. Our guide was charismatic and the museum was wonderful. I highly recommend it.