At the beginning of the winter season, Alaska hits differently. We felt differently as well. So, instead of driving far, we spent the entire time – three days – in Fairbanks and its surrounding area.
Last updated: November 27, 2025
3 Days in Fairbanks: Itinerary and Guide
Despite our late arrival last night, Dylan was fairly excited about a new adventure. We all were. It’s been several years since we last traveled to Alaska. During that late summer trip to Anchorage, the sun would appear on the horizon early in the morning and even at 9 in the evening it was as bright as during the day.
This time we embarked on a fall journey and ventured deeper north into Interior Alaska where in late October, the sun rose late and was quick to set down.
We planned for it. But still waiting for a hotel shuttle to take us back to the airport where we would pick up our rental car in complete darkness at 8:20 in the morning caused some confusion on Dylan’s part.
The city we had touched down the night before was Fairbanks.
Fairbanks is the largest city in Interior Alaska and the second largest in the state. It’s also known as one of the best places on Earth to see the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights, which we sadly didn’t get a chance to enjoy. But we did have some adventures and met the cutest of the cutest “locals”.
HOW TO SPEND 3 DAYS IN FAIRBANKS, ALASKA
ARRIVAL DAY
To be exact, our Fairbanks trip took 4 days. Flying from LA to Interior Alaska can be a long journey. With two layovers in Portland, Oregon, and Anchorage, Alaska, we made it to Fairbanks late in the evening.
Considering our sleepiness and tiredness, which were unavoidable, all we needed was to hit our beds as soon as possible. I booked a double room at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge for two reasons. First, well reviewed, the hotel sits just 4 minutes away from the airport. Second, it offers a 24-hour free shuttle to and from the airport for its guests. Calling the hotel to request the ride, however, is needed.
DAY 1: FAIRBANKS, RUNNING REINDEER RANCH, NORTH POLE
Our official full day in Fairbanks had it all: sightseeing, little outdoor adventures, and plenty of indoor activities to stay warm. We called it a day in a cozy Airbnb cabin between Fairbanks and North Pole. The place served as our home away from home for the next two nights.
Stop 1: Running Reindeer Ranch
Nestled within a 20-minute drive from downtown Fairbanks, Running Reindeer Ranch imbues your Fairbanks itinerary with a homey vibe and offers incredible opportunities to get up close and personal with about a dozen of reindeer.
Location: One of Fairbanks’s most popular day attractions, the ranch is snuggled in the boreal forest off Ivans Alley. Despite its off-the-main-route location, most cars can easily drive to and from the reindeer ranch.
TIP: If you plan a 3-day Fairbanks trip in winter or late fall, like we did, renting a 4×4 vehicle would be a better idea, though.
A guided walk with reindeer lasts approximately 2.5 hours and takes place rain or shine. Cancellations happen rarely. During the guided walk through the forest, you get to know some interesting facts about reindeer and their personality traits, pat and take pictures with the animals, and even feed some of these Fairbanks’s locals.
The latter may not be on the official agenda. Yet Dylan managed to do it by befriending one of the staff members who shared with him some snacks to lure the reindeer closer.
This part of our Fairbanks’s adventure ended with a traditional cup of hot chocolate and cookies, the ones that gave birth to Running Reindeer enterprise.
READ MORE: Visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Yes, It’s Worth It
Stop 2: Pioneer Park
Later in the morning, we went to Pioneer Park, a historical theme park formerly known as Alaskaland. We traveled to Fairbanks right before Halloween, so the park was decorated accordingly.
It was an interesting place with several museums, including the Tanana Valley Railroad Museum, but we longed to see some real outdoor places.
Stop 3: Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge
After a few wrong turns, we finally made it to Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. The area is said to be one of the best places in Fairbanks to watch migratory waterfowl. The peak season to see cranes, geese, and swans ends in late September. By late October, many of the large flocks are long gone. So, we didn’t really keep our hopes up, maybe just a little bit.
With the temperatures on a steady decline and the snow dusting the ground, the birds that stayed in the area all year round were numbered.
Sure enough, we heard some, but didn’t see any birds. A local that took her dog for a walk at the refuge, however, confessed to Dylan that she normally didn’t need a leash, but had to use it here because of all the birds. So, maybe it just wasn’t the best day for bird watching in Fairbanks.
Stop 4: Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center
I have a confession to make. Normally, we don’t pack our itineraries with museums. But we sort of did it this time. Spending 3 days in Fairbanks, the museums and visitors centers served as transitional spaces where we could warm up between our outdoor adventures.
What makes the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center unique is its exquisite exhibits that let you delve into the history of Fairbanks and Interior Alaska and the Moose Antler Arch.
Running out of daylight (in Fairbanks, the days are short during the late fall – winter season), we completely forgot about the arch and had to return on our last day in the city. The center, however, had been our playground for quite a while while we were doing a scavenger hunt.
Stop 5: North Pole
You know, when you travel to Fairbanks with a kid, you simply can’t skip North Pole. Not the geographic north pole, but a small town located roughly 14 miles southeast of Fairbanks.
North Pole is famous for its Christmas spirit and year-round Christmas-themed attractions. The place that all the festivities center around is the Santa Claus House. It is in essence a large Christmas-themed store with a Santa on duty every day during the holidays and several times a week for the rest of the year.
Fun Fact: There is a real person named Santa Claus who lives in North Pole. He is a politician and child welfare advocate. Alaska’s Santa Claus was born Thomas Patrick O’Connor, but later changed his name to raise awareness for his work.
Where We Stayed During Our 3-Day Trip to Fairbanks
We booked a cabin in Frontier Village. This Airbnb is located in a secluded area and offers beautiful Aurora viewing opportunities when the vibrant phenomenon dances above Fairbanks.
Address: 1343 Frontier Village Lake, Fairbanks
DAY 2: CHENA LAKE AND CHENA RIVER STATE RECREATION AREA
Stop 1: Chena Lake
The main reason we traveled to Alaska during, let’s say, not the warmest time was to see the dancing aurora borealis. Located away from city light pollution, Chena Lake is one of the places locals recommend for a beautiful northern lights experience. On a clear night, you can even see the colorful lights reflecting off the ice-free lake.
Initially, we had planned to drive to Chena Lake the night before. But in the evening, the sky looked promising. So, we decided to stay at our Airbnb, which also offered pretty good chances of feasting your eyes on the aurora borealis when it decks the sky.
The weather is an unpredictable lady, though. The clouds rolled in unexpectedly a few hours later, and sadly there was no aurora viewing.
In the morning, we went to Chena Lake anyway before heading east, since it wasn’t that far from where we were staying.
Stop 2: Trans-Alaska Pipeline Viewpoint
The next destination on our 3-day Fairbanks itinerary was the Chena River State Recreation Area. But first a quick stop at the Trans-Alaska Pipeline viewpoint. Spanning 800 miles, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline is an engineering miracle. It runs from Prudhoe Bay on the North Shore to Valdez on Prince William Sound. The construction took three years and yielded one of the largest and most controversial oil pipelines in the world.
Stop 3: Geothermal Energy and Greenhouse Tour at Chena Hot Springs
Chena Hot Springs Resort has been working on becoming a self-sustaining community since 2004. Growing food in Alaska’s harsh climate, moreover doing it year round, is challenging. The resort installed several greenhouses, which are heated entirely with water from their geothermal springs.
The free tour gives you a sneak peek into the innovative realm of the resort.
Stop 4: Aurora Ice Museum
Remember when I said that Dylan ranked the Aurora Ice Museum as his number one place in Fairbanks? I suspect that the site got the first spot mainly because the boy got “hired” as an assistant by one of the guides here.
The Aurora Ice Museum is one of two ice-sculpture museums in the Fairbanks area. More than 1,000 tons of ice and snow, all harvested at the resort, were used for its creation. The temperature inside stays at a permanent 25° Fahrenheit or -7° Celsius.
All the sculptures and carvings, the ice bar and ice hotel are absolutely beautiful. But it’s also freezing cold inside. By the end of a 45-minute tour, which is the only way to get inside the museum, we couldn’t wait to get outside. I don’t think the temperatures outside in and near Fairbanks were any higher that day, but somehow it felt warmer not to be surrounded by the ice, literally everywhere.
Stop 5: Chena Hot Springs
The outdoor Rock Lake is a natural hot spring area. It’s open for the resort’s guests and day visitors from early morning until late evening. If you intend to soak in the healing water well after the darkness descends, you may even spot the aurora dancing in the sky above the lake.
Sadly, children are not allowed in the outdoor hot springs. But they can swim in the indoor pool and warm up in one of the two hot tubs inside the pool house. Sure enough, Dylan took full advantage of both of them.
The End of Day 2 in the Fairbanks Area
We stayed at the Chena Hot Springs Resort, another excellent stop to watch the aurora borealis, until late. By 9 in the evening, the clouds obscured the sky and heavy snowfall hit the area. And so, our second day in Fairbanks ended in fiasco, with not a chance to see even a faint tail of the northern lights intersecting the sky.
DAY 3: BACK IN FAIRBANKS
Stop 1: The Moose Antler Arch
We finally stopped at the Moose Antler Arch on our last day in Fairbanks. More than 100 moose and caribou antlers were donated and assembled together to create a unique monument that symbolizes Alaskan culture, community, and the great outdoors.
Stop 2: The Museum of the North
We finished our 3-day trip to Fairbanks with a visit to the Museum of the North. Located on the campus of the University of Alaska, the place is essential in teaching the locals and guests about Fairbanks, the culture and rich animal kingdom of Alaska.
The Museum of the North displays 2.5 million objects and artifacts. Its collection also includes a plethora of hands-on exhibits that children find especially captivating.
