Fairbanks North Star Borough: Landscapes, Culture and Experiences

Chena River State Recreation Area brings a strong focus on nature to Fairbanks North Star Borough. Open year-round, the park covers 397 square miles of forest, rivers and alpine tundra. Visitors can hike, ski, ride snowmobiles, go dog sledding, horseback riding, canoeing, hunting, fishing and camping. The options range from land-based activities to adventures on the water and in the snow. Canoes, kayaks, rafts and riverboats are used on the clear-flowing Chena River within Chena River State Recreation Area.

Birch Hill Recreation Area and the Jim Whisenhant Cross Country Ski Trail System are also available for recreation. Tanana Lakes Recreation Area has two sandy swimming beaches, as well as hiking and ATV trails. Another point of reference is Chena Lake Recreation Area: a 2,178-acre park east of North Pole. Tanana Lake allows motorized boats to enter the Tanana River.

Nature, Trails and History

Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge covers nearly 3,000 acres in Fairbanks North Star Borough. It has more than 25 miles of trails, 4.2 miles of which are accessible in summer. Because seasonal access can change, check current conditions for your travel dates before planning. Nature trails here are connected to a special piece of history: Creamer’s Field’s historic dairy buildings are the only surviving pioneer dairy buildings in Alaska’s Interior and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Culture and Seasonal Experiences

The Folk School offers classes and programs for all ages year-round. Topics range from traditional crafts and woodworking to outdoor skills, as well as hands-on arts and sciences. Georgeson Botanical Garden is the northernmost botanical garden in the world. It is known, among other things, for its peonies, which bloom in June and July; it also offers research, education and outreach in high-latitude gardening.

The events calendar also has a notable connection to June: the Midnight Sun Baseball Game takes place annually in June, is hosted by the Alaska Goldpanners and is considered a Fairbanks tradition. It began in 1906. Peonies at Georgeson Botanical Garden bloom from June into July, while the baseball game takes place in June. Event dates may change, so check the dates for your travel year before your trip.

Other offerings have their own thematic focus. The Walt and Marita Babula Planetarium offers an immersive theater experience about Alaska’s night sky, the northern lights and the universe. Large Animal Research Station offers tours focused on Arctic ecology and large mammals. For an Alaskan dining experience, Alaska Salmon Bake has been operating in historic Pioneer Park for more than 40 years.

Planning Your Stay

Fairbanks is located in Fairbanks North Star Borough, where the Richardson Highway, George Parks Highway, Steese Highway and Elliott Highway meet. When choosing your hotel location, it helps to focus on the activities and places that matter most to your trip. This lets you prioritize nature, culture, events and other experiences according to your interests.

Discover more destinations: College, Fairbanks, North Pole, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Nome Census Area, Sitka, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area and Denali.

See the full travel overview: Alaska.