Jan92

we're going to be in Anchorage for a couple of days and wanted to spend a day in Fairbanks....any recommendation for activities around there that doesn't require a car rental?
Also, is there anywhere more interesting than Fairbanks that I can fly to one day and back the next?

drseagrass

There is a reasonably good public bus system in Fairbanks including a route that serves the airport, but I couldn't recommend flying up to Fairbanks to spend a day and a night after spending a few days in Anchorage. There is nothing that compelling in town and I lived there for five years and visit often. From Anchorage, go to Seward (by train or bus), or if you are flying, Nome, Kotzebue, or Cordova are reasonably compact and have scenic and/or cultural attractions.

fti

Who is "we"? What is the rest of your schedule like? Why are you even considering Fairbanks? Generally I decide on where to go based on what there is to do/see that interest me vs. arbitrarily deciding on a place to go, then deciding what to do.

If you have an extra day and don't want to drive somewhere, you can take a day trip from Anchorage to Prince William Sound and do a glacier tour, which is excellent. You can also take the Spencer/Grandview train from Anchorage as a day trip. I just took that train (from Portage) and it was a great day.

miles_navigator

bumping this old thread...and asking same thing as OP: what to do in a day in Fairbanks.

My reason for going is thinking of taking the Alaskan Railroad from Anchorage to Denali and then continuing onto Fairbanks and flying home from FAI since it is closer than going back to Anchorage.

Not planning to get rental car but if needed I can for the day.

Open to ideas, i.e. what is there to see/do that is unique if I never plan to come back again during my lifetime.

Thanks in advance.

Gardyloo

When would this happen?

IMO the train ride between Anchorage and Fairbanks is not as scenic as most people think; you're surrounded by forest for most of the route, with a few exceptions. The stop at Denali is at a park entrance and won't let you see much of anything in the park itself (which is problematic at present anyway due to the park's interior road being closed around the half-way mark for reconstruction.)

Depending on the "when," the train ride between Anchorage and Seward is way, way more scenic and appealing to most; however you'd have to take the train back as there's no commercial air service to/from Seward. This service ends on September 25.

Again depending on when, my instinct would be to skip the train and do a day (or better, overnight) trip up to Kotzebue, an Inupiat Eskimo community located on an arm of the Arctic Ocean. Kotzebue is above the arctic circle, so if that's a bucket list item (which it is for many) it's easily managed. Alaska Airlines flies nonstop from Anchorage to OTZ, usually around $300 - $320 round trip, and there's a comfortable Native-owned hotel across the street from the ocean. No car needed.

Nullaġvik Hotel :: Home (nullagvikhotel.com)

miles_navigator

Thanks for the feedback. The trip is for June 2024.
We are coming off a northbound Alaskan cruise. I was thinking of taking the train 1 day from Anchorage to Denali to stop over night/ 1 day. Then later take the train from Denali onto Fairbanks and finish up there. Open to other ideas to see Alaska (1st time every). Thanks in advance.

Gardyloo

Lots of people do that. Note that the road construction I mentioned will not be complete until at least 2025, resulting in the park tour buses having to turn around at milepost 43, which is considerably sooner than most people would like. The best views of the mountain (when it's visible - around half the time) are farther into the park, and while you'll probably see some animals there are no guarantees.

Rare

I second the recommendation for the train from Seward. We did an Alaskan cruise a few years ago which ended at Seward, and upgraded our transportation to Anchorage from a bus to the train. Very glad we did. If your cruise ends in Whittier, I believe there's a train option from there also, and I'd guess it's also scenic but haven't experienced it.

Thanks for this info. I just looked it up; apparently the project is taking longer than anticipated and is now expected to be complete in July 2026. We were also talking about a trip up there next summer, this time with relatives. My wife and I rode the Denali transit bus out to Eielson when we were there and would like to do it again, but the road being closed would give us time to do other hikes. But the rest of the family may want to postpone until the road is open again.

Appreciate this as well. We have a friend who has worked in the hospital in Kotzebue a few times. I've thought it would be fun to visit sometime when she's there, but she said there wouldn't be much to do. I'd still like to do it sometime!