catha

I will be visiting Fairbanks for 9 days over the Christmas holidays. I'm looking for fun things to do in the area, specifically something that is a "can't miss" activity or place to visit. My friend (who moved to Fairbanks over the summer) has a jeep, and we plan to explore surrounding areas and want to do some outdoor activities, i.e. dog sledding, snow mobiling, etc...

tigerman99515

Catha, recommend you go to the Fairbanks Tourist website at http://www.explorefairbanks.com/
Click on the winter activities section .Fairbanks is very cold and dark this time of year and they try hard to make winter palatable to visitors by putting on fun winter fun activities. Things I would do for sure would be to see Northern Lights at Chena Hot Springs, take a dog sled ride/adventure, and see if there are any ice sculptures around. Fairbanks, for a small town, has pretty good restaurants both in town and within 30 miles. Check which ones are open this time of year.
Dress warm!

dfnh

Has the jeep been modified for off-road travel? If so, you and your friend might try to connect with a 4 wheeling club. I believe there is one in Fairbanks. If you google 4x4 club in Alaska, the active clubs website will come up. See if a club run is scheduled. Winter runs aren't as frequent as trail rides in warmer months. If the jeep has not been modified, stick to well maintained roads and stay safe.
Hope you have a great visit!

catha

Thanks for the information, tigerman (are you an LSU fan by any chance?) and dfnh! I will check out both suggestions. I have already ordered my cold weather gear and will pick up whatever else I need in Fairbanks. I am looking forward to seeing the northern lights and trying some new things. Merry Christmas!

lennyba

Enjoy, catha! My family lived in Fairbanks for most of my childhood, and I have very warm (ha!) memories of Christmases there. Unfortunately my information is well out of date, but if you like outdoorsy stuff, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing is good fun.

tigerman99515

Catha, no necessarily an LSU fan - just a nickname since birth. The downtown area is fun to walk around during summer but I would expect it to be pretty slow during the winter - but I may be wrong. Another thing to do might be a snowmachine tour/ride. If you could find one somewhere just outside of town that guides you through the rolling hills to end up at a lodge or cabin serving warm refreshments or a nice dinner, that would be a blast. They also have a small ski area near town - I think.

enzian

Yes, there is a ski area north of town:

http://home.att.net/~Skiland/

The most northly in North America! I see they have a chairlift now. We used to ski there when is was only a rope tow---and a very long one.

If you like cross--country skiing, there are miles and miles of trails through the woods north of town, starting at the university. Or we used to drive up Ester Dome, ski down and end up in the little town of Esther, at the Malemute Saloon. Great fun. The downside was that someone had to go back up and retrieve the car.

You shouldn't have any trouble finding snomobile trails either. maybe you could find your way out to Ivory jack's in Goldstream Valley for dinner:

http://ivoryjacks.alaskansavvy.com/

At least it used to be good. But like lennyba, I may have information that is out of date.

Don't know about dog sledding. WE used to go with friends, but there must be commercial soutfits that will take you out now. It's a lot of fun to be the driver; less so to sit and ride on the sled.

You should have many opportunities to see the Northern Lights.

Whatever you do outside, make sure you have the right footwear. I always found my feet were the hardest to keep warm. Your friend who lives there should have some advice for you on that.

And once you are dressed for the cold, it is a great place for outdoor activities (as long as they aren't having one of their "40 below" (or colder) cold spells). Have a wonderful time!

lennyba

Hi enzian - when did you live there? We were there for most of the seventies, moved back to Seattle in 1984. We lived next to the golf course on Ballaine road - wonder if it's still there?

enzian

Hi lennyba---we lived there in the 70's---left in 1979. We lived out in Goldstream Valley (near Ivory Jack's).

I remember a golf course well, but I'm not sure it is that one. I'll have to check a map. I thought Ballaine Road was went up and over the hill out to Goldstream? The golf course I remember was on Farmers' Loop Road (I think). Some trickster used to write on it in fertilizer every spring. (The extra fertilizer made the words stand out in deep green).

lennyba

It's the same one, Enzian. Farmer's Loop went off to the right of a Y and Ballaine Road to the left. The golf course was in the middle.

I vaguely remember Ivory Jacks, too!

Way_North

Dress accordingly. It was 30 F BELOW zero this morning

catha

Thanks to everyone for their tips. I had a fabulous time. For the most part, we kept things low key in Fairbanks. We ate at several restaurants, shopped, and tried to locate the sledding area (getting lost was a theme for us). My favorite local joint was Ivory Jacks - a fun place to kick back and relax. Thanks for the recommendation!

For the weekend, we decided to head to Denali. We stayed at the lovely Denali Dome Home in Healy. Upon arriving, the knowledgeable owners told us we could borrow snowshoes from the ranger station in Denali, so we promptly borrowed some and headed to horseshoe lake just inside the park. Daylight was quickly running out, yet we managed to make it out of the woods before darkness completely descended. The next day, we drove over to Earthsong Lodge on Stampede Trail and spent three hours dog mushing out towards the Savage River. The views of the Alaska Range were incredible, and the rush from driving the dogs was exhilirating. Unfortunately, aside from the dogs, the only animals I saw were the muskox and reindeer at the Large Animal Research Station in Fairbanks.

Some tips: Stop in Nenana and buy an Ice Classic Ticket to bet on when the ice will break on the Tanana River. Rent cross-country skis from Play It Again Sports. Buy winter gear from Big Ray's, which had better bargains than Play It Again. If you are a knitter, the Large Animal Research Station sells wool and some wool products. However, I preferred to buy my wool from Inua Wool Shoppe. The store had a good selection and helpful employees. As for restaurants, I preferred the Italian food of Gambardella's over Vallata. Vallata's food was overpriced and underwhelming. For breakfast, I liked the Cookie Jar. One of the more interesting things I did was to go to a "transfer station." Locals are big on it. Basically, you go rummaging through the castoffs of others and take what you want, i.e. dumpster diving. It is truly a local thing to do.

Lastly, do not be afraid to go to interior Alaska in the winter. I am originally from the New Orleans area, and if I can thrive in below zero weather for 10 days, most anyone can. Wear layers and keep your feet and hands warm, and you will be ok.

enzian

Great report---thank you. It certainly brings back memories, although things are very different now. There was no way to go dog mushing out towards the Savage River in the old days. Did you get to actually be the driver and ride the sled runners? Not all that easy, is it?

Was that musk ox wool that you bought? If so, you are very lucky---it is incredibly soft. There was a time it was not for sale, and when no one but Alaska Natives were allowed to knit with it.

And just between us. . . what date did you pick for the Ice Classic?

catha

Yes, I did get to ride the runners. My instructor gave me good directions, so whenever we went over uneven ground, I knew what to do. Even with good instructions, you still have to be careful. My friend tipped her sled over.

Enzian, I'm happy to share my pick for the Ice Classic, but it's most probably not the winning one. I learned afterwards that the ice breaks most of the time in May, and I picked in April.

P.S. Sorry about the double post. My computer didn't show that my 1/27 post had actually gone through, and when I posted on 1/30, it didn't show it.

dfnh

Thanks for reporting back. Sounds like you had a GREAT trip!