Fairbanks is the ideal place to grab an RV rental and get exploring in Alaska. With its efficient international airport, Fairbanks is the gateway to Alaska’s vast interior and expansive Artic Circle. This ‘Golden Heart’ city, proud of its gold rush beginnings, offers pristine wilderness, geothermal wonders and the chance to encounter unique wildlife.
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RV sites and camping:
Many of Fairbanks’camping sites are along the Chana River. Rivers Edge Resort is a little different, with a well-equipped RV park, but also offers other types of accommodation. If you are feeling cooped up in the camper, swap for a night into a riverside cottage. Rivers Edge Resort is open seasonally from May to September.
The similarly named Riverview RV Park is open all year around.
A taste of Alaska – food and drink in Fairbanks
Alaskans pride themselves on fresh seafood, particularly salmon. For an overload, visit all-you-can-eat Salmon Bake in Pioneer Park. The fish is cooked over a giant fire pit.
A rising star on the craft beer scene is Hoodoo Brewing Company,awarded as one of America’s best boutique breweries. They sell beers in samplers or flights, and offer tours to see how the beer is made. They don’t serve food there, but for special events bring in gourmet food trucks to give patrons some sustenance.
What to see and do in Fairbanks
An Alaska vacation is all about the great outdoors, and in its parks you can hike the trails, experience a dog sled ride or view caribou migrations. Fairbanks is the nearest town to the White Mountains National Recreation Area and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. While renting a motorhome to tour Alaska is a great way to get around, only a third of the state is serviced by highways. It is smart to use Fairbanks as a base, but utilise some of the professional tour companies based there, to get in the air or on the water.
If you like your adventure a little tamer, spend an afternoon at Alaskaland Pioneer Park, a collection of museums and displays celebrating Fairbanks’ past. For something very different, spend an afternoon with Mary Shields on her Alaskan Tales of the Trail tour. Mary has been dog-mushing in the wilds of Alaska for over 40 years, and was the first woman to complete the Iditarod Dog Sled race, called the toughest race in the world. She takes small groups into her home, to tell tales of her adventures and meet her beautiful animals.
Just out of Fairbanks is the Chana Hot Springs resort, where you can soak in a hot pool and watch the Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis overhead. The lights are a winter event, able to be viewed from September to April.
Driving Fairbanks, road trips and Alaskan adventure
Fairbanks is just a two-hour drive from Denali National Park and Reserve. This massive park is over six million acres of wilderness. Fairbanks is the starting point for the famous Steese Highway Drive, a 160-mile journey to Circle, on the Yukon River.
From Fairbanks, you can also decide to head to Canada and discover the neighbouring Yukon Territory and province of British Columbia.
A guide to driving in Fairbanks:
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Alaskan weather can be extreme, and change suddenly. Be prepared by keeping up to date with weather forecasts. Slush can be as slippery as ice, and snow glare can be blinding.
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Alaska is the biggest state in the USA, with vast distances to travel. Keep your supplies up.
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Things worth seeing may be far in the distance, so it is worth carrying a good set of binoculars in the camper.
Visit locations other than Fairbanks to enjoy the US more, like go ahead and book an RV rental from Billings (MT), from Phoenix (AZ), or from Atlanta (GA). Alternatively, picking up a camper rental in Newark (NJ) is also a popular choice. With Motorhome Republic providing all the support you need, any US adventure is sure to be a blast.