Alaska.com: Alaska's Travel Website

Fairbanks sits at the hub of the Interior. Highways leading to the Golden Heart City are the Richardson, Parks, Elliott and Steese highways and Chena Road. The Dalton Highway to the Arctic Coast springs off the Elliott Highway north of town.

Most roads are asphalt, but the Dalton (Highway 11), Elliott (2) and Steese (6) highways, as well as the Denali Highway (8), are all or mostly gravel. Take a spare tire or two, and make sure your personal auto insurance covers towing.

Gasoline and diesel fuel are both available. All car repair services are available.

Winter driving: Studded snow tires are common in winter. They may be put on after mid-September and must be removed by the end of April. The snow on Fairbanks' streets becomes packed into ice, and the studs reduce the amount of skidding and make stopping and starting at intersections safer. There's no snow or ice on the streets from May through mid-September.

Insurance companies from the Lower 48, such as Allstate, Geico and State Farm, have offices in Alaska. Your Lower 48 insurance is good in Anchorage and Alaska.

If you are from the United States, your driver's license works in Alaska. Alaska cities follow the same traffic rules as other U.S. cities.

Car rentals

Cars and recreational vehicles can be rented in town. Most car rentals can be made at Fairbanks International Airport on the east side of town. It's advisable to reserve your vehicle early. Expect to pay about $200 a week in May and as much as $400 a week in July.

Agencies allow their vehicles to be driven all over the state, although some forbid the vehicles' use on rough gravel roads.