Alaska Excursions

Alaska Excursions

Wide range of glorious day trips throughout Southcentral Alaska.

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More on Fairbanks

Fairbanks

A statue of Alaska's unknown first family stands along the Chena River near the city's visitors center and old church.

The Golden Heart of the Interior blends the cosmopolitan and rustic. Both nature and industry are on display here.

Bus service in Fairbanks

Fairbanks has city bus service -- the MACS, or Metropolitan Area Commuter System. It covers the Fairbanks North Star Borough, including Fairbanks International Airport, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the city of North Pole and Fort Wainwright.

Flying to and from Fairbanks

Fairbanks has jet and propeller-plane service to Anchorage and the world beyond.

Trains in Fairbanks

Fairbanks has big and little railroads.

Driving around Fairbanks

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.

Fairbanks sports

Fairbanks: Info and contacts

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Fairbanks-area fishing

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Fairbanks hiking and camping

Winter fun in Fairbanks

Alaska Railroad, smaller trains tour Alaska's present and past

By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com

Fairbanks has big and little railroads.

The Denali Star

The Alaska Railroad's Denali Star carries passengers between Fairbanks and Anchorage, with stops at Denali National Park and Talkeetna, a small town from which many flightseeing trips originate.

The 12-hour trip to Anchorage costs $175 per person during the peak time of the summer, which in 2004 runs from June 6 through Sept. 6, which is Labor Day.

People who can travel during the summer season's first three weeks (May 16 through June 5) and the last two weeks (Sept. 7 through 12) get a break, as the fare then costs $140. The Fairbanks-Denali run costs $50 during the peak season and $40 during the "value" season.

The trains have a full-service dining car and souvenir shop. Baggage service available.

Reservations for these trips and add-on excursions may be made through the Alaska Railroad.

Fairbanks / Denali / Talkeetna / Anchorage

 
NorthboundSouthbound 
Anchorage8:15 a.m.Fairbanks8:15 a.m.
Wasilla9:45 a.m.Denali12:01 p.m.
Talkeetna11:25 a.m.Talkeetna4:40 p.m.
Denali3:45 p.m.Wasilla6:05 p.m.
Fairbanks8:15 p.m.Anchorage8:15 p.m.

Fares
Fares per person, one way. Fares for children, 2-11, are 50 percent of the adult fare, rounded up to the nearest dollar.

Fairbanks to Anchorage$175 peak, $140 value
Fairbanks to Denali$100 peak, $80 value
Fairbanks to Talkeetna$100 peak, $80 value

Riding for fun

Narrow-guage railroads provide a little prospector-era flair in Fairbanks.

At Pioneer Park on Airport Way, the Crooked Creek and Whiskey Island Railroad chugs twice around the property for a couple of bucks a ride.

Nine miles north of Fairbanks, on the Elliott Highway (Highway 2) in Fox, the El Dorado Gold Mine includes a narrow-guage train as part of its tour package.