NPS Photo/DENA Alaska’s second largest city, Fairbanks, is located in the heart of the state. The Fairbanks Alaska Public Lands Information Center, located in the Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center, offers a multitude of information about public lands, trip planning assistance, and resource education. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic RiverCities Nearby: Fairbanks
Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic River has its headwaters in the White Mountains, approximately 50 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska. The river flows west past the jagged limestone ridges of the White Mountains before flowing to the north and east, where it enters the Yukon Flats and joins the Yukon River. The first 127 miles of Beaver Creek, most of it within the White Mountains National Recreation Area, were designated a National Wild River by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980. The last 16 miles of designated wild river lie within the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Big Delta State Historical ParkCities Nearby: Fairbanks & Tok
This site was an important crossroad for travelers, traders, and the military during the early days of the 20th century. Rika's Roadhouse is the centerpiece of the park. The house served travelers on the historic Valdez-to-Fairbanks Trail from 1913 to 1947. John Hajdukovich had the north-south section of this log structure built in 1913. The Valdez-to-Fairbanks Trail was being improved at this time and the roadhouse was a center of activity for gold stampeders, local hunters, traders, and freighters. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Birch Creek Wild and Scenic RiverCities Nearby: Circle & Fairbanks
Birch Creek Wild and Scenic River flows from the windswept ridges and alpine tundra of the Steese National Conservation Area into the broad expanse of the Yukon Flats in central Alaska. The river offers one-week float trips notable not only for scenery and remoteness but for convenience -- floaters can access both ends of the Wild River segment from BLM recreation sites along the Steese Highway. The Bureau of Land Management manages 110 miles of upper Birch Creek as a wild river under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The river continues through state, private and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge land for a total of 344 miles before emptying into the Yukon River about halfway between Fort Yukon and Beaver. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Chena River State Recreation AreaCities Nearby: Fairbanks
Chena River State Recreation Area is a park for all seasons. Are you interested in a day of hiking and rock-climbing at Granite Tors? Or would you prefer to harness up the dog team and escape into the snowy horizon, or perhaps ride a 4-wheeler along a forest trail? With 397 square miles of forests, rivers, and alpine tundra, the recreation area has something to offer everyone. The variety of activities draws more than 150,000 people to the Chena River State Recreation Area every year. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl RefugeCities Nearby: Fairbanks
During the gold rush at the turn of the century, Belle and Charles Hinckley brought three cows and some horses from Nome up the Yukon and Tanana Rivers to the small outpost of Fairbanks to operate a dairy. As the dairy grew over the years, migratory waterfowl congregated at Creamer's Field in increasing numbers. The grain and large open fields provided prime habitat to feed and rest on the journey north and west. When the dairy went up for sale in 1966, the community raised money to ensure the farm fields were preserved so the birds would continue to stopover along their migratory route. Creamer's Refuge protects and enhances quality habitat for a diversity of wildlife, especially waterfowl and other migratory birds, while also providing for compatible public uses, such as wildlife viewing, research, and nature education. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Delta Junction Bison Range AreaCities Nearby: Delta Junction
In 1979, the Alaska Legislature established the 90,000-acre Delta Junction State Bison Range. The purpose of the bison range was to perpetuate free-ranging bison by providing adequate winter range and to alter seasonal movements of bison to reduce damage to agriculture. The Delta Junction State Bison Range is open to most public uses provided the activity does not damage the range’s resources, disturb wildlife or disrupt existing public uses. Allowed activities generally include hunting, trapping, fishing, wildlife watching, hiking, boating, snow machining, and camping. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Delta Wild and Scenic RiverCities Nearby: Glennallen
Delta River is one of a few easily accessible wild and scenic rivers in the state of Alaska, providing both day use and overnight boating opportunities. A wide range of outstanding recreational opportunities attract people of all ages and abilities for river-related solitude and undisturbed environment as well as wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, trapping, camping, hiking, snowmachining, skiing and photography. Boating opportunities include both lake and river paddling on clear and glacial water stretches, challenging whitewater, and exceptional opportunities for both day use and extended overnight backcountry excursions. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Denali HighwayCities Nearby: Cantwell & Paxson
The Denali Highway is 135 miles long, of which only 24 miles are paved, and it connects the towns of Paxson on the Richardson Highway with the Cantwell on the Parks Highway. A loop trip originating and returning to Fairbanks is about 435 miles. A loop trip from Anchorage is close to 600 miles. Allow several days travel for either of these trips and plan for remote, dirt road, limited services driving conditions as you travel the Denali Highway. The highway is generally open from mid-May to October 1. Opportunities for hunting, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing, and enjoying scenic vistas are abundant! 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Denali National Park and PreserveCities Nearby: Denali Park
Denali is six million acres of wild land, bisected by one ribbon of road. Travelers can see the relatively low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America's tallest peak, the 20,310 foot high Denali. Wild animals large and small roam un-fenced lands, living as they have for ages. Solitude, tranquility and wilderness await. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Fortymile Wild and Scenic RiverCities Nearby: Dawson City, Eagle, & Tok
Float trips on the Fortymile Wild and Scenic River offer scenic beauty, solitude and glimpses of gold-mining dredges, turn-of-the-century trapper cabins and abandoned townsites. Threading through this rugged landscape, the twisty and picturesque Taylor Highway leads motorists into the heart of the Fortymile and over American Summit to the historic town of Eagle on the Yukon River. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Gates of the Arctic National Park and PreserveOther Region(s): Northwest & Arctic Region
This vast landscape does not contain any roads or human-made trails. Visitors discover intact ecosystems where people have lived with the land for thousands of years. Wild rivers meander through glacier-carved valleys, caribou migrate along age-old trails, endless summer light fades into aurora-lit night skies of winter. Gates of the Arctic remains virtually unchanged except by the forces of nature. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Iditarod National Historic TrailOther Region(s): Northwest & Arctic Region & Southcentral Region
The Iditarod National Historic Trail commemorates a 2,300-mile system of winter trails that first connected ancient Alaska Native villages, opened up Alaska for the last great American gold rush, and now plays a vital role for travel and recreation in modern day Alaska. Over 1,500 miles of the historic winter trail system are open today for public use across state and federal lands. The Bureau of Land Management, under the National Trails Act, is the designated Trail Administrator, and works to coordinate efforts by federal and state agencies on behalf of the entire trail. BLM maintains about 150 miles of the trail, including five public shelter cabins. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Innoko National Wildlife RefugeCities Nearby: Galena
The Innoko National Wildlife Refuge typifies wilderness. With no inhabited human settlements, no roads, and a lack of easy access to the Refuge, human visitors are few and far between. However, an abundance of summer migrant and year-round resident wildlife call the Innoko Refuge home. Recreational opportunities abound and difficult access ensures a chance to experience unparalleled solitude. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Kanuti National Wildlife RefugeCities Nearby: Bettles
At 1.637 million acres, Kanuti Refuge is about the size of the state of Delaware. The Refuge straddles the Arctic Circle, with approximately a third of the Refuge above the Circle and two-thirds below. Kanuti Refuge is a prime example of Alaska's boreal ecosystem, in which the forests are dominated by black and white spruces with Alaskan birch, aspen, and poplar trees occurring less commonly. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Koyukuk National Wildlife RefugeCities Nearby: Galena
Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge was established to conserve waterfowl, other migratory birds, moose, caribou, furbearers, and salmon; to fulfill treaty obligations; to provide for continued subsistence uses, and to ensure necessary water quality and quantity. Headquarters for the Koyukuk Refuge are located in Galena, Alaska and in 1990, staffs of the Koyukuk and Nowitna Refuges were joined to create the Koyukuk/Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which also includes the Northern Unit of the Innoko Refuge. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Minto Flats State Game RefugeCities Nearby: Fairbanks
The Minto Flats State Game Refuge encompasses approximately 500,000 acres and is located about 35 miles west of Fairbanks between the communities of Minto and Nenana. The refuge was established by the Alaska Legislature in 1988 to ensure the protection and enhancement of habitat, the conservation of fish and wildlife, and to guarantee the continuation of hunting, fishing, trapping, and other compatible public uses within the Minto Flats area. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Nowitna National Wildlife RefugeCities Nearby: Galena
Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge was established to conserve trumpeter swans, other waterfowl and migratory birds, moose, caribou, martens, other furbearers, salmon, sheefish, and northern pike; to fulfill treaty obligations; to provide for continued subsistence uses; and to ensure necessary water quality and quantity. In 1990, staffs of the Koyukuk and Nowitna Refuges were joined to create the Koyukuk/Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which also includes the Northern Unit of the Innoko Refuge. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Pinnell Mountain National Recreation TrailCities Nearby: Fairbanks
Located 100 miles (161 km) northeast of Fairbanks, this 27-mile (44 km) trail traverses a series of alpine ridge tops entirely above timberline. The Pinnell Mountain Trail is marked with rock cairns as it crosses open tundra with views north to the Yukon River and south to the Alaska Range. Wooden posts along the trail show the mileage from the start at Eagle Summit (milepost 107 on the Steese Highway) to the trail’s end at Twelvemile Summit (milepost 85.5, Steese Highway). Two emergency shelters provide refuge from storms, but hikers should come prepared for unpredictable, dramatic weather. Sections of the trail are the farthest south, accessible points in Alaska where you can see the dip low near the horizon but not set in mid-summer - the 'midnight sun.' 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Richardson HighwayOther Region(s): Southcentral Region
The Richardson Highway runs north-south, connecting the communities of Valdez and Fairbanks, Alaska. Along the road are numerous trailheads and river access points. Be advised that some of these trails are 17 (b) easements providing access to public lands or waterways, across private land, but they are for access only, no camping allowed. See each land agency for further information. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Salcha River State Recreation SiteCities Nearby: Fairbanks
Salcha River State Recreational Site is 40 miles southeast of Fairbanks at Mile 323.3 of the Richardson Highway and next to the Salcha River. Salcha River State Recreation Site offers campsites, boat launch and a public use cabin. Winter activities include cross country skiing and snow machining up or down the river (when frozen). Its location makes it a great get away from Fairbanks. The river has an excellent grayling fishery and a good salmon run in July. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Steese and Elliot HighwaysCities Nearby: Fairbanks
The 175-mile-long Steese Highway (Alaska Route 6) connects Fairbanks with the small town of Circle, to the east, on the bank of the mighty Yukon River. The Elliott Highway (Alaska Route 2) starts just outside of Fairbanks in the historic mining town of Fox and leads north to the beginning of the Dalton Highway near Livengood. It then turns west, ending in the village of Manley. Only the first 60 miles of each of these highways are paved, but both are maintained year-round, usually closing briefly during winter storms. Be prepared for hazardous conditions year-round. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Steese National Conservation AreaCities Nearby: Fairbanks
A half day’s drive from Fairbanks, Alaska, the Steese National Conservation Area (NCA) offers stunning scenery, peaceful solitude, and outstanding opportunities for year-round recreation. The area was designated by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980 to protect the area’s special values, particularly Birch Creek Wild and Scenic River, and caribou habitat. The Steese NCA plays a major role in the annual life of cycle of the Fortymile and White Mountains caribou herds, offering migration corridors, crucial summer calving grounds in high alpine tundra, and winter ranges among black spruce boreal forests. A few areas provide year-round habitat for Dall sheep, an uncommon species in Interior Alaska. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Tanana Valley State ForestCities Nearby: Delta Junction
The Tanana Valley State Forest's (TVSF) 1.81 million acres lie almost entirely within the Tanana River Basin, located in the east-central part of Alaska. The Forest extends 265 miles, from near the Canadian border to Manley Hot Springs. The Forest is open to mining, gravel extraction, oil and gas leasing, and grazing, although very little is done. Timber production is the major commercial activity. The TVSF offers many recreational opportunities including hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, hiking, dog mushing, cross-country skiing, wildlife viewing, snow machining, gold panning, boating, and berry-picking. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Taylor HighwayCities Nearby: Dawson City & Eagle
From its start near the Tanana River to its end at the Yukon River, the Taylor is a highway built around, next to, over, and because of rivers. It provides travelers with unparalleled access not only to the mighty Yukon, but also the Fortymile Wild and Scenic River, a watercourse that has shaped this region in ways as deep as the valleys it has carved through the Yukon-Tanana Uplands. Travel the Taylor Highway's twisty path, and you'll pass through some of the state's most interesting history while enjoying gorgeous scenery along the way. Some travelers follow the Taylor Highway to its end in the historic village of Eagle, home of historic Fort Egbert and field headquarters & visitors center location of Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. Others turn off at the junction with the Top of the World Highway, which continues into Yukon Territory and, a short ferry ride across the Yukon River later, the Klondike Gold Rush town of Dawson City . Either way, be prepared for an unforgettable trip through the Fortymile country. Only the first 64 miles of the Taylor Highway are paved - be prepared for hazardous, remote driving conditions with little to no services. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Tetlin National Wildlife RefugeCities Nearby: Tok
The boundaries of Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge encompass 932,000 acres; however, some of these acres are owned by the state of Alaska or private citizens. The Refuge's remaining 682,604 incredibly diverse acres include everything from rugged snow-capped mountains and glacier-fed rivers to expansive forests, treeless tundra, and massive wetlands. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH White Mountains National Recreation AreaCities Nearby: Fairbanks
Remarkably remote, and surprisingly close, located just an hour's drive from Fairbanks, Alaska, the one-million-acre White Mountains National Recreation Area offers stunning scenery, peaceful solitude, and outstanding opportunities for year-round recreation. The 'backyard' recreation destination for Fairbanks residents has something for everyone. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Yukon Flats National Wildlife RefugeCities Nearby: Circle
The Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge is sure to stir your imagination. Generations have felt a great sense of wonder when confronted by this landscape that does not appear to reflect the passage of time. The usual distractions of our modern world: the drone of automobiles; nighttime skies illuminated by city lights; and even other people, are absent. Home to an expansive wetland of lakes and rivers feeding into the mighty Yukon River, Yukon Flats NWR is one of the most critical habitats for breeding waterfowl in Alaska. 
NPS Graphic/ANCH Yukon-Charley Rivers National PreserveCities Nearby: Eagle
Located in Interior Alaska, Yukon-Charley Rivers offers opportunities for exploration in a largely untouched landscape. Whether you float the mighty Yukon River or paddle the Charley River's whitewater, your memories will last a lifetime. Geology, cultural history, gold rush remnants, wildlife, and vast scenery will be a part of your experience, but the strongest element will be solitude. Adventure awaits. |
Last updated: December 26, 2023