Alaska Excursions

Planning on spending a couple of extra days in Fairbanks end of May 2018.

Looking for excursion ideas, first time to Alaska. Thanks!

You can also post on the Alaska Port of Call Forum for more suggestion.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

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A guidebook on Alaska (libraries have guidebooks!) will be VERY helpful, especially with a somewhat extended stay!

I too would post on the Alaska Ports of Call Board and also google is your friend. You can find so much on line.

Keith

We would highly recommend the Gold Dredge 8 We also did Sternwheeler Boat Ride Both very nice Just visited June 2017 Lovely cruise Be sure u have balcony cabin Great for Glaciers

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I took a whale watching excursion. It was a grey rainy day and I was glad the inside of the boat was warm and comfortable. Saw quite a few whales but got a better look by going outside.

I took a whale watching excursion. It was a grey rainy day and I was glad the inside of the boat was warm and comfortable. Saw quite a few whales but got a better look by going outside.

I just checked on a map to be sure. Looks like Fairbanks is maybe 400 miles from the nearest ocean as the crow or maybe whale flies.

DON

So sorry for my mistake, Don. That's what I did in Juneau.

Our excursions on the paddle wheeler (including Chena Indian Village) and to the gold dredge were included in our cruise tour with Princess. If they're not included in yours, they're worthwhile doing. We missed out on going to the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. It looks interesting.

Planning on spending a couple of extra days in Fairbanks end of May 2018.

Looking for excursion ideas, first time to Alaska. Thanks!

This has nothing to do w AK and it is not an excursion but if you have the slightest interest in old American cars, Fairbanks amazingly enough has a world class car museum - http://www.fountainheadmuseum.com/. I have been there 3 times. One time, I spent the whole day there. Also, +1 on the Museum of the North.

BTW - it is in Fairbanks.

DON

I would second the Riverboat excursion. We also did a trip to the Artic Circle on the Donaldson Highway. It's 14 hours in a van, but it's territory like we don't get to see in the lower 48

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I suggest you check out tripadvisor.com . Select Fairbanks and you can find suggestions and reviews on what to do and where to eat, complete with plenty of pictures. The site is a great resource to add to the cruisecritic Alaska board. We are spending some time in Fairbanks next May before a Cruise/Tour and got great info from both places to help with our planning.

A guidebook on Alaska (libraries have guidebooks!) will be VERY helpful, especially with a somewhat extended stay!

Alaska Ports of Call board will have much more current information.

Some people add to their post count by saying Welcome to Cruise Critic. Other people by saying 'get a guidebook'.

Good luck with Fairbanks. There is really a ton of things to do. Pan for gold

and the paddle wheel boat.

If you are into history, in Edna Ferber's "Ice Palace" novel and later movie, about Alaska's struggle for statehood, Fairbanks was cast as the fictional city of 'Baranof', and this building which is still there, you can see....

http://www.newsminer.com/features/sundays/sketches_of_alaska/the-northward-building-still-stands-out-in-downtown-fairbanks/article_70258fc8-bcb4-11e5-b0e1-7b6959b7abcd.html

I do not know what the condition of the road would be at the end of May but I would consider renting a car and driving the Haul Road. It is a unique drive. Again, if it is open, there is a neat B&B in Wiseman that you can stay at overnight.

DON

At one time, Princess offered an optional side tour over the Dalton Highway (the "Haul Road")....it overnighted at Coldfoot, and then upon reaching Prudhoe Bay, you were allowed to dip your toe into the Arctic Ocean, before catching a flight back to Fairbanks....

For some reason, the oil company that control's Prudhoe Bay no longer allows that, so the tour has been discontinued...

At one time, Princess offered an optional side tour over the Dalton Highway (the "Haul Road")....it overnighted at Coldfoot, and then upon reaching Prudhoe Bay, you were allowed to dip your toe into the Arctic Ocean, before catching a flight back to Fairbanks....

For some reason, the oil company that control's Prudhoe Bay no longer allows that, so the tour has been discontinued...

You do not need a tour to do the Dalton Highway. It was so easy to drive that I was a bit disappointed as I expected a driving adventure. That said, it was still a great drive and I do not regret doing it. You do need to pick out a car rental company that lets you drive the road as most of them do not. We did not drive the whole distance but we did get a few miles past Atigun Pass. According to Google Maps, it is 325 miles from Fairbanks to the Atigun Pass as opposed to 499 miles to Prudhoe Bay.

We slept over in Wiseman which is a real town as opposed to a truck stop.

We actually saw people doing the road on bicycles and in RVs. Now if you did it in the winter, it might be as different story.

DON

We did the riverboat and gold dredge. We had people from age 8 up to 70 and everyone loved it. Probably one of our favorite things we did in Alaska.

You do not need a tour to do the Dalton Highway. It was so easy to drive that I was a bit disappointed as I expected a driving adventure. That said, it was still a great drive and I do not regret doing it. You do need to pick out a car rental company that lets you drive the road as most of them do not. We did not drive the whole distance but we did get a few miles past Atigun Pass. According to Google Maps, it is 325 miles from Fairbanks to the Atigun Pass as opposed to 499 miles to Prudhoe Bay.

 

We slept over in Wiseman which is a real town as opposed to a truck stop.

 

We actually saw people doing the road on bicycles and in RVs. Now if you did it in the winter, it might be as different story.

 

DON

True, you do not need to ride on a tour..you can certainly drive the Dalton, but I'm not sure if you can access Prudhoe Bay or the Arctic Ocean any longer...sort of takes away one of the 'goals' of driving it....best to do some research beforehand...