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Fairbanks To Coldfoot
Photo Credit: ATIA, Michael DeYoung
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Fairbanks To Coldfoot

Fairbanks to Coldfoot

From Fairbanks to Coldfoot you'll get to explore the history, culture, and nature that Alaska is most famous for.

Day 1: Fairbanks

Fairbanks is accessible via commercial flight from many cities in the Lower 48 and via Anchorage. Upon arrival, check in to a cozy lodge or modern hotel, and if you're in town from August to April, be sure to ask the front desk for a northern lights wake-up call—if the aurora is out, they’ll ring your room so you can run outside and get your first glimpse! If you have time today, pay a visit to the University of Alaska Museum of the North to view its extensive natural history and art collection. Before you travel, be sure to check the Fairbanks event calendar to see what’s happening when you arrive.

Day 2: En Route to Coldfoot Camp

Today you’ll join a tour by bus along the famed Dalton Highway (featured on the Discovery Channel’s “Ice Road Truckers” show). The all-day drive will offer plenty of opportunities to stop for photos, including at the mighty Yukon River, along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and upon crossing the Arctic Circle. Upon arrival in Coldfoot, you’ll be checked in to your base for the next two nights at Coldfoot Camp.

Although it was established in the late 1800s as gold miners flooded the region, Coldfoot wasn’t much of a community until construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline began in the 1970s. Located halfway between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay, it made a convenient stop for truckers hauling supplies, and they soon began dropping packing crates and other materials that could be used to build a formal truck stop there. Coldfoot Camp was the result, and the center pole in the building still bears the carved initials of the truckers that raised it.

Day 3: Coldfoot

Due to its location, Coldfoot is one of the best places on earth to witness the aurora, so be on the lookout when it gets dark. During the day, Coldfoot Camp offers plenty of activities to keep you entertained, including an excursion into the Brooks Mountain Range (the far northern end of the Rocky Mountains), a dog sledding experience with a local musher, or a trip to nearby Wiseman for more aurora-viewing opportunities.

Day 4: Fairbanks

Today you’ll hop a plane back to Fairbanks, where you can find plenty more to do (just see all the activities mentioned above) or head from there to other Alaska destinations.

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