Four Day Fairbanks to Coldfoot Tour

From Fairbanks to Coldfoot on this four day itinerary, you'll get to explore the history, culture, and nature that Alaska's Interior and Arctic regions are 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! Spend the day exploring the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center, which houses life-sized dioramas that interpret local history and Alaska Native culture, and sometimes hosts demonstrations of traditional storytelling, music, and dance. Next, stop by the University of Alaska Museum of the North to learn more about Alaska’s history and the region’s rich Alaska Native heritage. 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. The all-day drive will offer plenty of opportunities to stop for photos, including at the mighty Yukon River, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, and 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. Today, it's an ideal basecamp for exploring Alaska's Arctic region and the nearby Brooks Range.

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 if you are here during aurora season. During the day, Coldfoot Camp offers plenty of activities to keep you entertained, including an excursion into the Brooks Range (the far northern end of the Rocky Mountains), a trip to nearby Wiseman, flightseeing over Gates of the Arctic National Park, and float trips. If you're visiting in winter you can embark on a dog sledding experience with a local musher, join a guided snowshoeing or fat tire biking trip, or go aurora viewing. Overnight again in Coldfoot.

Day 4: Fairbanks

Today you’ll hop a plane back to Fairbanks, where you can find plenty more to do, or head from there to other Alaska destinations. You can connect to Denali, Anchorage, Seward, and other destinations via the Alaska Railroad, or connect to destinations statewide via air service from the Fairbanks International Airport. 

Optional Add-On: See more of the Arctic

Want a quick taste of real life in Alaska’s rural communities? Several local tour companies will let you ride along on an authentic bush plane as it delivers mail to isolated communities that can only be reached by air. If you want longer to explore a given community or visit with the locals, book an all-day tour to a nearby community like Anaktuvuk Pass, in the company of a guide who’ll help you understand local culture and traditions. If you’re here for wilderness, Fairbanks is the perfect gateway for a day flight into nearby wilderness areas like the famously remote Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.