Exploring Fairbanks' Winter Wonderland

There are so many things to see and experience in Fairbanks. Located in Alaska’s "Interior Region" its remoteness keeps many visitors to Alaska away. Do not let that detract you, however, as you will have opportunities that will amaze and stimulate you... even at -30 degree F! As I planned this trip, there were several things that are genuine Alaskan that were "must-do" for me.

First and foremost, the aurora borealis (aka Northern Lights) is synonymous with Alaska. Many visitors are disappointed to learn that you cannot see them during the summer months because of the lack of darkness. Settling for photographs and videos after our visit last summer, I knew that I had to return someday to see them. I was not disappointed, with them visible almost every night I was here. Many that had me oooing and awwwing, had other locals chuckling at me as many auroras I saw were rather quiet by most accounts. For me, seeing the colorful swirls in the skies above was a dream come true.

Sled dogs are also known as a "Genuine Alaskan" experience. This week I enjoyed them as a participant and spectator and had a great time doing both! Taking a sled dog adventure tour, where I got to "mush" was fun even though I did crash on the first inclined curve. I consider my bruise to be a real badge of honor! Later in the week I took in the North American Sled Dog Championships, a three day race that runs through the downtown area of Fairbanks and throughout Mushers Hall, the local sled dog club course.

If you are up for a long road trip, more than 12 hours worth, I would encourage you to find an Arctic Circle Winter Drive Adventure Tour. There are several companies that offer them, starting early in the morning and getting back around 8pm. For me, the decision was easy to plop down the since I didn’t want to take my rental car out onto the unpaved roads of the frozen tundra that is the Arctic.

Quick Tips:

If you are planning a trip for aurora viewing, you should start your research about a month out so that you will be able to use the scientific data and forecasting to know when the best times might be to view the light show. Keep in mind, the aurora borealis is a phenomenon of nature and weather. Predictions are just that, a prediction. There area is such thing as a "sure thing" and just like your local weather forecaster, sometimes they miss. But with a little bit of knowledge, and a connection to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Geophysical Institute’s website, you can raise the likelihood of experiencing the northern lights first hand... and maybe even capturing a photo or two. Here is the link to their main page that I used to plan my aurora viewing: www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast.

As you plan your trip, be sure to not over-book with higher than reasonable expectations regarding how much you can do in a day. Driving distances are vast... and the cold temperatures and low humidity can take a lot out of you. I found myself taking at least one nap every afternoon, except for the 14-hour day up into the Arctic Circle. There were some days when I wanted to do more, but after doing close to an all-nighter to watch the auroras, I simply needed to sleep! You should also plan on having at least a couple of bottles of drinking water, so as to avoid dehydration. It is easy to not realize just how dry the winter climate is when there is snow all around you.

Regardless of what time of the year you plan on visiting Alaska, you should be prepared for variable weather. For March, I of course took a lot in the way of thermal underwear and socks, plus winter gear that ordinarily I wouldn’t even own. Even in the summer, when we visited Denali National Park, I found that layering so as to be warm and dry when it was overcast or rainy or cool off should the clouds clear and the sky become sunny. Layering for the season is essential. You will also want to have good insulated waterproof boots, in order to keep your feet dry and warm.

Best Way To Get Around:

It is possible to stay in the downtown area of Fairbanks and never leave the area, which would mean no need for a rental car. Several of the B&B’s I looked into provide complimentary airport pick-up and drop-off service. A couple even had their personal cars available to guests for a daily use rental fee. For me, however, I knew I would need and want a car because I love to drive and "see" what’s around me. Alaska is HUGE, but you probably already knew that. To get out and to really get a great feel for Alaska’s Interior Region, you will want to drive there yourself. There are nice scenic overlooks and view points on Parks Highway as well as the Steese and Richardson Highways. During the summer months I have heard of visitors driving up the Dalton Highway into the Arctic Circle. Keep in mind, the Dalton Highway is in a remote and undeveloped area of the state. The road is not paved and most car rental companies prohibit you from taking their vehicles up there. (Another reason to consider taking one of those Arctic Circle Winter Drive Adventure Tours!).

Whenever I left town I made sure that I had a full tank of gas, as I never wanted to later find out that there is no gas available along my planned route. I also paid close attention to the gas tank range so that I always knew that if I didn’t find gas somewhere, I could still get back to Fairbanks. It is amazing just how far you can go and not realize how far away you are.

Because Alaska is largely wilderness, you have to be very careful of wildlife, especially moose. They are pretty much everywhere and if you hit one it can not only be fatal for the poor moose but it is also a significant threat to you and your passengers. The road out to Chena Hot Springs and over to North Pole are especially known for the number of moose who wander throughout the area with little regard to the roads and cars on them. You need to make sure you are driving an appropriate speed for the road conditions AND you are paying attention. This is not a time to phone home on the cell phone to let folks know what a great time you’re having in Alaska!

Well that’s not exactly true. The aurora borealis, aka "northern lights" can be seen throughout the world but most frequently and with the greatest intensity, within the auroral oval surrounding the earth’s (magnetic) North Pole which largely encompasses much of Alaska. Other areas of the world that frequently have fantastic auroral displays are Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Norway and Siberia. For me, coming to Alaska in the winter had one pay off... to see first hand (and photograph), the aurora borealis!

I arrived to Fairbanks well past midnight, hoping to see the aurora in the sky. While slightly disappointed, I knew that wasn’t really likely. I got to bed around 2:30am, simply beat from the trip. Folks at breakfast said there was a pretty display around 4:30am but at that hour, I was deep into REM sleep. Monday was a dreary snowy day, with a lot of cloud cover around Fairbanks. Given that I needed to be up by 5:00am for my Arctic Drive Tour on Tuesday, I focused on sleep and passed on the aurora. Again, folks tell me it was a nice display... missed another chance. It was good to know that in spite of the cloudy weather during the day in Fairbanks, the nighttime skies were clear and said to have displayed nice auroral activity.

When I returned from the Arctic Drive Tour, I had several e-mail notices from ADEC that the northern lights should be visible tonight--around midnight. I immediately jumped into gear to swap out my camera gear from daytime to nighttime and added a layer of clothing. I thought Cleary Summit would be my best first experience since it’s a well traveled area, with lots of other aurora viewers so that was where I chose to go. I was up on Cleary Summit by 11pm and didn’t have to wait long for the show! The beautiful slow moving aurora danced across the sky from my right, moving left. It was a lovely shade of green, the most common color for the aurora. I took around 100 photos, of which around 20 or 25 were really clear and nice. Some of them weren’t so good because I was parked next to this van of people who were "in and out" and kept turning on their interior and parking lights. Nothing can ruin a nighttime photo that extracurricular lights from the city or the car lights of inconsiderate people.

It was darn cold up there--approximately -20 degree F! Since my rental car had running daytime lights that I didn’t know how to turn off, I struggled to avoid going to the car to warm up while idling the car. Thankfully the air was calm and there was no wind to speak of. After about an hour and 100 photos, I thought it was a productive night, so I headed back to town. In spite of the below zero temps, my camera equipment held up and performed admirably. I had no freeze up or battery kill, so I was good for the entire hour without having to take my camera in to thaw. (I didn’t learn the next morning at breakfast how to turn out the headlights, so that wasn’t a problem for the rest of my aurora trips to Cleary Summit.)

There is a lot available on the Internet to help visitors understand the aurora and to plan for a successful viewing. With decent camera equipment, many are fortunate to capture the experience to share with others. In my case, my preparation became an obsession. I must have read 1,000 pages of literature on the aurora, photographing them and finding the best locations in and around Fairbanks. I also connected with other photographers via online groups. While many were casual amateurs like me, many more were published and nationally recognized photographers and scientists who have captured award winning pictures of the northern lights over Alaska. I felt genuinely blessed to have so many people willing to share their expertise, special viewing areas and friendship with me. I know that without their input and counsel, my photos would not have turned out nearly as good as they did. I also know that I would not have had the right lens (I bought a 14-54mm, f/2.8-3.5 just for this trip) nor would I have been prepared for the typical battery shutdown due to sub-zero temperatures, had I not connected with these wonderful folks.

In order to avoid the risk of plagiarizing some wonderful resources, I am providing website links to some of the better materials I found that helped me in preparing for my trip to Fairbanks:

North Pole Gallery/Kevin McCarthy (North Pole, AK) www.northpolegallery.com/news_show.aspx?news=26

Photographing the Northern Lights With Your DSLR/Roy Hooper (Circle, AK) www.royhooper.ca/articles/aurora.html

Home of the Northern Lights/Jan Curtis (Laramie, WY) http://climate.gi.alaska.edu/Curtis/aurora/aurora.html

Aurora Chasers Website Info (excellent info for those shooting with film cameras) www.aurorachasers.com/PhotographyGuide/index_html


I did most of my aurora viewing and photography up on Cleary Summit. There is a parking area that is atop the summit right at the Skiland turnoff from the Steese Hwy. Each night there were between five and ten cars up there, some to view and others photographing. I felt very comfortable up there, as a woman traveling alone but wasn’t stupid either. When it was just me and one other vehicle, I didn’t stay very long. Fortunately, there was only one evening cut short because folks had left and I was the only person up there outside photographing with another vehicle parked there.

A special treat while at the Fairbanks Visitor Center I found out that they give certificates to anyone who has witnessed the aurora borealis in Fairbanks. It reads: "This is to certify that Yvonne Bennett is an official member of the Latitude 65 Aurora Borealis Club having viewed the northern lights on March 13, 2007 in Fairbanks, Alaska. Signed, Deb Hichoh, President and CEO of the Fairbanks Convention & Visitors Bureau."

The GCI Open North American Championship is a three day race that draws competitive teams from around the world. With two 20-mile sprint races contested on Friday and Saturday, the champion is crowned after the exhausting final 27.5-mile race on Sunday. The winner is determined by the combined times for all three races. This is the race that sprint mushers have trained for annually since 1946.

The races start/finish line is in downtown Fairbanks right on Second Avenue, with the course laid out throughout the city and over through the Mushers Hall race grounds, just beyond the Chena River. It was amazing to see how they transformed the street into a dog race course literally overnight. They trucked in tons of snow which was groomed nightly for the following day’s race. There were many places to watch the various sled teams race against the clock. I took in the races at the start/finish line on Second Avenue for both Friday’s start and Sunday’s exciting finish.

There were 27 teams competing, from all over Alaska, the US lower 48 and even overseas. The youngest musher was just 16 years old and was a third generation competitor in this championship race. A team from Germany traveled the furthest. I cannot imagine flying from Germany to Alaska with all of that gear and 20 dogs!

Sled teams consisted of between 12 and 22 dogs, with one musher driving the sleigh. If a dog became injured or for whatever reason deemed to be holding back the team, the musher could remove it from the line but it had to be carried in the "basket" of the sled. There were no substitutions allowed, so whatever dogs started Friday’s race were the only ones allowed to race on Saturday and Sunday. On Friday every dog was marked with paint to verify its position as a starting dog.

The teams are started individually at two minute intervals. The 20 mile run took right about an hour... and the 27.5 miles around 90-100 minutes. At two points on the course, sleds going out passed sleds on the return portion of their run. They say that there is great opportunity for mishaps at these junctions, especially if the dogs don’t run straight or become distracted. I didn’t make my way to either of those two points on the course, opting to watch them start downtown instead

Speaking of the start, it was really amazing to see how excited the dogs got as the countdown to "GO" was called. The dogs were often barking and many times prancing and jumping in the line, anxious to start running. I think my favorite team of dogs was the one that consisted of all Alaskan Huskies with similar colors of white and grey. I have a photo of them attached to this review. It was funny because many of the dogs are mixes, with Alaskan or Siberian husky base with other breeds used for speed and endurance. They were not particularly large dogs either. I think that was what surprised me the most. I really expected to see the large stocky type dogs you see that are representative of the breed in the AKC shows.

While I was there for the start of the races on Friday, I didn’t stay for them to finish. Instead, I came back on Sunday afternoon for the completion of the final 27.5-mile race. The dogs all still seemed to have plenty of energy left, although some mushers were pushing hard to help their dogs get to the finish line. In fact, one was off his sled and running along side it pushing it as the dogs pulled.

After the race course was completed, the dogs were taken off their leads and out of the harnesses and chained to their team truck and fed. It was a real feeding frenzy of a liquid mixture that looked a bit like soupy porridge. They were ravenous, wolfing down every drop in their individual bowls.

When all of the racing was over and all teams in, Buddy Streeper of Ft. Nelson, BC (Canada) was crowned the champion with a record breaking total time of 204 minutes and 47.1 seconds, a full two minutes faster than the previous record time. There was a very nice article in the local paper if you are interested in reading more about the race and results: http://newsminer.com/2007/03/19/6017

NOTE: The title sponsor GCI is the largest telecommunications company serving Alaska.

Every winter Fairbanks becomes the center of the world’s most creative ice sculpture artists. Conducted annually by Ice Alaska, a nonprofit organization based in Fairbanks, The International Ice Art Championships takes place in the downtown area called Ice Park. Staged as two separate competitions, the single or multi-block, people come from all around the world to compete and view the resulting exhibits. It is amazing what people can create and design in ice!

Throughout the competition, visitors can walk through Ice Park and watch the artists at work. Because I arrived after the actual sculpting was completed, I only got to see the finished results which were quite remarkable. At night, they have beautiful colored lights which really bring the art to life. Take a look at the photos attached to this review and you can see what I’m talking about. There is one photo of “just” the clear ice by day... and then another of the same piece taken at night in all its colorful splendor. The sculptures really are breathtaking.

The single block competition is comprised of teams of no more than two artists working with a natural ice block cut from O’Grady Pond in Fairbanks. Known for it clarity and thickness, single ice blocks are massive at 3’ x 5’ x 8’ and weighing upwards of 7,800 pounds! The teams in the multi-block competition have up to four artists working on as many as ten 6’ x 4’x 3’ blocks of ice, each with an estimated weight of 4,400 pounds. They report that over four million pounds of ice are harvested from O’Grady Pond annually by Ice Alaska.

One side event that I did get to see first-hand was the Junior World Art Championships, which was contested this year for just the second time. High school students competed for the opportunity to win college scholarships for first, second and third place in two categories (Abstract and Realistic). Because these are young people competing, the ice blocks they started with were smaller (3’ x 5’ x 3’ and weighing 2,800 pounds). Limited to just 10 one or two-person teams, it was interesting to watch them bring their sketches to life in ice. I can only imagine what it was like to watch the “pros” last week!

You may wonder what tools they use to transform these massive blocks of ice into the beautiful creations. Mostly they use chain saws, drills and chisels. In the multi-block competition they could use lifts to move the large ice blocks, but in the single block competition, they had to move the ice manually which required great strength. I understand that some used flame blower torches to melt and refreeze ice to make smooth connections between blocks.

If you have little ones with you, they will enjoy the Flint Hills Resources Kids Park. Using ice to create slides and mazes for younger visitors, there is fun to be had by children of all ages. As I watched some kids playing on the slides, all I could think of is how it would be possible to “slide” down an ice slide without sticking. I’m not sure why they don’t stick, but they don’t. Many of them were on plastic type toboggans or small dish type sleds, making the ride a bit quicker.

Ice Park is open daily through March 25, 2007 or as weather permits. (I suppose a prolonged heat wave with temperatures into the thirties could kill the ice pretty quickly although that doesn’t seem too likely since the temps were still below zero during most days during my trip.) The park opens at 10am and closes at 10pm. Admission fees do apply; with a season pass available to those who plan more than a couple of visits to the park during the month long event. Adults are $8 per day, children (ages 6-12) are $4 per day, and those under age 6 are free. Annual passes are available for $25 and $10 respectively. There is parking right at the entrance so no need to worry about that and better yet, it’s free. If you get cold and need to step into a warm area for a while, there is a concession area that serves snack foods and hot beverages, as well as sodas.

If you are planning a winter trip to Fairbanks, I would encourage you to try to plan your visit around the World Ice Art Championships. I visited the Ice Park twice during my week stay and thoroughly enjoyed it each time. The art looks very different at night, so I was glad to have had the opportunity to see everything during daylight and fully lit with colored lights at night.

One of the "must-do" activities that I wanted to be sure that I did was taking a sled dog tour. There are a lot of options available, with kennels specializing in tourist adventures by dog sled as well as other general tour operators who have partnerships with kennels and local mushers. After doing about ten hours of Internet research, I decided to go with one of the B&B’s that I had found and considered for my stay. While I couldn’t stay there (she has cats, which I’m allergic to), I liked Pascale and the assistance she provided me during my early planning process. She offers short and long mushing experiences depending on the rider’s experience. Having never done it before, we agreed that the short four mile loop would be best for me. Good thing too as I crashed on the first downhill curve, because I allowed the leads to my four dog team to go slack, causing me to lose control and taking a pretty decent spill. I wasn’t really hurt and fortunately, the sled did not hit the dogs, which is probably the biggest concern that I had. Let me assure you, Pascale was very thorough in her instructions to me. I just didn’t keep the sled slow enough to maintain control on that first hill.

You may be wondering, "Sure Von, how much really goes into RIDING on a sled pulled by dogs!" This sled had two parallel runners, with a mat connected between them. As you ride, you have your feet up on each of the runners... that would be riding "wide open" and is probably best only for flat and uphill parts of the trail. For downhill and curved areas, you keep your toes on the rails while you use your heels on the mat to create a drag to keep the sled slower and making the dogs pull you rather than having the momentum of the hill and gravity taking control. Pascale "led" us by driving about 25 yards in front of the dogs on a snow machine. Once she knew I had to feel of it and wasn’t likely to crash again, she sped up to get way ahead of us so that she could take some photos of me and "my dogs" including a nice six second video. (Boy do I love my new Canon SD600!)

It was rather cold, hovering right around zero degrees. Near the end of my ride, it started to snow again, so we got back just in time. I was pretty amazed that I actually stayed warm. I wore a wicking lining, thermal underwear and a top layer of a sweater and jeans. With my NFL Starter jacket (GO PACKERS!), my husband’s ski hood mask, two pairs of good wool socks, Sorel snow boots and a very good pair of Thinsulate gloves, I was good to go!

The four mile loop trail ride took just under an hour and cost $50. If you don’t have good outerwear, it's not to worry. She also provides arctic weather coveralls and boots to keep you protected from the elements at no additional cost. After the ride, with the dogs released from their harnesses, Milkbones were waiting for them and hot tea with banana bread was waiting inside for us. mmmmm hit the spot perfect.

For more information you can contact Pascale at her B&B, The Northern Sky Lodge: www.northernskylodge.com. Northern Sky Lodge is located south of Ester, Alaska, approximately 30 minutes from downtown Fairbanks on the Parks Hwy going south towards Anchorage.

The Jeff Studdert Race Grounds and Mushers Hall is home of the Alaska Dog Mushers Association where sled dog racers can practice and compete on the race course that meanders through approximately 45 acres in Fairbanks, Alaska. During my week in town, the Jeff Studdert Passenger Race was contested, with fewer than ten dog teams competing.

This race was a short 7.7 miles, with teams consisting of a driver/musher, passenger in the sled and one dog for every 40 lbs of combined weight of the sled (including driver and passenger). Even though the race was short, especially in comparison with the GCI North American Sled Dog Championships held later in the week, the dogs really looked exhausted as they crossed the finish line.

With the race over, the musher unharnesses each of the dogs and either chains them to their truck or places each into their mobile kennel. It was funny to watch the dogs eat and rub in the snow in the parking lot, probably hot and thirsty after their 20 to 30 minute jaunt.

Most of the sprint races held on Saturdays throughout the winter cover between five and 19 miles over the race course. Because of a poor snow season, all of the December races had been postponed until sufficient snow covered the course in January.

Mushers Hall is a great place to watch sled dog races, as you can stay inside and follow the teams as they return from the race course. They have a small snack bar type concession stand that offers hot drinks, sodas, and light snacks. The hall is also available for rent by other groups looking for a nice, intimate location for meetings or receptions.

Located on Farmer’s Loop Road, the Jeff Studdert Race Grounds and Mushers Hall is easy to find and is just 10 minutes from downtown Fairbanks. Additional information about the Alaska Dog Mushers Association’s race schedule and the facilities can be found at: www.sleddog.org.