Imagine waiting your entire existence (or at least the part where you could actually have a dream and remember it) to fulfill a very important item on your ever growing bucket list. Well, my opportunity came by means of a special surprise Christmas gift – a plane ticket to Alaska and an adventure of a lifetime.
GETTING THERE
The plane travel from the east coast to the west coast lasted about 5 hours. the longest leg was from Seattle to Juno then Juno to Fairbanks. Have you ever walked into a walk in freezer in a restaurant or warehouse before? Imagine that feeling of lack of oxygen, that level of chill, and the deafening silence that comes with it – welcome to my first experience with Fairbanks. When I began to walk out of the airport to the rental car, I took two steps out of the toasty building and into the bitter negative 22 degrees weather to find myself having a hard time breathing. After some mental pep talks of “you can make it!” and “it’s only a short sprint over an icy parking lot to a freezing car and five minutes until the car warms up – you got this” is when I finally took a deep breath of the warm, oxygen filled air, and took the plunge into the coldest night I have yet experienced.
For all snow or icy climates, I highly recommend a Subaru. That was the vehicle of choice that week, and I am so happy it was. The technology Subaru brings to the table for accountability when it comes to extreme weather is unbeatable. This isn’t an ad – just personal experience!
Top Places to Visit
The North Pole & Santa Clause House
North Pole is a small Alaskan city near Fairbanks. It’s known for its year-round Christmas decorations, including candy cane–striped street lights. Santa Claus House is a Christmas store with walls covered in children’s letters to Santa and a huge Santa statue outside. Streets have names like Kris Kringle Drive and Mistletoe Lane. The time I was there, I even had the opportunity to check out some of Santa’s magical reindeer! If you’re planning a trip to Fairbanks, you’ll soon find out that the actual city in and of itself during the winter season is almost a ghost town. So, venturing out and checking out nearby cities and making that extra drive is totally recommended and worth it to make the most of your trip!
Also, this is where I came to watch the Snowflake Drop for New Years Eve! Parking is free, first come first serve, and there are tons of activities for the family beforehand including sleigh rides, an ice playground, and hot cocoa for everyone.
Chatted with the owners and these guys are very well taken care of. They are winter animals, so being out in the snow and ice is their happy place! 
Santa Ice Sculpture 
I imagined the North Pole being slightly taller.. 
Where’s Rudolph? 
It does exist!
Denali National Park
One simply cannot be so close to one of the most beautiful National Parks and not visit. The two and a half hour drive was filled with snow covered mountain tops, wild animal sitings (pro tip: do not approach a mama moose when with her baby), breathtaking views, and much more. Due to the heavy ice and snow, most of the roads in the park were closed for safety reason, but there was still some walking (and cross country skiing!) paths still available to check out and explore.
If Denali is your destination spot for Alaska, then there are some beautiful hotels and lodges right outside the main entrance. Make sure to check them out and find some great deals for non-peak time frames.
Embracing the beauty! 
Inside Denali 
Made it! I can’t imagine this sign without snow all around it now. 
All roads lead to Denali 
Putting these thermal PJs I bought in Switzerland to use! 
It’s only logical one kicks around on a frozen lake when you have a soccer ball at hand. Staying fit in negative degrees weather! 
That view!
Chena Hot Springs Resort
If you mention visiting Fairbanks, anyone who know the area would definitely recommend visiting Chena Hot Springs. It’s located a little over 50 miles north of Fairbanks. The closer you get to the resort, the more you realize just how secluded it is to local towns and cities. The wifi becomes weaker, and the stars become brighter.
It’s the perfect getaway for just about anyone – couples or families. I only stayed a couple of days, but the days were filled with a lot of activities the resort had to offer like snowmobiling, dog sledding, relaxing in the natural hot springs, grabbing some cocktails at the local igloo bar (even the cocktail glasses are made from solid ice!), and of course, standing in awe of the aurora borealis each night.
Having grown up with four-wheelers on 200+ acres of farm land, snowmobiling was thrilling for me. Even though there was a guide, I made the most out of the adventure and would slow down enough to have space to floor it and race through the trees and valleys, fish tailing when it was safe, and almost flipping three times from rough housing so much. The guide called me out on it when we got back to the resort saying he say me almost flip three times, then proceeded to slowly nod his head and offer a fist bump, like an approving adventurer is suppose to do.
Whether you’re an adventure type or more so a relaxing vibe type, Chena Hot Springs has great varieties of services to entertain and recharge you!
Snowmobiling adventure 
Ice vs Fire 
Tucked away in the forest 
Meeting the team! 
Taking a break from the heat 
Giant unexplainable metal statue of a dragon 
Aurora Ice Bar VIP room 
Dirty Martini 
Chena Hot Springs
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) is one of the world’s largest pipeline systems spanning over 800 miles in length. This massive testament to engineering is 4 feet in diameter. There are visitor centers all across Alaska near different sections of the pipeline, so no matter where your adventures are across The Last Frontier, you’ll be able to take in a fraction of the TAPS.
Downtown Fairbanks
It goes without saying that any downtown no matter where you travel, is going to be filled with history, warm cafes and murals painted on old brick buildings. Fairbanks definitely delivered when it came to those expectations! Travel here to find the best crêpes around at The Crepery, the Farthest North Antler Arch and the infamous the Golden Heart Plaza.
The plaza hosts a statue erected to represent families from all mankind. Overlooking the Chena River and nestled across the way from a humble white church, the plaza is a picturesque spot to hang out and take in the classic views of downtown Fairbanks.
Ice Fishing
Adventurer or not, you will miss such a thrilling and rewarding opportunity if you do not schedule yourself an ice fishing trip. Trips can range from days to overnights, to just a few hours. Rod’s Alaskan Guide was the best option for pricing, timing, and experience for me. Each trip is hosted in a miniature cabin built on top of over 3 feet thick ice on top of a large lake.
These cabins are large enough to fit 8-12 people, but with our small group, it was intimate and a lot of fun. The instructor educated us on the tools, techniques, types of fish we were catching, and all sorts of added bonuses. I even had the opportunity to drill one of the holes! I underestimated the thickness of the ice at that point.
After catching the first fish, it’s a tradition for good luck to kiss your first fish in order to have many more caught fish. I ended up with about 14 little guys. A majority were thrown back to grow bigger, but there was a lot of patience and fun in catching those fish.
Once the fish were caught, the instructor would clean and cook the fish right on site. A simple yet rewarding dinner!
If I had the chance to go back to Alaska in the winter time, I would do it in a heartbeat. I look forward to visiting again in the summer time though so I can experience the complete opposite of winter – 18 hours of sunlight!
Make sure to check out “Outfits” for what I packed for the Alaska trip here!
