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Local, State & National Parks
For those with a passion for the outdoors, Alaska’s local, state and national parks are unparalleled. Whether you are planning a backcountry expedition, ice fishing in a local lake, or hiking a nearby trail, the parks offer opportunities to experience nature in Alaska and all that it has to offer. It’s hard to go wrong with so many splendors to explore. Nearly 90% of Alaska is public land, making it one of the most accessible places in the world for year-round outdoor adventure.
Local
The Fairbanks area has an abundance of local parks that are within easy reach all year round. Swim, boat or go ice skating at Tanana Lakes Recreation Area. Play some ball at Growden Park, go cross country skiing on groomed trails at Birch Hill Recreation Area or play volleyball, bike, kayak, or ice fish at the Chena Lake Recreation Area. You can even take your pup for a midnight sun walk or snowy stroll at the Fairbanks Dog Park.
Growden Park
State
There are outstanding, accessible, enormous state parks in Alaska’s Interior, each offering unique experiences for every season. State parks offer picturesque cabins and ice fishing huts for a small fee in various locations near Fairbanks allowing visitors a portal into authentic Alaskan experiences. Rent a cabin, fire up a wood stove, embrace the midnight sun, or see millions of stars and perhaps the northern lights. Search for beautiful flora and fauna and simply enjoy being in nature. Some of the state parks include the Chena River State Recreation Area, Harding Lake State Recreation Area, Delta Junction Area State Park and Lower Chatanika State Recreation Area. State recreational areas offer fishing, camping, hiking, snowmobiling and skiing trails, along with pickup sports and a variety of water sports. Some state parks tell stories about the area’s gold rush past and assist in the preservation of gold rush era artifacts.
Chena Lake Recreation Area
National
In addition to the legendary Denali National Park and Preserve, there are several other national parks, refuges and preserves in the Interior and Arctic regions. Public lands offer unlimited options for hiking, skiing, wildlife viewing, and more. Some parks feature vast wilderness with few or no roads, trails or established campsites. For those visitors who don’t have the time or the backcountry skills to mount an expedition into the parks, there are other options. Local air taxis provide year-round flightseeing trips and outfitters guide day trips or overnight campouts to remote locations. Hike through Alaska’s ultimate wilderness or float a remote river. Ski and snowshoe across frozen landscapes. See caribou cross a northern valley, fish a serene alpine lake or simply listen to the call of the wild.
National Parks offer premier experiences and unforgettable views all year long. From vast winterscapes perfect for aurora viewing, snowshoeing, and skiing to beautiful tundra full of endless sun and pristine hiking trails, National Parks in Alaska have everything you could ever want, any time of year.
Denali National Park and Preserve
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to an abundance of Arctic flora and fauna. Known for its natural beauty, National Park Service Biologist Lowell Sumner said of the refuge, “Here still survives one of Planet Earth's own works of art.” Click here to learn more
Denali National Park and Preserve
Denali National Park and Preserve is wild and breathtakingly beautiful. The park’s varied terrain includes brilliant mountains, pristine rivers and lakes, colorful tundra, alpine meadows, sweeping vistas and abundant wildlife. On a trip inside the park you may spot moose, caribou, Dall sheep, grizzly bears, wolves or any of the hundreds of other species that call the area home. Click here to learn more
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
The Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is 8.4 million acres of pristine beauty. Sometimes called Alaska’s ultimate wilderness, the park bridges the area between the Brooks Range and the Arctic plains. There are no roads into the park but it can be accessed via small airplanes, floatplanes and hiking trails. Click here to learn more
Kobuk Valley National Park
The Kobuk Valley National Park is renowned for caribou and sand dunes. A half a million caribou migrate through the park yearly and hoof prints can be seen crisscrossing the dunes that cover much of the southern area of the Kobuk Valley. The sand was created by the grinding action of ancient glaciers and over time has been carried to the Kobuk Valley by both wind and water. Click here to learn more
Noatak National Preserve
The Noatak National Preserve is a pristine river valley rimmed by mountains and is notable for an abundance of Arctic plants and animals. The Noatak River is classified as a national wild and scenic river and offers float-trip opportunities extending from the Brooks Range to the tidewater of the Chukchi Sea. Click here to learn more
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
The exquisite Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve at 13.2 million acres is the largest National Park in America. Four major mountain ranges and nine of North America’s sixteen highest peaks can be found within the spectacular park. In the 1930s, copper mines were established and the beautiful and charming towns of McCarthy and Kennicott were founded, making the park accessible. Click here to learn more
Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve
The Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve offers bar-none river expeditions on both the Yukon and Charley rivers. A trip tailored for experienced outdoor enthusiasts with untouched landscapes, historic mining sites and wildlife that make the expedition extraordinary. Click here to learn more
Surrounded by wilderness the outdoor adventure lover can kayak, canoe, hike, fish and camp in the Fairbanks area and in the winter add to that dog sledding, snowmobiling and snowshoeing too.
-Rita Cook,
Huffington Post
Golden Heart Alaskan
There was this moment when I realized some of my most contented times are spent outdoors. Now I take every opportunity I can to be present in the physical landscape. My career as an artist gives me access to remote wilderness areas. In less than two hours I can be in Denali to the south or the Gates of the Arctic to the north. Whether you visit or live in Alaska, you should take a moment to explore the landscape and peoples around Fairbanks—it is real and raw, commanding and inspirational, it’s why we all come here and it's like nothing else.
-Sheryl Maree Reily,
Fairbanks artist
