Time of Year: Beginning to mid April
Day one: Fly into Fairbanks, sleep, explore. Stay at Arctic Salmon B&B – highly recommend!
We ended up going to the Co-op Store for a few groceries and having lunch at DW Grill. The owner at DW recommended we go to the Antler Arch and Cultural Museum, so we did. We also went to the Midnite Mine dive bar/brewing company that was right next to the museum. Someone at the museum recommend Aurora Pointe to view the northern lights. We then did a walking tour of downtown that included El Dorado for Margaritas. We went to the Roundup for dinner, and finished the day with a viewing of the northern lights @ Aurora Pointe. Everything about this day was perfect! The only thing I would change is the dinner location. The Roundup was fine, but it wasn’t anything special, and I’m sure there are better alternatives.
Day two: 2hr snowmobiling in North Pole with Alaska Wildlife Guide
This day we started by driving around North Pole and stopping by the Santa Claus House – I LOVE North Pole, Alaska! Then we went snowmobiling, and we went back to the Santa Claus House after. There’s just so much to see there. Someone had recommended Hoodoo Brewery, and it did not disappoint. At the Hoodoo was the Arctic Habanero food truck, and it was phenomenal! My mouth still waters when I think about it. The guy at the food truck told us about the Ice Festival that was happening, and we were there on the last day. He was going to be selling hot chocolate there. We ended another incredible day, day 2, at the Ice Festival.
Day three: 2hr dogsledding with Emily and Steve at Black Spruce Dogsledding
Day three we went dogsledding. It was a bit of a drive to get to Black Spruce and the roads were kind of sketchy at times, but we had an SUV, and we made it. Emily and Steve recommended the Pumphouse for dinner on our way home – great choice. We drove to Borealis Basecamp later to try to see the northern lights again but to no avail.
Day four: 2hr snowshoeing with Shannon at Leaf Out Nature Guides. Chena Hot Springs.
Day four was a long but wonderful day. We went snowshoeing in the morning, and then started our drive out to Chena Hot Springs. On Shannon’s recommendation, we stopped at the Pita Place for lunch. Holy yum!!!! Then we continued on to Chena Hot Springs. It’s about a 1- 1 1/2 hour drive from Fairbanks to Chena, and a winter storm was on its way. At Chena Hot Springs, we did the ice museum, which was really cool, including the ice bar. We ate, and we went in the hot springs. We headed out a little earlier than I would have liked because of the storm, but we had enough time to do everything that we wanted to do. However, I do think it would be cool to spend a night here.
Day five: Explore Fairbanks and North Pole. Fly to Anchorage (Ravn Alaska airlines), roller skating, Chillkoot Charlie’s.
Today we revisited a few places we liked – North Pole, Midnite Mine, and Hoodoo. Then we got back on a plane heading for Anchorage. We stayed at Charming Historic Downtown Cottage by Engin – it was okay, but there is a downstairs apartment not listed in the description, and the owner was difficult to get ahold of. I would stay here again, but I’d look for other options first. We went to Dimond Skateland because there isn’t a roller rink in Hawaii, and my best friend had never been roller skating. Roller skating is much harder as an adult! Then we went to Chilkoot Charlie’s, the most extensive dive bar I’ve ever been in! There wasn’t a whole lot going on early, and we didn’t want to stay out too late, so we didn’t. One we got home, the stench of weed coming up from the basement was stronger than strong, and we all went to bed.
Day six: Explore Anchorage.
Day six we started with breakfast at Snow City Cafe. They were delicious and even gave a discount for nurses! We spent the rest of the day kind of wandering around parks that were recommended. We went to Elderberry Park where my best friend made her first snowman. Then we went to Kincaid Park to look for moose – that was unsuccessful, but my best friend tried her hand at shoveling snow for the first time there and stepped on a frozen lake. We went to the Suzan Nightengale McKay Memorial Park to try to view Denali – not sure if we did or not because I am very unskilled when it comes to recognizing mountains. And we finished the day at the 49th State Brewery. Today was more more of a chill day, but it was great.
Day seven: Matanuska Glacier Adventures.
Today was another epic day! We ate lunch at the Rustic Goat, another place for good eats. Then we drove to Matanuska Glacier for a tour with Matanuska Glacier Adventures. O.M.G. It was spectacular! It was a bit of a drive to get there and a little sketchy going down to the tour place, but it was well worth it. After the tour, we at dinner at Palmer Ale House, and I even saw my first moose on the way home.
Day eight: Fly to Ketchikan (Alaska Airlines), explore. We stayed with a friend in Ketchikan.
Not a lot going on outside of travel today. We went to Tongass, Annabelle’s, and Arctic Bar. Ketchikan is beautiful, but the Arctic Bar was certainly an entertaining highlight.
Day nine: Explore Ketchikan
Ketchikan is largely a cruise ship town, and because the cruise ships were not yet operating again after covid, there really wasn’t a lot going on here aside from its natural beauty. We went to Pioneer Cafe, Creek Street, Potlatch Bar, drove to the north side, stopped at Ward Lake, and then went back to the Arctic Bar for karaoke night. If I were to go back to Ketchikan, pending no more pandemics or other large-scale emergencies, I would love to see the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show.
Day ten: Explore Ketchikan. Souvenir shop, fly home.
The last day was a pretty chill day. We saw a bald eagle right outside our window, and that was cool. We went to Sweet Mermaids for lunch, back to Tongass for souvenir shopping, swung by the post office to mail some gifts, and then took the ferry back to the airport to head home. It was an incredible trip. One for the books!