Getting There

By Car or RV -- Fairbanks is a transportation hub. The Richardson Highway heads east 100 miles to Delta Junction, the end point of the Alaska Highway, and then south to Glennallen and Valdez. The Parks Highway heads due south from Fairbanks to Denali National Park, 120 miles away, and Anchorage, 360 miles south.

Nenana: Tom Sawyer's Alaska -- If you are driving south from Fairbanks toward Denali National Park or Anchorage, plan a short stop in the town of Nenana, about 60 miles along your way. It's a town out of a Mark Twain novel, a sleepy, dusty riverside barge stop left over from the past. Here President Warren Harding drove the golden spike on the Alaska Railroad in 1923; a monument with a depiction of it is on display outside the memory-stirring old depot museum, although the train hasn't stopped regularly in 20 years. On the waterfront, riverboats are still loaded with cargo for villages down the Tanana and Yukon rivers. That's also where you can see the Alfred Starr Nenana Cultural Center, with its own little museum and Native craft shop, including some crafts by locals. The oldest building in town is the picturesque 1905 log cabin church on Front Street. Stop in at the visitor center on the Parks Highway to learn more and to see the big book of guesses from the Nenana Ice Classic. The contest is a drawing to guess the exact minute the ice on the Tanana will go out, with a jackpot around $300,000. Thanks to the game, this is one of the most carefully kept climate measurements in the north; scientists are using it to demonstrate long-term warming of the weather. Learn more about Nenana at the city's website.

By Van -- Alaska/Yukon Trails (tel. 800/770-7275) offers daily service in summer (3 days a week in winter) to and from Denali National Park and Anchorage (one-way fares are $46 and $91, respectively). In Fairbanks, the van stops at the visitor center and at Billie's Backpackers Hostel, among other places. The shuttle also runs to Dawson City and from there to Whitehorse, Yukon. On most routes they pick up and drop off along the way, but not in Canada.

By Train -- The Alaska Railroad (tel. 800/544-0552) links Fairbanks with Denali National Park and Anchorage, with tour commentary provided along the way. The high-season one-way fare is $59 to Denali and $189 to Anchorage (more than twice the cost of flying between the cities).

By Air -- Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/252-7522) connects Fairbanks to Anchorage. A bargain round-trip fare is under $250. The airport is a hub for various small carriers to Alaska's Interior and Arctic communities. A cab downtown from the airport is $16 to $18 with Yellow Cab (tel. 907/455-5555). Fairbanks Shuttle (tel. 800/770-2267) charges $7 for the ride from the airport.

Visitor Information

The Fairbanks Log Cabin Visitor Information Center is in a large log building with a sod roof at 550 1st Ave., on the Chena River at the center of town, at Cushman Street, Fairbanks, AK 99701 (tel. 800/327-5774 or 907/456-5774; fax 907/452-2867). Besides answering questions, the staff and volunteers provide useful maps, driving tour pamphlets, and walking tour audio players, and can help you find a room with their daily vacancy listing. Several computers are set up for free Internet access. The center is open May to mid-September daily 8am to 8pm, the rest of the year 10am to 5pm. The same organization has information desks at the airport and train depot.

The Alaska Public Lands Information Center, down the stairs at 3rd and Cushman streets (tel. 907/456-0527), is an indispensable stop for anyone planning to spend time in the outdoors, and an interesting one even if you're not. The staff is remarkably knowledgeable and can tell you about trips and activities based on first-hand experience. Besides providing maps and other details, the center houses a small museum about the state's regions and the gear needed to explore them. Daily free films and naturalist programs show in a small auditorium. Open in summer daily from 9am to 6pm, in winter Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm.