In this section, I've described the outdoor opportunities local to Fairbanks, but some other choices are barely farther afield. The Alaska Public Lands Information Center, 250 Cushman St. (at 3rd Ave.), (tel. 907/456-0527), is a great resource. The staff will advise you on outings, outfitters, and where to find rental equipment. The center also sells the Fairbanks Area Wildlife Watching Guide, a $6 booklet that contains thorough descriptions of the best places to go and tips for success. You can also buy it in area bookstores.

Gearing Up

You can rent most of what you need for outdoor explorations around Fairbanks and along the region's extraordinary rural highways from a set of local businesses that have grown up around the needs of adventurers. Some of the outdoor opportunities I describe require a drive on unpaved roads, including portions of the Steese Highway. One of those, GoNorth Alaska Adventure Travel Center, also rents canoes, bikes, and camping gear and offers a shuttle for canoeists and hikers.

Alaska Outdoor Rentals & Guides, owned by the knowledgeable Larry Katkin, has its main location on the riverbank at Pioneer Park (tel. 907/457-2453 or visit their website). The company rents canoes, kayaks, and bikes and offers pickup or drop off for paddlers in town or far afield -- even for trips on the great Yukon River. For an easy in-town paddle, say from the park to Pike's Landing, you would pay $33 for the canoe and $17 for the pickup. If you want to go beyond the road system, Larry also carries foldable canoes that will fit in a bush plane. He also offers lessons. This is a good place to start a mountain-biking outing, too. Bikes rent for $27 for an 8-hour day in summer. You can also rent from the long-established 7 Bridges Boats and Bikes, at 7 Gables Inn, 4312 Birch Lane (tel. 907/479-0751) for $35 per day or $100 per week, and they will drop you off at the river and pick you up at your destination for $2 per mile out of town, with a $15 minimum. Guests at the inn get free rentals (same phone). Street and mountain bikes go for $20 a day.

Equipped for the Back Roads -- Exploring Alaska's gravel highways -- camping and fishing along the way, perhaps launching a canoe in a remote lake -- can be tough for visitors to arrange because of the policies of most rental car agencies, which don't allow clients to drive off pavement. An exception is the Alamo/National franchise in Fairbanks, with locations at the airport and at 4960 Dale Rd. (tel. 800/227-7368 or 907/451-7368). They rent four-door, four-wheel-drive pickup trucks for travel on gravel roads such as the Dalton, Steese, and Denali highways. Be sure to call the local franchise, not the national reservation number. GoNorth Alaska Adventure Travel Center, at 3500 Davis Rd. (tel. 866/236-7272 or 907/479-7272, also online) goes a step further, renting not only SUVs and trucks, but also campers on four-wheel-drive pickups, perfect for exploring gravel roads. The firm also runs a tent-camp hostel; arranges self-guided outdoor trips; rents canoes, bikes, and camping gear; and drives a shuttle for canoeists and hikers. With unlimited mileage, a pickup camper is $125 to $220 a day; insurance of $18 to $24 a day is required unless you present proof of your own coverage, so be sure to ask about what paperwork you will need when you reserve.

Special Places

Creamer's Field -- At 1300 College Rd., right in Fairbanks, this 2,000-acre migratory waterfowl refuge is a former dairy farm that was saved from development in 1966 by a community fund drive. The pastures are a prime stopover point for Canada geese, pintails, and golden plovers in the spring and fall. We've seen many swans there in the spring. Sandhill cranes, shovelers, and mallards show up all summer. The Friends of Creamers Field (tel. 907/459-7307) operates a small visitor center in the old farmhouse with displays on birds, wildlife, and history, open June through August daily from 10am to 5pm. They offer guided nature walks in summer Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 2pm; Wednesday at 9am; and Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm. You don't need a guide, however: During migrations, use the blinds around the edge of the field; other times, explore the 3 miles of trails through forest, field, and wetland. I especially enjoy the boreal forest nature walk, interpreted by an excellent booklet you can pick up at the visitor center or from a kiosk at the trail head when the visitor center is closed. The Alaska Bird Observatory (tel. 907/451-7159, also online) conducts research and educational programs on the Creamer's Field refuge, including bird walks and bird banding that visitors can observe (call for times). It is the farthest north facility of its kind in North America. The organization's building has interpretive displays, a nature store, and a library. Located just west of the refuge on the grounds of the Wedgewood Resort, the observatory can be hard to find -- look for the signs.

Chena Lake Recreation Area -- This is a wonderful and unique place for a family camping trip. A birch-rimmed lake created for a flood-control project has been developed by the local government to provide lots of recreational possibilities: flat walking and bike trails; a swimming beach; fishing; a place to rent canoes and paddleboats; a self-guided 2.5-mile nature trail; a playground; big lawns; and the terrific campground, with 80 camping sites, from pull-throughs for RVs to tent sites on a little island you can reach only by boat. In the winter, it's a popular area for cross-country skiing, ice fishing, dog mushing, and snowmobiling. Use of the area requires a $4 fee per vehicle. Tent sites are $10 per night and RV sites are $12. Drive 17 miles east of Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway and turn left on Laurance Road as you leave North Pole. For information, contact Fairbanks North Star Borough Chena Lake Recreation Area (tel. 907/488-1655, click on "Parks and Recreation" then "Chena Lake Recreation Area"). Follow the same directions (drive along the dam past the recreation area) to the Moose Creek Dam Salmon Watch, a picnic and viewing area built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers atop the flood-control project, to watch spawning salmon in crystal-clear water from late June to the end of July. Use of the salmon watch is free, so tell the recreation-area gatehouse you are going there.

Winter Activities

Fairbanks has real Jack London winters. The visitor bureau guarantees it. For the growing number of visitors who want to experience real cold, see the aurora borealis, and ride a dog sled, Fairbanks is the place. Chena Hot Springs Resort and A Taste of Alaska Lodge are the best destinations for winter immersion, but you can also have a good time in town, especially in March, when the days lighten up, the temperatures are moderate, and the town gets busy with dog mushing and the ice carving contest.