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Alaska is not directly connected to the lower 48 states. Canada separates the state of Alaska with the lower 48 states. The city of Fairbanks is located in Interior Alaska, and it is the biggest city within the Interior. Fairbanks is also known as the Golden Heart City. While you are here, don’t forget to check out this guide on what to do in Fairbanks.
Travel by Land
Alaska is not directly connected to the lower 48 states. Fairbanks is located in Interior Alaska, and it is the biggest city within the Interior. While you could theoretically drive to Fairbanks on the Alaska Highway, you will have to cross the border to Canada, which adds additional planning and paperwork. The drive from Seattle to Fairbanks is 2160 miles and will take you about 40 hours of non-stop driving. This doesn’t include any stops for gas, food or sleeping. It is quite a journey, but it can also be an adventure. If you want to drive, make sure you drive during the summer months, as travel during the winter months can be very harsh and will take you even longer, depending on road and weather conditions.
Travel by Air
The easiest way to get to Fairbanks is to fly.
Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines all fly to Fairbanks from the lower 48. But there are only three cities which connect to Fairbanks, and you will need to transit through them.
- Chicago (ORD) – United Airlines – only during the summer
- Minneapolis (MSP) – Delta Airlines – only during the summer
- Seattle (SEA) – Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines – year-round
Condor is the only international carrier that flies to Fairbanks. Condor flies from Frankfurt (FRA) Germany to Fairbanks during the summer months.
The best way is to connect through Seattle on Alaska Airlines. They have the most flights and if you need to connect to smaller communities within Alaska, they will take you there as well.
Alaska Airlines has the most flights of all the carriers to Fairbanks, but they all connect through Seattle. The advantage of flying Alaska Air is that if there is any delay or trip interruption (weather, mechanical) they have an easy way to get you to or from Fairbanks quickly.
Alaska is one of the airlines who still care about their customers and takes pride in it. They haven’t let me down yet. I don’t say there are no issues with Alaska. There could be flight delays and cancellations just as with every other airline, but they try to make it right. I recently got stuck in Seattle for 5 hours, which should be only a 45-minute overlay. It was a mechanical issue with the plane to Seattle and then the ATC hold on Seattle didn’t help my situation either.
The choice is yours, but Delta and Alaska are the only two airlines which offer year-round service to Fairbanks and both of them connect in Seattle.
It is about a 3.5-hour flight from Seattle to Fairbanks. You wouldn’t expect that at first. Yes, Alaska, and especially Fairbanks is way up there.
Fairbanks International Airport
The airport in Fairbanks is one of the easiest ones to navigate. There are a whopping three gates at the airport and three baggage claims next to each other. You can’t miss your gate or your baggage claim. The airport is that small. It’s nice, as it makes for an easy in and out of the airport. TSA Pre check is available at the airport as well but no Clear.
Don’t forget to collect your Airport Trading Card while visiting Fairbanks. Most likely you have to contact the airport on social media, and they will mail you a card. As I haven’t found a way yet to pick the card up at the airport.
Travel by Sea
As mentioned, Fairbanks is located in Interior Alaska and therefore not reachable by ships or ferries. However, you can take a ship to one of the port towns. Anchorage has a train service to Alaska, while most other port towns will require you to take a bus or rent a car to get to Fairbanks. The easiest way of sea travel is the Alaska Maritime Highway. The ships from the U.S. leave from Bellingham, WA and it will take you multiple days to get to a port town closer to Fairbanks and you would still have to take a bus or rent a car. Not a very practical way of travelling. You can also take Alaska cruises, but they are not meant to be a mode of public transportation, well they are a cruise 😉
Therefore, flying is still the easiest and fastest way to get to Fairbanks.
Peter has a passion for Traveling, Photography, and Geocaching. These are the best ingredients for amazing adventures all over the globe. “Traveling is fun, no matter if you stay in a luxury hotel or travel like a backpacker.” Peter shares his experiences on his Blog www.gatetoadventures.com
Some of Peter’s photos are published on corporate websites, in-flight magazines, travel guides, and much more.
