Junior Nationals Family-Fun-in Fairbanks information

US Ski and Snowboard Junior National Championships

2023

hosted by Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks

Birch Hill Recreation Area, Fairbanks, Alaska

WELCOME to Fairbanks Alaska.

We recognize that you have traveled from regions with snowy winters. However, you have come to a very different and special place that is close to the Arctic circle, is sub-Arctic and has a number of unique things to see and do – in addition to cross country skiing.

We put this page together to serve as bonus information, flagging some of the things you might like to visit if you have time during your stay. These are some of the things we know that other folks from out of town like to visit when they come. There are also some suggestions for places to eat and shop for gear.

We hope you have a wonderful stay here and wish you all the very best.

A hard copy (pdf) of this information can be downloaded here.

A mini self-guided tour

Here is a suggested driving tour that includes a few ‘unusual’ spots in Fairbanks. You could take a few hours.

More info and web links on each of these spots is given below.

1) Creamers Field Refuge (a chance for a little walk or ski)

2) Into the Wild bus!

3) University of Alaska Fairbanks Large animal research station (check out muskox and caribou)

4) The Alaska pipeline viewing spot.

Creamer's Field —

Migratory Waterfowl Refuge

Creamer's Refuge protects habitat for a diversity of wildlife, especially waterfowl and other migratory birds. You can ski here and may see dog mushers, skijoring (skiing while towed by a dog) and maybe a moose.

It is also very close to the Wedgewood resort (walking distance).

The Boreal Forest Trail is a favorite - Wander through forest typical of Interior Alaska. Highlights include wildlife viewing from the observation tower and a self-guiding brochure that describes many features along the way. There is also the farmhouse visitor’s center.

Much of the area is underlain by permafrost (permanently frozen ground), which is melting due to climate change. You can see this by many trees toppling over as the ground beneath them gives way.

Permafrost really distinguishes this Arctic region compared to the places many of you have come from.

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=creamersfield.main

Into the Wild bus.

An abandoned bus in the Alaska wilderness, known from the book and the movie “Into the Wild,” was removed by the Alaska Army National Guard on Thursday and brought to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus. You can come and see it being readied for permanent display.

The bus is currently on display in the Joseph E. Usibelli Engineering Facility -1764 Tanana Loop on the University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus. This building is open weekdays. Enter the main doors and into the main lobby. Straight ahead of you is a large glassed in loading bay with a massive yellow crane. Go up to the glass and look down – there is the bus (more links and directions below).

https://uaf.edu/campusmap/for-visitors/buildings/usibelli.php

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/1764+Tanana+Loop,+Fairbanks,+AK+99775//@64.8554952,-147.8199741,17z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x51325b34aa91b007:0x305a9978c471a322!2m2!1d-147.8177747!2d64.8554953!1m0!3e0

https://www.ktoo.org/2021/10/08/watch-repairs-chris-mccandless-bus-museum-of-the-north/

Alaska Pipeline Viewing spot

Get a close-up look at one of the world's engineering marvels – and it is super close to the Birch Hill Ski venue. Here you will find informational displays about the pipeline and an example of a pig, the device used to clean and inspect the inside of the pipeline.

It took 70,000 construction workers and $8 billion of investment capital to build the famous 4-foot silver thread that snakes its way through 800 miles of Alaskan wilderness to reach the nation's refineries, crossing mountain ranges, earthquake zones, permafrost, and rivers. Some 420 miles of the pipeline are elevated (with 554 animal crossings), and outside Fairbanks is the place to see it. As you watch, consider this: Every hour, more than a million dollars of oil flows through it.

https://www.alaska.org/detail/trans-alaska-pipeline-viewpoint

UAF’s Large Animal Research (LARS)

LARS is a 130-acre facility on Yankovich Road currently housing muskoxen and reindeer. Even though you may not be able to visit during opening hours there is a parking spot you can observe the animals through the fence.

Hours and Admission

Winter Tours 2022/23

Sept. 10 - April 30

Saturday, Sunday and Monday at 12 pm

Tickets can be purchased through the LARS online store.

You will receive an email with instructions on where to go for the tour so please ensure you enter a correct email address. This is an outdoor walking tour, please dress for the weather. Ice cleats are available upon request.

Tour cost: $15

You do not need to purchase tickets for children under 5.

https://uaf.edu/lars/

Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center

Open Daily 8am-5pm

The Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center is a place for gathering discovery, education and celebration made possible by a cross-organizational, multi-cultural partnership built on the values lived by the late Morris Thompson. The partner organizations are housed together in the center, collaborating to offer visitor services, public lands information, cultural programs, and world-class exhibits that show the history and seasonal flow of local lifestyles. Visitors and locals gather here to discover and learn about Interior and Arctic Alaska, celebrating who we are and how we live.

This center really gives a good sense of what it is to live in this region.

https://www.morristhompsoncenter.org/

Museum of the North.

Open Daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 a.m.

Discover Alaska Native cultures, natural wonders, diverse wildlife and Arctic dinosaurs. Explore 2,000 years of Alaska art. Learn about research by museum scientists. Original exhibits and breathtaking architecture.

https://www.uaf.edu/museum/

Pearl Creek Classic Trails

If you have not had enough of skiing during your visit you could try a few other options outside of Birch Hill. The Pearl Creek trails are lovely – and a great way to ski through and experience the boreal forest. Experience these short loop trails that are close by. Generally considered easy, it takes an average of 0.5 to 1 hour to complete. This trail system is great for classic cross-country skiing and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/alaska/pearl-creek-cross-county-skiing-trail

University of Alaska Fairbanks ski trails

If you want to try a different set of trails to Birch Hill then the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus trails are awesome. These skate and classic trails are really very beautiful and free to use. Below is a map of the trail system, which also includes some walking/snow shoeing trails.

Some of the trails have lighting.

https://www.alaska.org/detail/uaf-trail-system

Hamme Swimming pool

Perhaps as a break you would like to take a swim. Check out the schedule for open or conditioning lap swims at the Hamme public swimming pool.

https://fairbanksak.myrec.com/info/facilities/details.aspx?FacilityID=14700

Winter Trails Challenge 2023

There are a series of trail makers hidden on a number of winter trails in the region. The goal is to find them and take a photo of you at the trail marker. It’s unlikely you will be able to get them all during your short visit – but this is a great resource directing you towards some awesome trails.

https://issuu.com/fnsbparksandrec/docs/fairbanks_winter_trails_guide_22-23

https://fairbanksak.myrec.com/info/facilities/details.aspx?FacilityID=14955

Behind the scenes tour of the museum of the North

Dr. Pat Druckenmiller, the Director of the University of Alaska Museum of the North, will be giving two behind the scenes tours of the museum’s archived collections. These are not part of the public gallery space. There will be a limited number of spots for these tours (one at 4 pm and one at 5 p.m. on Wednesday March 15th). These will be filled on a first come first serve basis and preference will initially be given to folks from out of town.

Contact Pat Druckenmiller by e-mail: psdruckenmiller@alaska.edu

Full - sorry.

Permafrost tunnel tours

Fairbanks is different from many of the places you will have come from because of its Arctic characteristics. Much of Fairbanks is underlain by permanently frozen ground, also known as permafrost. This can give the surface some of its Arctic looking characteristics and was formed many thousands of years ago.

We have arranged for a limited number of spots to tour a very special place called the Permafrost tunnel research facility (close to Birch Hill) where it is possible to walk through permafrost and see amazing ice features along with some of the ancient plants and animal remains that existed in the past, including extinct mammoths and bison.

https://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/CRREL/Permafrost-Tunnel-Research-Facility/

Tours will be led by Dr. Mat Wooller and Dr. Pat Druckenmiller on the 15th of March 2023

There will be a total of four tours each of 15 people maximum:

9:30 a.m. -10:30 a.m.,

10:40 a.m. -11:40 a.m.,

11:50 a.m.-12:50 p.m.,

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

These will be filled on a first come first serve basis and preference will initially be given to folks from out of town.

Contact Mat Wooller by e-mail: mjwooller@alaska.edu