If you've been around for awhile, you know that we've already written about take a roadtrip from Fairbanks to Seward and back. But last Spring, we visited Seward again and this time, we did it a little more....epic.
The back story to this trip was that we told my parents we were planning to go to Seward to see the orcas and they decided they wanted to meet us there! In between us leaving Fairbanks and meeting up with that side of the family, Jon's sister and her family also wanted to visit but they wanted to see the most of Alaska they could in one trip. They knew we were planning a drive down south and decided they would join us for that part of our trip. And, if you know us, you know we're more than happy to be tour guides...and after a year of dealing with a pandemic, we were ready to pull out all the stops! Activity #1 - Reindeer Yoga
The day after Jon's sister's family arrived, I had booked an activity for just her and I - reindeer yoga! It's no secret that reindeer are one of my favorite animals. I mean, if you live in North Pole and don't love reindeer you're probably put on the naughty list for life, right? And when in North Pole, reindeer yoga is a must! I'm not entirely sure if there's any other place in the world that offers reindeer yoga, but if there is, I'm sure it doesn't beat this location!
Running Reindeer Ranch offers a few different activities at their reindeer ranch just outside of Fairbanks but our favorite is their summer Reindeer Yoga classes! Bring a mat and find a spot right in the middle of the pen of reindeer and be instructed by a certified yoga teacher while reindeer walk in between and sometimes paw at mats. My sister-in-law even had a reindeer lay inches from her face as we did our last pose! Going in May meant we were there just after calving season. The little baby reindeer were so cute and fun to watch! ​**disclaimer, more reindeer watching than yoga may have taken place (wink face) Activity #2 - Alaska Raw Fur Co
Activity #3 - Gold Panning
Fairbanks was put on the map in the early 1900s gold rush. There are still active gold mines in the area as well as a few areas you can pan without a claim. While we highly recommend a visit to the Gold Daughters for a lesson on panning before setting out on your own, we took our visitors to Pedro's Creek and found some small flakes!
Activity #4 - UAF Museum of the North
Activity #5 - Santa Clause House
We told you our first visitors wanted the whole Alaska experience and no visit to Fairbanks is complete without a visit to North Pole, where you can put in a good word with the big guy himself! At his own house, no less! You can visit Santa (and sometimes Mrs. Claus) throughout the year Wednesdays-Sundays, tell him your Christmas wish, get a picture and a candy cane, and wander his shop for a great Alaskan souvenir.
Activity #6 - Midnight Fishing
Can you fish at midnight where you live? Let me rephrase that. Can you fish at midnight where you live and have it still be light outside? We obviously had to give our nephew the complete "midnight sun" experience and Jon took him fishing at midnight in the light of the sun. Even though we live here, we never get used to so much daylight at all hours of the "night".
Activity #7 - Denali National Park
After spending a few days in Fairbanks, we took off for our trip to Seward. With our visitors in tow, our first stop was Denali National Park. Denali National Park is home to the highest peak in North America, Denali herself, and at a little more than a 2 hour drive from Fairbanks, we recommend taking the trip!
Because of the weather system in the area, the peaks are clouded most of the time which means only 30% of visitors actually get to see Denali! We lucked out on our time spent here this trip with the clearest skies! One bush pilot we talked to said it was in the top 5 viewing days he'd seen in the last 10 years! Normally, visitors can only drive their personal vehicles to Mile 15 but we were able to snag a few passes to drive to Mile 30 and, as always, it was a beautiful drive. We recommend binoculars for spotting wildlife that isn't near the road. Activity #8 - Ziplining
After a quick drive through the park, a few of us broke off from the group and drove back out to catch a zipline tour! Denali Park Zipline Tours was such a great experience! We met up with our group at their offices right outside the park. They shuttled us out to the course, first in a van and then we climbed into some ATVs, which was an adventure of it's own. Once at the course, we received a quick safety brief and we were on our way.
The course features 7 ziplines, 6 sky bridges, a short tundra hike, and ladder climb, and a dual racer finale! No matter what my nephew says, I beat him and have video proof ;) Highly recommend this tour if you have a little adventure junkie in you and some time to spend around the park!
While we were checking into our tour, the rest of our party was checking into our lodging accommodations. Whenever we stay at Denali, we stay at Mckinley Creekside Cabins. The prettiest property in the most gorgeous setting right outside the park, and their Cafe is amazing! They have a variety of rooms fit for any sized party and they are all very nice. We are also obsessed with their build-your-own breakfast skillets and their specialty Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake. And make sure to grab yourself an "Alaska-sized" cinnamon roll for good measure, perfectly placed next to their puny counterparts, the "Texas-sized" rolls.
If you're looking for dinner, located next door is Panorama Pizza Pub. Great pizza, fun atmosphere, and some amazing beer cheese macaroni and cheese (chef's kiss). ​ Activity #9 - Beluga Point
It has a gorgeous lookout of the bay where we have spotted large pods of Beluga Whales before! We weren't so lucky with this visit but the views are still worth the stop. We recommend binoculars here too, especially when you start to see those white humps swimming down the bay.
After a little exploring, we drove to our lodging for the night which was in Girdwood. Our adventures were only getting started! You can find part 2 here! Let us know if you find this helpful or if we can answer any questions! If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help to plan a trip to Alaska, we'd love to help! Make sure to pin this post so you can come back to it later and join us on Instagram or tik tok to come with us on our day-to-day adventures! Until next time, make sure to get out and enjoy where YOU live! ​
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AuthorWe're just a military family enjoying where we live, one PCS at a time. Follow us as we explore our current home, South Carolina, and beyond. The world is our backyard. Archives
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