Fairbanks, Alaska | 2 Bed

Modern home surrounded by birch forest in the interior of Alaska

Sleeps 4 | Bedrooms 2 | Bathrooms 3

"Our lot is nearly two acres, so we only have slight views of the neighboring houses. All around us are trees and hiking trails. "

Modern home surrounded by birch forest in the interior of Alaska

"Aurora borealis photographed from on our deck by our homeswap partner Leslie Karst (that's a downspout in the top right of the photo)"

"more aurora borealis seen and photographed by Leslie Karst"

"Our "yard""

"Looking from the front porch in September"

"Alongside the driveway"

"The view at Creamer's Dairy Migratory Bird Refuge on the edge of town"

"Mt McKinley in Denali National Park"

"Alpenglow on Mt. McKinley"

"View out of the bus window in Denali National Park. Yes, the bears get that close!"

"And so do the moose. Here's one bedded down outside our living room."

"The snow in Fairbanks is very dry and does some pretty fascinating things."

"Plenty of dog mushing races throughout the winter; this one is starting on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks."

"Walk on wooded trails to see muskoxen and their babies"

"more aurora borealis as seen from our deck; photographed by our homeswap partner Leslie Karst"

"The master bedroom, with dark curtains to block out the midnight sun and radiant floor heat to keep your toes warm in the winter"

"living room"

"dining area "

Elizabeth

United States

Member Since: November 2009

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This member has already completed one or more home exchanges

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What: Modern home surrounded by birch forest in the interior of Alaska
Where: In Fairbanks, about 2 hours' drive north of Denali National Park
Why: Nature and wildlife near university town; nonsimultaneous possible.

Features

Main home
Balcony
Cleaner
Wifi

About our home

Our home is well equipped for a pleasant stay in Alaska, offering you space in which to relax when you come home after an excursion. Some guests have been so enchanted with the peacefulness of our setting that they have spent lots of time sitting on the deck reading, listening to bird sounds, and watching for moose. We have wireless internet with a desktop computer and a large LCD tv, plus lots of Alaskan videos and other DVDs for your leisure time.

Denali National Park is a spectacular place, but not the only scenic spot around. Go another direction from Fairbanks to visit a hot springs resort with cutting edge geothermal technology powering greenhouses plus a large building made of snow and ice and kept cold by the heat of the water. Or take a short walk through the woods from the house to visit a research station with caribou, reindeer, and muskoxen. Our house is surrounded by miles of hiking trails leading in all directions. If you come outside of the summer months, you stand a good chance of seeing the aurora borealis (can't be seen in the summer because the sky never gets dark enough!). Fairbanks is fun all year round.

Our frequent travel makes nonsimultaneous exchanges a strong possibility even though we do not own a second home.

We are not opposed to having older children here, but the two bedrooms are on separate floors and they have a queen bed and a double sofabed, so probably only smaller families with somewhat independent children would be comfortable here. That said, a family with a son and a daughter, both of college age, had a fine time here with the help of a comfy featherbed on the floor of the third bedroom which is used primarily as a quilting room. The house is not set up for children under five.

Buzzy restaurants: Riverfront deck dining on a summer's day or evening! Pikes or the Princess Hotel or the Pump House
Cool bars: Silver Gulch Brewery features locally produced beers and ales (plus good food); across the road is the Howling Dog Saloon if you want a wilder scene.
Cozy cafés: plenty of coffee shops with local character (Alaska is the only state with no freestanding Starbucks though we have them in grocery stores)
Retail therapy: Don't come here if retail therapy is your main form of entertainment, unless art galleries are your thing!
Bit of culture: University museum; Summer Fine Arts Festival
Walks in the park: You don't need a park; just walk out the door and head up the slope behind the house, and you will be connected to a vast trail system.
Spot of exercise: After a hike at Angel Rocks, continue on down the road to Chena Hot Springs for a soak in the natural rockpool.
Day tripping: Creamer's Dairy to see migratory birds; Chena Hot Springs; up to Murphy Dome for a view over miles of wilderness; or overnight for a good visit to Denali National Park

Our area is in the center of Alaska and therefore much warmer than coastal areas, generally in the 20s C, though rainy spells will be cooler. The sun does officially set for a few hours as we are about 80 miles south of the Arctic Circle but at the solstice it never gets darker than what you would call dusk (you could easily read a book outside all night in June and July). We have hiking trails all around our home, winding through birch forest, and the university 3 miles away offers many cultural events including a two week summer arts festival with classes. Our home is a two hour drive from Denali National Park. One takes a bus tour into the park (no private cars allowed) and because of the reduced traffic on the road, it is not unusual to see numerous grizzly bears (one day I saw a dozen, with half of them on or very close to the road!) as well as caribou, moose, and possibly wolves. The scenery is beautiful, with lots of variety along the road. The Fairbanks area has numerous businesses sharing area history with visitors (a paddlewheel boat trip, a gold mine with panning opportunities, etc.). Our "history" is very different from Europe's, that's for sure: Fairbanks has only been a town for a little over 100 years, and before that the only people in the area were Athabaskan natives. Our university museum has a collection of Alaskan art, crafts, flora and fauna, and downtown there are many art galleries. Sixty miles east is a hot springs resort with a wonderful natural "rockpool." Everyone who has visited our home has had a great time and kept very busy as well as saving some time for relaxing around the house (where you might well be visited by a momma moose and her calves).

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