The common moniker, The Last Frontier, is about as accurate a description as any state could have. Born and raised in Oregon, I thought I knew what the “Wild West” had to offer. I have been lucky enough, since our move to Wisconsin, to befriend a colleagues that grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska. As such, this friendship has afforded me the opportunity to visit this massive state in a couple different occasions. Such as life, it always seems to come down to who you know! This round, I was lucky enough to accompany a group of rowdy, and diverse group of individuals to take a weeklong road trip gallivanting around from Fairbanks to Valdez.
Although this was my second time in this amazing state, the views, topography, and overall essence of nature was just as awe-inspiring. We visited during the summer, which has the infamous 24-hours of sunlight. This is no cheeky saying either, so be prepared— don’t forget your sunscreen… or a sleeping mask!
Download a good podcast, make a groovy playlist, and prepare all your best road trip games, because the round trip drive time from Fairbanks down to Valdez and back is right around 13 hours. While this sounds lengthy (and it is), it’s really not so bad when you take into account a couple things. First and foremost, that’s 13 hours driven over the course of a week, so you’re really not putting in toooo much milage any given day. Secondly, you’re driving around in Alaska! Sweeping vistas and wild animal spottings are all but guaranteed! A beautiful long drive just means a little extra time to appreciate nature.
DAY ONE
Flying into Fairbanks, this will function as both the beginning and end of your road tripping journey. Most of your arrival day will be navigating logistics… picking up the van, grocery shopping, etc. If you happen to arrive early in the day and have already picked up your rental, Denali National Park is a little over a two hour drive away— a bit of a drive for a day trip, but certainly an immense feat of natural beauty. At the end of the day, enjoy a good night’s sleep in a real bed, because it’s about to be a week of van life and sleeping bags!
DAY TWO
As you head out of town, with the wind in your hair, you ride Highway 2 all the way to Clearwater State Recreation Site (CSRS). This stop in the journey comes about 2 hours after departure, so it’s a perfect opportunity to stretch your legs and take in your first Alaskan State Park.
It adds a bit of time, but the town of North Pole is along the way (only 15 minutes south of Fairbanks) if you want to see where all those letters addressed to Sant end up being sent!
The campsite at CSRS operates on first come, first serve availability, so arriving early is in your best interest if you’re keen to camp out there. Eleven miles off the highway, this is a bit of a hidden gem. A bit too early in the day for us to set up camp, we fished for a while and then kept heading south.
Another hour or two down the road, our second and final stop of the day was at the Fielding Lake Recreation Site. We arrived with plenty of time to catch some arctic graylings— they made for an unexpectedly tasty breakfast the next morning!
Road trip blues: it’s worth nothing that a few times along the way, we encountered traffic snags due to construction. They lasted anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour, so have a rockin’ road trip playlist ready for jamming out help time fly.
DAY THREE
After a warm breakfast over the campfire, it’s time to pack up and roll out. Next stop? Valdez!
Taking the drive at a leisurely pace, stopping at any streams that look like they might have a fish or two swimming through, Eagles Rest RV Park will be the final destination on your road trip adventure. With ample space to set up camp, this will be home base for the next few days.
If you’re in the mood for pizza, follow your nose to The Fat Mermaid. It might sound a little crazy, but the smoked salmon pizza is actually delicious… besides, where else would you find smoked salmon as a pizza topping???
DAY FOUR
For the first full day in Valdez, you head out on the water. We rented a boat through Valdez Outfitters, and could not recommend them more. If you feel comfortable captaining your own vessel, your fishing excursion will be considerably cheaper. Alaska-native Ward Dobbs was part of our motley crew, so we felt comfortable going out without additional chartering; however, if you are completely new to Valdez or boating, you may be better off letting someone else do the driving. Plus a captain just might know all the secret spots where the fish like to bite.
The boat ride out to the Prince William Sound takes about an hour or two either way, so this really does become an all day adventure. While catching fish is never guaranteed, if you spend all day out on the water this time of year, you will be hard pressed to not end up with at least a couple fish in your cooler. Plus– you can hardly find a more majestic background to accompany your fishing pursuits.
DAYS FIVE & SIX
Back to back days of fishing to your heart’s content! With loads of fishing in the Valdez area, you can pretty much drop a line in anywhere. One day we took Richardson Highway to Dayville Road and followed it around the Lowe River to an area near the Allison Point Campground.
Another day we just stopped at various pull-outs along the Lowe River and spent an entire day fishing for pinkies. Not quite an action packed agenda, but there’s nothing quite like spending the day along the water with your buddies…. plus fresh fish for dinner!
DAY SEVEN
Rolling out of Valdez, it’s time to make the long trek back up to Fairbanks. If you’re looking to break the journey up a bit, King For A Day Campground and Charters is a nice spot to drop a line in the water and fish for some reds or sockeyes.
Once you’re back in the car, follow the road all the way back up to Big Delta. While we didn’t stay at a campground specifically, there’s plentiful open space to pull off the road and set up your final campsite. Theres nothing quite like watching the sunlight fade as you cook some salmon over a fire pit… what a perfect final camping meal.
All About the Journey
In a perfect world, this road trip clocks in at just over 13 hours round trip, but it’s likely to be a little longer with self-selected scenic detours along the way. While it’s certainly possible to drive all the way down to Valdez in one day, there’s so much more adventure in reveling in the stops along the way. When planning a road trip and camping trip, it’s less about the destination and far more about the journey there. The little stops to fish, wander down a stray road, or rock out in construction traffic while you take in the view are a huge part of what gives a trip like this its charm.
If you have never seen Denali, it’s always an option to take a slightly longer route back up through the Denali National Park on your way to Fairbanks. This adds a cool 4 hours to the drive, but it might just be worth it to see this monster of a mountain.
The most rugged state of them all, Alaska truly is the final frontier for breathtaking views of nature. While there’s a myriad of ways to enjoy the boundless, lush topography, there’s nothing quite like a camping road trip to make you feel connected to the Earth.
written by Salvador
While he isn’t an original member of the squad, he recently married Hannah, and is now fondly considered the-brother-we’ve-never-had by the rest of the sisters. Whenever Salvador travels, assessing the local craft beer scene is a top priority. His favorite foreign beer to date is an unattainable Belgium Brugse Zot he has been unable to find in the States the last few years. Salvador currently speaks two languages, English and Spanish, but every time he goes to Italy, his Italian gets a little better! To pass the time between thrilling excursions, Salvador is a professor of exercise physiology at UWL.
