Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge
Nature preserve
76 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Fairbanks
Fairbanks has 73 miles of mapped trails, 2.3 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge (2 mi), South Davis Park (1 mi), Bernice Allridge Park (0.5 mi). 84% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6% of Fairbanks’ land is conserved, about 1,213 acres.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #7 of 41 in Alaska. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,213 acres · of 31.8 sq mi of land
Trails
73 mi
2.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
490 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
84%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
28 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 28 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
10 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Fairbanks?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fairbanks have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fairbanks is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #7 of 41 in Alaska. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fairbanks’ overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical AK town 15% · U.S. 4%B+Trails2.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (73 mi) · AK 0.5 · U.S. 0.4APark land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (490 acres) · AK 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home84% of residents within a half mile of a park · AK 36% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
LessMore
Alaska towns of 2,500+ (41)Ahead of 85%
Alaska towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Fairbanks’ 6% is ahead of 25% of Alaska towns, while its trails per square mile lead 92% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, with 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Chena River State Recreation Site
Managed by State of Alaska
24 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 16 parks & preserves
Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge76 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth Davis Park145 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsBernice Allridge Park10 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsChena River State Recreation Site24 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · State of Alaska
DirectionsHez Ray Sports Complex90 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth Fairbanks Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsGraehl Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGrowden Memorial Park40 acres
DirectionsKiana Park8 acres
Nussbaumer Park5 acres
Mercer Park5 acres
DirectionsBentley Park2 acres
DirectionsJanel Thompson Park1 acres · Parks & Recreation Department
Bluebell Park1 acres
DirectionsGolden Heart Plaza1 acres
DirectionsBaranof Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,213 conserved acres
6% of Fairbanks’ land. Who manages Fairbanks’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources696 ac
County426 ac
State fish & wildlife87 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service4 ac
State Other or Unknown · 696 acLocal Park · 426 acState Conservation Area · 87 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 2 acFederal Other or Unknown · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 38 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Land Disposals - Municipal Purposes State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 373 | Unknown |
| State Patented State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 323 | Unknown |
| South Davis Park Local Park | County | 127 | Open |
| Creamer's Field State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 87 | Restricted |
| Hez Ray Sports Complex Local Park | County | 83 | Open |
| Pioneer Park Local Park | County | 38 | Open |
| Fairbanks Lions Recreation Area Local Park | County | 22 | Open |
| Weeks Field / Wein Park Local Park | County | 17 | Open |
| South Davis Park (Undeveloped) Local Park | County | 15 | Open |
| Hamilton Acres Local Park | County | 15 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
88 places to go in Fairbanks
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fairbanks
Bluebell ParkIn Bluebell Park
DirectionsPioneer Park Playground
DirectionsSunrisers Rotary PlaygroundIn South Davis Park
Directions65 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Fairbanks
Fairbanks Dog Park 2nd Ave
DirectionsSouth Davis Dog ParkIn South Davis Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Fairbanks
10 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Fairbanks
Observation PlatformIn Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge
DirectionsObservation PlatformIn Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge
DirectionsObservation PlatformIn Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge
DirectionsObservation PlatformIn Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge
DirectionsObservation PlatformIn Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge
DirectionsObservation PlatformIn Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge
DirectionsObservation Platform
DirectionsObservation Platform
DirectionsPeaks in Fairbanks
Birch Hill
DirectionsCampgrounds in Fairbanks
Moose Loop RV Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.7 miUnpaved · 1.1 mi
Jeep Trail2.7 mi
Old Richardson Highway1.0 mi
Wander Lake Loop0.8 mi
Jeff Studdert Sleddog Trails0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
28 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
28 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
45Soccer
30Baseball
18Golf
16Basketball
12Softball
4Tennis
4Football
4Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →21 places on the National Register, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Immaculate Conception ChurchBuilding · listed 1976
About itHarding Railroad CarStructure · listed 1978
About itFederal BuildingBuilding · listed 1978
About itWickersham HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itFalcon Joslin HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itMary Lee Davis HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itClay Street Cemetery (AHRS Site No. FAI-164)Site · listed 1982
About itLacey Street TheatreBuilding · listed 1990
About itMain SchoolBuilding · listed 1990
About it9 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Fairbanks: May, June and August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 5.0 | 8.3 | 11.5 | 15.0 | 18.6 | 21.7 | 20.1 | 16.5 | 12.9 | 9.5 | 6.0 | 3.8 |
| High (°F) | 0 | 13 | 27 | 47 | 63 | 72 | 73 | 66 | 55 | 34 | 12 | 3 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
March is the driest month (0.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 73 °F). 2.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Fairbanks →
Next door
Fairbanks and its neighbors
Fairbanks has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks | 6% | 2.3 | 15 | 84% | A− |
| College | 3% | 5.2 | 19 | 71% | A− |
| South Van Horn | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Badger | 15% | 1.0 | 4 | 12% | B− |
| Steele Creek | 36% | 0.5 | under 1 | under 1% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fairbanks
Where can I hike in Fairbanks?
The longest trail networks: Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, 2 miles; South Davis Park, 1 miles; Bernice Allridge Park, 0.5 miles; Chena River State Recreation Site, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fairbanks is conserved land?
6% of its land, against a typical 15% for an Alaska town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Fairbanks’ trails?
Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge and South Davis Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fairbanks?
28 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 28 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Fairbanks?
12,618 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fairbanks or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 490 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Fairbanks have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #7 of 41 in Alaska. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Fairbanks neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →