Alaska Places

• Brooks Range mountains
• Denali National Park
• Fairbanks Alaska
• Ketchikan Alaska
• Prince William Sound
• Sitka Alaska
• Southeast Alaska
• Yukon River

Alaska Subjects

• Aurora Borealis
• Dog Mushing
• Glaciers of Alaska
• Mount McKinley
• Northern Lights Info
• Trans Alaska Oil Pipeline
• Wildflowers
• Winter in Alaska

Alaska Wildlife

• Arctic Wildlife
• Bald Eagles
• Bear Pictures
• Brown Bears
• Caribou
• Dall Sheep
• Loons
• Moose
• Musk Ox
• Polar Bears
• Puffins - Horned & Tufted
• Red Fox
• Sea Otters
• Spruce grouse
• Alaska Salmon
• Whales of Alaska
• Willow Ptarmigan

Photography Articles (On my blog)

• How to Photograph the Northern Lights with a Digital Camera
• My Camera Gear
• Cold Weather Photography
• Tips on Photographing Alaska's Wildlife

Fairbanks Alaska Photos

Fairbanks is home to photographer Patrick Endres, and we therefore have extensive photographic coverage of the area. All of the pictures are available for licensing as stock photos or for purchase as fine art display pictures for home and office decor.

Fairbanks Alaska photo gallery

Fairbanks is located in the heart of Alaska's interior and dubs itself as the Golden Heart City, serving as the gateway to Alaska's Interior and Arctic. With a population of close to 32,000, Fairbanks' citizenry reaches to 82,000 when including the surrounding Fairbanks North Star Borough. Situated at 64.837N degrees latitude, at an elevation of approximately 400 feet, the town is transected by the Chena river, with the larger Tanana river flowing nearby.

Gold and Fairbanks

Felix Pedro’s discovery of gold in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1902 on a creek a few miles north coincided with supplier E.T. Barnette’s fateful arrival. When Barnette’s riverboat, the Lavelle Young, could proceed no further up the Chena River in 1901, Barnette and his supplies were left on shore. His misfortune turned into an opportunity a year later after he received a visit from Felix Pedro, a prospector who had seen steamboat smoke down in the distant valley and brought word that he and other prospectors were in need of supplies.

Pedro soon discovered a rich claim, which began a full-fledged stampede by 1904. Barnette’s trading post grew into a town and, within five years, Fairbanks was the largest and busiest city in Alaska. From the 1920s to the 1950s, prospectors and sluice boxes were followed by huge gold dredges moving through the valleys and creek beds surrounding Fairbanks, Alaska. The claims around Fairbanks, Alaska ultimately produced more gold than the strikes in Dawson or Nome.

World Ice Art Championships

Each March, the World Ice Art Championships take place in Fairbanks, Alaska. Over 1500 tons of ice are harvested for this event. These 7500 pound blocks of ice are then carved into spectacular works of art by local and international carvers alike. Some sculptures reach over 25 feet tall!

The event in Fairbanks begins with a single block competition that consists of smaller but no less spectacular sculptures. Later the multi-block competition begins, which can often be a mad rush against time, with teams of carvers working together all through the night. For the kids, a play area is constructed with slides and mazes and spinning chairs, all created from ice!

The Aurora Borealis: (Northern Lights)

Due to its northerly latitude and its position under the Van Allen Belt, Fairbanks, Alaska is one world's foremost locations for viewing the aurora borealis, or northern lights. In Fairbanks, The aurora can be seen an average of 250 nights a year, with the greatest occurrence around the spring and the fall equinoxes. The aurora can be viewed in clear skies all throughout the dark months of the winter. The aurora is active nearly every day of the year, but can not be seen in the summer due to the lack of darkness.

The Gateway to the Arctic

Known as the golden heart of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska is also considered the gateway to the arctic, being just a short drive from the arctic circle. Here, marked by a sign, people can view the first latitude where the sun does not set one day a year on December 21st, and does not rise one day a year, on June 21st. These dates are known as the winter and summer solstice.

The Yukon Quest

The 1,000 mile Yukon Quest is a unique cross border sled dog race, running between Whitehorse, Yukon and Fairbanks, Alaska.

The race highlights the special relationships that exist between mushers and their dogs. There is no other race like the Yukon Quest. It is not a staged race but a true distance race. Mushers cannot replace sleds during the race and cannot have stoves and equipment flown into any of the checkpoints. With distances between checkpoints sometimes over 200 miles, they must carry many of their supplies with them. Mushers in the Quest must truly challenge the northern wilderness on their own. The race represents a rare opportunity to see northern working dogs in their element.

Festival of Native Arts

The Festival of Native Arts unites the major Native culture groups of Alaska, as well as foreign groups of the continental United States and countries such as Japan, Russia and Canada. These groups share their rich heritage of their respective cultures, which not only solidifies the Alaska Native identity, but also educates all people as to the nature of cultures different from ours.

This tradition began in 1973, when a group of University of Alaska Fairbanks students and faculty (representing a variety of colleges and departments) met to consider a spring festival focused on the artistic expressions of each Alaska Native culture. In less than three months, perhaps for the first time in Alaska, Native artists, craftspeople and dancers from all major Native culture groups gathered together at UAF to share with each other, the University community and Fairbanks their rich artistic traditions. Festival of Native Arts

University of Alaska Museum of the North

The University of Alaska Museum, located at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, is a major resource center for the public and for scholars. The Museum's mission is to acquire, conserve, investigate, and interpret specimens and collections relating to the natural, artistic, and cultural heritage of Alaska and the Circumpolar North. Through education, research, and public exhibits, the Museum serves the state, national, and international science programs. The Museum develops and uses botanical, geological, zoological, and cultural collections; these collections form the basis for understanding past and present issues unique to the North and meeting the challenges of the future.

World Eskimo Indian Olympics

Each July in Fairbanks, Alaska, the World Eskimo Indian Olympics are held. Spectators watch the following and more:

• One-foot high kick
• Toe kick
• One-hand reach
• Kneel jump
• Knuckle hop
• Seal hop
• Eskimo stick pull
• Scissors broad jump
• Blanket toss
• Four man carry
• Fish cutting contest
• Seal skinning contest
• Eskimo Dance team competition