University of Alaska

Continue west on College Road to the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), Alaska [1]’s primary educational facility (Admissions Office 907/474-7500 or 800/478-1823, www.uaf.edu [2]). When it opened in 1922 as Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, there were six students and as many faculty; today 9,000 students attend the 2,500-acre campus. This facility is highly regarded for its Arctic research and Native Alaskan studies.

Smaller University of Alaska campuses are in Anchorage [3] and Juneau [4]. Ask any student to direct you to the Wood Campus Center, where you can pick up a free map of the grounds, check the ride board, and grab a cheap breakfast, a slice of pizza, an espresso, a cafeteria lunch, or a beer in the pub. A free shuttle bus runs every 15 minutes around campus.

Free two-hour walking tours (907/474-7021) of the campus take place Monday–Friday at 10 a.m. June–August. Led by UAF students, these start and end at the admissions office. No reservations are needed, but the tours may be canceled if it is raining; call to confirm.

Large Animal Research Station

This Arctic biology research center (907/474-7207, www.uaf.edu/lars [5], late May–early Sept.) houses more than 100 relatively tame animals, including musk oxen, caribou, and reindeer used for nutritional, physiological, and behavioral studies. Find the 150-acre research station north of the campus on Yankovich Road, 1.5 miles off Ballaine Road. This unique facility is open for guided 45-minute tours ($10 adults, $9 seniors, $6 students, children under 7 free) seven times a day in the summer. A free viewing-stand area is open at any time.

Georgeson Botanical Garden

This five-acre garden (907/470-1944, www.uaf.edu/salrm/gbg [6], daily 8 a.m.–8 p.m. May–Sept., $2) is on the grounds of the Agricultural and Forestry Experimental Station downhill from the museum on the west end of campus. It’s the northernmost botanical garden in the western hemisphere, and contains flowers, vegetables, fruits, herbs, and perennials that can withstand the northern rigors. Giant cabbages and other veggies are the star attractions, and the gazebo is perfect for a picnic lunch.

Other University Sights

Learn about the northern lights, earthquakes, and more in a tour of the Geophysical Institute (www.gi.alaska.edu [7]) on Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. June–August. This building (the tall one with the satellite dishes on top) also houses a Map Office, where you can buy topographic maps.

The International Arctic Research Center (www.iarc.uaf.edu [8]) is open for tours on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. June–August; it’s adjacent to the Geophysical Institute. Call 907/474-7558 for details on either of these tours. Take a virtual visit to one of the world’s fastest supercomputers at the Rasmuson Library on the east side of the campus. Tours (907/474-6935) are given on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. June–August.

Poker Flat Research Range (907/474-7558, www.pfrr.alaska.edu [9])—the only university-operated sounding rocket range anywhere—is 33 miles north of Fairbanks [10] on the Steese Highway. Tours are offered some Thursdays in the summer.