Where to run in Fairbanks, Alaska: Creamer’s Field

I do a lot of travelling, and I’m always trying to figure out where the best places to run are wherever I’m going. I’ve been in Fairbanks a lot lately, and I’m lucky enough to have a couple of running friends up there showing me their favorite spots. I figure I’m probably not the only one that wants to know ahead of time where they should go for good running, so I’m going to highlight a few of my favorites. First up, in what I think is my favorite right now in Fairbanks, is Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge.

So, Creamer’s Field was started by a couple that brought three cows up to Fairbanks during the gold rush in the late 1800’s and started a dairy. It became the largest and most successful dairy in Interior Alaska, and was in operation until 1966. It is still farmed and managed with the goal of encouraging migratory birds to visit. The refuge currently has 2,200 acres of fields, woods, and ponds, and some of the historic dairy remains, and currently houses a visitor’s center and gift shop. The refuge is open year round, and the trails are groomed in winter. One thing runners need to keep in mind is that there is no potable water at Creamer’s Field, so BRING WATER WITH YOU.

A community organization, Friends of Creamer’s Field, provides guided nature walks and educational opportunities for visitors and there is a network of trails throughout the refuge. There are trails alongside the fields in the refuge, and a trail through boreal forest.

The boreal forest trail is a 1 mile loop, and there are parts of it that are just beautiful. There are long stretches of boardwalk that are really fun to run on, and a viewing platform that you can climb up to a bird’s eye view of the area.

 The boardwalks are my favorite part of the trails here, and I make sure I run them each time I visit.

There are only a few miles of trails on Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, but they connect to skiing and dog mushing trails that for the adventurous could add close to 30 extra miles of trails, depending on weather. When it’s rainy, some of those trails become inaccessible.

I really enjoy running here, and when I was here for a week earlier this month, I visited here twice to run. I love it that you can run in both woods and fields, on boardwalks and trails. The variety is fun, and the scenery is great. It’s totally awesome, and you should go.