8 Best Hotels in Fairbanks, the Yukon, and the Interior, Alaska

Wild and cultivated flowers adorn the landscaped grounds of this 105-acre resort bordering the Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. Trails at the 75-acre Wedgewood Wildlife Sanctuary connect with ones at the waterfowl refuge, which is a great option for northern lights viewing in the winter (the resort provides northern lights wakeup calls). Most accommodations are suites with full kitchens, and the Bear Lodge Hotel—also part of the resort—has 157 large rooms available in summer. The Fountainhead Antique Automobile Museum, one of the world's finest car museums, is also on the property. 

In the heart of downtown Fairbanks, just above the Chena River, the Bridgewater welcomes guests with overflowing flower baskets and comfortable, modern rooms. The lobby is clean and elegant with historic photos from the town's early days as a gold mining town. The Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center is within walking distance, as are downtown shops and restaurants. 

Soaking in the hot springs of this one-of-a-kind, eco-friendly resort has long been a popular experience for tourists and locals, especially in winter, when a soak is often paired with overhead aurora sightings. Chena's waters are served up in hot tubs, an indoor swimming pool, and an outdoor natural-rock lake. In winter you can go dogsledding, skiing, snowmobiling on quite electric machines, and take a 4½-mile round-trip snow-coach tour to a heated hilltop yurt with 360-degree views. Summer activities include dog-cart rides, guided ATV tours, and horseback riding. Don't miss the charmingly unfinished ice museum, complete with an ice bar that serves appletinis from hand-carved ice glasses, ice bedrooms, and ice sculptures by world-class carvers. In addition to the multiple lodge buildings, the resort offers camping sites and accommodations inside yurts. Eventual plans call for the introduction of overnight stays in repurposed Alaska Railroad train cars. 

Fuel, tire repairs, and towing are available here, along with basic and clean rooms built from surplus pipeline-worker housing. The 24-hour restaurant serves generous portions of truck-stop fare. It's the only facility within 100 miles or more. Adventure-travel options include flightseeing and river rafting in summer and aurora safaris and dog mushing in winter. The complex has a post office and RV spaces with hookups—they're nothing fancy. There's no dump station.

If you want the privacy of a cottage, a bit of elbow room, and many of the amenities of a full-service hotel, book a room at this resort on the bank of the Chena River. The individual cottages, some of them fronting the river and surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds, have patios or garden spaces. On summer evenings you can sit outside and watch canoes, rafts, and powerboats pass by. Chena's Alaskan Grill serves dinner and has a deck overlooking the river.

Its quiet location and very helpful staff make this spacious hotel near the airport one of Fairbanks's best. It has comfy furniture, rich upholstery, and Alaskan artwork throughout. If you don't feel like dining out, these suites include full kitchens and are a short walk from two large grocery stores. Or just head to Zach's, the hotel restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner; menu items incorporate ingredients grown in the hotel's flower-filled on-site gardens.

Though just a 20-minute drive from Fairbanks, A Taste of Alaska is far enough outside town to make you feel as though you're at a wilderness retreat. The 280-acre property, graced with fields and forested woodlands, has great views of the Alaska Range to the south, and in winter you can see the northern lights. It's clear from the get-go that owner Kory Eberhardt was born to run this lodge, and he'll happily share stories of his family's life here: his grandfather homesteaded the property in 1947, and his parents built the lodge in 1992 with trees hewn from the property. Accommodations include a remote cabin, a two-story log home, and the main lodge. Collectibles decorate the rooms, with an endearing predilection for Elizabeth Taylor memorabilia. The room rate includes a sturdy and delicious breakfast. An extra bonus, the Paws for Adventure Sled Dog Tours mushing company is on the property, making it easy to enjoy a ride or more without straying far from your temporary home.

The motel, built from surplus pipeline-worker housing, is basic and clean with shared bathrooms. You can buy gasoline, diesel, and propane here but only during business hours. The restaurant serves meals from 9 am to 10 pm, with shorter hours in winter.