Vacation in Anchorage or Fairbanks (spots, summer, drive, weather)

[lgt]

I'm going on vacation in August and I'm debating on weather I should stay in Anchorage or Fairbanks. I'm leaning toward Fairbanks since it seems closer to the things I want to do, but I wanted to hear any pros or cons of either and any other suggestions. Some of the things I want to do in order of interest are.

Denali national park
Aurora Borealis
Glaciers
Whales watching (I can do this kind of near where I live though)

Thanks

[tippinturtle]

I think you'd probably enjoy Anchorage more but I've never been there. You should go on the Alaska chat forum.

[Dd714]

You won't see the Aurora Borealis in summer...maybe in September.
Denali is reachable from both Fairbanks and Anchorage.

Of course, if you want whale watching you should go to Anchorage (again, not sure if it's the right season), also they have more accessable glaciers.

I would suggest Anchorage, more to do around the area and you can loop down to the very scenic Kenai peninsula, that's what I did, while still making it up to Denali all in a very casual 9 day trip.

[RadioSilence]

It took me about six hours to drive from Anchorage to Denali, which included a side stop in Talkeetna (about the only town in between the two spots). It takes about 2.5 hours to drive from Fairbanks to Denali.

Go to Anchorage if you want to see glaciers and whales. It is a short drive to the Kenai Peninsula, and about two hours from Anchorage to Seward.