The best running trails around College

A beautiful family park with many picnic and playground areas

This is a summer-only trail, and one of the older bike trails in this area. As the name suggests, it's lots of bump-eriffic fun and you might just want to ride a few loops of it with the nearby Powerline/Commuter Trail. Travel is allowed in both directions. In the winter this is designated as a ski-only trail.

At this point you're passing the University of Fairbanks Alaska Georgeson Botanical Garden to the north of the road. If you like plants, it's well worth a stop near the beginning or end of your run, although it's only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. There is a requested donation to enter: https://georgesonbotanicalgarden.org/visit/

This starts out as a roadside run, then dives into the trees along Sheep Creek Road. If you'd like, you can use this route to connect the University of Alaska Fairbanks, or UAF, campus to the wonderful running and biking trails near Ester Dome — or just enjoy it as a fun, straightforward run in its own right.

Creamers Field is a former dairy farm turned 2,200-acre migratory wildlife refuge. It also has a handful of trails that are great for stretching your legs when you want a run without a lot of elevation gain — and it ties into several other nearby trails if you want to log more distance. Depending on your goals, this can also be an excellent place to warm up or cool down, either before or after a longer run. If you happen to visit in the spring or fall, you might also be lucky enough to see spectacular crowds of sandhill cranes.

Although this isn't the wildest or most adventurous trail around Fairbanks, it's still a beautiful oasis of nature in the middle of the city. The trail is largely paved, with frequent benches, interpretive signs, and even a couple of lookout towers to give you a better view of the water. You can access this loop from a couple of places: Either behind the grounds of the Wedgewood Resort or, if you want a longer run, via a connecting trail from Creamers Field.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Patty Center serves as the start of the Midnight Sun Run, a fun 10k that encourages runners to wear costumes and spectators to cheer their lungs out. The race is run on the Saturday closest to the summer solstice and does happen late at night, although the faster runners will be done before midnight actually arrives. The race course is run as a point-to-point, ending in Pioneer Park with a shuttle back to the starting point. But you can always run it out-and-back, or tackle just a portion of the course, if you're looking for some training.

This 44-acre historical theme park straddles the line somewhere between kitschy and charming, with lots of historical buildings and interpretive displays. During summer, the park comes alive with an evening salmon bake, local shops, small museums including a historical stern-wheel paddleboat, and a life-size model train that chugs around the grounds. Admission to the park is free, but some of the activities within come with a charge. You can still explore the park during the winter, and it's sometimes used to host special events.