Fairbanks is at the confluence of the Richardson Highway, George Parks Highway, Steese Highway, and Elliott Highway, connecting the Interior to Anchorage, Canada, and the lower 48 states. The Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay begins about 75 miles (about 120 km) north of town.

Goods are transported to Fairbanks by truck, air, and the Alaska Railroad. Regularly scheduled jet flights are available at the state-owned Fairbanks International Airport. An 11,800 foot (3,597 meter) asphalt runway, heliport, and seaplane landing strip are available.

A public seaplane base is also located on the Chena River. In addition, there are several privately owned airstrips and heliports in the vicinity. Fairbanks was a major shipping center via waterway for the rest of the Interior, but in modern times water transportation is primarily recreational or used for subsistence hunting and fishing access.

Alaska possesses three unique factors that helped shape its transportation system into what it is today: 1) with the exception of Hawaii, Alaska is the most remote state, 2) activity in Alaska is concentrated in urban areas due to the vast distances between population centers, 3) Alaska is within 9-10 flight hours from 90% of the industrialized world. These factors forced Alaskans to establish a strong logistical system that would take advantage of Alaska’s strategic position and minimize the disadvantages of its remoteness. Today, more cargo planes land in Anchorage every day than anywhere else in the U.S.

Fairbanks does have an international airport, and major carriers offer service from the continental United States. Alaska Airlines also offers a number of convenient flights each day between Fairbanks and Anchorage. Most visitors travel to Fairbanks by Alaska Railroad or car.

The Alaska Railroad offers daily summer service from Fairbanks each morning to Denali National Park, Talkeetna and Anchorage. Many visitors will start their Alaska vacation in Fairbanks, then tour south to Anchorage and fly home or depart by cruise ship from nearby Seward.