Riverboat Discovery: Alaska’s Sternwheeler
Three hours on the Chena and Tanana in the heart of interior Alaska.
Get Sternwheeler QuotesThe Sternwheeler Riverboat Discovery, Fairbanks
In the gold-rush era, sternwheelers were the lifeline of interior Alaska, carrying people and supplies up the Yukon and its tributaries. The sternwheeler Riverboat Discovery keeps that tradition going on the Chena River at Fairbanks, where the Binkley family has run river trips since 1950. Their boat today, Discovery III, was built in 1986–87 at the Nichols Brothers yard on Whidbey Island, Washington.
What Happens on the Trip
The trip lasts about three hours and is narrated throughout. Along the Chena you pass riverside homes and float-plane docks, and a bush pilot often demonstrates a takeoff and landing beside the boat. The boat pauses at Trailbreaker Kennels, home of the family of Iditarod champion Susan Butcher, for a sled-dog demonstration.
At the confluence with the glacier-fed Tanana you can see the clear and silty waters meet. The boat then lands at a re-created Athabascan village, where Alaska Native guides talk about traditional life, fur clothing and fish wheels.
Fitting It Into an Alaska Trip
Fairbanks is inland, so cruise ships do not call there; you reach it by air, by road or on the Alaska Railroad, usually as part of a cruisetour that pairs a Gulf of Alaska or Inside Passage cruise with Denali. The riverboat season follows the Alaska summer. Explore Fairbanks, the city’s visitor bureau, has more on the town, and our sister site Alaska Port Excursions covers excursions in the cruise ports.
Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise can build an Alaska cruisetour that includes Fairbanks and suggest when to fit in the riverboat.
Sternwheelers in Alaska’s History
From the Klondike gold rush of the late 1890s until roads and the railroad spread, sternwheelers were the main way to move people and supplies through interior Alaska and the Yukon. Their shallow draft let them work braided, silty rivers like the Tanana and Yukon. The Riverboat Discovery keeps that working-river tradition alive, and its narration covers the gold-rush boats and the people who ran them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Riverboat Discovery?
A family-run sternwheeler excursion in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Binkley family has operated riverboat tours there since 1950, and their current boat, Discovery III, was built in 1986–87.
How long is the trip?
About three hours on the Chena and Tanana rivers, with narration and a stop ashore at a re-created Athabascan village.
Can I add it to an Alaska cruise?
Yes, on a cruisetour that includes Fairbanks or on your own after a cruise. Many Alaska land tours that pass through Fairbanks include it; ask our cruise advisors when you book.
Plan an Alaska Cruisetour With Fairbanks
Tell us your travel dates. Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will quote Alaska cruisetours that include Fairbanks and the riverboat.
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