Leaf Out Nature Guides
Leaf Out Nature Guides
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Come take a hike through the boreal forest with us! We give snowshoe based nature tours during the daytime and evening time as well as an ice luminary and dinner experience on select nights of the week. We are a family friendly operation with snowshoes available for kids 4 and up (younger kids are also welcome, but they might prefer being carried some or we have a sled they can ride in). Most tours are 2 hours long and end with a warm cup of locally foraged herbal tea. We also offer completely customizable tour options, so feel free to ask us to find out more!
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
62 reviews
Excellent
62
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Rahul Pathak
Mexico City, Mexico22 contributions
Dec 2019
We found Evan and Shannon to be super friendly and very sincere in their efforts of organizing a great trek into the woods. Evan has great knowledge of the flaura & fauna of the Fairbanks region and very patiently explains all the animal trails and different types of trees that survive the arctic climate. We also tasted some of the different teas prepared by Shannon and they were all genuinely amazing. The woods behind their house is very pretty especially with the heavy snow the entire landscape looks really amazing. Overall very informative and fun!! highly recommended.
Written December 31, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for sharing Rahul! We were very happy to host you two and glad we were able to be flexible with times so we could make it work with your schedule. I am so grateful that you enjoyed visiting this beautiful part of the boreal forest, as well as Shannon's handcrafted teas (and time with Cooper of course!). We hope you enjoyed your entire visit to Alaska!
Written January 2, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Bonnie L
New York City, NY7 contributions
Dec 2020 • Solo
I snowshoeed with Shannon and Evan and it was quite an Alaskan experience. They were knowledgeable and I learned a bit about their way of life. Evan built a fire outside and we had hot tea towards the end. I highly recommend this tour but note that if you are staying in town and don’t have a car, Uber/Lyft can add another $70-80 for the experience.
Written December 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bonnie, thanks for the kind words and extra beta for folks without rental cars. Hope the rest of your visit in Alaska was great!
Written February 23, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nathan S
Seattle, WA1 contribution
Jan 2020
Long story short, Evan and Shannon went way above and beyond to give my fiancée and I an amazing time.
We signed up for a moon-lit ice luminary snowshoe tour, and I asked them before the fact if we could do anything extra special to make a romantic night.
They were excited to help, and they offered great suggestions and creative ideas. After a lot of careful planning together (and a good deal of effort), the proposal went perfectly.
The trail behind their cabin is a truly unique atmosphere, and I wouldn't be surprised if Shannon's cooking is the best in Fairbanks.
They are warm and friendly people--we talked for hours and had a wonderful time.
I'm so glad I reached out to them. Thanks guys!
We signed up for a moon-lit ice luminary snowshoe tour, and I asked them before the fact if we could do anything extra special to make a romantic night.
They were excited to help, and they offered great suggestions and creative ideas. After a lot of careful planning together (and a good deal of effort), the proposal went perfectly.
The trail behind their cabin is a truly unique atmosphere, and I wouldn't be surprised if Shannon's cooking is the best in Fairbanks.
They are warm and friendly people--we talked for hours and had a wonderful time.
I'm so glad I reached out to them. Thanks guys!
Written February 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nathan, thank you for sharing! We are so happy to have been able to be a part of such a special evening for you two--it was truly our pleasure to join in the proposal planning. We so very much appreciate the kind words and feel fortunate to have gotten to meet you both and celebrate with you. We hope you two have a wonderful engagement and enjoy the planning process for your wedding! Looking forward to the next time we cross paths ;)
Written February 19, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Takashi
4 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
It was a nature-friendly adventure with kind guides by Evan.
I set up gears at his cozy cabin. These gears are fully performed under cold temperatures. During the trip, he kindly explained the nature and wildlife in Alaska. After the trip, Shannon served delicious mint tea to me.
Everything is awesome. Thanks.
I set up gears at his cozy cabin. These gears are fully performed under cold temperatures. During the trip, he kindly explained the nature and wildlife in Alaska. After the trip, Shannon served delicious mint tea to me.
Everything is awesome. Thanks.
Written January 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for joining us Takashi and we are so glad you had an excellent experience! We are always happy to help folks stay warmer with good gear so we can really enjoy our time out in the forest, and we're so glad you enjoyed Shannon's handmade tea as well! We hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Alaska!
Written January 14, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Anthony K
2 contributions
Mar 2020
If this is your first time in Fairbanks/Alaska, this is a must-go-to trip, especially if you want to know the culture and daily life in Alaska. Shannon and Evan are very experienced, knowledgeable and welcoming. They cooked the most delicious and unique meal for us using locally sourced food. Throughout dinner, we talked about how they live their life in Alaska: the different activities they do over the summer and winter. They also brought us snowshoeing along a magical and beautiful trial lit with candles. It was everything I was hoping for and more. Definitely would recommend.
Written March 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for sharing your review of the evening Anthony! It was a pleasure to meet you, your brother and mom last week. We had a wonderful time sharing a local meal and luminary snowshoe walk with you. And we're so glad your travel plans weren't interrupted and had the good fortune to share in one part of your Alaskan adventure with you. Stay healthy and safe the rest of this spring!
Written March 16, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Candy R
Montrose, CO25 contributions
Mar 2020
Shannon and Evan invited us into their little cabin home and made us a delicious dinner of Salmon and Caribou tacos. Almost all of the food was harvested by Shannon and Evan. They shared their delightful story of their Alaskan life, fed us with delicious food and took us on a magical walk through the forest lit up with their homemade luminaries. A delightly evening. Thank you Shannon and Evan.
Written March 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for sharing Candy! It was a delightful evening for us as well. Your group had so much wonderful energy after the great week you had with the Sierra Club, and we very much appreciated you all brining that energy to our home as well. We hope that it was a wonderful way to finish your visit to Alaska, and we would love for you to return again some day!
Written March 12, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jen W
Myrtle Beach, SC2 contributions
Jan 2020
Guides Evan and Shannon were super nice and help fit us with the right size snowshoes. They answered all of our questions about the forest and the animal footprints in the snow. They finished up the tour with mild teas made from plants gathered in the forest we just toured. The scenery was beautiful so with our love of hiking, we would have been happy to roam around in the woods for another hour or two!
Written March 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for sharing Jen! It was great to meet you both and to share the boreal forest with you, and we were so happy you both wanted to do a nice hike with us. Come back again!
Written March 4, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Joanna B
6 contributions
Jan 2020
Shannon and Evan led us on an evening hike around a snow shoe trail near their house. It was fun to be out at night and they had lined the trail with ice luminaries to light the way, which gave a much nicer experience than wearing headlamps. They provided the snow shoes and some mittens to help keep us warm. The trail was only about 30 minutes, so we did a second lap with Evan to help blow out the candles while Shannon prepped for dinner. For dinner, they served us salmon dip, salad, moose stew, salmon chowder and blueberry cobbler. Everything was delicious. Compared to other activities we did, the price may have been a bit high for such a short trek and a soup dinner, but it was a very enjoyable evening. My favorite part was getting to see and hear about a completely different life style (outdoor bathroom, hunting for meat, etc) from mine and learn how they they adapted Alaskan life. Their sweet dog, Cooper, was another highlight.
Written February 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the great feedback Joanna. It was a pleasure having you and Anne out, we are happy you came away with a proverbial and literal taste of life in Alaska! The snowshoeing portion is indeed shorter on the Luminary Tour than our regular snowshoeing tour- while we'd love to have a longer luminary trail, it takes quite a while to make, uncover, and light the 80+ luminaries we've got on our 1/2 mile luminary trail! So glad you enjoyed getting to try the foods we grow, forage, and harvest in the form Alaskans most frequently eat them (and don't forget my homemade sourdough bread!). Cooper says thanks for the extra attention :) Hope the rest of your visit to Alaska was fantastic!
Written February 9, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jeremy F
Oklahoma City, OK2 contributions
Jan 2020
My wife and I booked both the snowshoeing tour in the morning, and the luminary walk/dinner in the evening. The activities are different enough to warrant trying out either one or both! I was nervous because I didn't have a ton of winter gear being from Oklahoma, but I was pleasantly surprised that they had some gear we could use.
The dinner was not only tasty, but the conversation was also interesting as we learned about living off the land, staying in a dry cabin,and how they harvested the dinner we were enjoying. Something unexpected came up for us with scheduling, but Evan and Shannon were great working with our last minute change of plans. If you would like an educational experience about Alaska, as well as to meet great,genuine people, you found it here. This experience topped off our amazing honeymoon, and we highly recommended it to anyone visiting.
The dinner was not only tasty, but the conversation was also interesting as we learned about living off the land, staying in a dry cabin,and how they harvested the dinner we were enjoying. Something unexpected came up for us with scheduling, but Evan and Shannon were great working with our last minute change of plans. If you would like an educational experience about Alaska, as well as to meet great,genuine people, you found it here. This experience topped off our amazing honeymoon, and we highly recommended it to anyone visiting.
Written February 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks Jeremy, it was so fun to have you and Sarah for both snowshoeing and our Luminary tour! Glad we were able to help and work with your transportation and scheduling issues to get you guys out. It was lovely having you as guests and a pleasure to share our lives with you. Hope the rest of your trip was wonderful and congratulations again!
Written February 6, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Peter W
Melbourne, Australia54 contributions
Feb 2020
Shannon, Evan and golden retriever Cooper offer a wonderful experience at their home on a beautiful property in the Boreal Forest a short distance outside Fairbanks. Their winter playground is perfect for snowshoeing and with their expertise as botanists it was great walking around the forest learning about the flora and fauna. Afterwards you can enjoy herbal tea foraged from the forest in the comfort of their home. Thanks Shannon and Evan and it was wonderful meeting and talking with you both.
Written March 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for sharing Peter! It was great to get to share our home and our little slice of the amazing boreal forest with you. We are also so excited when people enjoy learning about this incredible place and its many hardy inhabitants! Great meeting you as well and hope to cross paths again someday!
Written March 4, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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