If you're going to do some overland travelling in Alaska, north of the panhandle, there's a very interesting book that will give you some idea of the scale of the territory you're venturing into. I think it's called "Disappearance: A Map" with a subtitle "death and loss in the high altitudes" or similar. It's written by a woman who worked in Juneau. Sorry, I can't remember her name, and I've leant my book to someone so can't check.

If you're going to be travelling direct from Anchorage to Fairbanks, you should certainly detour to take in Kantishna and Wonder Lake, at the base of Denali/McKinley - the scenery and wildlife are simply amazing. I would recommend this even if it means you don't make it to Fairbanks, which is not the most exciting place on earth. Wonder Lake is a 180-mile round trip from the main highway, and you have to use the park shuttle-bus service, but you can get off one bus and on to another at various points along the trail. (I had permission to cycle the 90 miles, but had to do a half-day course first, covering things like how to keep food beyond the reach of bears, how to wade across creeks etc.)

If you are planning to go overland from Fairbanks back to Haines/Skagway, you'll be going along the famous Alaska-Canada highway, one of the civil-engineering achievements of the 20th century (inspired by the possibility that the Japanese might invade the Aleutian islands during WW2). Again the scenery is breathtaking.