Steam rises off the water at Chena Hot Springs while the air around the pools stays sharply cold, and the spruce forest of the Interior closes in on every side. It is a resort stay or a day outing from Fairbanks built around hot water, northern lights and a good deal of quiet.
Is visiting Chena Hot Springs worth it?
Yes, for travelers based in Fairbanks who want a day or a night in the woods with hot water, something to do besides sightseeing, and a real chance at the northern lights. It suits couples, families with older children and anyone who likes the idea of soaking in a hot spring while the air is cold.
What sets it apart from other places around Fairbanks is how much sits in one spot. The resort is a hot spring, a lodge, a set of cabins and yurts, an ice museum, an ATV and dog-ATV outfit, a riding stable and a geothermal power plant, all in one clearing.
Founded more than a century ago by two gold mining brothers, Robert and Thomas Swan, it began as a place for miners to ease sore bodies, and that spirit of simple restoration still runs through it. Today it also shows how the same underground heat can run a whole resort and its greenhouses, which makes the visit feel a little like a working experiment as well as a getaway.
Staying overnight changes the experience, since the lodges, private cabins and yurts all sit steps from the water. A day visit works too, but the night is when the setting makes the most sense.
What to see at Chena Hot Springs
The hot springs and Rock Lake
The natural hot springs are the reason the place exists, and they are open for soaking all year, including beneath the aurora borealis. On a winter night, sitting in steaming water with frost forming on your hair and a dark sky overhead is the image people carry home.
Rock Lake is the geothermal feature where visitors can soak outdoors, set among rocks and trees rather than tiles. The Pool House is the other option, with a day pass for visitors who are not staying overnight. Both are worth pairing with a slow evening, since hot water is not something to rush.
The Aurora Ice Museum
The Aurora Ice Museum holds carved ice sculptures and is open throughout the year, so even a summer visit can include a walk through a frozen gallery. Expect figures and furnishings carved from clear and white ice, lit so they glow, and a cold that feels sharp after the pools.
It is a good stop for children old enough to join the tour, and for anyone who wants a break between soaks. The tour is a compact visit, so it fits easily into a day at the resort.
Geothermal power and the greenhouses
The resort uses geothermal heat to power its buildings and greenhouses, and it runs two Organic Rankine cycle plants, the first of their kind in Alaska. Since July 2006 they have cut the cost of electricity from 30 cents to 5 cents per kilowatt hour, a striking change for a community far off the main grid.
For visitors, the result is greenery growing in a place where the winters are long and dark. It is a quiet side of the resort, interesting for anyone curious about how remote places can power themselves.
The DC-6A ‘Good Grief’
A Douglas DC-6A named Good Grief sits on display at the resort after its final flight on October 2, 2016. A large aircraft parked among the spruce is an unexpected sight, and it makes a fine photo stop between activities. Look at the scale of the plane against the trees, which tells you how unusual it is for it to end up here.
Hours, tickets and rules
The hot springs are open for soaking all year, and the Aurora Ice Museum is open throughout the year as well. Activities carry their own prices, lengths and minimum ages, which are set out here for planning. Some of them depend on the season, such as the aurora tour in winter and the ATV rides in summer.
| Site or activity | Open | Admission |
|---|---|---|
| Pool House day pass | Year-round soaking at the resort | $20 adults, $17 children |
| Aurora Ice Museum Tour | Open throughout the year, 45 minutes, ages 6 and up | $20 adults, $15 children |
| Aurora Viewing Tour | Aurora season late August to mid-April, 5 hours, ages 2 and up | $125 per person |
| ATV Tour | Summer, 45 minutes, ages 16 and up | $95 per rider |
| Dog ATV Tour | 30 minutes, ages 5 and up | $65 per person |
| Side x Side ATV Tour | 45 minutes, ages 5 and up | $75 per person |
| Horseback riding | Up to 60 minutes, ages 12 and up | From $90 |
The Aurora Viewing Tour takes guests by SUSV, a tracked vehicle, to Charlie Dome, where heated yurts and hot drinks are provided. The Electric ATV Tour is a single-rider ride down Monument Creek Trail, and in winter the resort offers Electric Snowmachine tours on silent electric snowmobiles.
How to get to Chena Hot Springs
Chena Hot Springs lies about 56 miles northeast of Fairbanks, near the Chena River State Recreation Area, which makes Fairbanks the natural base for a visit. The resort sits in the Alaskan wilderness rather than on a town street, so it feels like a real departure from the city even though it is within a single day trip.
Fairbanks has the businesses that provide equipment for Interior Alaska adventures, and the town of North Pole is nearby for those who want to add another stop to the trip. Explore Fairbanks can answer questions about the area by telephone at (907) 456-5774.
Travelers who stay at the resort avoid any back-and-forth, since the lodges, cabins and yurts are steps from the water. Those visiting for the day plan their time around the activities and the soak they want.
When to visit Chena Hot Springs
Winter is the headline season, because the aurora viewing season runs from late August to mid-April and the hot springs are most dramatic when the air is freezing. Visibility of the aurora borealis is especially good around the March equinox, which makes late winter a rewarding time to stay overnight.
Winter also brings the Electric Snowmachine tours, and the nights are long enough to spend hours outside under the sky. Fairbanks adds its own events around that time, including ice art displayed from mid-February to the end of March and the World Ice Art Championships in late February through March.
Summer offers a different resort. The ATV tours run through forest, mud and rugged terrain, horseback riding is on the menu and Fairbanks has a season of midnight sun with the sun shining nearly 24 hours a day. The soaking is still open, and the ice museum is still there for a cool break on a warm day.
Tips for your visit
Plan the visit around one or two activities and a long soak rather than a checklist. The resort rewards staying put, so an overnight in a cabin or yurt gives the most relaxed version, with time for the pool, the ice museum and the stars.
- Combine a soak with the Aurora Ice Museum Tour, which lasts 45 minutes.
- Choose an activity that fits your group, since minimum ages range from 2 for the aurora tour to 16 for the single-rider ATV.
- Families with younger children can look at the Dog ATV Tour and the Side x Side ATV Tour, both open to ages 5 and up.
- Pair the resort with a day in Fairbanks, where museums and visitor centers share the history and local ways of life of Interior Alaska.
- In winter, plan for the long aurora tour, which lasts 5 hours.
If you prefer something quieter, the greenhouses and the DC-6A make good slow-moving stops between soaks.
Good to know before you go
Chena Hot Springs is a resort in the wilderness, so it pays to think of the day or night as a complete outing with its own pace. The soaking is open all year, and the aurora season for viewing stretches from late August to mid-April, while summer brings long daylight and a different set of activities. Take the cold seriously in winter and let the hot water do its work.
Sources
- Chena Hot Springs Resort (https://www.chenahotsprings.com/), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Chena Hot Springs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chena_Hot_Springs), checked October 11, 2026
- Explore Fairbanks, winter events (https://www.explorefairbanks.com/events/winter-events/), checked October 11, 2026
- Explore Fairbanks, things to do (https://www.explorefairbanks.com/things-to-do/), checked October 11, 2026