Chena Hot Springs Day Tour

Chena Hot Springs Resort is the Interior's best-known soak, a geothermal resort at the end of a paved road in the Chena River valley, roughly an hour's drive northeast of Fairbanks. The springs were used by gold miners and homesteaders in the early twentieth century and developed into a destination resort, and today the centrepiece is an outdoor rock-lined lake of mineral water kept hot all year. Soaking in steaming water while snow falls, or while the midnight sun hangs low in summer, is one of the defining Fairbanks experiences. A day tour takes care of the drive, which matters in winter when conditions on Chena Hot Springs Road can be slippery and the daylight is short, and it leaves the soaking, the museum and lunch as the only things to organise. Most tours include time in the hot springs, a visit to the Aurora Ice Museum with its sculptures and ice bar, and enough free time to walk the grounds or have a meal in the lodge.

The Aurora Ice Museum is the second reason to go. It is a large building kept below freezing all year, filled with ice sculpture, carved furniture and an ice bar where drinks are served in glasses made of ice. Sculpting competitions and resident carvers keep the displays changing, and the contrast with a hot soak outside makes the visit memorable.

Wear layers you can remove easily, since you go from freezing rooms to steam within a few minutes, and plan for hair to freeze quickly if you soak in winter: a hat or a wool cap for the hot water is a local trick that keeps your head comfortable.

The resort also runs geothermal projects and a small greenhouse, an example of how hot water can power an off-grid settlement in a remote valley, and it offers dog sledding, snowmobile and aurora viewing activities for overnight guests. A day tour is the simplest way to sample the place, and in winter you can pair it with an evening aurora option on a different day. Summer visitors can add a short hike in the valley or the nearby Angel Rocks trail, which is covered in its own entry.

The round trip usually takes most of a day, and the ride itself is a pleasure: the road follows the Chena River through spruce and birch forest with chances to see moose, and in autumn the aspens turn gold. Bring a swimsuit, a towel if the tour does not provide one and flip-flops or sandals for the walk between the changing room and the pool.

Keep water handy because hot mineral water is dehydrating. Confirm what is included, since some tours include a meal and entry and others leave you to buy lunch and admission at the resort.

Children should be supervised closely, and anyone with heart conditions or who is pregnant should check with a doctor before soaking. After the trip, shower and change into dry clothes before the ride home, and drink water. Travelers who enjoy the springs often return for a night at the resort to enjoy the aurora from the valley.