Whether you walk the top of the flood control, see the dam, swim the lake or fish the river there is always something great to do here. It is also nice and dark for viewing and photographing the Aurora.
My family and I had a great time. The Ice Museum is really amazing. The sculptures are just incredible. The restaurant was fair.You can't beat the scenery.I also recommend Denali National Park and the riverboat cruise on the Chena river.
If you can spare the better part of a day during your stay in Fairbanks, this park is an easy drive and rewards you with great opportunities for hiking and getting out into the wild. We did the 3-hour Angel Rock trail and it took us up 900 feet to a promontory offering a fantastic view. Grab a picnic lunch on the way out of town. FYI there is a nominal charge for parking at the trailheads.
nice family atmosphere. clean, fun, relaxing. the scenery from the out side large natural pool area is amazing. the sun rise coming over the hill is pretty. late night the northern lights are beautiful.
This is a wonderful place to spend your holiday vacation. The hotspring is very impressive. It was enclosed by natural environment and the long hall way leading to the pool "in legend" was renovated so that you needn't to worry about running in freezing coldness anymore. Dog sled, snowmobile, ice museum are all good. They also offer aurora wake up service and aurora dog sled tour, which is wonderful. It is convenient to stay there for all the activities but the accommodation doesn't worth the price you pay. Within the super tiny bathroom with a micro-room, you can barely do anything except sleep. The worst is that there is no wifi nor cell phone signal. Basically if you get there, you isolated from outside; if you loose your partners, it takes forever to find them.
Chena Hot springs was amazing, totally recommended. The water is really hot and natural and the ice museum is cool. The restaurant has good food
Ok my words of advise are... Do not go to Chena expecting to see Aurora as you soak in the hot waters. Aurora is tricky and even on a clear night from September to April you may not see anything before 11 pm if at all. The key to understanding your chances of seeing Aurora in AK is that you have to understand it's never predictable. There are websites that give Aurora activity predictions but even that is not a guarantee. Let me finally emphasize that on a foggy or cloudy night your chances are even less.Now that I've cleared that up, I can tell you that a trip to Chena hot springs is pretty much a must if you are staying in or around Fairbanks.The warm sulphur waters relax tired muscles and smooth that dry winter skin. The Chena experience is quite comparable to dipping in natural hot springs in Iceland and of course if you are lucky you may get a light show overhead while you soak under the night sky.My lady and I were some of the lucky ones and we got an amazing Aurora show on a freezing cold January night around 9:30 pm ! (Quite early to see Aurora)I'm not an Aurora or Alaska expert (yet) but I've spent much time in Northern regions around the world and I can say that patience is key when looking for the majestic Northern Lights. I have learned quite a bit about being patient with them.Keep in mind that Chena hot springs is a resort with with full service facilities (including a restaurant and bar) so you can book a minimum of three nights and increase your chances of having that once in a lifetime Alaska experience.
Stopped here on the way back from hot springs and had a great time there.Enjoyed the chance to have a good walk around and ended up seeing a pair of beavers building a dam in a small creek
Interesting to find a peaceful slice of nature running right through the middle of a downtown like this.
The hot tub is wonderful. Temperatures around zero, steam coming up off the tub and freezing to the fence enclosing the hot tub. And making the mad dash to the tub from the building. I had hoped to see the northern lights but they didn't come out an play the night I was there.