Chena River State Recreation Area
Chena River State Recreation Area
4.5
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Located just north of Fairbanks, this area offer many trails for day hikes.
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4.5
245 reviews
Excellent
133
Very good
76
Average
26
Poor
8
Terrible
2
Amy R
Chugiak, AK37 contributions
July 2020
Beautiful area, great camp sites at Grand Tors campground. Clean pit toilets, campground host on site. Area is quiet and peaceful. Mosquitoes are terrible but it is Alaska. Bring headnets and plenty of repellent.
Written 15 August 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.
MolokaiTraveler
Kihei, Hi15 contributions
Mar 2021
Our guide was the best! Sorry I forgot his name. He told us a lot about the history of the springs. We enjoyed the hot springs at 20 below. He made it fun for us. Only this it was a long trip out there and back. I would go back and stay at the springs next time. Truly an unforgettable trip.
Written 2 April 2021
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.
Tx-Bev
Cedar Creek, TX4 contributions
Sept 2019
Perhaps reviewers who are writing things like "a place for local homeless to hang out and get high" or "dirty park" or "lots of drugs and trash laying about" are talking about Chena LAKE recreation area or Chena River Park, both of which are small borough parks located very close to Fairbanks.
Chena RIVER STATE RECREATION AREA is a 254,080-acre STATE PARK located about an hour's drive away from Fairbanks. It is not a dinky little city park. Druggies and homeless people are not going to be laying around the State Recreation Area. One has to make an EFFORT to get there...not something someone just looking for a convenient spot to get high is gonna bother to do!
Nor is Chena River State Recreation Area the same thing as Chena Hot Springs Resort so reviewers who are complaining that the "pool is smelly" or "not worth the money" also have their reviews in the wrong place. Chena Hot Springs Resort is a private;y owned operation and is about 10 minutes beyond the eastern exit of Chena River State Recreation Area.
It bugs me when reviewers post reviews that conflate an attraction with some other place entirely. Its understandable given the similarity of the names but this site is supposed to be for reviews of Chena River State Recreation Area. Ignore any review that talks about one of the other areas.
Chena RIVER STATE RECREATION AREA is a 254,080-acre STATE PARK located about an hour's drive away from Fairbanks. It is not a dinky little city park. Druggies and homeless people are not going to be laying around the State Recreation Area. One has to make an EFFORT to get there...not something someone just looking for a convenient spot to get high is gonna bother to do!
Nor is Chena River State Recreation Area the same thing as Chena Hot Springs Resort so reviewers who are complaining that the "pool is smelly" or "not worth the money" also have their reviews in the wrong place. Chena Hot Springs Resort is a private;y owned operation and is about 10 minutes beyond the eastern exit of Chena River State Recreation Area.
It bugs me when reviewers post reviews that conflate an attraction with some other place entirely. Its understandable given the similarity of the names but this site is supposed to be for reviews of Chena River State Recreation Area. Ignore any review that talks about one of the other areas.
Written 28 December 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.
Iratherbetravelling
New York City, NY70 contributions
June 2014 • Couples
Tip #1: Drive there yourself. You do not have to take one of the tour buses there.
The drive is about 1hr outside of Fairbanks. It's a nice drive, we even saw some moose along the way!
Get there early spend time, have lunch, visit the ice meseum make a day of it.
The drive is about 1hr outside of Fairbanks. It's a nice drive, we even saw some moose along the way!
Get there early spend time, have lunch, visit the ice meseum make a day of it.
Written 16 July 2014
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.
pinknurse7
Dandridge, TN10 contributions
Mar 2014 • Couples
While visiting Fairbanks, we made the 60 mile drive to Chena twice. The drive was beautiful, but the driving conditions were horrible-road was a solid sheet of ice. Once we made it there the first day, we were excited to experience all the activities they had to offer. We made our way to the activities center to see what we could sign up for. We reserved a tour of the ice museum, a dog sled ride, and got day passes to the hot springs. The ice museum was a "cool" thing to see and we got some really good photos. The dog sled ride was an adventure, but kinda pricy-$60/pp for a 15min ride with another couple practically sitting in our laps. The hot springs were sooo neat! To be in a bathing suit with snow on the ground-awesome! We had dinner at the on site restaurant. While it was pricy, it was the best meal we had during our entire vacation. One of the things we wanted to do most was the snowmobile ride. During our first trip, they were all booked up. We asked if we could reserve it for another day, but were informed that only guests staying on the property could make reservations. We took a chance a drove out another day specifically for the purpose of snowmobiling. We arrived early and were told that all the slots were full once again. We made the best of it and rented snowshoes and walked around the property-which turned out to be an adventure in itself. We were very disappointed in the way they had the activities set up, and that you couldn't make reservations, but overall it was a fun adventure.
Written 6 April 2014
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.
Toni S
3 contributions
Jan 2019 • Family
Make the drive out to Chena Hot Springs if you're staying in town and take a soak in the famous hot springs. The resort itself is quaint and set in a beautiful location. I took my teenage daughter and we enjoyed a leisurely soak in the beautiful hot springs. It was well below freezing outside, but we were warm and enjoyed the beautiful snow-capped hills surrounding the area. Peaceful, and inexpensive at $20, plus towel fee if you're not a resort guest. Locker rooms with showers (bring some quarters).
Written 5 January 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.
beng935
Easton, CT3 contributions
Mar 2015 • Friends
I spent a day here and was disappointed with a few aspects of it.
First of all, we wanted to take some of the harder, more scenic trails. The map was confusing and we couldn't find signs to help us. We went inside to ask someone who pointed us in what was supposedly the direction of the trail we wanted but we still weren't able to find it so we gave up.
We were also really looking forward to going to the ice bar but we didn't realize we had to go on a museum tour in order to go to the bar so we didn't even bother.
The hot springs were not bad but it definitely didn't have the natural vibe we were hoping for.
However, despite all this, I could see some people really enjoying this stay. My friends and I were looking for more of an independent, adventure vacation so that's why we weren't interested in guided museum tours or the easier trails (which we didn't have a problem finding).
First of all, we wanted to take some of the harder, more scenic trails. The map was confusing and we couldn't find signs to help us. We went inside to ask someone who pointed us in what was supposedly the direction of the trail we wanted but we still weren't able to find it so we gave up.
We were also really looking forward to going to the ice bar but we didn't realize we had to go on a museum tour in order to go to the bar so we didn't even bother.
The hot springs were not bad but it definitely didn't have the natural vibe we were hoping for.
However, despite all this, I could see some people really enjoying this stay. My friends and I were looking for more of an independent, adventure vacation so that's why we weren't interested in guided museum tours or the easier trails (which we didn't have a problem finding).
Written 6 April 2015
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.
Alyssa B
Bethel, CT2 contributions
Mar 2015 • Friends
My friends and I took a day trip to Chena and throughout the day I thought it was kind of mediocre. The food wasn't good and was overpriced, the hiking trails were poorly marked, the tour guides were boring, and all of the fun activities (snowboarding, snowmobiling, dog sledding) were booked. But the hot springs definitely make the trip worthwhile! It was so nice going there in the evening.
I'm only saying this is average because the resort is very tourist-oriented, which isn't my style. Also, there are so many seniors here it was kind of strange being a group of 20-somethings surrounded by older people... Remember BYOT (bring your own towel) or you'll have to pay $5 extra at the hot springs.
I'm only saying this is average because the resort is very tourist-oriented, which isn't my style. Also, there are so many seniors here it was kind of strange being a group of 20-somethings surrounded by older people... Remember BYOT (bring your own towel) or you'll have to pay $5 extra at the hot springs.
Written 21 March 2015
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.
megstarAustralia
Port Macquarie, Australia44 contributions
Mar 2015 • Solo
90min drive there from Fairbanks. Ice 'igloo' for an appletini drink...cool!. Food available...busy. Hot springs...true to name. Steamed up in the cold night air. Don't forget that you will have to pay 25c each time you open your locker, so make sure you're ready to dunk before you close it. Didn't see the lights this night but was an enjoyable experience none the less. Can book into own cabin there to give yourself a better chance of catching the lights sometime.
Written 17 March 2015
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.
Thomas E
Tulsa, OK129 contributions
July 2014 • Couples
This is a nice resort, kind of takes you back to the set of the "Dirty Dancing" movie. Time sort of stopped in the 60's. You need to be aware that when you finish your 56 mile drive from Fairbanks, this IS the end of the road. Don't expect to find restaurants, other activities, etc. other than the Chena River park facilities en route to the resort. The energy and greenhouse tour was interesting, but you really don't do anything except walk into the entrance of the greenhouse. The sled dog camp was a letdown after visiting another one. No cart rides, a very uninformative guide, and not really much to see. Save your money and visit a different sled dog camp. The Ice Museum is truly amazing, and worth the drive just for that. We didn't try the Appletini in the ice glass, but the sculptures and the size of the facility is phenominal. We didn't bathe in the hot springs, so really can't speculate on that.
Written 14 July 2014
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.
How far is the Chena River State Recreation Area from Fairbanks? I am a bit confused because the Resort seems to be about 100 km. Are these two different locations?
What else do you recommend to do in Fairbanks?
Thanks a lot for your help
Written 19 January 2016
IPP4FAA
Delta Junction, Alaska
They are two completely different places. The state recreation area is only a few miles out of Fairbanks.
Written 5 June 2016
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