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Last Updated: 3/9/2023
A Winter Visit to Chena Hot Springs Resort near Fairbanks, AK
Tucked in a mountain valley northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska you’ll find Chena Hot Springs Resort. Even in the depths of winter, when average winter temps top out at about 0F, hot spring water emerges from the snow-covered ground at 165F.
But that isn’t the only magical thing about Chena. With its location just south of the Arctic Circle, Chena Hot Springs Resort offers phenomenal northern lights viewing opportunities. It’s truly the perfect destination to discover Alaska in winter.
If you’ve never been to Alaska before, many people will advocate for visiting the 49th state in summer. However, my three-day visit to Chena Hot Springs Resort in December 2019 proved that visiting Alaska in winter doesn’t have to be difficult. With dog sledding; northern lights swirling overhead; and ample trails for skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling, I’d argue you haven’t seen Alaska at its very best until you’ve seen it in winter.
Read on to learn all about my all-inclusive northern lights vacation in Alaska at Chena Hot Springs Resort!
What makes Chena Hot Springs Resort special?
An historic, off-the-grid resort, Chena Hot Springs Resort has been helping guests experience the Chena River Valley’s geothermal waters since the early 20th century.
In 1905, prospector brothers Robert and Thomas Swan “discovered” the natural hot spring. Since Robert suffered from rheumatism, the pair decided to establish a small resort so Robert and others could ease their pains in the spring’s therapeutic waters. In fact, with its high levels of sodium and bicarbonates, the warm water of Chena Hot Springs is thought to be especially restorative.
Today, Chena Hot Springs Resort continues the Swan Brothers’ legacy of welcoming visitors to the remote mountain river valley. In 2016, the year-round resort transitioned to being 100% employee owned. The resort offers a wide array of lodging options and is known for hot springs bathing, aurora viewing, dog sledding, and its ice museum. You can enjoy a variety of other outdoor activities in both winter and summer.
The geothermal energy that Chena Hot Springs Resort sits on top of does more than create a dreamy hot springs bathing experience. An on-site power plant converts some of that energy into power. Resort buildings are heated by hot water pipes running through the ceilings, walls, and floors. They also have greenhouse where they hydroponically grow all the lettuce and tomatoes used in the resort restaurant.
Why Visit Chena Hot Springs Resort in winter?
Personally, I didn’t end up at Chena because I’d always dreamed of wading into an outdoor hot springs lake while snow swirled gently around me. While the remote setting of Chena Hot Springs Resort is truly magical, I mostly ended up in this quiet, cold corner of Alaska because it was easy.
I had a very limited time available for my winter Alaska trip and I wanted to make my travels as easy as possible. Chena’s “Best of Aurora” package met my stipulations beautifully. The package included airport shuttle, five meals (two breakfast, one lunch, two dinners), two nights in a double queen room in the Moose Lodge, passes to the hot springs pool area, a dog sled ride, a tour of the on-site ice museum, and a night expedition to see the northern lights.
Aside from offering great vacation packages, Chena Hot Springs Resort makes an excellent Alaska winter destination. With its proximity to both Fairbanks and the Arctic Circle, Chena Hot Springs Resort is one of the easiest places to (attempt to) see the aurora borealis in Alaska.
In addition to possibly experiencing the aurora borealis, Chena offers so many other quintessential Alaskan winter experiences such as dog sledding, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and ice skating. Of course, you can’t miss the resort’s outdoor hot springs lake.
Where Is Chena Hot Springs Resort?
You’ll find Chena Hot Springs Resort about 65 miles northeast of Fairbanks. Winter brings snowpacked roads, so expect the drive to take at least 1.5 hours. On the drive you’ll drive through a couple remote communities and the Chena River State Recreation Area.
At 65.03 latitude north of the equator, Chena Hot Springs sit just below the Arctic Circle. This is the coldest corner of the United States. Expect temperatures below zero (Fahrenheit) all winter long.
How to get to Chena Hot Springs Resort in winter
By far the easiest way to get to Chena Hot Springs Resort is via the resort’s Chena Shuttle. The shuttle can pick you up anywhere in downtown Fairbanks, including the airport and hotels. As of March 2023, a round-trip shuttle costs $130 while a one-way shuttle goes for $65, per person, regardless of age. Our shuttle was included in our package price and to be honest, it was a major selling point. Shuttles need to be arranged at least 72 hours in advance.
To ensure Chena has staff available to help with transportation, it’s best to book your shuttle as soon as you’ve solidified your travel plans. Keep in mind that in winter weather it takes about 1.5 hours to get from Chena to Fairbanks so it’s no small logistical feat for the resort to provide a shuttle.
If you’re traveling beyond Chena Hot Springs during your Alaska trip, plan to pick up a rental car at Fairbanks International Airport. I definitely recommend renting a four-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicle for navigating the snow-packed roads!
Favorite Things We Did at Chena Hot Springs Resort
Hike or Snowshoe
A whole network of hiking/snowshoe trails stretches into the mountain wilderness surrounding Chena Hot Springs Resort. Since we visited during a warm snap, we took full advantage of the trails. Despite very deep snow, we did all our hiking in boots and only mildly regretted not using snowshoes once . . . when my poor trail navigation put us on the uphill path to Bear Paw Butte.
Perhaps because of the deep snow or just a general unease among Chena guests to stray too far from the resort, we found these trails wildly underused. We saw a grand total of one other hiker during our three days at Chena. Our favorite hike was the flat, scenic 2.5-mile loop along Monument Creek.
Dog Sledding
Chena Hot Springs Resort is home to Chena Kennel, where you’ll find dozens of spirited sled dogs all vying for their turn to pull the sled. Chena offers guests a 1.5 mile dog sled ride that loops through snow-flocked trees along Monument Creek.
FYI: Sled dogs run at an average pace of 12 mph which means the dogs can easily finish this loop in under 10 minutes.
While we wished our ride had been significantly longer, this is definitely a must-do winter activity at Chena. Be sure to arrive early so you can hang out with the dogs in yard.
Aurora Ice Museum
Perched on the edge of the resort, the Aurora Ice Museum looks like a cross between a giant igloo and a greenhouse. The museum opened in 2005 and operates year-round. Inside, you’ll find an elaborate world completely constructed of ice.
Ice chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The main room includes life-sized ice sculptures, an ice bar, and an igloo all bathed in colorful lights. Two “hotel rooms” sit in the back of the museum, although according to our guide, no one’s ever spent a full night in one of them. You also walk through the workshop where ice artists work on sculptures and restoring museum displays. There’s even a full-sized ice xylophone you can play.
For $15, you can enjoy an appletini (made of equal amounts of McCormick vodka and Sour Apple Pucker) in an ice glass at the Aurora Ice Museum’s bar. And yes, it is a truth universally acknowledged . . . everyone who’s ever visited the Aurora Ice Museum bar wishes for a different drink. You’re only allowed to stay inside the museum for 40 minutes and you can only drink an Appletini so fast so we basically closed down the bar on our tour.
Aurora Snow Coach Tour
A chance to see the northern lights definitely brings most winter visitors to Chena. Winter is generally considered northern lights season in Alaska, although that not because of a particular uptick in solar activity but rather the omnipresent darkness. At winter solstice, Chena receives just four hours of daylight a day. While you can see the aurora borealis any time of year, anecdotally, activity seems to peak around March.
Chena Hot Springs Resort’s Aurora Snow Coach Tour is a 5.5 hour adventure. Tour participants board large, tracked vehicle for a 30-minute ride to the top of Chena Dome. A cluster of yurts and outhouses greet guests at the mountain top.
The heated yurts are stocked with hot drink mixes, hot water snacks like oatmeal and cup of noodles, board games, and sleds. Even on the cloudiest nights, there are plenty of ways to stay entertained during your time on Chena Dome. I highly recommend checking out the awesome sledding hill near the yurts!
During our Aurora tour, our likelihood of seeing the aurora was a two on a scale of nine. It even rained a little at the start of our trip up the mountain. The skies never cleared, but the full moon still shone through the clouds. Some 56 miles in the distance, we spied the twinkling lights of Fairbanks.
It was a great experience, but obviously, it would have been preferable to actually see northern lights!
Bathe in the Hot Springs Lake
If you only do one thing at the Chena Hot Springs Resort, it should be wading into their outside hot springs lake. While you can take in the therapeutic waters of Chena Hot Springs any time of year, there’s something especially magical about enjoying the hot springs in winter.
That said, I’m not sure how anyone stays in the water long enough to have frost form in their hair! (You’ll see that image in lots of Chena’s promotional material.) The lake is kept at 106 degrees F. To achieve that temperature, Chena mixes in cold water since the hot springs come out of the earth at a scalding 165 degrees F! We only lasted in the pool about 20 minutes and we spent most of that time under the cold-water fountain.
Even the shortest time in the pool is unforgettable. Lights with changing colors shine on the lake through the fog and steam. It felt magical and otherworldly.
In addition to the outside lake, the pool complex at Chena Hot Springs also includes an indoor hot springs pool and outside hot tub, as well as locker rooms. There’s no lifeguard on duty, so definitely bathe at your own risk and get out as soon as you feel overheated. One fellow bather advised us to drink two bottles of water after exiting the hot springs to complete the detox. Regardless of your detox hopes, this is an excellent idea.
Other Activities at Chena Hot Springs Resort
Geo-Thermal Tour
Chena offers two free geothermal renewable energy tours daily. Any guest can attend, but you do need to sign up at least fifteen minutes in advance at the Activitorium front desk. It’s a pretty casual tour that takes you to the on-site greenhouses and geothermal renewable energy power plant. I learned a lot on this short tour. Did you know that uranium decay in the earth’s core produces Chena’s hot springs?!
Hang out in the Activitorium
The Activitorium is a large building at the resort’s center. This building definitely gives “common room in hostel” vibes. It’s where you meet up for any guided tour and come to rent outdoor recreation equipment like skis and skates.
Don’t be surprised if you see a few guests seeming to live in the Activitorium. Since many flights out of Fairbanks leave very late at night, many guests – ourselves included – need to kill a long stretch of time between checking out of their room and getting shuttled back to the Fairbanks Airport. With ample seating and a good supply of puzzles and books, the Activitorium was well prepared for this reality. There’s even a small counter service café and gift shop.
Get a massage
If you came to Chena looking for rejuvenation in the hot springs’ healing waters, then you might want to visit the Chena massage center during your stay. Chena offers deep tissue, Swedish, and hot stone massage.
Snowmobiling
You can rent snowmobiles at Chena Hot Springs Resort. We saw a grand total of two snowmobiles poking along the Monument Creek Loop. Although there’s a pretty extensive trail system around Chena, if you’re a hesitant snowmobiler, you might not be super keen to take off into the Alaskan mountains on an unfamiliar machine.
Cross-country Skiing
Once upon a time, there were dreams of a ski hill overlooking Chena Hot Springs Resort. But the forest has reclaimed that hillside and dream. Today, the only option for skiing at Chena is cross-country skiing. The resort rents cross-country skis in the Activitorium. However, there are no groomed ski trails; you’ll be skiing on the hiking/snowshoe trails.
Skating
The resort turns off the hot springs to one of the property’s ponds to create a skating rink. We rented skates from the Activitorium and hit the ice. Rented skates are always a gamble and these were no treat; they needed new laces and a good sharpening. If you own ice skates, I definitely recommend packing your own so you can fully enjoy skating in this beautiful setting.
Dining the Chena Hot Springs Resort
Chena Hot Springs Resort’s on-site restaurant serves three meals a day continuously from 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. As the only restaurant for miles, dinners include a nice mix of Chena guests, locals, and area guides with their tour groups.
We really enjoyed the menu’s wide variety for each meal. Often the larger the menu, the more suspect I am, but since the restaurant is the only food option for resort guests, it makes sense that they offered a little of everything. We enjoyed seafood one night and curry the next.
Many of the dishes feature tomatoes and lettuce grown in the resort’s greenhouses, although we didn’t find either particularly flavorful. I bet they’re amazing in the summer! You’ll find plenty of Alaskan flair on the menu: from blueberry pancakes at breakfast to wild salmon for dinner.
The Trails End Lounge is located in the restaurant. This well-stocked bar offers full food service and is a great hang-out spot. You can warm up with a number of hot alcoholic drinks including hot toddies, hot buttered rum, and Irish coffee.
If you just want a quick bite, head over to the Aurora Café in the Activitorium. The quick-service cafe serves soup, sandwiches, salads, and coffee drinks. You can also purchase snacks, ice cream, and soft drinks.
Chena Hot Springs Resort Winter Lodging Options
We stayed in the Moose Lodge. This 40-room two-story building offers very standard hotel rooms with either one king bed or two queens. You’ll find similar, but slightly smaller, accommodations in Chena’s 32 Fox Rooms. The Fox Rooms – four of which are pet-friendly, each have two double beds rather than queens. Both Moose Lodge and Fox Rooms include a coffee maker, hair dryer, and 8-channel television.
If you need more space than a hotel room, the two-bedroom Bear Family Suites (located upstairs above the Fox Rooms) offer the same amenities of the Moose Lodge and Fox Rooms, but also include a microwave and minifridge. The first bedroom has two queen beds and a full bathroom while the second bedroom has two twin beds and a half bath.
For an authentic Alaskan experience, consider staying in one of the resort’s seven “dry” cabins. There’s no running water in these rustic, pet-friendly cabins, so you’ll need to pop outside to the biffy when nature calls. Happily, since the resort features a pool, it’s easy to shower during your visit.
Tips for Going to Chena Hot Springs Resort in the winter
• Traveling to Alaska from the lower 48 isn’t unlike traveling to Europe both in terms of the length of travel and the effect of the time change. Most inbound flights land after midnight. Logistically, you will likely need to spend your first night in Fairbanks before journeying on to Chena.
• While there’s a lot of do at Chena Hot Springs Resort in winter, those four hours of daylight go by quickly! Definitely have a plan for the darkness. To maximize the daylight, do all inside activities like eating in the restaurant, touring the Aurora Ice Museum, going to the pool, or taking the geothermal thermal tour after dark. Even so, you’ll end up with a lot of downtime. Plan on enjoying low-tech activities like reading, crafting, knitting, or playing cards because internet service is very limited.
• Chena Hot Springs Resort is off the grid and we’re not just talking the electrical grid. The resort uses notoriously slow satellite internet. When we visited in December 2019, the internet worked well enough to update Instagram, but you definitely wouldn’t be streaming Netflix on it.
• If you happen to visit during a warm snap like we did, opening windows is the only way to cool off your room. Rooms have no thermostat because the entire resort is heated by zones of hot water pipes running through the buildings.
• Save your souvenir shopping for the Fairbanks Airport. We did very well for ourselves at the Twigs Alaskan Gifts shop.
• Pack any winter recreation equipment you own. Grab your biggest suitcase and throw in your own snowshoes and skates. You’ll be so much happier using equipment you’re familiar with.
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