Chena Hotsprings, AK

Overview
Tucked at the end of Chena Hot Springs Road, 60 miles east of Fairbanks, Chena Hot Springs Resort is one of Alaska's Interior's most distinctive camping destinations. The privately managed resort offers 24 sites nestled among spruce forest along the Chena River, where guests can trade the tent for a soak in the resort's famous mineral-rich hot springs. With a restaurant, showers, laundry, and Wi-Fi on-site, it's far more comfortable than your average backcountry stop — and with Fairbanks just an hour away, it strikes an easy balance between wilderness and convenience.

Location & Access
The resort sits at the terminus of Chena Hot Springs Road, a fully paved drive that winds roughly 60 miles east from Fairbanks — about an hour by car. The campground is open year-round, with peak summer camping running from May through September.

Campsite Details
The campground has 24 sites accommodating both tents and RVs. Each site comes with a picnic table and fire ring, and campers have access to flush toilets, showers, drinking water, laundry facilities, Wi-Fi, a dump station, and the resort restaurant. The standout perk, of course, is direct access to the hot springs themselves.

Activities & Nearby Attractions
On-site, the options range from soaking in the geothermal pools to fishing for grayling in the Chena River or hiking the nearby Angel Rocks Trail. The surrounding spruce forest makes for a quiet evening campfire. Along the drive back toward Fairbanks, the Chena River State Recreation Area opens up more hiking and fishing opportunities. Fairbanks itself is worth the hour's drive for the University of Alaska Museum of the North and the classic Riverboat Discovery cruise.