Exploring Fairbanks


Exploring Fairbanks, Alaska

Chena Hot Springs, the most accessible and developed resort in the area, stands in a clearing sixty miles east of Fairbanks amid a wonderfully bucolic swath of muskeg (grassy swampland) and forest traversed by good hiking trails and teeming with moose.

Nonguests can use the indoor pool and hot tubs for $8 a day, or stay at the fully equipped resort (phone 907/452-7867 or 1-800/478-4681, ; $130-160), where camping costs $20. The resort also rents out canoes and mountain bikes, as well as offering rafting float trips.

The traditional favorite for folks from Fairbanks has been the more rustic ArcticCircle Hot Springs, 130 miles northeast of the city along scenic Steese Highway.

It's a long drive through pristine scenery beside the Chatanika River to the tiny mining village of Central, then eight miles to the resort (phone 907/520-5113; up to $100), where you can camp ($5), take a $20 dorm bed or stay in deluxe rooms.

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