Chena Hot Springs Resort: Alaska's Geothermal Wonder

A very large hot springs with very hot water! I loved the natural rocks. There is no cold plunge but there is a completely separate area for kids so the rock pool is calm but you can have great conversations with locals and tourists. I wish I could have stayed the night in the cabins/hotel/woods. Would love to return!

Welp, I did not visit the hotel so I left the "Rooms" rating on 3 stars, but I told my wife that we are coming back to stay over one day. Until then, it will stay at 3 star for now. Overall, 4 stars. Not much to say. The staff was nice and considerate. I wouldn't say the friendliest. They were there just to work and survive, so skip the small talks, they did not seem to be interested in it too anyway. I am an Asian but I am not one of those tourists. I am American. So, be ready, folks. There are tons of Asian tourists. Many Indians too. Nothing wrong other than one of the Asian lady was in a bad mood, sighing because she had to wait for my wife drying our clothes. Excuse me, Ma'am, you were on the line and my wife was basically drying 4 people worth of clothes (myself, her, and her parents), so tone yourself down and wait, smh. The water! Omg.... Sooo good. There were some spots that were hotter than the other, but the majority of the area basically had warm, if not hot. Some areas closer to the rocks had very hot water. Be careful. I still enjoyed it very much. Their Aurora Ice Museum was a blast too! It wasn't as cold as I thought since I am a military personnel and went out a lot on missions, so their ice museum is okay kinda cold. The man who did the tour guide, forgot his name but he is African American, was super nice and funny as hell. For godsake don't replace him ever. He is the mascot of the Ice Museum. When I come back one day with my wife, i'd love to see him again. I am 100% coming back for more hot spring and the Appletini!!

stayed here for two nights, wish we could have stayed longer. The staff was friendly, personable, if there was a question or an maintenance issue, they were right there to resolve it. ASAP the hot springs pool was awesome we used it as much as possible. the restaurant was very good for both breakfast and dinner. They grow their own vegetables in heated hot houses year round. They even have an air strip if you want to fly in! it was truly a relaxing place with lots of activities it might be 75miles from Fairbanks, but its worth the drive! one thing, they have no AC, but it cool down at night

Spent two nights at the resort at the end of our Alaska adventure. Was a relaxing and unique property. The Hot Springs was the best, but we also enjoyed the energy tour, the activity center, walking around the property, adventuring down the trails – or is it up the trails? and the museum like tractors and other equipment collection around the property. The rooms are nothing special, but they are clean with comfy beds. We ate at the restaurant which was delicious. The service was a bit slow as our waiter was also bartending. I hear they’re hiring if you need a job. 🙃

Worst place we have ever visited - and I'm not trying to be mean, just honest. Might be okay for a day trip to just explore the grounds, but over rated. The name is Hot Springs, but there's only one you're allowed to get in. The locker rooms you have available to change out in are disgusting. Paying to use the hot spring does not include a towel (unless you're lodging), and they charge 50cent for lockers. The locker rooms are soaking wet, and you're not allowed to wear regular shoes in. It's like gym class but worse because there's no place to put your dry clothes while changing. Then you're getting in one large hot pond with not just other lodgers but also anyone just visiting for the day, or who stayed overnight the night before so its VERY crowded. There's no cell service and the wifi on the property is practically non existent. Only place you're able to connect at all is the main check in lodge and it disconnects quickly. If you're needing to verify any other plans or use the internet while traveling or communicate at all, it's going to be VERY challenging. Let's talk about the disaster of our room. It's very over priced for what it offers in town, and the 'amenities' it includes aren't worth it when you compare costs for doing it separate. The rooms are definitely showing wear and little maintenance. We had trouble getting our door open initially because the lock to the door is so bad. We went to the desk 3 times (which is a walk when you're in the furthest room) and only got someone to actually come to the room to assist us after we said they had to. It was very particular the whole time. When the staff member came, he commented on how hot it was in the room, but said there wasn't anything they could do. We could only open the windows and run the fans all night long... mind you it was low 50's and raining.... The problem with that is the window and bed underneath faced their staff access road. We were woken up multiple times by staff members or Aurora excursions driving up to the dome... all because the room was boiling hot if they were closed. The shower had obvious rust and the towel rack fell off the wall just with grabbing a towel. We didn't explore the Ice house because the rest of it was so disappointing and it would've been an additional $20 a person beyond what we had paid and were already disappointed with. There are better places to stay and try to see the aurora. Don't waste your time. It's not even really a hot spring because they treat it with chlorine as well (according to a conversation a staff member was having with a guest at the desk). Natural hot springs shouldn't need chemicals! What you have is now a large hot tub!