Chena Hot Springs & the Chena River State Recreation Area

Most travelers picture Chena Hot Springs as a single destination, but the real journey is the long, paved corridor that gets you there. Chena Hot Springs Road climbs gently east out of Fairbanks and slips into the Chena River State Recreation Area, a quarter-million acres of forest, river bottom, and alpine tundra set aside by Alaska State Parks. For an RV traveler, it is a rare combination in the Interior: a smooth, plowed-in-winter road and public campgrounds spaced along the way.

The Chena River shadows the road for much of the drive, a clear Class I-II waterway that Alaska State Parks describes as ideal for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. Three developed campgrounds, Rosehip near mile 27, Granite Tors near mile 39, and Red Squirrel near mile 43, give rigs a place to settle in, with the Granite Tors trail offering a longer hike into the high country for those who want to stretch their legs above the treeline.

At the far eastern end of the road, beyond the recreation area boundary, the geothermal water that gives the corridor its name draws more than 150,000 visitors a year. The public land itself, though, is the headline for an RV trip: a forested, river-laced drive that feels remote yet stays reachable on pavement the whole way. It is one of the most approachable ways to experience the scale of Interior Alaska from behind the wheel of a motorhome.