Chena Hot Springs & Aurora Ice Museum | Fairbanks

Located about 60 miles northeast of Fairbanks, Chena Hot Springs Resort is one of Alaska’s best-known geothermal destinations, combining natural mineral springs, northern lights viewing, and the world’s largest year-round ice environment – the Aurora Ice Museum. The site blends geothermal innovation, recreation, and artistic craftsmanship, offering visitors a uniquely Alaskan experience that merges warm and cold extremes within one setting.

Geography and Setting
Nestled in the Chena River State Recreation Area, the resort sits within a boreal forest valley surrounded by rolling hills, spruce forests, and pristine wilderness. The Chena Hot Springs themselves are a natural geothermal phenomenon, where subterranean water heated by volcanic processes rises to the surface, creating steaming pools even in midwinter temperatures well below freezing.

Chena Hot Springs Resort

Hot Springs Lake – The main outdoor pool maintains an average temperature of around 106°F (41°C), surrounded by rocks and steam rising against snowy backdrops in winter.

Indoor Facilities – A smaller indoor hot tub, swimming pool, and spa offer year-round comfort.

Lodging and Sustainability – The resort operates using geothermal energy, generating heat and electricity on-site through a system that demonstrates sustainable energy practices.

Activities – In addition to soaking, guests enjoy dog sledding, ice skating, hiking, snowmobiling, and northern lights photography.

Aurora Ice Museum

Construction and Structure – Built in 2004 by world ice-carving champion Steve Brice and his wife Heather Brice, the museum was constructed entirely from over 1,000 tons of snow and ice. It remains frozen year-round thanks to a geothermal-powered refrigeration system, making it the world’s largest permanent ice environment.

Interior Design – The museum’s interior glows with multicolored LED lighting refracted through sculpted ice walls. Highlights include ice chandeliers, an ice bar, intricate sculptures, and themed ice bedrooms.

Art and Craftsmanship – Every few months, the Brices redesign parts of the museum, adding new sculptures, carvings, and functional art pieces-ice goblets, thrones, and even musical instruments.

The Ice Bar Experience – Guests can sip the signature “Appletini” served in carved ice glasses, standing at an illuminated bar crafted entirely from frozen crystal.

Wildlife and Natural Setting
Surrounding wilderness supports moose, foxes, ptarmigans, and snowshoe hares, while the dark winter sky makes the area one of the best places in Alaska to view the Aurora Borealis. From September through April, the hot springs pool becomes a prime viewing spot, where visitors soak in steaming waters beneath dancing northern lights.

Cultural and Scientific Significance

Historical Background – The springs were discovered in 1905 by miners seeking relief from the region’s harsh conditions and quickly became a local landmark.

Innovation – Chena Hot Springs is notable for its geothermal power plant, a model for renewable energy in subarctic conditions. The Ice Museum itself is a demonstration of engineering ingenuity, maintaining subfreezing temperatures inside using earth’s heat from below.

Atmosphere and Impressions
The atmosphere of Chena Hot Springs is an interplay of opposites-hot water, frozen art, and northern light. The contrast between soaking in steaming pools under Arctic skies and stepping into an illuminated ice world encapsulates Alaska’s elemental spirit. The setting feels otherworldly: mist rising from the springs, snow crunching underfoot, and soft auroras shimmering overhead. Inside the Ice Museum, the play of light and ice creates an ethereal silence-crystalline, cold, and timeless.

Legacy
Chena Hot Springs and the Aurora Ice Museum symbolize Alaskan creativity, sustainability, and natural wonder. They embody how geothermal energy and artistic innovation can coexist with wild nature, offering visitors both relaxation and inspiration. The combination of steaming springs, frozen art, and Arctic skies leaves a lasting impression-a convergence of nature’s extremes, preserved and celebrated in one unforgettable place.