Chena Hot Springs is a natural oasis where visitors can take a dip about an hour outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. First discovered in the early 1900s, the spring has a source temperature of more than 150 degrees but is cooled to just over 100 degrees for visitors.
Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS
Greetings from Alaska! There’s nothing quite like escaping the sweltering dog days of summer in the Lower 48 to experience the land of the midnight sun and temperatures that helped me regain my chill.
The trip of a lifetime began in Anchorage, where we caught Alaska Railroad’s Coastal Classic Train to Seward on a route ranked among the top 10 train rides in North America by National Geographic. On the way to the quaint waterfront town that’s bordered by Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park, we gazed in awe at mountains towering over the train, cascading waterfalls and glaciers off in the distance. During our time in the small town of less than 3,000, we embarked on a sea kayaking trip to see otters and bald eagles in their natural habitat and spent an afternoon hiking the Harding Icefield Trail, which overlooks Exit Glacier.
Flatlanders be warned: Hiking up hundreds or thousands of feet of elevation gain during a hike proves challenging when all you have to train with are flights of stairs in parking garages.
After soaking in the waterfront views from Seward and a picturesque return trip on the train, it was time to pick up a rental 2023 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. The van was decked out with a queen bed, a sink (with a hot water heater!) and plenty of storage. The adventure van included an awning, solar power and all-terrain tires for wherever our travels took us.
We dashed off to Denali National Park, which had just reopened after the Riley fire near the park’s entrance. During our two-night stay there, we were able to behold only a mere fraction of the massive 6.1-million-acre expanse, which serves as home to North America’s highest peak. On several hikes, we stood amazed at sweeping views of mountains and valleys in front of us, also enjoying some lower elevation hikes through scenic forests, along lakeshores and next to rushing creeks. The fresh mountain air proved to be just what the doctor ordered, and it felt like everything was much bigger and open in Alaska.
Our aching legs needed a reprieve after a few hard hikes, so our next stop was Chena Hot Springs, a refreshing oasis an hour outside of Fairbanks. While the property is a destination for seeing the northern lights during the winter months, we enjoyed a “fire and ice” sort of experience with a soak in the more than 100-degree water and a visit to the on-site Aurora Ice Museum, an indoor building filled with ice sculptures where guests can sip appletinis served in carved-ice martini glasses.
Every stop on our journey benefited from long days when the sun didn’t set until almost midnight, allowing us to fit many activities into a single day.
