Chena River State Recreation Area

Chena River State Recreation Area is a 254,080-acre state recreation area east of Fairbanks, reached by Chena Hot Springs Road. It draws more than 150,000 visitors a year for camping, fishing, hiking and winter sports.[1]

Access

From the Parks or Richardson Highway, travellers take the Steese Highway and then turn onto Chena Hot Springs Road, which runs through the recreation area.[1]

Recreation

Activities include camping, fishing, hiking, snow machining, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, dog sledding, ski touring and ATV riding. The area has numerous winter trails for motorised and non-motorised use as well as forest trails and hiking routes. Campgrounds are at Rosehip (milepost 27), Tors Trail or Granite Tors (milepost 39) and Red Squirrel (milepost 43), and Twin Bears Camp is also listed.[1]

Fishing and wildlife

The Chena River is catch-and-release for Arctic grayling, and three stocked ponds at mileposts 30, 45.5 and 47.9 allow keeping fish. Moose are often seen in beaver ponds and sloughs along the road, black bears are sometimes found in vegetated areas, and grizzly bears are present but seldom seen.[1]

FAQs

How large is the recreation area? 254,080 acres.

How do I get there? By Chena Hot Springs Road from the Steese Highway.

Can I keep fish? Only in the three stocked ponds; the river is catch-and-release for grayling.

Sources

1. Alaska Department of Natural Resources: Chena River State Recreation Area

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 13, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue