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Chena River State Recreation Area is a park for all seasons, with 397 square miles of forests, rivers, and alpine tundra. Whether you prefer a day hike or rock climb at Granite Tors, to harness up the dog team and escape into the snowy horizon or ride a 4-wheeler along a forest trail, this recreation area has something for everyone.
$15 - $50 / night
The perfect campground in Fairbanks with large and easy access pull-through full-hookup sites to set up your base to explore the Interior of Alaska. Only 2 hours from Denali Natl. Park and the base for a trip to the Arctic Circle. Lots to explore in the area, such as taking a narrated Riverboat cruise on the Chena River, finding out more about gold mining at Gold Dredge8, visiting the Alaska Pipeline viewpoint, soaking in warm Chena Hot Springs, visiting Pioneer Park with a mouth-watering Salmon Bake dinner and show, learning more at the Museum of the North in Fairbanks, or visiting Santa Claus House in the North Pole. Until May 21st and after August 21st, there may be a chance to see the Northern Lights. Need some rest? Plan for a lazy day at the campground - sit and relax at the patio by the river, play some outdoor games, or enjoy one of our propane fire pits while watching beautiful sunsets - but be advised - you may need to stay up late for that. Welcome to the Interior of Alaska!
$50 - $80 / night
The Lower Chatanika State Recreation Area encompasses approximately 400 acres at mile 10.5 of the Elliot Highway. Developed sites within the recreation area include Olnes Pond and Whitefish campgrounds. The Lower Chatanika recreation area provides access to the Chatanika River and an abundance of recreational opportunities including: Camping, Fishing, Picnicking, Hiking, Berry Picking, Boating/Floating, ATV/Snowmachining, Ice Fishing, Dog Sledding, Night Sky Viewing, and Cross Country skiing to name a few.
Self contained recreational vehicles are welcome at Pioneer Park in the designated parking areas at a cost of $12.00 per night. Camping is dry camping only as there are no hookups (sewer, electric etc.) available.
These are not RV spots - but a parking lot with designated spaces that allows parking/overnight for a small fee.
$12 / night
Scout
It offers free, online access to movie without the need for registration, making it a convenient and secure option for streaming entertainment. https://onstreamdownload.com/
GuideWe stayed on the river side of Chena lakes campground. Had a great huge pull through campsite. Lots of room for our three dogs. Ranger patrolled on the regular making us feel safe and keeping things in order.
Legend
Great location. Level. Water available. Stopped to restock after Denali visit. Pioneer Park also has some food vendors - had me done tacos
Next to fairly busy road - quietens down overnight, but not completely
5 day limit
Traveler
We stayed here in a 40' 5th wheel. We parked in the west row along the trees. This was a good spot, but the sun goes behing the trees about 5 in summer, if you are looking for solar charging. We noted that the parking rules are pretty loose as to where you stay. If the RV spots are full, we saw several just pick a spot in the regular lot. If you keep a clean area you may be able to stay more than 5 days, we did. The water spigot is on the south side of lot near the turn in. The trash cans can get full quick. The pay stand is on the north side of lot near the first entrance to Pioneer Park, by the small shack. No out of state checks. You can also pay in the office inside the park during business hours.
It can be noisy at times because of the close intersection. Some generators are LOUD and one guy ran his about 12 hours a day. I would think an extra battery would be cheaper than all that fuel.
It is a very busy place with the park and Alaska Bake activity. Lots of cars and the lot gets pretty full with that sometimes.
Free dump and water fill at the Sourdough gas station located at Van Horn and Lathrop streets just a few miles south, with easy rig access.
We would stay again if we ever go back to Fairbanks.
ScoutRefreshing place visit now , i love the environment
Scout
Nice and quite , close to shoping.
Guide
This campground is beautiful! Surrounded by birch trees with huge, private spots. This is one of the first campgrounds on the Chena Hot Springs road and it does have service. The only downside was the mosquitos, they were bad.
GuideThis is a great location, right in Fairbanks by the fairgrounds. Don’t book site 28 or 27 as you will end up camping in a parking lot. Also, the bathrooms are closed for the season so to take a shower, we had to walk through a dog show in the fairgrounds to get ourselves clean. Laundry is good!
GuideClean, friendly, safe
Legend
Awesome to be able to camp at the resort with easy access to the Hot Springs. Dry camping no amenities except a outdoor bathroom. River behind the spots though, spots close together and close to camping. Level spots but wet from rain. Puddles etc....no internet. You got 10 free minutes by the lodge but then you are prompter to start paying. Did get to see the Northern lights so that was a bonus. Missed the ice museum as it said closed for maintenance on the website and when we got there is appeared you could get in by tours. It was too late by that time.
Hot springs are nice but it was chaos! Line to get in and the locker rooms are a nightmare. The springs had a lot of people in them but it wasn't terrible and you could still relax.
LegendI was concerned when I first looked at reviews when I booked this campground. It seemed to be split 50/50. Some would stay here again and some wouldnt. The KOA resort people probably wouldn't. I feel like you get what you pay for here. It was super convenient to stores/restaurants in Fairbanks.
The fairgrounds is right next door so I can see that when events take place it could be loud and bring in all sorts of people (could lead to people drinking and stealing). I saw some people mention airport noise with planes flying over, but I didn't notice the noise at all.
It's a small campground so close to your neighbors but it's in a big town. You are still in the woods. They had firewood available to purchase, a dump station, electric hookups, laundry (cheap - $2 each machine) and showers/bathrooms aren't beautiful but the showers clean and I got a nice lot shower and I hadn't had a good shower in a while! Quick RV wash offs aren't the same as a nice long hot shower. I would stay here again, oh and spot was level :).
Scout
4th of July parade / town party was awesome
ScoutParked a 37 foot trailer in a 30 spot next to the office. Not a quiet campground but it isn’t bad. This was 50 amp spot for $45/night. Restroom/showers not modern but adequate.
ScoutCampsite was clean and easily accessible. My kids enjoyed the park across the road and had mini golf and a Rhoades car available for use. Showers and bathroom and laundry nice and close. We were camping in a tent and although it was sunny the trees in the yard gave the perfect amount of shade.
Traveler
Harding Lake State Recreation Area is a shady and scenic site about twenty minutes from North Pole. The lesser-known and elder cousin of the many water-themed state recreation areas that trace the Richardson Highway from Fairbanks to Delta Junction.
This large and accommodating campground boasts a boat launch into Harding Lake, a baseball field, a large group recreation area near the water, a self-guided nature trail, a trailer dump site, and unpotable bulk water--along with various bathrooms with trash receptacles.
Our family of 5 tent camped in May and had a fantastic weekend. The sandlot-reminiscent baseball field was a rare and magical find that suited our family's wiffleball addiction perfectly. It's like wandering through a moss grove and emerging into a boreal. baseball field. A subarctic Field of Dreams. I also hit two first-pitch homeruns off my 9 and 5 year old--which may or not be related to the magic of this field--but I choose to believe.
The spacious and thoughtfully-designed campground certainly feels beyond its prime--old, unserviceable water pumps (perhaps not yet operable for the season); aspen saplings dotting the baseball infield; and many downed spruces over the nature trail. The posted maps are a little outdated. However, the campground boasted some of the cleanest bathrooms I've ever seen, anywhere-with a very friendly on-site host who came by to chat and kept the facilities in pristine condition. The camping spots are well-placed along the loop to allow for varying degrees of privacy between sites.
Mosquitoes are everywhere in springtime Alaska--please let me know when you find a campground in a birch forest without them. That said, bring all the bug repellant and preventative measures you can muster. I was swarmed by a biblical cloud of man-eating Culicidae when we first pulled in--but they soon dispersed and only became annoying for intermittent periods.
Overall this was a magnificent campground, quiet and clean, with plenty for the kids to do. Fantastic and memorable experience.
GuideWe came here a month ago in November for a last minute winter getaway. We rented the Forget-me-Not cabin. It’s a dry cabin with an outhouse, but it does have electricity and a DVD player. Just make sure you bring your own DVDs if you plan to use it.
The cabin itself was very rustic and outdated, but a great size for two couples. The provided toaster caught on fire as soon as we turned it on. We told the front desk and they didn’t seem surprised.
Obviously the Hot Springs was the main attraction. It was AMAZING! Definitely a must see. Their restaurant was really good too. No cell service, but WIFI in the main lodge.
LegendChena Hot Springs offers a full resort experience with hotel rooms, cabins, restaurants, and a host of activities including soaking in the infamous hot pools. It also offers camping with and without electrical hook-ups in either creek side privacy or open lot RV parking. It is a world-famous destination with shuttle buses to and from Fairbanks daily. You will meet people from all over the world.
Camping and soaking are charged separately, as are any extra experiences like the Ice Museum (glad I did it, not sure I would again). Vault toilets, rubbish and recycling bins, and potable water are all available in the campsite, flush toilets and showers are a part of the pool/hot springs facility. Hiking, biking, boating and fishing are all available close by in addition to the experiences offered by the resort.
The nearest services for groceries are about 45 miles back down the road toward Fairbanks, or North Pole, AK. We camped in the primitive area, which was lovely, forested and right along the creek, but the opportunity for solar power collection was limited by the trees, so plan ahead. We parked in the main lot for awhile to recharge, then took our rig back into the campground. Worked well!
Guide20 a site, dry. There are a few sites that have trees surrounding the sites, offering a bit of privacy. A few sites are open and face the resort and road. Potable water and dump station on grounds. 15 per adult (over 18, per day) to get into the hot springs. Pool and hot tub also available. Hiking trails, fishing in the Beaver Lake, and a tour of the ice castle. Restaurant/bar has great food and all of the workers were congenial. We enjoyed our time and will stay again!
Legend
We loved camping here! The river is so pretty and the mountains are beautiful. We were sitting in our van and all of the sudden there was an earthquake! Just a small one but it was kind of exciting. The sunrise was also beautiful over the water. The have restrooms, water pump, and a boat launch as well.
Legend
Such a great spot to camp on your journey to the arctic circle. there is a trailhead across the street and then on the other side of the street there is a spot right on the creek with a fire circle already made. The beavers are very active and we caught a few little trout here. Make sure you’ve got bug spray cause they’re BAD up here.
Legend
These spots are fairly dispersed. Some have picnic tables and fire pits at them others don’t. It didn’t seem to crowded but there were a few other people around us.
Legend
We were the only ones here and tucked away behind all of the trees and fireweed. Road noise was mild and it got fairly dark under the cover of the trees. We didn’t even get out of our van because the mosquitoes were so bad though. We also saw two porcupines here as well.
Legend
There are grounds across from the trailhead. They’re very average it’s just a big dirt spot. Also the location is off on here you need to driver further. We did this in July and we didn’t have time to hike the trail so maybe the trail makes it better. For us very average.
Legend
Nice spots by the river. The Chena grill is on site which is great! The site was quiet and had picnic tables.
LegendIt’s nice of you need a place to stay. Just a parking lot nothing fancy. We got to play with some puppies people were selling which was nice.
TravelerVery well maintained campground with lots to offer. Staff was courteous and helpful. This campground offers both back in and pull through boondock sites. All the sites are spacious a decent distance from neighbors. Centralized Water, bathrooms, and a dump station are available. Sites are a short drive to the swim beach.
Legend
We drove to the very back and found a spot in the river. A lot of spots had wood stacked at them already and had picnic tables and fire pits. There is a bathroom on site as well. It was the most crowded site we have been to up here yet but the spots offer privacy so it didn’t bother us.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Fort Wainwright, AK is Chena Lake Recreation Area with a 4.4-star rating from 9 reviews.
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