• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Top Hot Springs Logo Wide

  • Home
  • Hot Springs by State
    • Alaska
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • California
    • Colorado (redirects)
    • Florida
    • Hawaii
    • Idaho
    • Illinois
    • Massachusetts
    • Montana
    • Nevada
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • North Carolina
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • South Dakota
    • Tennessee
    • Texas
    • Utah
    • Virginia
    • Washington
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Hot Springs by Country
    • Africa
      • South Africa
    • Asia
      • China
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • South Korea
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Vietnam (redirects)
    • Australia/Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • Europe
      • Albania
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Croatia
      • France
      • Greece
      • Germany
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Norway
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Romania
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
      • UK
    • North/Central America
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Dominican Republic
      • Honduras
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • United States
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
  • Camping
  • Lodging
  • Search
  • Home
  • Hot Springs by State
  • Hot Springs by Country
  • Camping
  • Lodging
Chena Hot Springs Resort, Alaska

The Closest Hot Springs to Anchorage, Alaska

August 24, 2022 By //  by Kristin Park

While there is a lot of geothermal activity in this state, you won’t find any hot springs near Anchorage, Alaska. Take the six-hour drive to Fairbanks, however, and you’ll be surrounded by choice.

Plus, making your way north through the stunning mountainous landscape is a reward in itself. The capital city of Juneau has hot springs as well, but you’ll need to book a flight unless you want to spend a few days on the road. So, we’ll take a look at the closest options to Anchorage, which all happen to be the hot springs near Fairbanks.

Here are the best hot springs near Anchorage, AK, in order of proximity:

Chena Hot Springs Resort – 418 miles

Chena Hot Springs Resort, Alaska
Chena Hot Springs Resort, Alaska. Photo: Chena Hot Springs

Chena Hot Springs Resort is a well-loved option that offers a wide variety of lodging options to suit any setup. Camping and RV sites, cabins, lodge rooms, and yurts are all available. The main attraction is the large, four-foot-deep hot springs lake, a natural pool perfect for stargazing under the wide open sky in the evening.

The water sits at a balmy 106℉. Guests can also enjoy the indoor heated saltwater pool (90℉) and indoor and outdoor hot tubs, which are filled with mineral water with the addition of chlorine for hygiene purposes. When you’re not soaking up the thermal waters or getting a massage at the pool house, the long list of activities around the resort is enough to keep everyone entertained.

Take a dog cart ride or visit the Aurora Ice Museum. Take the horses out for a jaunt or go on any number of different tours: snowmobile, ATV, Aurora viewing, etc. Staff will even walk you through their renewable energy projects around the property.

To refuel, warm up next to the fireplace as you enjoy the best food Alaska has to offer. Dedicated to sustainability, Chena Hot Springs Resort supplies much of its restaurant with produce from its year-round greenhouse supply. A secondary cafe, the Aurora Cafe, offers light fare, snacks, and specialty coffee.

Tolovana Hot Springs – 501 miles

Image of the bottom tub at Tolovana Hot Springs in Alaska
The bottom tub at Tolovana Hot Springs. Photo: Alaskiwi Adventures

The trailhead for Tolovana Hot Springs is about 100 miles outside of Fairbanks. The spring itself is only accessible by plane or trail. The shortest route to access is a 10.1-mile hike or, in the winter, choosing between options that include skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, etc.

It’s a beautiful but challenging trek with views of Minto Flats State Game Refuge, the White and Ray Mountain Ranges, and if you’re lucky, Mount McKinley in the distance. After the exertion, guests can stay a few nights at one of two on-site rustic cabins with outhouses and enjoy stunning vistas from the comfort of one of the two spring-fed hot tubs.

Cooler water from the stream nearby brings down the temperature of the 125-145℉ spring water that naturally emerges from the ground. Guests supply their own food and sleeping bags. As one of the most remote springs in Alaska, Tolovana makes for some of the best stargazing you’ll find.

Manley Hot Springs – 513 miles

Manley Hot Springs, Alaska
Manley Hot Springs, Alaska. Photo: Sean Salmon

The “bath house” or “greenhouse” at Manley Hot Springs consists of four simple concrete soaking tubs in a rural hunting and fishing village. The greenhouse itself is filled with the kind of lush plants that thrive on heat and humidity, adding to the already unique surroundings.

Nearby, the Manley Roadhouse offers budget and luxury rooms in a historic lodge built in 1906 as well as a few cabins for those looking for full privacy. The in-house restaurant offers family-style dining with themed dishes like “Prospector Omelet” and “The Gold Rush”. They proudly run one of the most well-stocked bars in the interior of Alaska.

For more things to do, consider checking out Iditarod Kennels, hiking trails, fishing charters, boat rental, etc.

Alaska is covered in rough terrain, and if you’re not up for taking on the open road, you can easily catch a flight to either Fairbanks or Juneau from Anchorage. Regardless of how you get there, a hot spring is well worth a stop on your next adventure to Anchorage. In a landscape like this, soaking will only be one thing on a long list of incredible opportunities surrounding these geothermal pools.

Kristin Park

About Kristin Park

Kristin is a lifelong travel enthusiast and writer. With previous jobs in television and teaching abroad, she’s a big fan of finding adventure—and delicious food—off the beaten path.

Previous Post: «Image of kayakers on the water at Tenakee Springs, Alaska Tenakee Hot Springs – Tenakee Springs, Alaska
Next Post: The Best Mineral Hot Tub Options HotSpring Hot Tub Spa at Iowa State Fair Des Moines»

Primary Sidebar

Hot Springs by State

  • All United States
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado (redirects)
  • Florida
  • Germany
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Massachusetts
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming

Join our community of hot springers

Enter your email below and grab our complimentary guide on the world's top hot springs.

Footer

Top Hot Springs

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer

Travel Guide

  • Hot Springs by State
  • Hot Springs by Country
  • Africa Hot Springs
  • Asia Hot Springs
  • Europe Hot Springs
  • Oceania Hot Springs
  • North/Central America Hot Springs
  • South America Hot Springs
  • Camping at Hot Springs
  • Lodging at Hot Springs

Latest Hot Springs

  • Mundo Hot Springs – Cambridge, Idaho
  • Mývatn Nature Baths – Northeast Iceland
  • River Mountain Resort – Everett, Pennsylvania
  • Agua Blanca Hotel – Michoacan, Mexico
  • Snorralaug Hot Spring – Reykholt, Iceland

Disclosure: Top Hot Springs is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Copyright © 2023 · Top Hot Springs | Sitemap