Chena River State Recreation Area

Ancient granite outcroppings, called "tors," are a popular attraction in the Chena River State Recreation Area.

Grayling abound in the Chena River.

A rafter gets ready to try the Chena River.

Located on Chena Hot Springs Road, this recreation area is a 30-minute drive east of Fairbanks and offers some of the most varied hiking opportunities in the state. Hikers enjoy wonderful views of the Chena River Valley and the Alaska Range and White Mountains.

The short Angel Rock loop takes an hour, while the eight-mile trail affords splendid mountain scenery and access to hot springs and a restaurant. At the other extreme is the three-day Chena Dome hike.

Dogsledders, snowmobilers, or snow machiners as Alaskans say, and mountain bikers share four trails groomed during the winter.

Temperatures in the 250,000-acre park can reach 90 degrees in the summer and plunge to 40 below in winter. Because of the varied climate, the treeline is around 3,000 feet on most trails, making alpine vegetation accessible to most hikers.

Many Alaskan wildlife species abound at the recreation area, and decoding animal tracks is one of the favorite pleasures of winter campers.

Chena River is also considered one of the state's prime moose-viewing areas.

There are six public-use cabins (a fee is charged), two free backcountry shelters, three campgrounds (fee charged), and numerous trailheads and river access points.