Chena Hot Springs in Fairbanks, Alaska, is popular for the mineral-rich, natural water that fills the outdoor lake. Additionally, it is known as an ideal viewing spot for catching the Northern Lights.

Chena Hot Springs Resort (rates start at $210 per night) has 86 hotel rooms, plus cabins and yurts. If you're not in a rush, it's worth spending a night here. The setting is magical.

At Manley Hot Springs, it’s primarily day trippers from Fairbanks that come for a private one-hour soak in a continuous flow-through bathhouse. Sean Salmon via Flickr under CC BY-NC 2.0 Deed ...

Pikes Waterfront Lodge1850 Hoselton Drive, Fairbanks, AK 9970954.6 miles 17600 Chena Hot Springs Road Fairbanks, AK 99712 View Large Map ...

The Munson Creek Fire as seen around 7 p.m. Thursday, July 1, 2021. (Isaac Solomon / Alaska DNR-Division of Forestry) A wildfire burning near Chena Hot Springs Resort, northeast of Fairbanks ...

A map showing the location of the Munson Creek Fire in relation to Chena Hot Springs Resort, the Angel Rocks Trail shelter and Chena Hot Springs Resort yurts as of 7:35 p.m. Thursday, July 1, 2021.

You can't drive to it. There’s a small public airstrip about a mile from the hot springs, but most people access the area by hiking, skiing or snowmachining a 10-mile hilly trail off Elliot Highway.