Alaska Hiking & Backpacking - Chena State Recreation Area (Fairbanks)
This is a pleasant spot in the foothills north of Fairbanks. Developed trails are available for day hikes (Angel Rock, the Granite Tors) or extended backpacks (Ester Dome). This forested country is known for its geological oddities, the granite towers or tors that protrude from ridgetops like silent sentinels.
Rock climbers like the solid granite that is found in this neck of the woods, while canoeists can find pleasant paddling on the waters of the Chena River. This area is reached by traveling about 40 miles north of Fairbanks on the Chena Hot Springs Road, a paved thoroughfare that departs from the Steese Highway just outside Fairbanks. The privately owned hot springs at the end of the road have been developed into a resor.