Two hours northeast of Fairbanks is a feature that is the focal point of a rustic resort, Chena Hot Springs. The resort has been augmented by a geothermal power plant, greenhouses, and tourist attractions including the “Ice Museum”. We spent an afternoon visiting, ending with a soak in an outdoor pool fed by the springs.
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The entrance to the Ice Museum, a tourist attraction at Chena Hot Springs, a two-hour drive from Fairbanks.Inside the Ice Museum. For $600 one can spend a night in one of their “ice hotel” rooms.One of the many ice sculptures on display here. The greatest risks to them are sublimation and teenagers.The Ice Bar. One could pre-order martinis, served in sculpted ice-martini glasses.The ice sculptor at work.The tradition is to make a wish and smash your ice-glass, but someone left theirs to sublimate in the snow.The Spring weather is exposing the cars left in the parking lot since Fall. Their wheels are on the pavement a foot or more down from the current driving surface of compacted snow.The hot springs provided a pool for us to enjoy the contrast between geothermal waters and winter snow!A young moose, working its way through the deep snow.
