Located in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, Chena Hot Springs is a hot spring. It sits roughly 75 km (47 mi) ENE of Badger.
Chena Hot Springs are a system of thermal mineral springs located within the Yukon-Tanana Plateau near the town of Chena Hot Springs, approximately 50 miles northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. The springs consist of several hot soaking pools and a rock-lined warm lake only accessible to those over age 18. There is also a glassed-in indoor 90 °F swimming pool located at an onsite lodge that is powered by a geothermal power plant nearby. There is now a small 8 person Jacuzzi outdoors heated to the same temperature as the indoor pool. In the winter there is a covered path to the lake. A rare form of quartz-encrusted zeolite, yugawaralite, was found near Chena Hot Springs. It has also been found near hot springs in Japan and Iceland. Canadian First Nations peoples and Native Alaskans traditionally used hot springs for healing and bathing. In the early years of the 20th Century, Chena hot...From the Wikipedia article “Chena Hot Springs (thermal mineral springs)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Chena Hot Springs the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 13° (NNE) at the June solstice and 156° (SSE) in late December. Sunset moves from 347° (NNW) in June to 204° (SSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 48° in summer but only 2° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:45 AM | 89° E | 8:00 PM | 272° W | 25° | 12h 15m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 2:44 AM | 13° NNE | 12:50 AM | 347° NNW | 48° | 22h 06m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:28 AM | 88° E | 7:48 PM | 273° W | 25° | 12h 20m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:57 AM | 156° SSE | 2:30 PM | 204° SSW | 2° | 3h 33m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Steam is most visible on cold mornings; backlight from a low sun makes rising steam glow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9:11 AM | 10:24 AM | — | — | 3:25 PM | 4:37 PM | 5h 02m |
| February | 7:52 AM | 8:45 AM | 10:08 AM | 3:50 PM | 5:14 PM | 6:07 PM | 8h 29m |
| March | 7:14 AM | 8:04 AM | 9:10 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:33 PM | 11h 41m |
| April | 5:10 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:13 PM | 9:21 PM | 10:20 PM | 15h 13m |
| May | 1:52 AM | 4:19 AM | 5:48 AM | 9:35 PM | 11:04 PM | 1:31 AM | 18h 45m |
| June | — | 2:47 AM | 5:01 AM | 10:30 PM | 12:44 AM | — | 21h 57m |
| July | — | 3:43 AM | 5:29 AM | 10:13 PM | 11:59 PM | — | 20h 16m |
| August | 4:21 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:45 AM | 8:55 PM | 10:09 PM | 11:18 PM | 16h 38m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 7:07 AM | 8:12 AM | 7:09 PM | 8:14 PM | 9:04 PM | 13h 07m |
| October | 7:48 AM | 8:38 AM | 9:51 AM | 5:10 PM | 6:23 PM | 7:14 PM | 9h 45m |
| November | 8:19 AM | 9:23 AM | 11:47 AM | 1:13 PM | 3:37 PM | 4:40 PM | 6h 14m |
| December | 9:24 AM | 10:50 AM | — | — | 2:30 PM | 3:57 PM | 3h 40m |
Local time (America/Anchorage), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
The Milky Way's bright core (in Sagittarius) barely clears the southern horizon at this latitude, so focus on winter Milky Way, aurora or star trails instead.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -14° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | No darkness | — | — | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -13° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -14° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -22° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 0.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show March as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and October as the cloudiest (76%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 35 | 35 | 37 | 55 | 74 | 75 | 75 | 73 | 61 | 55 | 34 | 35 |
| Low °F | -50 | -44 | -44 | -21 | 4 | 23 | 34 | 25 | 8 | -16 | -33 | -42 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this hot spring
- Wind direction determines where steam drifts; shoot from the upwind side to see the pool.
- Condensation forms quickly on lenses; let gear acclimate and carry a cloth.
- Keep to boardwalks and marked paths — crusts around thermal features can be thin and the water dangerously hot.
- A polarizer brings out the colors of mineral terraces and microbial mats.
- Respect bathers' privacy: ask before including people at soaking pools.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Winter gives the most dramatic steam; some primitive springs are only accessible in summer.
Suggested gear: Circular polarizer, Lens cloth, Telephoto for distant pools. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Chena Hot Springs, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Chena Hot Springs?
What time is golden hour at Chena Hot Springs?
Where does the sun rise and set at Chena Hot Springs?
Can you see the Milky Way from Chena Hot Springs?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Chena Hot Springs?
How far is Chena Hot Springs from Badger?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.