Chena Lakes Recreation Site
 If you find yourself in Fairbanks on a hot day (90+ is not
uncommon) you may want to take a couple of hours to enjoy a swim in an Alaskan
lake. The Chena lake is shallow
enough to warm as it absorbs 18+ hours of sunlight each summer day.
While this will not be like swimming in the ole fishin' hole back in
Kentucky, it sure feels nice to take a dip between basking in the sun while the
kids have a safe water haven to release all the energy that accumulates in long
trips. 
The Chena Lake system in located in North Pole, a community
just 13 miles down the Richardson Highway southeast of Fairbanks.
Make a left turn on Laurence Road and follow it as it winds along the
Moose Creek Dikes 2.6 miles back to the lake.
The is a fee station where you will be given a map to the parking areas.
The fee is negligible ($3 per vehicle).
The
park is very new.
Adventurers can use camping areas, fishing docks, boat docks, launches
and boat rentals, paved bicycle trails, nature trails, picnic sites and pavilions,
children’s playground equipment, volleyball and basketball courts, sun bathing
beaches, toilets, and drinking water.
There are areas of the lake roped off for kids to swim and splash, but
anyone can swim the entire lake system as there are no motorized boats allowed
on the lakes.
Swimmers outside the roped areas must still be careful of canoes, kayaks,
and rubber rafts on the lake.
I love swimming in this lake because it is relatively free of water
plants and the temperature is perfect for a great workout.
Last Visited: July 1999
|
