Best Hot Springs in Alaska
Alaska is known for several things: its wildlife, cold climate, and unrelenting wilderness – but did you know it’s also popular for having a significant amount of hot springs? The best hot springs in Alaska can help your muscles relax after several cold hours of tiring adventure. Submerge yourself in a geothermal pool of warm water (heated by the planet’s crust), and your Alaskan vacation will be one you remember your whole life!
Don’t know where to start? Let us take the wheel!
Here are some of the best hot springs in Alaska.
Chena Hot Springs
The Chena Hot Springs usually maintain a temperature of approximately 106 degrees Fahrenheit and have a depth of approximately four feet all across the year. You can find them inside the Chena Springs Resort, 60 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes drive from Fairbanks. The resort is open throughout the year, which means you can make a trip whenever you want to.
A day pass for the springs will cost a person $15, including the following amenities.
- Access to showers
- Heated pools
- Hot tubs
- Sled dog tours
- Lodging
- Tours of the Northern Lights.
Directions
● Head east on to 12th Avenue towards Lacey Street
● Turn left towards Lacey Street
● Turn right onto 10th Avenue
● Turn left onto AK-2 W
● Keep going until you take the Chena Hot Springs Road exit
● At the traffic circle, take the 1st exit
● Continue towards Chena Hot Springs
● Take the first left, and then the first right
● You’ve arrived!
Tenakee Hot Springs
Feeling like traveling back in time? Make a visit to the hot springs in Tenakee! They’re located 45 miles southwest of Juneau, Alaska, and the management has restored the bathhouse at this location built in the 1900s. It’s open 24/7 for anyone seeking a therapeutic getaway in the hot spring tub. The temperature can usually wobble around 105F, and the mineral water can fall in and fall out of the tub at a rate of 6.5 gallons each minute.
This means that the springs flush themselves on their own.
That said, we recommend that you shower before you enter the springs to ensure it stays clean. You should also know that you can’t wear clothes while you’re in the springs, which is why there are separate hours for women and men.
While there isn’t any specific charge for the Tenakee Hot Springs, donations are accepted so volunteers can help keep this beautiful site looking perfect. The amenities available at the lodge are:
- Five bedrooms
- Satellite T.V.
- Two bathrooms
- Home cooked meals
- Full kitchen
- Wireless internet
- Bicycles
- Freezers
Directions
There are only two ways to reach the springs:
● You can fly in a seaplane, or
● You can sail by ferry
The Alaska Seaplanes Service provides charter and daily service and weather permitting. You can schedule a flight easily from their online booking system. You can also use Ward Air to travel.
If you don’t feel like flying, you can travel using the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS), which will give you ferry service from Juneau to Tenakee. You can call them on 800-642-0066.
Manley Hot Springs
As you arrive, you’ll get to soak yourself in the company of hibiscus flowers, grapes, and Asian pears in a truly tranquil environment inside a greenhouse. You can choose from three different concrete baths that will cost you only $5.
If you plan to stay longer, you can also spend the night at Manley Lodge. The amenities available include:
- Three different kinds of rooms
- Hunting
- Fishing
- Boating
Directions
● Head east on to 12th avenue towards Lacey Street
● Turn left towards Lacey Street
● Turn right towards 10th avenue
● Turn left onto AK-2 W
● Turn left onto AK-2 N/Manley Hot Springs
● You’ve arrived!
Serpentine Hot Springs
Located inside the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, this spot is a place where people come for natural healing. Native healers and Eskimo shamans dipped in these springs for centuries, and now, they’ve become one of the most visited spots in the areas currently under preservation. Towers of granite surround them, and you’ll feel like you’re bathing in a world of fantasy while spending your time here.
The springs have an average temperature of 171 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year. The bathhouse, outhouse, and bunkhouse are many ways visitors can interact with the springs, but people can only access this location via airplane.
While there aren’t any reservations needed to use the facilities, they’re only available on a first-come-first-serve basis. The bunkhouses can accommodate up to 12 people, and each of the two rooms contains:
- Six bunk beds with mattresses
- A kitchen table
- A two-burner stove
- A storage locker
Important: Remember to take your own toilet paper for the outhouse!
Directions
People usually reach the springs via airplane. The bush planes used to have to land on a landing strip which is a short walk away from the bunkhouse, bathhouse, and outhouse.
P.S: There’s also a dedicated Serpentine Hot Springs airport.
Most of the hot springs in Alaska are located deep within forests or along the shore, where they overlook the ocean as your muscles relax. In some cases, you’ll have to trek through the wilderness, hop on an airplane or take a ferry. Regardless of the route you take, we can ensure the journey will be worth it.
Once you’ve solved the logistics, you’ll find yourself dozing away in a geothermal paradise that stands tall, holding Alaskan heritage in its firm grips. But Alaska isn’t the only place where you can find these ravishing hot springs! Go through our website to find hot springs in your state, and you might just be surprised by the several options you have.
Good luck!
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