Hot Springs Cool Alaska Places to See off the Tourist Paths

Alaska hot springs are an often overlooked travel destinations off the usual tourist path. Read what they are, how to best get there, why they are special and worth going the extra mile.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Get Blogged. I wrote the post entirely myself, and all opinions expressed are my own.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor. Please consult with your doctor or healthcare professional before bathing in a hot spring to ensure it is safe for you.

Travel in Alaska off the Typical Paths Needs Planning

When you love to explore Alaska beyond the typical tourist destinations, it requires some logistics ahead because the state is only 2% developed. In other words, when you want to visit beautiful places not overcrowded by tourists, booking a hotel ahead of time is wise because off-the-path hotels are small. In some areas, you can only reach with four-wheel drive cars or a seaplane. Due to the remoteness and vastness of the land, you must ensure that you have shelter upon arrival.

Did You Know that Alaska Has Many Different Hot Springs?

One of the most interesting places in Alaska is the hot springs, where the Earth’s heat naturally heats the mineral water. In Alaska, there are at least 79 hot springs, but only 20 are accessible to the public. Some of them are rustic community facilities, such as old bathhouses from the pioneer era or buildings from former Catholic Missions. Others are pools of Alaska Native heritage in an area that a Mid-European visitor would call wilderness pure. Some are very eco-friendly resort-style facilities. Chena Hot Springs, for instance, uses geothermal energy to heat their Alaska roadhouse-style hotel, greenhouse, and, in winter, even an ice hotel.

Most of the known hot springs exist in the Yukon River watershed of the Interior, and on some islands of the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. However, there are also springs in the tundra and at the Bering Sea (e.g., Pilgrim and Serpentine Hot Springs).

What Are Hot Springs?

Hot springs, aka hydrothermal or geothermal springs, are associated with regions of anomalously high crustal heat flow. Note that the temperature in the Earth’s crust increases about 25°C for every kilometer of depth (45°F per 0.621 mile, or 72.5°F per mile). Anomalously high heat flow can occur at faults and due to shallow magma bodies. In this area, groundwater can be heated geothermally. Places where this heated groundwater emerges to the surface are called hot or warm springs, depending on their temperature.

Depending on the depths of the heating and/or distance from the heating source, the water temperatures of the emerging mineral water at the surface differ widely among springs. The water of Pilgrim, Horner, Melozi, Dall, Kilo, Clear Creek, and Bell Island Hot Springs, for instance, emerges at 178,  117, 131, 129, 122, 148, and 125-175F (81.8, 47.2, 55, 53.9, 50, 64.4, and 51.7-79.4^oC), respectively. Of course, in the pool itself, water temperatures are maintained at comfortable bathtub levels by mixing with cold water.

All hot springs in the Interior and Southeast Alaska exist in areas of faults while the geothermals in the Wrangell-St. Elias as well as the Katmai National Park and Preserve have volcanic origin.

Hot Springs Are Perfect Places to Visit off the Tourist Paths

Many people overlook the hot springs of Alaska as travel destinations. However, they are situated in scenic landscapes with small hotels or rentable cabins nearby. Once you arrive, you can relax in a geothermal pool in a beautiful green landscape under the Midnight Sun in summer, or you can enjoy sitting in the warm mineral-rich water amid a snow-covered landscape in winter. In the Interior, you may be even lucky to watch the aurora dancing in the night’s star-spangled sky from mid-August to mid-April.

Yes, you can sit in some of Alaska’s hot springs outside, even in the middle of winter, because the warm water heats the ambient air. You can even see the steam! Of course, once you get out of the pool, your wet bathing apparel may freeze quickly if you fail to go back inside as soon as possible.

Why Do Hot Springs Permit the Growth of Unexpected Vegetation

Because the hot spring and its warm water surface heat the air in its surroundings, plants can grow in the springs’ vicinity that wouldn’t otherwise survive under the hard winter conditions of Alaska. At Manley Hot Springs (4 hours 23 minutes, 251 km, 156 mi from Fairbanks on an unpaved road), for instance, grapes, Asian pears, and flow­ers exist in the surroundings of the geothermal water. At some springs, there may be no snow around the water pool, even in the middle of winter.

What Makes the Water Special besides its Temperature?

Depending on the composition of the rocks and their temperature, different minerals can dissolve in the groundwater. In the Interior, for instance, the geothermal areas are characterized by sulfide-rich conditions.

Insider tip: Take off your silver jewelry because otherwise it will be black after your bath.

Insider tip: Don’t spend money on a manicure or pedicure prior to bathing in an Interior Alaska hot spring. The minerals contained in the water will ruin your nail polish.

What Are the Benefits of Bathing in Hot Springs

Due to their mineral content, hot springs have long been believed to have healing effects. Scientific studies have shown that bathing in hot springs can boost blood circulation and help reduce stress by relaxing tense muscles. The relaxation can lead to deeper sleep. The buoyant water supports the joints, thereby permitting more unrestricted movement than outside the water. In other words, the buoyancy may temporarily relieve joint pain. Geothermal water with high silica content can smooth and soften dry, rough skin, while those with high sulfur content may ease eczema and psoriasis. According to an Australian study, bathers reported relief of back pain, arthritis, stress/anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

How to Get to These Hot Springs

Some of the 20 public hot springs have been developed into resorts in an Alaska roadhouse style, located at the end of a minor road, such as Chena Hot Springs, which is a scenic 1.5-hour drive from Fairbanks. Note that such roads may be unpaved. Others may be reached by hiking or kayaking from a hotel or a rental cabin resort. Those on islands need to fly there with a small chartered airplane. In any case, I would recommend ebooking hotel/accommodation prior to your travel to ensure you have a place to stay when you get there. Trust me, after soaking in the warm mineral water, you will be tired.

References

Clark-Kennedy, J., Cohen, M., 2017. Indulgence or therapy? Exploring the characteristics, motivations and experiences of hot springs bathers in Victoria, Australia. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 22:5, 501-511, doi: 10.1080/10941665.2016.1276946

Haselwimmer, C., Prakash, A., Holdmann, G., 2013. Quantifying the heat flux and outflow rate of hot springs using airborne thermal imagery: Case study from Pilgrim Hot Springs, Alaska,. Remote Sensing of Environment, 136, 37-46, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2013.04.008

Mölders, N. , Fochesatto, G. , Edwin, S., and Kramm, G., 2019. Geothermal, Oceanic, Wildfire, Meteorological and Anthropogenic Impacts on PM_2.5 Concentrations in the Fairbanks Metropolitan Area. Open Journal of Air Pollution, 8, 19-68. doi: 10.4236/ojap.2019.82002.

Serbulea, M., Payyappallimana, U., 2012. Onsen (hot springs) in Japan—Transforming terrain into healing landscapes, Health & Place,18:6, 1366-1373, doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2012.06.020

Credits: The photo used in the post banner shows part of the photo “Serpentine Hot Springs” by Neal Herbert, Alaska NPS is licensed under Public Domain Mark 1.0

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