Chief Shakes Hot Springs
- Free
Two Forest Service-maintained tubs, one open and one enclosed, up a slough off the Stikine River on the mainland near Wrangell. They are free and first-come, and visitors arrive by jet boat or floatplane charter. Most Stikine River tour operators will stop here on request.
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✓ Verified November 2026
- Price
- Free
- Nearest town
- Wrangell
- Reservations
- Check venue
Plan your visit
Tickets & booking
| Price |
|
|---|---|
| Access | Free public access |
| Booking |
|
On site
| Pools | 2 |
|---|---|
| Lodging | No |
Not stated by the venue: swimwear, ages, dogs.
Water temperature
This venue doesn't publish pool temperatures.
Mineral profile
Total dissolved minerals
405 mg/L
Lightly mineralized · Sodium–sulfate (sodium sulfate water)
- pH
- 7.1
- Temp at source
- 124°F
- Lithium
- 0.02 mg/L
- Boron
- 0.03 mg/L
Lab analysis of the source water at a USGS sampling site (1.5 mi from Chief Shakes Hot Springs), sampled 1915–1976 by the USGS and partners (data). Pool water may be cooled, mixed or treated, and spring chemistry is generally stable over decades. We report measurements only; we don't make health claims.
Facilities
- Towels included: no
| Good to know | Bring a towel |
|---|
What's here
- two tubs: one open, one enclosed
- maintained by the Forest Service
- Stikine River slough
- Forest Service cabins along the river
Getting there
| Elevation | 343 ft |
|---|---|
| Road |
|
Things to do near Wrangell
Shakes Glacier and Shakes Lake
Jet boats weave through icebergs toward the glacier face; included on most Stikine day trips.
Stikine River Forest Service cabins
Public-use cabins along the river and side sloughs, reservable on Recreation.gov.
Nearby springs
Goddard Hot Springs
City and Borough of Sitka property on Hot Springs Bay, on the outer coast of Baranof Island about 16 miles south of Sitka. The city maintains two cedar bathhouses with tubs, plus open shelters, boardwalks and outhouses. The spring emerges at about 153°F, and tubs are cooled with a cold-water supply.
Tenakee Springs Bathhouse
A public bathhouse in the middle of Tenakee Springs, a village on Chichagof Island that grew up around its 106-107°F sulfur mineral spring. A volunteer Bathhouse Committee runs it, and men and women bathe at separate set hours. Entry is by donation, and the town is reached by Alaska Marine Highway ferry or scheduled air service.
Neka Hot Springs
A Forest Service hot tub on Chichagof Island, reached by a 0.2-mile boardwalk across muskeg near milepost 9 of Forest Road 8580. Getting there means a boat to Eight Fathom Dock, 16 miles southwest of Hoonah, then nine miles on a single-lane road. There are vault toilets but no drinking water, and brown bears often use the area.
Goddard Hot Springs: 128 mi · Tenakee Springs Bathhouse: 141 mi · Neka Hot Springs: 172 mi
Sources (4)
· checked November 2026
Prices, hours and rules are checked against the official site and land-agency pages. Spot something out of date? Let us know.