Baranof Warm Springs

Worth the drive

Is it plungeworthy?

124°F

124°F — very hot — mix with cold to soak.

Scale44/60

Documentation20/20

Character16/20

The details

Soak: Very hot — mix with cold to soak
Area: Sitka
Coordinates: 57.085, -134.839

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About Baranof Warm Springs

Baranof Warm Springs is a natural hot spring in Alaska, reaching about 124°F (51°C).

At that temperature it's very hot — mix with cold to soak — check current conditions and always test the water before getting in.

Plungeworthy rates Baranof Warm Springs 8/10 — worth the drive. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

A boardwalk village at the foot of a waterfall: Baranof Warm Springs pairs a three-room bathhouse on the dock with wild rock pools beside the thundering outlet falls above. Floatplane from Sitka in half an hour, or arrive by boat and take the bay's best mooring theater.

Getting there

Trailhead: Quarter-mile boardwalk to the falls pools
Road: None — floatplane or boat into Warm Springs Bay
Hike: 0.5 mi round trip (easy)
Heads up: Maintained by the property owners' association — donations keep the tubs hot.

When to go

Summer for the living village; the wild pools by the falls range hot to lukewarm and shift with the river.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Free / donation
Warnings: The falls current is serious — soak the pools, not the river.

Researched from Wikipedia — Baranof Warm Springs. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Baranof Warm Springs recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.