Chief Shakes Hot Springs

What to expect

Chief Shakes Hot Springs is a small Forest Service day-use site on a side slough of the Stikine River, in the Stikine-LeConte Wilderness on the mainland northwest of Wrangell. It is one of the best-loved local outings in Wrangell, and it feels like it: a short trail through rainforest, two wooden tubs, and mountains rising on both sides of the river valley.

There are two redwood tubs, each about 7 feet across. One sits inside a screened wooden bathhouse, which keeps out bugs and rain. The other is open to the sky. Dressing rooms, benches and two outhouses round it out. There is no drinking water, so bring your own.

Hot water comes from the spring at about 140°F60°C, far too hot to soak in straight. Pipes bring in cooler water so you can adjust the tubs. Temperatures vary with how the last group left the valves, so check before you get in.

Getting there

There is no road. Chief Shakes is about 28 miles northwest of Wrangell by the Forest Service’s count, reached up the Stikine River, then Ketili Slough, then Hot Springs Slough.

• Jet boat: Most people go with a Wrangell jet-boat charter or a local friend with a river boat. The Stikine is fast, braided and shifts its channels, and the tide flats at its mouth need enough water to cross. The Forest Service’s cabin pages say a tide of at least 14 feet is needed to run the flats, and visitors are told to check river levels and tide charts before any boating here. That is why going with someone who knows the river is the usual advice.
• Floatplane: Planes can reach the Shakes Slough cabins downstream, about 20 miles by air from Wrangell, but the springs themselves are a boat trip up the sloughs.
• The last bit: When the river is lower, a 0.3-mile trail leads from Hot Springs Slough to the tubs. Below a 16-foot river level, boats cannot get close and you walk along the slough to reach the site.

The Stikine is normally ice-free from May to October. Outside that window, getting here is impractical.

When to go

June to September is the season most people use. The river is open, days are long, and charters run regularly. Pick your day by tide and river level rather than by the calendar.

The Forest Service warns of crowds on weekends, holidays and sunny summer days. A weekday trip, or an early start, gives you better odds of a tub to yourself. Rain is common at any time of year, and the screened tub is the one to aim for in bad weather or when bugs are out.

Rules and etiquette

• No fee and no reservations. Use is first come, first served.
• Day use only. There are no overnight facilities at the springs.
• Wilderness rules apply. The site is inside a designated wilderness, so landing a helicopter is illegal. Pack out everything you bring.
• Swimsuits: Wear one. This is a family spot shared with Wrangell locals and their kids.
• Share the tubs. Two tubs and a full boat do not mix well if one party settles in for hours.
• No soap or shampoo in the tubs, and leave the valves and the bathhouse as you found them.
• Fires: Use only existing fire rings and check for any current fire restrictions on the Tongass.

Facilities and their history

The Forest Service has kept the site going through several rounds of repairs. In 2015 crews worked on the screened tub’s foundation and roof, closing it for about a month that summer. In 2022 a project to build an outdoor deck was pushed back a year because federal funds had not arrived; it had been estimated at $190,000, with $81,200 from the Great American Outdoors Act. We could not confirm whether that deck work was finished, so ask the Wrangell Ranger District (907-874-2323) about current conditions.

Where to stay nearby

The springs have no camping or cabin of their own. Most people make it a day trip from Wrangell, which has lodges, B&Bs and groceries.

For a night on the river, the Forest Service rents two cabins at the mouth of Shakes Slough, about 4 miles downstream of the springs and within a few hundred feet of each other:

• Shakes Slough 1 Cabin: A 1962 Pan Abode, sleeps 4, oil heater, outhouse. $35 a night.
• Shakes Slough 2 Cabin: A 1963 A-frame with a loft, sleeps up to 7, oil heater, bear-proof food locker. $40 a night.

Both book on Recreation.gov from the day of arrival up to 180 days ahead, with a limit of 7 nights from May 1 to Sept 30 and 10 nights from Oct 1 to April 30. Bring your own drinking water and No. 1 stove oil; neither is supplied. Shakes Lake and Shakes Glacier are about 3 miles north of the cabins.

Safety notes

• The river: The Stikine is fast, cold and full of shifting bars. Wear a life jacket in the boat, and do not attempt it without local knowledge of tides and river levels.
• Bears: Brown and black bears both live here, and moose use the willow thickets. Make noise on the trail and keep food in the boat or a sealed container.
• Hot water: At 140°F60°C the source can scald. Mix and test before you get in, and watch children near the valves.
• No signal: There is no cell service. Carry a satellite messenger or VHF, and plan for weather to delay your trip home.
• Water: There is no potable water on site. Treat any water you take from the river or slough.