Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs

Where this is (and where it is not)

Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs is in the Yukon, not in Fort Nelson, British Columbia. It sits at Km 10 (Mile 6) of Takhini Hot Springs Road, about 28 km (17 miles) from downtown Whitehorse. If you are driving the Alaska Highway and want a soak near Fort Nelson, the place you are looking for is Liard River Hot Springs, which is a BC provincial park, not a spa. The two are more than a full day’s drive apart.

This page covers the Yukon spa.

What to expect

This is a modern adults-only spa built on one of the oldest soaking sites in the territory. People soaked here for centuries before any building went up, and the spring was known for a time as “Jim Boss’ Bathtub,” after a First Nations chief whose village was on the nearby marsh. US Army crews building the Alaska Highway put in a wood and canvas pool in the 1940s, a concrete pool followed around 1950, and for about five decades Takhini Hot Springs was where Whitehorse went to warm up. The old building and pool closed in 2020 and were torn down. The current owners spent about three years and roughly C$7.5 million on the replacement, which opened in 2022.

The result feels more like a Scandinavian or Japanese bathhouse than a swimming pool. There are four rock-lined outdoor pools fed directly by the spring, plus two saunas, two steam rooms (one with eucalyptus), cold plunges, cold showers, decks, two relaxation rooms with heated loungers and a sunroom, and a café. A barefoot walking path and yoga sessions round it out.

The water comes out of the ground at about 115°F46°C. With no heaters or pumps, it settles at about 104°F40°C in the pools, ranging from 100-108°F38 to 42°C depending on the weather. The operator says the pools are a flow-through design that turns over in under four hours, with only a light dose of chlorine. Unlike many hot springs, the water has no strong sulphur smell.

It is quiet by design. Phones stay in your free locker, there is no Wi-Fi, and calls are not allowed in the bathing areas.

Getting there

From downtown Whitehorse, head out to the Alaska Highway (Yukon Highway 1) and drive north-west past the airport. Turn right onto the North Klondike Highway (Yukon Highway 2) and follow it for about 6 km, then turn left onto Takhini Hot Springs Road and drive 9 km. At the roundabout take the first left, and the building is about 350 m straight ahead. From Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport the drive takes about 20 to 25 minutes.

All of it is paved, but in winter you are driving on snow and ice in the dark, so use winter tires and leave time. There is no city bus out here. Epic Bus (867-457-3800) runs a shuttle on booking, and several Whitehorse tour operators include the springs in evening aurora trips.

When to go

The spa is open year-round, and the experience changes completely with the season.

Winter (roughly November to March) is the reason most visitors come. Air temperatures well below freezing turn the pools into clouds of steam, your hair freezes if you let it, and on clear nights the aurora can show up overhead. The cold plunges close for part of the year (they were closed in October 2026), but everything else stays open.

Summer brings near-endless daylight, which means no aurora but long evenings outdoors. It is also the main tourist season in Whitehorse.

For the lowest price, go on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Bookings are check-in times, not time slots, so a late afternoon check-in lets you stay until the pools close at 10:30 p.m.

Prices and booking

Rates in 2026:

• C$70 when booked through the website
• C$80 for walk-ins and phone bookings
• C$65 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays

There is no time limit. Most guests stay about three hours. Groups of 10 or more can ask about a discount through the front desk (867-456-8000). Bring a swimsuit, two towels and sandals, or rent towels, robes and flip-flops at the desk.

Rules and etiquette

• Adults only. Everyone must be 19 or older.
• Swimsuits are required. No nudity anywhere in the facility.
• Shower fully first, including washing your hair and removing makeup. Products are provided.
• Phones go in your locker. You can use them in the café, but not in the pools or relaxation rooms.
• Alcohol is limited. The café serves wine and draft beer. You may have one drink before soaking; more may be served after you finish, at staff discretion. You cannot bring your own food or drink.
• Accessibility: most areas are at ground level. Two pools have ramps, two have short staircases with handrails, and there is an accessible shower, accessible washrooms and a universal change room. Note any needs when you book, as construction can sometimes affect access.

The Hair Freezing Contest

Takhini Hot Springs started a Hair Freezing Contest in 2011, and photos from it went viral a few years later. Eclipse kept it going. In cold weather you wet your hair, let it freeze into shapes, then ring the bell near the Eclipse pool entrance so staff can take a photo for the contest.

Where to stay nearby

The property has its own campground with about 60 sites (15, 30 and 50 amp, pull-through and back-in), tent and group tent sites, water, garbage and a sani-dump, plus two large Resort Suites in the old hostel building that sleep up to 8 and 4 people. Both are a few minutes’ walk from the spa. Book the campground through yukoncampground.com and the suites through Airbnb (contact +1-867-456-8004). Whitehorse, about 28 km away, has the full range of hotels and services.

Safety notes

• Heat and cold together: moving between 104°F40°C water, saunas and winter air below freezing is hard on the body. Drink water and take breaks. The spa says pregnant guests should check with their doctor first.
• Ice: decks and paths can be slick in winter. Walk slowly in sandals.
• Winter driving: Takhini Hot Springs Road and the highways can be icy and dark by mid-afternoon in December and January. Check Yukon road conditions at 511yukon.ca before you go.
• Alcohol: the one-drink rule before soaking exists for a reason. Hot water and alcohol together can make you faint.

Nearby stops worth adding

Whitehorse has the SS Klondike sternwheeler, the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre and Miles Canyon on the Yukon River, all a short drive from the springs. The North Klondike Highway you take to the springs is also the road north to Dawson City.