Kanuti Hot Springs

What to expect

Kanuti Hot Springs is the opposite of a resort. There is no tub, no cabin, no sign and no path. Hot water seeps from the ground in the low, spruce-and-muskeg country west of the Dalton Highway, close to the upper Kanuti River and a short way south of the Arctic Circle.

The BLM manages it as a 40-acre Area of Critical Environmental Concern. That status was given to protect the hot spring system itself, and the agency notes that, unlike most hot springs in Interior Alaska, Kanuti has never been built on or developed commercially. That is the appeal. You are soaking in something close to its natural state.

It is also the catch. The BLM says the water can reach 150°F66°C, and older federal thermal spring lists give a range of about 110-151°F43-66°C at the vents. Nobody soaks at the source. Visitors move rocks to pool the water and let in cooler water from the nearby stream until it is bearable. Expect a shallow, muddy, improvised soak rather than a clear pool, and leave it as you found it.

Land status: BLM, not the refuge

Many websites describe Kanuti Hot Springs as being inside Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge. The BLM’s own description puts it on BLM public land, and the BLM’s national land-status data for these coordinates also shows BLM. Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge, about 1.6 million acres of forest and wetland along the Kanuti and Koyukuk rivers, lies to the west. If you float the Kanuti River downstream you will end up in the refuge, which has no roads or communities inside its boundaries.

The BLM Central Yukon Field Office in Fairbanks manages the Dalton Highway corridor and the springs (907-474-2200, [email protected]). For the refuge, the Bettles Ranger Station and Visitor Center (907-692-5494) gives backcountry orientations. Parcels of Native-owned land, such as allotments, can turn up anywhere in rural Alaska, so carry a current land-status map and do not camp on or cross private parcels without permission.

Getting there

Start in Fairbanks. Drive 84 miles north to Livengood on the Steese and Elliott highways, then turn onto the Dalton Highway. The Dalton runs 414 miles to Deadhorse and is mostly gravel: narrow, rough, steep in places, muddy when wet and dusty when dry, with heavy truck traffic. There are no grocery stores or medical facilities along it. Check road conditions at 511.alaska.gov and carry two spare tires if you can.

Wikipedia and older guides use Mile 103 of the Dalton as the usual jumping-off point. From the road the springs are about 8 miles away to the west. There is no trail, so plan your own line on topographic maps and a GPS, and expect it to take much longer than 8 miles on a map suggests.

Visitors use two approaches:

• Winter, on skis. Frozen ground and rivers make travel far easier than summer bog. Alaska statutes ban off-road vehicles, snowmachines included, within 5 miles on either side of the highway north of the Yukon River, so you will ski or snowshoe at least the first 5 miles and in practice the whole way.
• Summer, by packraft and on foot. Trip reports describe packrafting the Kanuti River from the highway to the springs and then hiking back over the ridges to the road. It is wet, buggy, slow travel through brush and tussocks, and the river may be shallow or full of sweepers.

When to go

Late winter (February to April) is the best bet for most people. Daylight returns fast, rivers and muskeg are frozen, and soaking in hot water at -10°F−23°C feels like the reason the spring exists. Cold snaps far below zero are still possible.

Summer (June to August) brings 24-hour light but also mosquitoes, wet ground and slow walking. On a warm day the water feels hotter than you would like.

Freeze-up and break-up (roughly October and May) are the worst times: rivers are unsafe and the ground is neither frozen nor dry.

Rules and etiquette

• No fee and no permit to visit BLM land for personal recreation.
• Do not build or dig. The spring is protected precisely because it is undeveloped. Move rocks to cool a pool if you must, and put them back.
• No motor vehicles within 5 miles of the highway, including snowmachines.
• Pack everything out, including toilet paper. Camp and go to the toilet well away from the spring and the stream.
• Respect private and Native land on your route.

Where to stay nearby

You camp. Pick a dry, durable site well away from the spring. On the highway, the BLM runs four developed campgrounds along the Dalton, open from late May to early September and free of charge. The Yukon River crossing, south of Mile 103, and Coldfoot, roughly 70 miles north, have the nearest fuel, food and basic rooms. Coldfoot is also home to the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center, where staff can talk through current conditions.

Safety notes

• Scalding water: At up to 150°F66°C the source can burn badly in seconds. Test with a hand, never put your head under, and keep children and dogs away from the vents.
• No help nearby: There is no cell service anywhere near the springs and only scattered coverage on the Dalton. Carry a satellite messenger, tell someone your route and return time, and be ready to self-rescue.
• Cold: A wet body in winter loses heat fast. Have dry clothing, a warm sleeping bag and a stove ready before you get out of the water.
• Navigation: No trail and few landmarks. Map, compass and GPS, and the skill to use them, are essential.
• Bears and moose: Both are common. Store food properly, make noise in thick brush and give moose a very wide berth in late winter, when they are stressed and short-tempered.
• The road: The drive is a real hazard in its own right. Slow down for trucks, pull over to let them pass, and keep headlights on.