Tolovana Hot Springs

What to expect

Tolovana Hot Springs is the hard-won soak of the Fairbanks area. It lies about 45 air miles northwest of the city on the southeast slope of Tolovana Hot Springs Dome, with no road, no staff and no way to call for help. A band of springs and seeps comes out of a grassy, algae-streaked clearing about 600 feet above the valley floor at 125-145°F52-63°C, and forms the head of a small creek. The water is slightly salty, about 4 percent as salty as seawater, and low in sulfates, so it has little smell.

Tolovana Hot Springs Ltd. holds a lease on the Bureau of Land Management parcel around the springs and has run cabins and tubs here for more than 30 years. There are three tubs strung along the creek, roughly 200 feet apart and nearly out of sight of each other:

• Upper Tub: an 8-foot round plastic tub right below the steaming springs. This is the designated day-use tub.
• Middle Tub: a rectangular wooden tub on the hillside, reached by a footbridge.
• Lower Tub: an 8-foot round tub in the trees by the creek.

Water flows in and out of each tub constantly. The operator does not post tub temperatures, which vary with flow and air temperature, so check before you sink in. A fire in 2002 burned much of the surrounding birch, spruce and aspen, so the hillside is open, with young growth, wildflowers and browse that draws moose.

Getting there

The 10.1-mile trail is the main route and the only one usable year-round. The trailhead is at milepost 93 of the Elliott Highway, about 100 road miles from Fairbanks through Fox. The trail goes up and over Tolovana Hot Springs Dome (2,386 feet at the top per the operator), with long moderate grades and some steep sections. A 3-mile low stretch turns to bog in summer. Most people hike it in summer, and ski, snowshoe, skijor, mush dogs or ride snowmachines in winter. Four-wheelers have damaged the trail and the operator does not support using them. Mountain biking is very hard.

The first mile and the parking area are on land owned by Doyon Ltd. and the Minto Village Corporation, and the rest of the route crosses state land. Doyon blocked the trailhead in October 2020, and access returned that December after the operator paid for a permit across the corporation land. Ask about current access when you book.

Winter-only routes: A 26-mile route starts at the Livengood (West Fork) airstrip at Elliott Highway milepost 74 and follows the 1917 Livengood-Dunbar sled road down the Tolovana valley before a 7-mile cut to the springs. A 50-mile route starts at the top of Murphy Dome Road. Neither is marked or maintained by the operator, both cross the steep-banked Tolovana River, and trappers use parts of them. They are for experienced mushers, skiers and snowmachiners.

By air: A public airstrip, 80 by 1,500 feet with a dirt and small rock surface, sits 1 mile south of the springs. It is windy in winter and has no services. The springs are inside the Minto Management Area, where aircraft may not be used for moose hunting or to haul hunters or moose. In 2022 a Fairbanks tour company, Borealis Basecamp, asked the BLM for a permit to fly helicopter tours to a new tub on a small BLM plot west of the cabins, over the operator’s objections. We found no record of a final BLM decision, so ask whether flights are running.

When to go

Winter is the classic season. The trail freezes, skiers and mushers can travel it, and the tubs are at their best when the air is far below zero and the aurora is out. It is also when demand peaks, which is why the operator runs a drawing for popular dates. Trail temperatures can drop to -20°F to -40°F−29°C to −40°C, so this is a real winter expedition.

Summer is quieter and the days are long, but expect mosquitoes and wet feet on the bog stretch. Blueberries ripen on the Dome in season. Spring and fall bring mixed conditions and the hardest travel.

Prices and booking

Everything here works by advance reservation and full payment. The operator’s rate sheet, last updated in 2025, lists:

• Summer (April 16 to November 14), per night, Friday to Sunday / Monday to Thursday: Cedar Cabin, up to 6 people, $185 / $130. Log Cabin, up to 4, $120 / $90. Frame Cabin, up to 2, $60 / $40.
• Snow season (November 15 to April 15): Cedar Cabin $270 / $200. Log Cabin $190 / $160. Frame Cabin $90 / $70.
• Day use: $40 per person per day, limited when all cabins are booked.
• Dogs: $10 per dog per visit.

Requests open exactly 3 months before the first night (apply December 15 for March 15). All requests received during that 24-hour day are entered in a drawing for busy dates, so sending yours at midnight gives no advantage. A single Friday, Saturday or Sunday night can only be confirmed a week ahead, since two-night weekend stays take priority. Reservations cannot be resold.

Rules and etiquette

• Reservation and payment first. Nobody may use the springs or cabins without one.
• No soap in the tubs or the creek.
• Dogs must be restrained, are not allowed at the tubs or the springs, and their waste must be shoveled up.
• Firewood is for the cabin stoves only. No bonfires.
• No smoking in cabins, no shooting near the springs, and no snowmachines on the trails around the springs after 10 p.m.
• Pack out everything. There is private land immediately downstream, so stay off it.
• The operator does not rent to hunting parties.

There is no published clothing rule. The tubs are spread out and most groups have one to themselves, but day users share the Upper Tub.

Where to stay nearby

The three cabins are the only lodging, each with its own outhouse. The 18 by 24 foot Cedar Cabin sleeps 6, the 16 by 20 foot Log Cabin sleeps 4 and the 12 by 14 foot Frame Cabin sleeps 2. All have sleeping pads, a wood stove, a four-burner propane stove with oven, pots, pans and dishes, water jugs and solar or wind-powered lights. Propane and firewood are provided, though you may need to cut wood to length. Bring food, a sleeping bag and toilet paper.

Drinking water comes from a cold spring in an insulated box near the cabins. It is untested, so boil it for three minutes. Fairbanks, 100 road miles back, has the nearest hotels and full services.

Safety notes

• Remoteness: There is no road, no staff, no cell signal and no emergency communication. The operator recommends backcountry experience, especially in winter.
• Cold: Getting out of a tub at -30°F−34°C is serious. Keep dry clothes and boots right beside the tub, and do not soak alone or after drinking.
• Hot source water: The springs themselves are far too hot to touch. Stay on the marked Tub Road and trails.
• Wildlife: Moose and black bears live around the springs, and brown bears have been seen on the Dome.
• Trail conditions: Trail reports come from returning visitors, not staff. Ask the office for the latest before you go, and carry a map; the operator posts one on its website.

Nearby stops worth adding

The Elliott Highway continues past the trailhead to the town of Manley Hot Springs. Closer to Fairbanks, Chena Hot Springs Resort sits at the end of a paved road and makes an easy contrast with the effort Tolovana demands.