Tolovana Hot Springs
The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
Tolovana Hot Springs is, per Wikipedia, the most remote of the big four hot springs in the Tolovana River Valley. This record puts it in Fairbanks North Star Borough, about 36 miles from Ester, on state land with access marked unknown. Water sampled in 1962 was near neutral. No temperature reading exists.
Around a thousand feet up, a four mile hike from Tractor Trail. Interior dry country, cold on average, light snow for Alaska. The land is state Department of Natural Resources ground under tentative approval status.
No best months listed. Access unknown on state land, so confirm before going. The chemistry is sixty years old. The record lists no campground. It lists no fee either.
Wikipedia calls Tolovana the most remote of the four major hot springs in the Tolovana River Valley. The USGS site record carries a sample from July 1962.
USGS hasn't flown a detailed laser scan here yet, so this view comes from aerial photos and older elevation data.
- Setting
- Hillside
- The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the west.
- Highest ground nearby
- 318 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the west
A slice through the ground from southwest to northeast, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
The water at Tolovana Hot Springs is slightly alkaline (pH 7.7). It is notably rich in sodium (supports circulation and skin hydration) and chloride (natural antiseptic with skin health benefits).
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Tolovana Hot Springs is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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