Chief Shakes Hot Springs
The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
Hot, and a long way from anything with wheels. Chief Shakes Hot Springs lies in Tongass National Forest within the City and Borough of Wrangell; the town of Wrangell is the nearest community, a fair distance off. The water comes up hot enough that you would want cooler water mixed in before sitting down in it. Access is open. Sixteen miles separate the spring from the closest road.
Low, wet country near sea level. The Forest Service cabin at Shakes Slough 2 is under four miles from the spring and is the closest lodging on record. Rain falls heavily through the year and the snowfall total in the record is very large. There is no route information on file, so the approach is by whatever means you can arrange.
December into February is the stretch the climate favors. Heat here runs past the range people sit in comfortably, so test it and count on wanting some cooler water mixed in. You plan around camping or the Shakes Slough cabin. The chemistry sample is decades old, and worth reading with that in mind.
The USGS logged this spring as a sampling site and drew water from it in July 1976. That sample showed a near neutral pH.
USGS hasn't flown a detailed laser scan here yet, so this view comes from aerial photos and older elevation data.
- Setting
- Canyon floor
- Steep ground climbs away on both sides of the spring.
- Highest ground nearby
- 973 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the northeast
A slice through the ground from northwest to southeast, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
The water at Chief Shakes Hot Springs is neutral (pH 7.1) with 409 mg/L total dissolved solids.
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Overview Shakes Slough 2 Cabin makes an excellent basecamp for exploring the Stikine River. It is located at the confluence of the Stikine River and Shakes Slough and within a few hundred feet of neighboring Shakes Slough 1 Cabin. These cabins offer spectacular views of the surrounding Stikine-LeConte Wilderness. The site can be accessed by float plane or shallow draft boat, depending on conditions. A tide of at least 14 feet is required to navigate the Stikine River tide flats. Guests are...
Chief Shakes Hot Springs requires a hike to reach, so pack light but prepared. The water runs hot, so extra hydration is key. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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