Pilgrim Springs
Pilgrim Springs, also called Pilgrim Hot Springs and Unaatuq among other names, is a ghost town site on the Seward Peninsula about 42 miles from Nome. Wikipedia places it on the Kruzgamepa River on the traditional lands of the Kauweramiut. The water is heavily mineralized according to a sample from 1915. No temperature is known. Neither is a landowner or access status.
The spring is a tenth of a mile from a road, near sea level, in the Nome Census Area. Winters are snowy here and the year averages in the upper twenties. Wikipedia says the site is about eight miles south of milepost 65 on the Kougarok Road.
There is no best season on file. The only water analysis is over a century old and showed very high dissolved solids with iron. Nobody has recorded if the public may enter the ground, so find out before you go. Salmon Lake Campground is the camping option on file. Temperature unknown.
Wikipedia describes Pilgrim Hot Springs as a ghost town on the southeast bank of the Kruzgamepa River, in the interior of the Seward Peninsula. Names on record for the place: Pilgrim Hot Springs, Kruzgamepa, Kruzgamepa Springs, Unaatuq. It lies on the traditional lands of the Kauweramiut, the People of Kauwerak, also known as the people of the Village of Mary's Igloo. A USGS sample dates to September 1915.
USGS hasn't flown a detailed laser scan here yet, so this view comes from aerial photos and older elevation data.
The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
- Setting
- Open ground
- Flat, open ground all around.
- Highest ground nearby
- 3 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the northeast
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
The water at Pilgrim Springs contains 5960 mg/L total dissolved solids. It is notably rich in calcium (may support bone density and joint health), sodium (supports circulation and skin hydration), and chloride (natural antiseptic with skin health benefits).
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The Salmon Lake Campground is located on the shores of Salmon Lake, one of the northernmost spawning areas for Sockeye salmon in Alaska. The campground is approximately 40 miles north of Nome, Alaska, and is accessed by a one mile gravel road off the Nome-Kougarok Highway. A sign on the Highway directs visitors to the campground and lake. Facilities at the nine acre complex include an unimproved boat launch, six campsites with picnic tables, two trash receptacles, and a single door outhouse.
Pilgrim 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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