Tolovana Hot Springs
The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
Tolovana Hot Springs sits on BLM ground managed out of the Central Yukon Field Office, with access listed open. Ester is the nearest town, about 36 miles away, and the borough is Fairbanks North Star. Wikipedia counts it among four springs of note along the Tolovana River Valley and calls it the farthest out of the group. No temperature is carried in this record, so do not take a soaking temperature for granted.
Classed as a hike, a bit over four miles from a road the file calls Tractor Trail. The land is public BLM ground, undesignated. Elevation is low. Winters are cold, though snowfall is moderate at around thirty inches and precipitation is low.
The USGS water sample dates to 1962, so the chemistry on file is more than sixty years old; pH was a touch above neutral. Any recent reports on temperature or trail condition will come from elsewhere. No fee or campground appears in the record. Summer makes the most sense given the winter averages, though the snow totals are not extreme.
Wikipedia describes Tolovana as the most remote of the "big 4" hot springs in the Tolovana River Valley of Alaska.
USGS hasn't flown a detailed laser scan here yet, so this view comes from aerial photos and older elevation data.
- Setting
- Gentle slope
- The ground tilts gently up to the north.
- Highest ground nearby
- 209 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the north
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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