Can you soak at Chief Shakes Hot Springs?

Records place Chief Shakes Hot Springs on public land. That is not a guarantee of current access: closures, fire restrictions and road conditions change, so check with the land manager before you go.

How hot is Chief Shakes Hot Springs?

The hottest recorded reading at the source is 122°F (50°C). That is the outlet temperature, not a pool temperature; water cools as it flows away from the source. Water this hot can cause serious burns, so test any pool by hand first.

Where is Chief Shakes Hot Springs?

Chief Shakes Hot Springs is near Wrangell in Alaska, at coordinates 56.7236, -132.0400.

What other hot springs are near Chief Shakes Hot Springs?

The closest listed springs, in straight-line distance, are Barnes Lake Hot Springs, 7 mi; Twin Lakes Hot Springs, 10 mi; and South Stikine Spring, 11 mi.

Chief Shakes Hot Springs, AK: 122°F

Chief Shakes Hot Springs

Chief Shakes Hot Springs is a geothermal spring near Wrangell in Alaska. Water at the source is recorded at 122°F (50°C), hot enough to scald. Records place it on public land.

122°F50°C recorded at the source

Scalding at the source. Do not enter without a cooled, mixed pool.

Chief Shakes Hot Springs lies in the Stikine-LeConte Wilderness of the Tongass National Forest up the Stikine River from Wrangell, reached by boat via Hot Springs Slough off the Ketili Slough and a 0.3-mile trail. The Forest Service's Shakes Slough cabins sit about four miles downstream.

Facts

Coordinates: 56.7236, -132.0400 (Google Maps, OSM)
Source temperature: 122°F (50°C)
Access: Public land
Type: Unknown
Fee: Not recorded
Clothing optional: Not recorded
Nearest town: Wrangell
State: Alaska
Data sources: NOAA NCEI, Wikipedia, Wikidata, Official sources (linked below). See sources

Map

Larger marker is Chief Shakes Hot Springs; smaller markers are other springs within 50 miles.

Quick answers

Can you soak at Chief Shakes Hot Springs?: Records place Chief Shakes Hot Springs on public land. That is not a guarantee of current access: closures, fire restrictions and road conditions change, so check with the land manager before you go.
How hot is Chief Shakes Hot Springs?: The hottest recorded reading at the source is 122°F (50°C). That is the outlet temperature, not a pool temperature; water cools as it flows away from the source. Water this hot can cause serious burns, so test any pool by hand first.
Where is Chief Shakes Hot Springs?: Chief Shakes Hot Springs is near Wrangell in Alaska, at coordinates 56.7236, -132.0400.
What other hot springs are near Chief Shakes Hot Springs?: The closest listed springs, in straight-line distance, are Barnes Lake Hot Springs, 7 mi; Twin Lakes Hot Springs, 10 mi; and South Stikine Spring, 11 mi.

Before you go

Temperatures are measured at the source and can be far hotter than any soaking pool. Test with a hand before stepping in.
Access, fees, and road conditions change. Verify with the land manager or owner; "public" here reflects survey records, not a current right of entry.
Water in natural springs is untreated. Keep your head above water and avoid soaking with open wounds. Some springs carry Naegleria fowleri risk.
Pack out everything, including soap residue. Many springs have been closed because of trash and overcrowding.

Sources

Dataset last rebuilt October 11, 2026. Not yet checked on site by a person. Access, fee, clothing and closure details appear only when a source below states them. How this data is built.

Checked against

Recreation.govrecreation.gov/camping/poi/233068

Merged from

NOAA NCEI Thermal Springs List (archived 2025): survey location and source temperature, public domain
Wikipedia: short description, CC BY-SA 4.0
Wikidata: name, county and website, CC0