Life List:
Wild Alaska by boat
The only way to get to Warm Springs is by boat or floatplane.
Fishing Villages and Hot Springs
Just after noontime on our fifth day out of Juneau, we round the bend and see our next haven. We’re now on Vic’s home turf of Baranof Island in a tiny village called Warm Springs—there are a dozen or so homes here and a general store with basic supplies and an Internet connection. Vic spends a good part of his summer here, so he knows all the locals and most of the charter yacht crews that go through here too.
This is the first village we’ve stopped at since we left Juneau, and we’ll stay here for three days. We usually drop anchor in a secluded cove or bay where only a few boats can fit, which is incredibly peaceful, explore a bit, then move on to the next spot each morning. It’s been great fun moving all over, but it also will be nice to spend a few days in one spot so we can get a real sense of place.
The public baths are huge metal tubs—cattle troughs—like you see in Wild West movies and the water is tapped
from the hot springs.
Warm Spring’s big appeal for the private boats, tour yachts and fishing vessels passing through the area is its hot springs. The natural hot springs are right next to a humongous waterfall that explodes into the bay and just a short jaunt up the mountain along a boardwalk. Absolute heaven! The village also has a free public bathhouse (but donations are appreciated). The baths are huge metal tubs—cattle troughs—like you see in Wild West movies and the water is tapped from the hot springs. Once you get in the tub, you draw back the curtain for a gorgeous view of the waterfall and the mountains in the background.
We decide that it’s interesting being moored at the dock, where you can watch all the comings and goings. Several large commercial fishing boats have come in—it’s quite the contrast to the fancy sport fishing yachts and luxury cruisers, as well as the smaller personal boats we’ve encountered so far. As a tourist, it’s easy to romanticize the life of an Alaskan fisherman, but talking with them makes it clear it’s a rough life on many counts: severe weather presents a danger that can truly be life threatening; a poor fishing season, such as one like this summer, means limited income; a fisherman’s first priority is work and there’s little, if any, time to enjoy the beauty of Alaska and explore the region; and spending days on end at sea can be downright boring.
Our last night is a busy one at the docks. Ever since we’ve gotten here, a few boats have come and gone, but the dock has never been full (about six or seven boats can tie up here, depending upon the size of the boats). But tonight, boats are doubled and tripled up, which is called “rafting.” People are headed south for the winter, and this is a popular place to stop.
At the end of our trip, Scott and I laughed about how we’d come to think of Warm Springs as a bustling town, even though it has only about a dozen homes. It has no transportation other than boat, sea plane or on foot, and only boardwalks, docks and hiking paths to walk on. But the comings and goings on the dock make the village seem like it’s alive with people.
First Day | Fiords, Glaciers and Icebergs | Secluded Coves
Steller Sea Lions | Bears, Bears and More Bears
Fishing Villages and Hot Springs | Harbor Seals
Rainforests, High-Alpine Lakes and Beaches
A Whale of a Tale | Epilogue | Your Turn: Charter a Yacht
Alaska Photo Galleries