Tenakee Springs

About Tenakee Springs

Home of the Hot Springs

Tenakee Springs boasts having the region’s best in fishing, hunting, and wildlife viewing by maintaining the community’s pristine natural environment. Located southwest of Juneau and on the east side of Chichagof Island, Tenakee Springs is a small and remote community that can only be accessed by boat or plane. The community encompasses 12 square miles of land and five square miles of water and the main street is only about three miles long. A local ordinance prohibits cars and trucks so people travel through town by foot, bike, or occasionally by an off-road 4-wheeler.

The town’s legendary hot springs bath house is well-known throughout Southeast Alaska. For centuries, miners, packers, trappers, prospectors, and all manner of passers-by stopped at the hot springs for a rejuvenating bath. In 1900 the hot spring was enclosed in a log cabin and the room currently housing the tub was built in 1939. The natural mineral water filling the spring flows at a constant rate of about seven gallons per minute and maintains a steady temperature of about 107 degrees Fahrenheit or 41 degrees Celsius, even into the coldest parts of winter.

Tenakee Springs also includes various other buildings besides the bath house. Some of these buildings include historic eateries, galleries, and craft shops. Synder’s Mercantile is the most iconic of the buildings with its bright teal exterior. The mercantile was established in 1899 and now operates as the Tanakee Market. For over 50 years the Blue Moon Cafe has been serving people and The Bakery, located in the historic Shamrock building, is famous for its warm, fresh cinnamon rolls.

Staple activities of Tenakee Springs, besides bathing in the hot spring, include hunting, kayaking, and sailing. The calm waters of the inlet attract close to 750,000 salmon that come to spawn each year. These roads and waters make Tenakee Springs the perfect place for a fruitful trip.