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The small community of Baranof, in Warm Springs Bay on the east side of Baranof Island, is a favorite stop for visiting cruisers, fishing boats, and locals in Southeast Alaska. Its location off of Chatham Strait makes it a convenient stopping place for those traveling by boat from Sitka to Petersburg, or from Petersburg to Juneau along the Chatham route.
As you enter Warm Springs Bay, the first thing you will notice is that any swell or waves that may have been present in Chatham Strait (which merges with the Gulf of Alaska 50 miles south) disappear as soon as you pass Halibut Rock. It’s about two miles to the head of the bay with its 250-foot state float, and a scattered collection of cabins, boardwalks, and hot springs. You can’t miss the huge waterfall to the left of the cabins. This is a serious falls with a typical volume of 450,000 gallons per minute plunging into the bay from about 100 feet above. Baranof’s dock is a busy place in June, July, and August. Boats come and go at all hours of the long summer days, so you never know when a spot will open up on the float. If the dock is full, rafting is permitted, but please ask before you tie off to anyone. You can tie to either side of the dock—just be aware that current from the falls can be substantial, especially at high tide. At lower tides, drying rocks divert the main thrust of the current away from the dock. Anchoring out around the edges of the bay is possible, but only in calm conditions and you have to be equipped to anchor in deep water. Once you’re safely tied up to the dock, there is a lot to do and see. The boardwalk at the top of the ramp will lead you through "town". The first building you see on the right is a public picnic shelter. You are welcome to use the outdoor barbeque. The next building on the left is a community bathhouse, built with funds from the city of Sitka and volunteer labor from the community of Baranof. There are three rooms, each with a large tub filled with water from the hot springs. The view of the falls and bay is great. Feel free to make a donation for maintaining the bathhouse in the lockbox outside. Continuing up the boardwalk, the left fork will take you down towards the falls. The closer you get, the louder and more impressive the waterfall becomes! Watch your step, as the rocks are slippery and hard on your backside! If you continue straight up the boardwalk from the bathhouse you will pass the Baranof General Store, run by the Lundstedt family. Christine Lundstedt is the only full time resident of Baranof. The store runs on Baranof time—its hours are somewhat sporadic and unpredictable. It’s a short walk from the dock; so if you see a light come on or the door swing open, head on up to the store to check it out. The store offers some basic supplies (no fresh produce) as well as ice cream bars, soft drinks, internet access, and hot coffee drinks from the espresso machine. Also available are hand made soaps and candles (some of Christine’s projects in the winter) and also has other locally made items. The store has a book-swap, and also sells some very good books by local authors. Fred Bahovec wrote "The First Hundred Years" about his life coming to America from Croatia as a young boy. Fred ended up making a living as a fisherman and fox farmer in Warm Springs Bay and was a local character until his death several years back at age 103. Wayne Short also wrote a couple of very entertaining books, "Chechakoes" and "This Raw Land". Both books chronicle his family’s lives as they homesteaded on the southern tip of Admiralty Island before moving to Warm Springs Bay after World War II. The boardwalk continues up through the woods past private cabins, and an easy 15-minute walk will take you to Baranof Lake. The trail was recently redone by the non-profit Sitka Trail Works and is in very good shape. Baranof Lake drains the large scenic valley that surrounds you as you look out at the lake, and glacial flour gives the water a beautiful aqua-green color. Just before you get to the lake, there are two inconspicuous trails that branch off to the right—you have to look pretty hard to see them. The first cutoff will take you up through the muskeg to Sadie Lake. The unimproved trail can often be muddy and is steep in a few spots. Most people take about an hour to reach the small serene lake at the end of the trail. Even if you don’t go all the way to the lake, the lower part of the trail goes through an interesting boggy area of the muskeg. Stop and look closely around your feet and if the time of the year is right, you will find dozens of tiny wild flowers hidden among the mosses and lichens. Stunted Lodgepole Pines and small Alaskan Cedars twist their way skyward along scattered small pools connected by meandering streams. Just past the start of the Sadie Lake rail, another small path branches off to the right. This trail is also usually muddy and has some steep spots. The climb to the "overview" or "lookout" takes about 10 minutes and is worth every sloppy step. The top of the rocky bluff offers stunning views all around. On clear days, you can see all the way to Admiralty Island across Chatham Strait, as well as Warm Springs Bay itself, Baranof Lake and its outflow river, which becomes the thundering waterfall at the head of the bay. On your way back down the trail to the dock, you will see a path leading up and to your right towards the river, off the elevated portion of the trail. This trail leads to the "grotto", two natural hot spring pools located next to the outflow river. The trail is a bit rough, but the setting is unsurpassed for those who are ready for a more adventurous soak than the public bathhouse. There are two pools; the larger pool is usually warmer than the pool closer to the river. The hot water trickles into the upper pool from a series of hot springs located just upstream. The original "coffins" (concrete boxes built around the springs to collect the water and direct it into pipes) are probably a hundred years old. The water temperature is 124 to 126 degrees as it comes out of the ground, so it is a good thing the piping system has deteriorated to the point that the water flows along a rock stream and gets a chance to cool down a bit before it reaches the pool. The outflow river thunders by the hot springs—its glacier fed waters are a class 5 rapids, and a contrast in all ways to the calm, peaceful, and hot soaking pools. You can expect an incredible soak in the springs alongside the spectacular outflow river. What you can’t expect is privacy; the grotto’s popularity grows each year. Most people from boats on the dock will stop by for a soak and numerous groups from the small cruise ships that pull in for the day will also come by for at least a peek at the famous springs. For those who want a bath, soap and shampoo are only used outside the pools. You can dip water out from below the lower pool. For the more adventuresome, there is a small hole in the rock even closer to the outflow river just deep and wide enough to stand up to one’s waist—this is known as the bathing hole. There is also a small cold-water pool just up the hill from the upper pool in the river’s edge for those who want a respite from the hot springs. In its early days, Baranof had the reputation of being a wild place with some rough edges. Along with the bathhouse, an early photo shows the local "Likor" store, and stories are told of "sporting women" with names like Petersburg Kate, Halibut Emma, and Chippy Mary who lived near the springs on "Hooker Hill". During prohibition there was a lookout designated to watch the boats coming into the bay for any sign of the Valkyrie, which regularly showed up without warning with a crew of prohibition agents. A primitive alarm system—an eight-year-old boy running up the trail shouting a warning to hide all the booze—prevented a senseless waste of the town’s "likor". ...continue to page two ...back to 48° North title page.
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Baranof’s dock is a busy place in June, July, and August.
Reid Naughtin with his king salmon.
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