Serpentine Hot Springs

What to expect

Serpentine Hot Springs is the best-known spot in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, a 2.7-million-acre park unit on the Seward Peninsula with no roads at all. The springs rise on Hot Springs Creek, in a shallow valley ringed by granite tors: weathered stone spires that stand up out of the tundra like ruined towers. The Iñupiaq name is Iyat, which means cooking pot or a place for cooking. Families from Shishmaref and other villages have come here for generations, for healing and for rest, and they remain its main users, mostly in winter.

The setup is simple and very Alaskan. Across from the bunkhouse is a small enclosed bathhouse with two changing rooms and one redwood soaking tub. Two pipes feed it: one from the hot spring and one from the river. The NPS says the hot spring water can reach 170°F77°C, so the cold line matters. When it freezes in winter, or the river is too shallow to feed it in summer, you fill the five-gallon buckets left at the bathhouse from the river and cool the tub by hand.

One rule surprises people: leave the spigots running all the time. If the tub sits empty it dries out and shrinks, and the wood cracks.

The NPS gives no fixed soaking temperature, because it depends entirely on your mix. Geologists put the deep reservoir under the preserve’s two thermal areas (Serpentine and the smaller Arctic Hot Springs) at roughly 260°F127°C, far below the surface.

Getting there

There is no road access to the preserve. The preserve headquarters and the Bering Land Bridge Heritage Center are in Nome, about 100 miles south of the preserve. Serpentine is roughly 95 miles north of Nome in a straight line and about 45 miles southeast of Shishmaref.

• By air (most visitors): Charter a small plane from Nome or Kotzebue. Permitted air taxis and private pilots may land in the preserve, and a gravel airstrip sits a short walk from the bunkhouse. The NPS asks pilots to check the strip’s condition, the weather and radio communication before flying in. The park lists permitted operators in its air taxi directory.
• In winter: Aircraft on skis or snowmachines can make the trip once snow cover is adequate. Snow, ice and wind last from about October to April.
• On foot: Possible, but it is a serious, unmarked overland trip across open tundra. Only experienced backcountry travelers should try it.

ATVs, helicopters and other off-road vehicles are not allowed in the preserve.

Plan for weather delays both ways. The NPS warns that pickups from remote spots can slip by several days. Pack food, fuel and clothing for well beyond your planned stay.

When to go

Summer (June to August) gives near-constant light, green tundra, birds, and the best odds of flying weather, although fog and wind still ground planes. Mosquitoes can be fierce.

Spring (March and April) brings fast-lengthening days while there is usually still snow for snowmachine travel. Soaking in the bathhouse after a cold ride is the point of the trip.

Deep winter is harsh. January has about 4 hours of daylight, average winter temperatures run around 10°F−12°C, and the NPS says extremes at the springs can reach -50°F−46°C. Ice builds up on the bathhouse floor and walkway.

Rules and etiquette

There are no entrance fees, no reservations and no backcountry permits to get. The NPS asks visitors to keep the shared, relaxed character of the place.

• First come, first served. If the bunkhouse is full, make room or pitch a tent.
• Keep the spigots running so the redwood tub does not dry out and crack.
• Store all food in the bear-safe lockers, and pack out opened packages.
• Pack out all trash and recycling. Cans are provided, but nobody comes to empty them. Bring heavy garbage bags.
• Fuel goes in the wooden storage locker on the back of the bunkhouse, not on top of it. It is not fireproof.
• No honey buckets. Use the outhouse, about 100 feet west of the bunkhouse near the airstrip. Bring toilet paper.
• Respect local use. Shishmaref families built the original bunkhouse and bathhouse before the preserve existed, and many still travel here. Share the tub and the space.

Where to stay

The bunkhouse is a World War II-era knockdown barracks building that the NPS took over in 1980 and has updated since. It has three rooms. The middle one holds tools, cleaning supplies and the water filters. Each outer room has six bunks with thin mattresses, a big kitchen table, a two-burner Coleman stove, a drip heating stove and a bear-safe locker. Basic cookware and cleaning supplies are there. In total it sleeps about 12.

You must bring:

• a sleeping bag and pad
• fuel for the Coleman stoves (white gas or unleaded gasoline for the dual-fuel models, or propane canisters for the others)
• heating oil for the drip stoves, and matches
• toilet paper, garbage bags and your own water filter

Camping in a tent near the springs is the backup when the bunkhouse is full, and a sensible plan in any case. Nome has the nearest hotels, stores and hospital.

Safety notes

• Scalding water: The spring can reach 170°F77°C. Mix the tub and test it with your hand before getting in, and test it again after topping up.
• Drinking water: The river carries high levels of coliform bacteria. The two Katadyn gravity filters remove coliform and giardia, but they may be frozen, broken or not changed in the past six months. Boil or filter with your own gear.
• Remoteness: There is no cell service. The nearest hospital is more than 80 miles away and Anchorage is 540 miles. After an injury, expect at least a 3 to 4 hour wait for help in good conditions. Carry a satellite phone and a satellite messenger or ELT, a full first aid kit, and a week’s extra medication.
• Leave an itinerary: Give someone at home your pilot’s name, the aircraft tail number, your satellite phone number and your return date, and check in when you are back.
• Wildlife: Brown bears, moose, muskox and caribou all use the area. Keep food in the lockers and a clean camp.
• Ice: In winter the bathhouse floor and walkway can be glazed. Wear traction and move carefully with wet feet.