Goddard Hot Springs: Remote Soaking on Baranof Island's Wild Coast
- August 11, 2026
Under old-growth western hemlock and Sitka spruce, two hand-built cedar bathhouses hold stainless steel soaking tubs filled by a geothermal spring that surfaces at 153°F. That's one of the hottest naturally occurring hot springs in Alaska, hot enough to need careful management. Soakers mix in cold water until they land on something comfortable, usually around 104°F. The mineral content gives the water a faint sulfur smell that longtime visitors have come to associate with deep earth and deep relaxation.
People have been coming to these waters for centuries. Tlingit oral histories reference the healing springs, and archaeological evidence points to continuous use long before Russian explorer Ivan Vasiliev documented them in 1809. The name "Goddard" comes from William R. Goddard, who filed the first private land claim on the springs in 1905, kicking off a modest era of development that included the original bathhouses. The current cedar buildings are modern in materials but carry forward that century-old tradition of sheltering soakers without softening the wildness of the experience.
Getting here takes commitment. No road leads here. No ferry stops nearby. No parking lot. Visitors arrange private boats or floatplane charters from Sitka, a 16-mile journey south along Baranof Island's eastern shore, then out into open Pacific waters. Summer months offer the most reliable conditions. The seas flatten out, and the coastline opens up—granite headlands draped in emerald forest, sea stacks rising from kelp-choked shallows. The floatplane option takes roughly 25 minutes each direction and drops passengers on a small beach adjacent to the springs. Charter costs from Sitka typically run $400 to $700 depending on aircraft type and trip duration. Pilots who fly this route regularly know exactly where to set down.
Winter gives Goddard a different character. Storms rolling in from the Gulf of Alaska can shut down the outer coast for days at a stretch. But when conditions cooperate, the soaking takes on something close to transcendence. Fog filtering through the spruces, rain pattering on the cedar roofs, the Pacific visible through the trees. You feel completely immersed in the wild. Cold months also make temperature management easier since the ambient air does much of the cooling work. The Tom Young Memorial Cabin, a Forest Service rental a short walk from the bathhouses, offers a woodstove and bunks for overnight stays. That kind of luxury lets you turn a day trip into an exploratory overnight, bracketing a night of coastal rain listening with morning and evening soaks.
The fee structure is simple: zero dollars. Alaska State Parks manages Goddard Hot Springs as a public resource. No entrance fee, no day-use fee, no soaking fee has ever been charged. Users share the two bathhouses, usually one party at a time, following an informal honor system of turnover. Waits stay short even during summer weekends. Dispersed camping is permitted nearby at established sites positioned to catch morning sun while staying clear of the stream that feeds the spring system.
Black flies become a genuine concern from mid-May through August. These small, persistent insects breed in the site's abundant freshwater streams and wetlands, and they operate on a completely different aggression wavelength than mainland mosquitoes. Visitors who have experienced both consistently report that standard mosquito repellent falls short against the Goddard black fly. Products with DEET concentrations above 30 percent work better, and many experienced visitors bring head nets as standard gear during peak season. The flies disappear almost overnight once September arrives. By October, the coast belongs to the crows and eagles, with the occasional black-tailed deer swimming across from adjacent islands.
The mineral composition of the water, a mix of sodium, chloride, and trace amounts of calcium and silica, produces a noticeably soft feeling on skin. Long soakers report that the high mineral content cuts the slippery film that often comes with standard hot water immersion, leaving skin feeling clean and slightly astringent rather than coated. The 153°F source temperature means the water arrives at the tubs essentially sterile, requiring no chemical treatment or filtration. What reaches the soaking tubs is the same water that has traveled through rock for decades before surfacing, carrying dissolved minerals that draw people hundreds of miles to experience.
Planning a visit means checking weather forecasts for both Sitka and the outer coast, a distinction that matters. Sitka's temperate rainforest climate often paints a misleading picture. The outer coast can face entirely different wind and swell conditions that make boat landings dangerous or impossible regardless of what the Sitka airport weather station reports. Charter operators maintain their own forecasting protocols and will cancel trips when conditions warrant. The ocean decides, and experienced visitors learn to respect that judgment.