THE TOLOVANA EXPERIENCE 

"A trip to Tolovana Hot Springs is a wilderness adventure to bathe in natural hot springs and to enjoy the outdoors. The cabins are rustic, simple and comfortable. Burning wood, hauling drinking water and using outhouses are part of the experience. It makes you feel good. You are clean, warm and relaxed. It is quiet. The hot tubs are outdoors, exposed to the weather, the stars, and the raging northern lights. Getting out of the hot tub on a cold night is part of the experience.

The operators of Tolovana Hot Springs are dedicated to preserving the natural, rustic, and simple qualities that Tolovana currently possesses. Their goal is to provide visitors low impact access and accommodations so current visitors may enjoy the natural hot springs and surrounding wilderness area while preserving these resources for future generations."

DAY 1: MEET & GREET

After breakfast at your accommodations, we will pick you up and bring you to the homestead to meet your guides and your new teammates: the dogs. We will go over gear, have a brief lesson on mushing, take a test dog sled ride through the boreal forest, and prepare our sleds for departure the next morning.

Lunch will be provided in between preparations and we will finish the evening with a relaxing dinner at Arctic Dog Adventure Co. You will spend the night at the homestead.

• Meals: Lunch and Dinner at Arctic Dog Adventure Co.

• Accommodations: Shared accommodations at Arctic Dog Adventure Co.

• Milage: 5 miles

DAY 2: NORTHERN HORIZONS

After breakfast at the kennel, we will load the sleds dogs and start the two hour drive to the trailhead, where we will unload sleds and dogs, don our mushing gear, hook up our dog teams, and set off. The land surrounding the trailhead is pure wilderness. Rimmed by mountains, with an ocean of forest and tundra stretching hundreds of miles in either direction.

We will follow a creek valley, losing approximately 1000 feet of elevation in two miles as we drop into the Brooks Creek drainage. Hold on tight! We then cross three miles of swamp, clouds swirling in the expansive of Interior sky. As we reach the edge of the swamp we see a trail rising straight up in front of us. This is the start of the ascent of Tolovana Dome.

The climb is moderate. A third of the way up we enter an old burn, the landscape marked by blackened candlestick tree trunks. The new vegetation that has grown in the years since the wildfire makes this an area rich in wildlife: moose, grouse, ptarmigan, and wolf. Limbless trees afford us peeks of the Minto Flats in the distance. The trail plateaus at Windy Gap, an area where the wind howls through the thick stunted alpine birch and spruce, building giant waves of hardened snow (sastrugi) that sleds bump up and over. Sled driving can be very technical here.

After a half-mile we break through the tree line and start ascending above the tree line. Spectacular views of the Ray Mountains in the distance rise behind us, a sawtoothed ridgeline marking the Northern horizon. After another half mile, we reach the windswept summit. If the weather agrees, this is a perfect spot for hot drinks and a snack while we soak in the views. If it is really clear, Denali will be visible to the southwest. The last mile down to the hot springs can be challenging. It is very, very steep, requiring us to brake hard to control our speed. We lose 1000 feet in elevation in one mile. There are switchbacks. We will take it slow and safe and unhook dogs as needed.

Before you know it, our teams will sweep around a corner and over a steaming open creek, marking our arrival at Tolovana Hot Springs. We will take care of the dogs first, unharnessing and staking them out in front of our cabin. Then it’s time to explore and relax at this rustic oasis in the heart the Interior.

• Meals: Breakfast at the homestead, lunch in the car, dinner at camp.

• Accommodations: Bunk in shared cabin.

• Milage: 10 miles.

Day 3: RELAX & REJUVENATE

We will spend the day soaking in the three different hot tubs tucked into the ravine where the hot springs are found. The cabin is outfitted with many comfortable amenities, including propane lights and a full-sized stove, allowing us to cook a large and delicious meals to celebrate our time in this Alaskan paradise. We will stay up late, maximizing our opportunities to see the northern lights.

• Meals: At cabin.

• Accommodations: Bunk in shared cabin.

• Mileage: The walk to the hot springs and back. Repeat.

DAY 4: TOLOVANA DOME

Today, perhaps after an early morning soak, we will say good bye to our cozy cabin and begin our trek back to the Tolovana trailhead. The first two miles out from the springs are very steep, with switchbacks, possibly filled with wind drifts. We will have to walk and help the dogs by pushing our sleds up the hill.

The top of the dome is a sweet reward for our efforts, affording commanding views of the Minto Flats, Alaska Range and the Ray Mountains. We will begin the long descent into the lowlands spread out before us. A mile from the summit we re-enter Windy Gap, likely filled with rock-hard wind drifts that require your attention to navigate. This is your opportunity to celebrate your newfound sled skills. Windy Gap is followed by a gentle, protected descent into the valley. We could fly past the old burn, or if the weather is agreeable, perhaps we will stop there and have a bonfire with our lunch.

We will traverse the valley floor and begin the last climb to the trailhead. While this two-mile climb is more gradual than the first, there are still some steep sections. Expect to push and pedal. An alpine birch forest will signal our arrival at the top of the ridge. The parking lot appears around a corner, seemingly out of nowhere. Once arrived, we will unpack our sleds, tuck the dogs away in their boxes, shed some layers and climb into the truck for the journey back to town. The drive takes about two hours, depending on weather and road conditions.

• Meals: Breakfast in cabin, lunch on the trail, dinner on your own.

• Accommodations: You will need to arrange your own accommodations for this night.

• Milage: 10 miles