Baranof Warm Springs, Alaska
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Baranof Warm Springs is a small, primarily seasonally-occupied community in the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the eastern side of Baranof Island in the Alexander Archipelago. It is occasionally referred to simply as Baranof. Baranof Warm Springs is located at .
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[edit] Geography
Baranof Warm Springs is located on Warm Springs Bay which is just off of Chatham Strait. Just about a half mile up from the settlement is the outlet of Baranof Lake, a large glacially fed freshwater lake. Baranof Lake is fed from small unnamed glacial run-off streams as well as the relatively large Baranof River. Between the half mile outlet between Baranof Lake and Warm Springs Bay there are a series of rapids and waterfalls that have proven to be lethal when run.
[edit] Community
Baranof Warm Springs is a very small community, rumored to have around three year-round residents. However, there are a good deal of seasonal homes. The community lies inside the jurisidiction of the City and Borough of Sitka, but there are only two tax-paying commercial enterprises, the Baranof General Store and the Baranof Lodge and Resort. The city, in return, maintains a boardwalk which serves as the main thoroughfare as well as a dock for transient vessels. The community pools money together to pay for a seasonal (winter) caretaker for seasonally-inhabited residences, the city-owned cabin which is open to anyone passing through, the public bathouse (which features three separate tubs), and the communal warm springs pools.
[edit] Transportation
Baranof Warm Springs is accessible via floatplane with regularly scheduled flights leaving Sitka. The trans-island flight is 30 minutes on a clear day and an hour on an overcast one. The Alaska Marine Highway does not service Baranof Warm Springs and there are is no scheduled ferry/marine passenger services to the community. Baranof Warm Springs itself does not feature any roads and the boardwalk does not accommodate ATVs.
[edit] Attractions
The primary attraction is the warm springs. Small tour boats come in frequently in the summer, but also fishermen, and employees of the Hidden Falls Hatchery visit as well. The warm springs is also the terminus (or occasionally the trailhead) of the Baranof Cross-Island Trail. On the northern end of Baranof Lake there is also a Forest Service cabin that is quite popular and Baranof Warm Springs is usually the starting point for travelling up the lake to get to the cabin.
[edit] Namesake
Baranof Warm Springs, Baranof Island, and the numerous other locations that include "Baranof" all received their names from Alexandr Baranov, the first governor of the Russian-American Company.
[edit] See also
[edit] Gallery
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