A Drive to Manley Hot Springs

Many of you have asked me to describe more of our surroundings or more about Manley Hot Springs. I’m going to try to write at least one post per week for the remaining weeks we are here. Please understand that this is life/surroundings and Manley from my perspective and someone else might describe things differently!

Close your eyes and picture with me. We are in a vehicle heading north east out of Fairbanks, AK. The road is paved and plowed and is a two lane highway.  Although the drive is only 160 miles, we are prepared for emergencies as well as a four-hour drive.  We have winter clothes, water, some food, and a jerry can of gasoline. The road is fairly traveled and vehicles are traveling in both directions. However, once we pass Chena Hot Springs which is about 5 miles outside of Fairbanks, the traffic decreases greatly. Now most of the vehicles traveling are either tankers headed to the oil fields, semis hauling various items, or people heading out to their homes.

Once we pass the Chena Hot Springs, we travel about 50 more miles wandering through the mountains. The road we are on is commonly called the “Haul Road” because this road will travel all the way to the Arctic Ocean. Now we’ve gone 50 miles, and we are ready to turn off. We turn onto Elliot Highway. We still have about 80 miles to go, but this is the most rustic road. It’s still a snow-plowed road, but the snow drifts are more abundant and it’s far less traveled.  Sometimes, you can travel all the way to Manley without passing a single vehicle. Along the way, we pass several cabins, maybe a moose or two, and lots of beautiful scenery. No matter how often you drive it, the drive is still beautiful and wild in the way God made His creation. The road is narrow in places due to snow drifts and although it’s meant for two lane traffic, it’s best to slow down and pull off the road as much as possible when passing vehicles. Of course, by now the children have to go potty! So, we just pull off the road and everyone takes care of business. After piling back into the truck, we pull out snacks and drinks to help occupy little minds and hands. The drive continues, and on we go upward and over the mountains through the Tanana Valley. We pass the turn off road to Minto (another little town) and now we are about 30 miles out from Manley. About 13 miles later, we pass through Eureka. Unless you know that this area is Eureka, you probably would pass through without even blinking. This is where many people come to cut dry firewood as some of the area is a burned area. Although it’s called Eureka, there isn’t a whole lot in the area. A few cabins and turnoffs and that’s about it. However, it is home to a few families.

We continue our drive towards Manley, crossing over Baker Creek; so we are now entering land that belongs to the Native Americans. At about mile marker 148 we see a sign that says…”No shooting: Residential Area”. However, there is not a single house or building in sight! Traveling on, we pass the sign that states “Sanitary Landfill”. At about mile marker 149 now, we are at the driveway to the dump. We pass that driveway and mosey on down the road. We are getting closer and when are about  .25 miles from the dump we are passing the washateria, also on the right side of the road. Here we find a log building that houses the Council and a single wide trailer that contains both the health clinic and the washateria.  Passing on, we travel about another .25 miles and see the sign that states, “Manley 1”. Beyond that a little ways, it the welcome sign for Manley Hot Springs and the well that provides water to Manley and many surrounding dry cabins. The well is on the right side of the road, and almost across the street is the Department of Transportation. Various snow removal equipment, trucks and a building occupy the area here. On we go, passing a few more cabins and a road that is called “Tofty Road”. Since it’s one of the few roads that actually have a sign, it’s an honorable mention. J We’ve traveled downhill since the washateria, and about .25 miles past Tofty Road, we see the Manley Hot Springs Bath house on the right side of the road. Because of the hot springs, the trees are always frosted in this area of the road. We pass the “plastic house” also on the right side by the hot springs. This house is covered in greenhouse plastic and the house is heated with water from the hot springs.

Just before we get ready to cross the one-lane bridge crossing the slough, we pass another road heading up a little hill. This road is kinda like a frontage road along the slough heading to a few homes, the Preacher’s cabin, and the cemetery. We cross over the bridge and are greeted by a small snow-covered park. Here we find a few picnic benches and a swing set. Almost directly in front of us, a little off to the left, is the Manley Road House. It doesn’t appear to be open too much in the winter, but if someone needs lodging they might try there. The road in front of the Road House twists around leading to a few more log homes and Manley Baptist Fellowship.

But coming off the bridge, we take the road winding towards the right. We pass a few dilapidated old stores, turn left to pass the airport runway, and head towards the post office. Here on the right side, is the hub of the town: the post office and the “Manley Mall”. The “Manley Mall” is a store that sells a few items and some liquor and is also the gas station. It’s not really the “Manley Mall”, but that is what it is affectionately known by.  Our stop is at the post office as that is one of the most important places in town. You can find all sorts of miscellaneous tidbits of information. If we continued on, we’d pass the school house, and the Manley Community Hall. Also, we’d pass the new runway that was just built but not in use yet, and then we would end up at the end of the road. Literally, it is the end of the road! The road ends at the Tanana River. If we want to visit Tanana village, we will either travel by snow machine, airplane or boat (if it was summertime). However, that completes our journey for today. I hope you enjoyed your drive and will plan on staying a while! J