Tolovana Roadhouse

Tolovana Lodge (Tolovana Roadhouse as it is known historically) is located along the banks of the Tanana River in a remote location.
Travel to the roadhouse is by dogteam or snowmachine (snowmobile) in winter and riverboat in summer. You can also reach the roadhouse by air. Small bush planes outfitted with floats may land on the river in summer and on skis in the winter. The roadhouse is 53-miles by trail from Nenana, Alaska (a small town located on the Parks Hwy, 45 miles south of Fairbanks) and 32 miles by trail from Manley Hot Springs, Alaska (another small town 150 miles north and west of Fairbanks).

Tolovana Roadhouse is known as a ‘roadhouse’ as it located on a ‘sled road’ on old maps and sled routes. Roadhouses were used by mail-carriers who used dogteams to deliver the mail to remote ‘bush’ communities. It was used by other travelers as well going between villages and communities in the bush. The trail between these communities is also known as the ‘Old Mail Trail’. Tolovana Roadhouse is most famous for being the first stop in the original Serum Run of 1925 – a sled dog relay which brought the diphtheria antitoxin to Nome to save the lives of many children during this historical epidemic.

Leslie and Dave bought the historically acclaimed Tolovana Roadhouse in 2010 in pursuits of new trails and adventures. The existing log structure was built by Henry and Ida Martin in 1925 (refurbished in the 1980’s by Doug Bowers) and was most famous for being the first stop in the original Serum Run of 1925 (a dogsled run to deliver diphtheria antitoxin to Nome during the epidemic).  Tolovana Roadhouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the 1980s.

You’ll find the rustic roadhouse warm and comfortable, as well as pleasingly simple and well-preserved. Come and share in the history, beauty, and solitude it has to offer.

Manley Hot Springs

The small town of Manley Hot Springs is located 150 west of Fairbanks at the end of the Elliott Highway. Paws for Adventure has set up a permanent camp on the trail system the we use to access the Tolovana Roadhouse (located 32 miles from Manley Hot Springs). We transport the dogs and gear over the Elliott Highway (approximately a 4 hour drive over rough road) to meet our guests who will fly in by plane. This is safer and more convenient for all of us than transporting guests by road.

At the time of this writing, the town has a post office, small convenience store with limited hours, airport, the Manley Roadhouse, and the Manley Resort Cabins which has a natural hot springs tub. The town has a small number of year-round residents.

What Our Clients Say

They went out of their way to accommodate us!
My wife and I went to Alaska for our 20 year anniversary and ended up in Fairbanks. We had been able while in Juneau to enjoy summer dog sledding so much that we wanted to do it one more time before going home. We found paws for adventure on yelp and are so glad we did! They went out of their way to accommodate us last minute. We got easy instructions on how to get there only a 25 minute drive from princess riverside next to the airport and it was a scenic drive to their beautiful property. Upon arriving we met Chase who is a professional at dog sledding and he gave us a one on one rundown of everything about racing the dogs etc. we then got to spend a bunch of time playing with the dogs and went on a nice ride. It was so nice of them to take such good care of us and it was the icing on the cake of a spectacular trip to Alaska. Thank you Chase and paws for adventure for making our trip that much more enjoyable!
Joshua H. (Oceanside, CA)
The ride was a lot of fun and filled with laughter
I decided to book the Short Winter Tour since I was traveling solo and unsure about whether I’d enjoy being in the chilly outdoors for hours. Well, I regret not booking a longer tour!

I was greeted immediately upon arrival and since I was dressed in proper winter gear, I was told I could go spend time with the dogs until my ride was ready. Once it was my turn, I was tucked in nicely and off we went. I had a blast with Mike the musher and his very lively team. The ride was a lot of fun and filled with laughter.

Next time, I’ll definitely take the longer tour.
Janet K. (Feb 2018)
Leslie is extremely friendly and really loves her dogs
First time ever mushing or even dog sledding, Leslie made this a wonderful experience and left me wanting to do it again and again. She is extremely friendly and really loves her dogs, which is nothing but great considering what they do for her.

I cannot say near enough good stuff about this whole adventure, even though it was only one hour, it was extremely wonderful! If you are ever in Fairbanks and have a hankering for some adventure definitely check out Paws for Adventure!
Will C. (Riverside, IA)
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