Hot Springs in Wyoming: Where to Soak in Thermopolis

Why Wyoming suits a hot springs road trip

Wyoming holds at least 14 documented hot springs, with the densest grouping in Thermopolis and a second cluster in the mountains around Jackson. The state maintains a free public bathhouse in Hot Springs State Park by law, and the Thermopolis area pairs that soak with the terraced travertine along the Bighorn River. Travelers who want options beyond a single pool can string together a free public soak, a paid mineral facility and a scenic canyon pool in one trip.

Most Wyoming springs sit at elevation and stay open year-round, so the calendar matters less than the road conditions. Winter soaking near Thermopolis and Jackson is possible, but mountain roads can require care in the cold months. Plan a base town and a backup pool for the day the road or the weather turns.

The state's springs divide cleanly by type: free public bathhouses and town pools, paid mineral facilities and water parks, developed canyon and riverside pools, and resort-only soaking. That mix means a family with young swimmers and a couple chasing a quiet canyon soak can plan the same state but very different days. The sections below sort out which is which and what each one asks of you.

Thermopolis: the densest cluster in Hot Springs State Park

Thermopolis, in central Wyoming, holds the densest grouping of soaks in the state, built around Hot Springs State Park and its giant mineral spring. The State Bath House, Star Plunge and Hellie's Tepee Pools all draw bathers to the terraced travertine along the Bighorn River. The park itself was established in 1897 and offers two hotels with hot spring pools, picnic areas, more than 6 miles of walking and hiking trails, and camping, which makes it a good multi-day base rather than a drive-by stop.

Plan the park as a half day at minimum. The bathhouse soak, a walk to the travertine terraces and a crossing of the Swinging Bridge fit together in a loop, and the picnic lawns give you a place to eat between soaks. Bison roam the park, so give them room and stay on the trails and paths rather than cutting across the grass.

The State Bath House: free mineral pools at 104 degrees

The State Bath House is the anchor of a Thermopolis day: free public mineral pools held at 104 degrees, open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5:30 p.m., with attendants on site. The free soak is guaranteed by an 1896 treaty, which is why the bathhouse is the one pool in the park every visitor can use without a ticket.

Arrive early in the day if you want a quieter soak, and bring a towel, sandals and soap, since the mineral water has a distinct smell that lingers. Attendants are available to help guests, which makes the bathhouse a comfortable first hot spring for families and older travelers. Keep your head above water in the pools and treat the soak as relaxation rather than a medical treatment.

Hellie's Tepee Pools: slides, steam room and 94-104 degree pools

Hellie's Tepee Pools is the paid mineral facility inside Hot Springs State Park, with pools ranging from 94 to 104 degrees, waterslides, hot tubs and a steam room. It opens 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily year-round, which makes it the flexible option when the bathhouse hours do not fit your schedule or you want a longer family session with the kids.

The trade-off is straightforward: you pay for the slides, steam room and range of pool temperatures, but you share the space with families and the water park crowd. Go early in the morning or later in the evening if you want the hotter pools to yourself. Pair it with the free bathhouse on the same day so you get both the historic soak and the family amenities.

Star Plunge: current status and what it means for a Thermopolis day

Star Plunge, the long-running water park and mineral pool complex in Hot Springs State Park, has been closed since January 14, 2025, amid a legal dispute with Wyoming State Parks, with no confirmed reopening date as of 2026. The free State Bath House next door remains open, so a Thermopolis soak day still works without it.

If Star Plunge was the reason for your stop, shift the plan to the bathhouse and Hellie's Tepee Pools and treat the rest of the park as the day. The terraces, the Swinging Bridge and the White Sulphur Spring walk fill the time between soaks. Confirm the status with Wyoming State Parks before you build a family day around the slides.

Fountain of Youth RV Park: the state's largest mineral pool for day use

Fountain of Youth RV Park in Thermopolis holds the largest mineral pool in Wyoming, a 235-by-72-foot pool held at 95 to 105 degrees. Day use is available at the RV park, it is open year-round and wheelchair accessible, and it operates as a paid facility.

The big pool suits swimmers who want to move rather than sit, and the RV park setting means you can combine a soak with a camping or RV stay. It is a different experience from the bathhouse: less historic, more open water. Add it as an afternoon stop after a morning at the State Bath House.

Terraces, White Sulphur Spring and the Swinging Bridge walk

Not every hot spring in the park is for soaking. White Sulphur Spring has been an attraction since 1890 and feeds directly into the Bighorn River, with parking and a path and stone stairway built during the Depression-era by the Work Projects Administration that put you right in front of the spring. You can step over it and get closer than most hot springs allow, which makes it the best short walk in the park.

The Swinging Bridge crosses the Bighorn River to a viewing area for the mineral terraces, and the path from the parking area circles the hot spring before you choose the bridge detour. Take the detour: the terraces are not visible from the main path, and the crossing is short. Wear shoes with grip, because the stone stairs and the travertine are slippery when wet.

Jackson area: Granite Hot Springs Pool at the end of a canyon road

Granite Hot Springs Pool sits in Bridger-Teton National Forest 34 miles from Jackson at the end of a canyon road in the Gros Ventre mountains. The developed pool runs about 93 degrees in summer and 112 degrees in winter, the last 10 miles are unpaved, and winter access is by snowmobile or skis only.

The road is the real planning constraint. In summer a standard car can handle the gravel with care; in winter you need a snowmobile or skis, which turns a soak into a half-day outing. The pool fee is $12 cash, so bring bills rather than relying on a card. Check the Bridger-Teton National Forest office for road and pool status before you drive out.

Astoria Hot Springs: six mineral pools on the Snake River

Astoria Hot Springs is a nonprofit spring park near Jackson on the Snake River, with six mineral pools held at 100 to 104 degrees, a children's pool and a cold plunge. It operates year-round, is ADA accessible, is paid, and reservations are recommended. That combination makes it the easiest Teton-country soak for families and travelers who want a reliable, developed pool rather than a hike-in spring.

The cold plunge and the children's pool let a group split up without leaving the property, and the mountain views over the Snake River are the reason to linger. Book ahead if you are traveling on a weekend or holiday, and bring your own towel. Compare it with Granite Hot Springs Pool: Astoria is the accessible, reservation-based day; Granite is the canyon drive.

Saratoga: the Hobo Hot Pool on the North Platte

Saratoga Hobo Hot Pool is a free outdoor mineral pool beside the North Platte River, run by the Town of Saratoga and open 24/7/365. The main pool runs 106 to 119 degrees and a smaller pool sits at 100 degrees, which gives you a hot soak and a cooler one a few steps apart. It is the southern Wyoming counterpart to the Thermopolis bathhouse: a town-maintained soak you can use without a ticket.

The round-the-clock access means you can soak at sunrise or after a long drive, but it also means no attendant is on duty at all hours. Go with a companion, keep your head above the water, and watch your footing on the wet stone around the pools. Saratoga makes a natural overnight stop between the Snowy Range and the North Platte Valley.

Saratoga Hot Springs Resort: teepee tubs and the 70-foot pool

Saratoga Hot Springs Resort is the full-service option in town, with a 70-foot mineral pool and five teepee-covered hot tubs fed by natural mineral water. Pool access is limited to guests, members and spa visitors, so the soak is part of a stay rather than a walk-up day use.

The resort sits between the Snowy Range and the Sierra Madre and on the upper North Platte River, and it bundles the soak with lodging, a spa, dining and a golf course that straddles the river. That is the trade-off against the Hobo Hot Pool: you pay for the setting and the amenities, and you get a quieter, more controlled soak. Book a room or a spa treatment if the teepee tubs are the draw.

Yellowstone's southern gateway: soaking status at Huckleberry, Polecat and Boiling River

The soaks near Yellowstone's southern gateway are viewing stops, not swimming stops. Huckleberry Hot Springs and Polecat Hot Springs near Flagg Ranch sit just south of the park and share a trailhead, but the National Park Service has prohibited soaking there since 2014 and the trail is open for viewing only; a park entry fee applies. Do not enter the water.

Boiling River Hot Springs has been closed since 2022, when June floods shifted geothermal vents to 140 degrees and left no cool water to mix, with no reopening plans as of 2026; a national park entry fee applies if you visit the area. Kelly Hot Springs in Grand Teton National Park permits viewing but water entry is inadvisable, and a park entry fee is required. Plan the Yellowstone and Teton gateway as scenery and short walks, and put your soaking miles in at Thermopolis, Jackson or Saratoga.

Fees, hours and access at a glance

The free soaks are the State Bath House in Thermopolis and the Saratoga Hobo Hot Pool, and both anchor a cheap soak day. Paid options include Hellie's Tepee Pools, Fountain of Youth RV Park, Granite Hot Springs Pool (cash only), the Astoria Hot Springs park and the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort, where pool access comes with a stay, membership or spa visit. The State Bath House keeps the most limited hours, so build your Thermopolis day around its Monday-to-Saturday and Sunday afternoon schedule.

Beyond the pools, Hot Springs State Park charges a $7 day-use fee per vehicle plus $10 for overnight stays, reported by Live WYld Magazine, so a park day and a park camp night are two separate costs. Pets are allowed in the park on leashes but not in the mineral pools. Bring a towel, sunscreen, sandals, soap for the mineral smell and hiking shoes for the trails.

Where to camp and stay near each cluster

Hot Springs State Park is the best camping and lodging base in Thermopolis: two hotels inside the park have hot spring pools and hot tubs, and camping is available with the park's scenery and soaks close by. Staying in the park means you can walk to the bathhouse and the terraces instead of driving between them. Book the park hotels early in summer, when the town fills with families.

For the Jackson area, base in Jackson and choose between Astoria's reservation-based pools on the Snake River and the canyon drive to Granite Hot Springs Pool. Saratoga gives you two lodging styles: the resort with its teepee tubs and 70-foot pool, or a town stay within walking distance of the 24-hour Hobo Hot Pool. Pick the base that matches your soak style, then plan day drives from there.

Best time to go and how crowds shift across the seasons

Summer is the busiest season across all three clusters, and the Thermopolis bathhouse and park terraces draw the heaviest daytime crowds. Go early in the morning for the bathhouse and the White Sulphur Spring walk, and save the paid pools for mid-afternoon when the free soak fills up. Weekdays are quieter than weekends throughout the summer.

Winter changes the plan rather than closing it. Thermopolis and Jackson soaks stay open under snow, but Granite Hot Springs Pool requires snowmobile or ski access and the mountain roads need care. The Saratoga Hobo Hot Pool's 24-hour access makes it a good cold-weather stop, and a winter soak at 112 degrees at Granite is the reward for the extra effort.

Combining springs on a Wyoming road trip

A Thermopolis-to-Jackson route strings together the state's two main clusters, with the bathhouse and terraces at one end and the Snake River pools at the other. Add Saratoga on the southern leg for the Hobo Hot Pool and the resort, and you have a loop that covers free soaks, paid pools and canyon scenery. Two nights in Thermopolis and two near Jackson is a comfortable pace.

If you are extending the trip beyond Wyoming, the hot springs in Idaho and the hot springs in Montana make natural additions to a northern Rockies loop. Both neighboring states offer their own mix of developed resorts and primitive pools, so the same style of trip planning carries over. Keep the Wyoming soaks as the anchor and add one out-of-state stop rather than trying to collect every pool. A shorter trip with two or three soaks beats a driving marathon.

What to bring and how to soak safely

Pack a towel, sandals, sunscreen, soap and water, and bring cash for Granite Hot Springs Pool's entry fee. Wear shoes with grip for the travertine terraces and the stone stairs at White Sulphur Spring, which are slippery when wet. At the primitive and hike-in soaks, pack out everything you bring in and stay on the established paths.

Treat the water with respect: source water can be scalding, rock around the pools is slippery, and you should avoid submerging your head in untreated geothermal water. River levels near riverside soaks change with runoff, so watch the current before you step in. At developed pools, follow the posted rules on clothing, alcohol, glass, dogs and age limits; in Hot Springs State Park, pets stay on leash and out of the mineral pools.

Children need a hand near hot pools and cold plunges, and the temperature differences between a 119-degree main pool and a 100-degree smaller pool are bigger than they feel. Start with the cooler pool and move to the hotter one. A short soak beats a long one, especially at elevation.

Plan Your Visit

Wyoming's hot springs sort into three plan-able clusters, and the right one depends on your style: Thermopolis for free bathhouse soaks and travertine terraces, Jackson and Teton country for a canyon pool or a riverside park, and Saratoga for a 24-hour town soak or a resort stay. Pick a base, match the pool to the day, and leave the Yellowstone-gateway soaks as viewing stops. Check current conditions with Wyoming State Parks, the Town of Saratoga or the Bridger-Teton National Forest before you drive out.