State Bath House, Hot Springs State Park

What to expect

The State Bath House is the plain, practical heart of Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis. It is a small building on Tepee Street run by Wyoming State Parks, with one indoor pool and one outdoor pool fed by the park’s mineral springs. The state keeps the water at about 104°F40°C and charges nothing to use it.

Do not come expecting a water park. The pools are for sitting and soaking, not swimming laps or playing. Frommer’s describes them as small and clean, and that matches the feel: locals who come every week, travelers stopping on the way to Yellowstone, and attendants keeping an eye on the clock. The water has a mineral smell and leaves a faint film, which is normal for Thermopolis.

The two commercial pools in the park sit on either side. Hellie’s TePee Pools is the domed building with slides and hot tubs, and the Star Plunge has been closed since January 2025. If you want slides or a long afternoon in the water, go to the TePee. If you want a quiet, free soak, this is the place.

Why it is free

The free bath goes back to the sale of the springs. In 1896 Chief Washakie of the Eastern Shoshone and Chief Sharp Nose of the Northern Arapaho agreed to sell the federal government a block of reservation land around the springs, and the state took over a one-mile tract the next year as its first state park. Frommer’s notes that Washakie saw the springs as a place of peace between tribes that should stay open to everyone. Wyoming has kept a free public bath here ever since. The story has long been retold in Thermopolis in a historical pageant, the Gift of the Waters.

Getting there

Hot Springs State Park is on the north side of Thermopolis, across the Bighorn River from downtown. The park’s address is 51 US Highway 20 North.

• From downtown Thermopolis: Take Park Street toward the river and cross the bridge. At the three-way intersection, turn left (north) onto Tepee Street. You pass the Star Plunge and reach the bath house a little farther on, with Hellie’s TePee Pools just beyond.
• From Casper or Riverton: Drive US-20 north through the Wind River Canyon to Thermopolis, then follow the signs for the state park.
• From Cody or Worland: Come in on WY-120 or US-20 and follow the park signs.

There is free parking beside the building. Everything is paved and close together.

When to go

The bath house is open every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hours depend on the season:

• Summer (from mid-May): Monday to Saturday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday noon to 7 p.m. The state extended the closing time from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in February 2025.
• Winter: Monday to Saturday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sunday noon to 5:30 p.m.

The park grounds are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Winter is a good time for a soak: the air is cold, steam hangs over the terraces, and the outdoor pool feels best. Summer weekends bring the most people, and that is when the time limit matters most.

The outdoor pool closed on August 24, 2026, for about a month for a new ADA pool lift, handrails, concrete work and a heated sidewalk to keep ice off the deck. The indoor pool stayed open. If you visit in fall 2026, call 307-864-2176 to confirm the outdoor pool is back.

Rules and etiquette

• Free entry. Rentals of towels, lockers and swimsuits have been offered at the desk for about a dollar each, though that figure comes from an older guide. Bring your own to be safe.
• Time limit. Each soak is timed. Frommer’s gives 20 minutes, another listing gives 30. Follow whatever the desk tells you.
• Swimsuits on. This is a public bath with staff and families.
• Soaking only. No diving, horseplay or lap swimming.
• Shower first. Rinse before you get in and keep soap out of the pools.
• Day use only. There is no camping anywhere in the state park.

Where to stay nearby

There is no lodging in the bath house itself, but you do not have to go far.

• Inside the park: Two hotels sit within Hot Springs State Park and have their own mineral pools for guests. Wyoming State Parks says their aquatic facilities stayed open during the Star Plunge closure.
• Thermopolis: The town has motels, restaurants and fuel a few minutes away across the river.
• RV parks: Fountain of Youth RV Park, on US-20 about 2 miles north of downtown, has its own large mineral pool fed by the Sacajawea Well. It is a private business and not part of the state park.
• Camping: Boysen State Park, south of the Wind River Canyon, has campgrounds on the reservoir.

Safety notes

• Heat: 104°F40°C is warm enough to make some people light-headed, especially after a long drive or in summer. The time limit helps. Drink water and sit out if you feel dizzy.
• Health conditions: If you are pregnant or have heart or blood pressure problems, ask your doctor before soaking in water this hot.
• Slick floors: Mineral water makes tile and decking slippery. Walk, do not run.
• The terraces: The source water on the Rainbow Terrace is scalding. The park gives the Big Spring temperature as 135°F57°C on one page and 128°F53°C in a 2025 release. Stay on the boardwalk and keep children’s hands out of the runoff channels.

Nearby stops worth adding

The Rainbow Terrace is the colorful mineral slope where the Big Spring water spills toward the Bighorn River. A boardwalk replacement ran from May to late August 2026, so check that it has reopened. The Swinging Bridge, a suspension footbridge over the river, gives the best view back at the terrace. The park also keeps Wyoming State Parks’ central bison herd; in late fall and winter the animals are fed most mornings around 8:30, and you should watch from inside your car. More than 6 miles of trails, including the T-Hill trails, start in the park.