Hobo Hot Pool

What to expect

The Hobo Hot Pool is Saratoga’s public hot spring: a set of stone and concrete pools on the bank of the North Platte River, owned by the Town of Saratoga and free to anyone at any hour. You park, change in the bathhouse, and get in. There is no gate, no ticket and no closing time.

The water comes out of the ground hot, and the pool is laid out so you can choose how much heat you want. At one end is the Lobster Pot, a small pool that local sources put at about 117-120°F47-49°C. That is too hot for most people beyond a brief dip, and the name is a fair warning. The main pool usually sits around 108°F42°C, though readings in the low 100s and up to about 112°F44°C have been reported. The Not So Hot pool, sometimes called the kiddie pool, is the gentlest, somewhere around 100-105°F38-41°C depending on the day.

Behind the pool, hot water seeps out along the riverbank. Carbon County’s tourism office describes rock-lined pools at the river’s edge that catch runoff from the Hobo Pool, which gives you a cooler, more natural spot when the river is low enough.

There are restrooms and a heated bathhouse with changing rooms and showers. The town’s municipal swimming pool sits right next door. It is a separate facility, open in summer only, with its own fee.

History

Native peoples, including Ute, Arapaho, Lakota and Cheyenne, used the springs long before settlement, and the area is described as neutral ground between tribes. The settlement that grew up here in the late 1870s was first called Warm Springs and later renamed Saratoga, after the spa town in New York.

The state bought 440 acres including the springs in 1921. In 1936 Civilian Conservation Corps crews added stone to enlarge the pools on the west side of the river, and built steps and log railings. Those west-side pools became the Hobo Pools. The usual story is that Depression-era hobos riding the Saratoga and Encampment Railroad, which ran beside the pools, stopped to bathe in them.

When the state later sold the east-side land to private investors (the site that became the Saratoga Inn and is now Saratoga Hot Springs Resort), the remaining 16 acres, including Veterans Island and the Hobo Pools, went to the town so they would stay open and free. Local historian Dick Perue dates the town’s takeover of the pool to 1983. The Not So Hot pool was added in the early 1980s, a local mason rebuilt much of the stonework in 1998, and the Lobster Pot’s stonework is still the original.

Getting there

Saratoga is in Carbon County, in the Platte Valley of south-central Wyoming.

• From Interstate 80: Leave at Walcott Junction and take WY-130 south to Saratoga.
• From Laramie: WY-130 crosses the Snowy Range as the Snowy Range Scenic Byway. The high section over the pass closes in winter, so use I-80 to Walcott Junction from late fall to spring.
• From Colorado: WY-230 comes north from the state line through Riverside and Encampment and joins WY-130 near Saratoga.

In town, head to the east end of Walnut Avenue, by the river and the town’s park. Parking is beside the pool. Access is roadside, with only a few steps from the car to the water.

When to go

The pool is open all year, and it is at its best in cold weather. On January 24, 2026, with the air at -15°F−26°C, the main pool held at about 108°F42°C. Snow on the banks and steam over the river are a big part of the appeal.

Summer is busier, especially on weekends, when the town fills with anglers, floaters and road trippers. Early mornings and late evenings are quieter. Because the pool never closes, a late-night soak under the stars is a local habit.

The town’s Hobo Pool page shows the current facility condition. If you are driving a long way specifically for the pool, check it or call the town office at (307) 326-8335.

Rules and etiquette

The town posts a short list of rules, and local reporting adds a few more:

• Swimsuits are required. Nude bathing can bring a $200 fine.
• No alcohol or open containers.
• No smoking or tobacco use of any kind.
• No glass. Bring drinking water in plastic bottles only.
• Keep language clean. This is a family pool in the middle of town.
• Share the space. The pools are small and popular. Rotate out if people are waiting, and do not leave belongings spread across the edge.

The town asks visitors to help keep the facility clean and respectable so it stays free and open to everyone.

Where to stay nearby

• Saratoga Lake Campground: The town’s campground is about 1 mile north of Saratoga on WY-130/230, on Saratoga Lake. It has 50 electric sites at $25 a night and 24 non-electric sites at $15, all first come, first served with self-pay envelopes. There is no camp host.
• Saratoga Hot Springs Resort: The historic hotel across the river has its own mineral pools for guests, plus a restaurant and brewery.
• Motels in Saratoga: The town has other small motels and lodges, so you can stay close enough to walk back for a late soak.

Do not confuse this place with Saratoga Hot Springs in Utah, a different spring beside Utah Lake.

Safety notes

• Heat: The Lobster Pot is hot enough to scald. Test it with a hand, keep dips short, and get out if you feel dizzy. Children belong in the Not So Hot pool.
• Alcohol: Local doctors advise against soaking after drinking. Alcohol is banned in the pool area anyway, but it also raises the risk of fainting in very hot water.
• Footing: The stone decks and riverbank pools are slick, and icy in winter. Wear sandals between the bathhouse and the water.
• River: The North Platte runs fast during spring runoff. Stay out of the main current and keep an eye on children near the riverside pools.
• Hydration: Drink water during long soaks, and get out at the first sign of lightheadedness.