Free things in Thermopolis, Wyoming

Cody, Wyoming, was the most distant campground in our travels this summer. From there we headed south for the first time this summer, and drove 90 miles to our next destination at Wyoming Gardens Campground in Thermopolis. It was an expensive camping spot, but we found some free things to do in town to make up for that. This town was named after the many thermal water features that have made it famous. After getting the motor home settled into its new spot, we headed to the state park in town. In the picture below, Mark was sitting on top of the terrace of travertine limestone that had been deposited from the high-mineral hot springs.

We walked to the largest spring in Hot Springs State Park. Every day this spring flows 2.1 million gallons of water that comes out of the earth at 127 degrees.

The water runs down a channel, and then puddles on the top of the terrace where Mark was sitting. It will leave behind orange-colored pools due to the algae that are unique to this hot-temperature-high-mineral environment. A chemical analysis of the water would find 22 different minerals, so drinking this water is like taking a mineral pill. One of the most prevalent compounds is sulphate, and the odor of rotten eggs can be smelled throughout the park.

All of this hot water was flowing right next to the Bighorn River, that was filled with very cool water from the snow melt and spring rains. We had planned another free thing to do in Thermopolis--kayaking down the Bighorn River. But with all the spring rains and winter snows, the Bighorn River was flowing at an unusually swift current. The boat dock at the state park was completely under water, making another obstacle that kept us from floating down the river on our own.

We walked over the suspension bridge to get a unique view of the bank of travertine flowing down into the river.

The healing waters of the hot springs have been used by native Indians and travelers for many years. In the early 1900s, a "Teepee Fountain" was built to vent steam from the hot mineral water that was piped throughout the park. The picture below was taken in 1909 and showed how the hot mineral water flowed over the rock structure.

That water would cool, and deposit layers of the travertine. After 113 years of layer upon layer of mineral deposits, this is what the teepee now looks like in 2023. That's the same kind of travertine deposits that we saw from the bridge, and from the bench.

This state park is unique in Wyoming because it doesn't charge an admission fee. Because of a settlement with the native tribes, the state had to guarantee to make this land and the springs available to everyone for free. So we continued our free visit with a drive around the park. Our drive continued to areas where hot water no longer flows, and the travertine formations are now dry.

We drove the loop through the pasture where the state park hosts a herd of bison.

They were rolling in the dirt and swinging their tails in an effort to get rid of the flies that were harassing them.

We stopped by Hot Springs State Park Bath House, and talked to the attendant at the front desk. While we were certainly free to take a soak on this warm afternoon, she suggested that we come back in the morning since we were spending the night in Thermopolis. She knew that the warm water would feel much better at 8:00 in the morning when it was 50 degrees outside, rather than the afternoon when it was in the 80s.

We took her advice, and we were one of the first in line at 8:00 a.m. when they opened. We were there with a group of locals that show up every morning for their daily soak. They swear by the medicinal benefits of soaking in this hot mineral water. They said that it especially feels nice when it is snowing in the winter.

The water was a little warmer than the targeted 104 degrees this morning, so they had to add a little cool water to it. We tried both the outdoor and indoor pools, which were both very clean. They drain both pools every other day, so they don't have the sediment that some natural hot spring pools have. All this luxurious hot mineral bathing was also free because of the agreement with the local tribes. We were allowed twenty minutes in the pools, but that limit is just for our own safety so guests won't overheat. We were welcome to come back for more twenty-minute sessions after proper time to cool off.

One session was plenty for us. While we have gone to hot springs all over the country and Canada, we still have never paid for one. The sulfur content is high in Thermopolis, and we were ready for a good shower to get that smell off our skin. We remember as children hurrying into the water with shouts of, "Last one in is a rotten egg!" Now we've changed that to "Last one out smells like a rotten egg!" 

After cleaning up, we did a driving tour of our new home town of Thermopolis. We found a store named "Merlin's Hide Out" with a unique inventory of animal hides.

Their specialty was bison products, and they have filled a unique niche in Hollywood. They have created some of the famous bison coats worn by actors like Kurt Russell in "The Hateful Eight" and Kevin Costner in "Yellowstone." While these custom coats retail for around $3,000, a picture with one is free.

We enjoyed our short stay in Thermopolis, Wyoming--especially the free things we discovered along the way.