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Thermopolis Hot Springs, Wyoming at dawn. Photograph by Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities
Thermopolis Hot Springs
September 24, 2020
Deep into the Wyoming wilderness, after hours of driving through what feels like an unending expanse of slow rising pale grasslands is a quiet town on the way to Yellowstone that is home to one of the more curious sites in this sparsely-populated state. Along the Big Horn River sits Hot Springs State Park, where over 8,000 gallons of 135-degree mineral-rich water cascades daily over vibrant pink and yellow rock formations, known as Rainbow Terrace, also the largest mineral hot springs in the world.
Arrive at dawn before the park’s popular spring-fed swimming pools open and have the place almost entirely to yourself. Walk among clouds of steam rising on either side of a boardwalk path looping through the park. Cross the Swinging Bridge that spans the river and view Thermopolis Hot Springs from the opposite side, by far the best view of Rainbow Terrace.
There’s no fee to enter the park itself or use the public bath house, bison viewing is available nearby, and visitors can also visit the Legend Rock Petroglyphs, Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway, and the Wyoming Dinosaur Center as other things to do in Thermopolis.
Photographs and text by Elaine Skylar Neal / Travels and Curiosities
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Here’s me, shooting with my Leica SL (Typ 601) and APO-Vario-Elmarit-SL 90-280mm f2.8-4 zoom lens at the Thermopolis Hot Springs in early September of 2020. Photo by Vincent Neal/Travels and Curiosities
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Where to stay in thermopolis?
The Days Inn Thermopolis is right inside the park, has their own mineral spring hot tub, and they’re home to The Safari Club, a super unique restaurant and bar filled with wildlife trophies from around the world. Truth be told, we slept in our Element Camper nearby… and when we say nearby we might mean The Days Inn Thermopolis parking lot. 😂 But we would absolutely stay here in the future.
Photographs by Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities
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Rainbow over Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo by Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities
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