An Iowans Escape to Wyoming: a 118-Degree Soak at the Free Hot Springs

To say that my vacation was epic is an understatement. Time spent with the people most important to me. Views and experiences you only get in the mountains. And a 13-hour road trip with two 11-year-olds that have the gift of gab, but not of napping. Ok... so, not all of it was amazing, but the time spent in Wyoming certainly was!

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One day in particular, spent in Saratoga, WY, was short lived, but very beneficial. Did you know that the city offers up free hot springs that are available 24/7?! I didn't either, but my wife in all her vacation preparedness did the research and so a trip to the Hobo Hot Springs was on the cards. It was an experience to say the least, and in a few different ways.

Credit: Tom Drake | The changing house, lobsterpot, and main pool at Saratoga's Hobo Hot Springs.

Firstly, you just can't beat the price tag. Free, and I mean totally free, is rare these days, but that's exactly what the Hobo Hot Springs offers. A public pool house to change, use the restroom, and rinse off in. Lockers to store your stuff. And plenty of options to soak depending on your desired level of heat, at no cost at all.

That's second on the list; there were actually 4 different temps you could enjoy. I stuck with the big pool. It's where most people soak at the springs. On the day we went the pool sat at a very warm but manageable 109-degrees. The American Indians were said to use the hot springs as a neutral area and believed that the hot springs had a healing power. It's the "medicine" part of the medicine bow peak area; the "bow" being for the specific woods the area provided for fashioning, you guessed it, archery bows.

Credit: Tom Drake | The hot springs different temps for the day my family went.

Any way on the day we went I enjoyed the larger main pool mostly, sitting at 109-degrees. Directly above the larger pool sits the bubbling Lobster Pot at 118-degrees, but it can reach temps of 120-degrees. I sat close to where water flowed from the Lobster Pot to the larger pool but didn't feel the need to cook myself by entering it on the occasion. A third smaller pool sat at 100-degrees, and then there are the thermal seeps which run into the North Platte River. My wife and kids spent some time there; I equated the temperature to a nice warm bath.

Credit: Tom Drake | My wife Ashley (left), son Bennett (middle), and daughter Sawyer (right) enjoying the thermal seeps on the banks of the North Platte River.

Thirdly, it smells. What can I say, bubbling sulfur vents smell like farts. It's just something you'll have to deal with if you want an au natural soak in these thermal mineral springs. Also, when I say au natural, I mean it. There's some moss on the rocks and sand and dirt for the floor of the main pool. It can be a bit slick getting in and walking around, however none of this made it a deal breaker for me. The experience is one I would do again in a heartbeat. Check out a video of my family's experience below.

Note to the wise though, plan you visit to Saratoga accordingly. We ended up there on a Monday and most everything in town was closed, save for a couple shops and a place we could eat at called the Saratoga Sandwich Company. The food was great, but we were a bit bummed, as we had hoped to check out the Hotel Wolf and enjoy a nice sit-down meal there. So, if you don't mind a bit of a smelly soak, that's good for the body and relaxing to the mind; Saratoga's FREE Hobo Hot Springs is for sure the place to visit.