Snowy Soaking Hot springs are perfect when the temperatures fall. By Dina Mishev
For some people, sitting in a bubbling hot tub in the backyard looking up at softly falling snowflakes is as good as soaking can get. And then there are those whose soaking fantasies are as big as Wyoming's sky ... or even take place under Wyoming's giant open sky. How about instead of looking over at a neighbor's fence you look through the rising steam and falling snow and see bison? Or how about soaking in a giant pool only accessible via dogsled or snowmobile?
Although not all (or even most) of the state's more than 10,000 thermal features are safe for swimming, there are enough that are just the right temperature and in just the perfect location to keep you warm and toastyfor three days.
Day One
Southeast Wyoming Teepee at Saratoga Inn
We'll start in Saratoga, where the only thing more impressive than the soaking options is the area's soaking history. Native Americans, even if they were from warring tribes, used to settle down shoulder-to-shoulder into hot springs along the banks of the North Platte River here. Modern soakers can sit in the same riverbank pools as Native Americans did. They can also settle down into the quaintly dilapidated, open-air, free-to-the-public Hobo pool. Or the ginormous, 70-foot-long outdoor pool at the historically posh Saratoga Inn & Resort. Or, if the snowflakes are falling too fast and furious to sit out in the elements, try one of five teepee-covered pools (also at the Inn & Resort). While the Hobo Pool is my summer soaking preference (mostly because of that free admission), come winter the Saratoga Inn & Resort is worth almost any price. Numerous fireplaces and featherbeds piled high with wool Pendleton blankets ensure you'll be as warm and toasty outside the pools as when sitting in them. For those who feel they need to "deserve" a soak, there are 400 miles of snowmobile trails in the nearby Snowy Range and Sierra Madre Mountains and unlimited skiing and snowshoeing opportunities in the more than one million acres of the Medicine Bow National Forest.
Day Two
Northwest Wyoming Hot Springs State Park Photo by Ryan M. Conway
You would think the thick blanket steam that rises from the world's largest mineral hot springs all winter long would be the first thing that catches you eye here in Thermopolis in central-west Wyoming. And you would be wrong. You see, not only do winter's chilly temperatures thicken the steam coming off the springs, but they also help with snow. And snow, in turn, helps the Hot Springs State Park's resident herd of bison stand out even more than usual. There's just no way a dozen 2,000-pound, uber-furry, espresso-brown quadrupeds can hide when everything is white. But don't let the bison herd distract you for too long. There is soaking to be had after all. Lots of it.
Thermopolis offers several soaking options. The Star Plunge pool and its waterslides are popular with families and the young-at-heart. Those looking for a more sedate experience head for the State Bathhouse, where there are indoor and outdoor soaking pools as well as clothing-optional private tubs. In the latter, soakers are able to crank up (or down) the water temp as they wish. All of the public pools are generally kept around 104 degrees. (When the 3.6 million gallons of water that flow into the pools daily first come out of the ground they're a sizzling 127 degrees.)
Day Three
Northwest Wyoming Granite Hot Springs Photo by Nelson Gonçalves
If you like the idea of wildlife watching and are looking for a bit more of a wilderness feel, head to the northwestern part of the state just south of Grand Teton and Yellowtsone national parks to Granite Hot Springs in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. While Granite's waterfall-fed, 104-degree, seven-foot-deep pool tucked into the base of a cliff is beyond what dreams are made of, that's not even the best part of a winter day spent there. Anyone with a car can get to Granite between spring and fall, but only those willing to snowmobile or dogsled the 12 miles in from the highway can soak here come winter. While there is only one dogsled operator – eight-time Iditarod veteran Frank Teasley's Jackson Hole Iditarod Sled Dog Tours – that makes the trip, there are numerous Jackson-based snowmobile outfitters to choose from. The biggest difference between them is what they'll serve up for lunch after you're done soaking.
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