Star Plunge

Current status

The Star Plunge is closed, and has been since January 2025. Do not drive to Thermopolis expecting to swim here.

The facility sits on state land in Hot Springs State Park and was run for half a century by the Luehne family. Wolfgang and Christine Luehne bought it in 1975 along with a 50-year concession lease, and their son Roland bought it from them in 2012. The original lease ran out in 2008, and the family kept operating under a string of short-term agreements after that. In 2024, following a park master plan, Wyoming State Parks picked a new company, Wyoming Hot Springs LLC, to run the park’s commercial facilities. Luehne’s last agreement expired at the end of 2024, he sued over the process and compensation, and the doors closed in January 2025.

The dispute is now settled. In late July 2026 the state announced a tentative deal to pay Luehne’s company $1.8 million, and by August the settlement was done and the state owned the Star Plunge. At that point officials hoped it might reopen within months.

That changed in September 2026. State Parks deputy director Nick Neylon told a legislative committee that inspectors had found gas leaks, sagging beams and significant problems with the pools. The state was waiting on an electrical report and said it now had to decide between investing in the old building or building something new. Back in early 2025, Neylon had already said the state intended to replace the buildings eventually, because they were built to last about 50 years and had passed that. No reopening date has been announced.

We will update this page when the state or the new operator announces a plan.

What it was like

For decades the Star Plunge was the classic Thermopolis family stop: a mid-century building with a drive-in look, beside the Bighorn River, that had been a family favorite since at least 1950. The pools were filled with mineral water from the park’s hot springs rather than heated town water.

As of late 2024, just before it closed, the facility had:

• An indoor pool and an outdoor pool, both open year-round and kept at about 90-98°F32-37°C, warm enough to swim in during a Wyoming winter.
• The Hot Pool, held at about 104°F40°C, with massage jets.
• Water slides, including the Super Star 500, the Blue Thunder Run and the Lil’ Dipper for small children.

Admission in 2024 was $15.50 for anyone 5 and older and $7 for younger kids, with a senior discount for those 65 and up. It opened 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, with shorter hours on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Treat all of these as history. A new operator is likely to change the layout, the prices or both.

Getting there

Hot Springs State Park is on the north side of Thermopolis, along the Bighorn River. The Star Plunge is on Big Springs Drive inside the park, next to the Tepee Pools.

• From Casper: Take US-20/26 west to Shoshoni, then US-20/WY-789 north through the Wind River Canyon to Thermopolis.
• From Cody or Worland: Come in from the north on WY-120 or US-20.

The park address is 51 US Highway 20 North, Thermopolis. The grounds are open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., year-round, for day use only. Entry to the park and the State Bath House is free.

When to go

There is no season to plan around until the Star Plunge reopens. Hot Springs State Park itself is open all year, and the mineral terraces are most striking on cold mornings when the steam rises off them.

Where to soak instead

You can still soak in Thermopolis. Three options are close by:

• State Bath House: The state’s free bathhouse keeps its water at 104°F40°C. Winter hours are 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday and noon to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, with longer summer hours. Its outdoor pool closed for about a month from August 24, 2026 for accessibility and safety work while the indoor pool stayed open, so check that it has reopened.
• Hellie’s Tepee Pools: The other commercial pool complex in the park, right next to the Star Plunge, with its own pools and slides. Wyoming Hot Springs LLC bought it in late 2023.
• Fountain of Youth RV Park: A private RV park on US-20 north of town with a very large outdoor mineral pool and a day-use fee.

Rules

When it was open, the Star Plunge ran as a family swim facility, so plan on swimwear if it reopens. Hot Springs State Park rules still apply on the grounds: day use only, no overnight camping, and the bison herd must be watched from inside your vehicle.

Where to stay nearby

• Hot Springs Hotel: The hotel inside the park, run by Big Springs Spa under a state agreement. The state reached a $1.2 million settlement with that company in 2026 as well.
• Fountain of Youth RV Park: RV sites and cabins north of town, with the pool included for campers.
• Thermopolis: The town across the river has motels, restaurants and fuel. There is no camping inside the state park.

Nearby stops worth adding

The park’s Big Spring sends more than 1.8 million gallons of 128°F53°C water over the mineral terraces every day. A boardwalk runs past the terraces, and the Swinging Bridge, a suspension footbridge over the Bighorn River, gives you a view of the whole slope. The park also keeps Wyoming State Parks’ main bison herd. In late fall and winter the animals get a supplemental feed most mornings around 8:30, which makes close viewing possible.

Safety notes

• Spring water is very hot at the source. The terraces run at 128°F53°C. Stay on the boardwalks and off the mineral formations.
• Bison are wild and fast. View them only from your vehicle, as the park requires.
• Check before you go. Status here can change quickly. Call Hot Springs State Park at 307-864-2176 for the latest on the Star Plunge and the bathhouse.