Wyoming State Parks

Wyoming's state park system has 12 state parks spread across the state's diverse geography — from the Hell's Half Acre badlands to the Vedauwoo granite formations to the hot springs of Thermopolis.

Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park
The "World's Largest Mineral Hot Springs" — Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis sits above the Big Horn River and includes the Star Plunge and Hellie's Tepee pools (free public bathing facilities). The Wyoming State Bath House offers free soaking in the mineral water, which flows at 135°F from the earth. The park's bison herd grazes the Rainbow Terrace area, where mineral deposits have built up colorful travertine formations over centuries.

Sinks Canyon State Park (near Lander)
The Popo Agie River disappears into "The Sinks" — a cave in the Madison Limestone — and reappears a quarter mile away at "The Rise" spring, having lost 2 hours of transit time. The geological mystery is unexplained. The canyon's steep limestone walls, trout-filled stream, and excellent rock climbing make this one of Wyoming's most distinctive parks.

Vedauwoo (Medicine Bow National Forest/State Area)
Near Laramie, Vedauwoo's rounded granite formations — remnants of a Precambrian batholith — are world-class for "crack climbing" (technical climbing in vertical fissures). The camping in the ponderosa pine and open meadow setting is excellent. The formations are sacred to the Arapaho Nation — "vedauwoo" means "earth-born spirits."

Guernsey State Park
In the North Platte River valley near the Oregon Trail corridor, Guernsey State Park contains the most complete example of Oregon Trail wheel ruts in the US — the ruts are up to 5 feet deep where thousands of wagon trains wore into the soft sandstone. The Register Cliff nearby has thousands of pioneer names and dates scratched into the stone.

Boysen State Park
On the Wind River in the Bighorn Basin — a reservoir park with warm water, motorboat recreation, and surrounded by desert canyon scenery. The Wind River Canyon immediately south of the reservoir is one of Wyoming's most dramatic geological exposures.