Hot Springs State Park Master Plan

Director, Wyoming Dept. of State Parks and Cultural Resources

Hot Springs State Park is a world-class natural, cultural and recreational resource. The landscape setting, intact river and spring water systems, history, and authentic surrounding community provide unparalleled beauty and recreation opportunities. Master Plans are important tools the parks industry uses to engage the public in setting the best future direction for individual state parks. In 1916, the first master plan was developed for Hot Springs State Park. Following this plan many changes we still enjoy today such as the swinging bridge and acquiring the bison herd were implemented. Another master plan was completed in 1984. Currently, thirty-one years later, we are in the process of developing a new twenty-year master plan to guide the development of the lands managed by the state, ensuring resource protection while providing a blueprint for bringing the park to its full potential.

Through a year-long planning process, including community workshops and the involvement of an invited Steering Committee made up mostly of members of the local community, we recognize the need to be responsive to changes in visitor expectations and availability of the water resource. This public involvement process allowed us to identify priorities for the park. These are to utilize the thermal water resource for terraces, health and wellness and ensure this use is in compliance with the 1897 treaty; provide complimentary, rather than competing or redundant services in the built environment including pools and lodging; improve aesthetics at the park entry; improve connections and wayfinding to and from downtown Thermopolis; expand the existing trail system; and improve opportunities for recreation along the river.

The priorities were used to develop a series of alternatives and eventually a “preferred alternative.” We have just concluded the end of the public comment period on the preferred alternative. The comments have been wide-ranging including concerns about cost, support for visionary change and upgrades, and criticism about wide-scale change. We will evaluate these comments and prepare the final master plan.

There have been questions regarding the cost of plan implementation, who will pay and why the state has not revealed this up front. Development of the final master plan is typically the time to drill into an estimate of costs for implementation and this phase of the process has just begun. The desired future developments identified in a twenty year plan are not determined based on cash-on-hand at the time the master plan is written. They are meant to reflect the best future goals for which funding can be sought. We recognize a variety of possible funding mechanisms which have been successful in the past including agency generated funds, corporate support, partnerships, private concessionaire development and legislative appropriations. As a 20 year plan, development will occur only when and if funding is available and not all development will occur in the next five years or even fifteen years.

We understand the value the people place on the resources at Hot Springs State Park and appreciate the input provided during the planning process. The planning cycle will be completed in early 2016 and there will be one more opportunity for public review of the final master plan, including projected costs. Wyoming’s energy economy has its ups and downs while the tourism economy continues to grow. Investments in our tourism infrastructure are dollars well spent and while economic times may not allow implementation of the master plan immediately, we now have a blueprint which will enable us to make strides when the time is right.