Warm Spring Geyser (Dubois)
By the HotSpringsFind editorial team · How we compile records · Reviewed September 2026
Warm Spring Geyser (Dubois) is a primitive hot spring listed near Dubois, Wyoming. Reported soak temperature: 83°F. See the visit fact sheet.
Current status
A brilliantly blue ~80-84F thermal pool at the bottom of an open cavern on BLM land near Dubois — reachable only by descending a steep, narrow crevice (a climbing rope is installed but the descent is genuinely dangerous); the location is semi-secret and locals guard it, with some approach routes crossing private property.
Checked September 2026 · based on recent visitor reports · 3 sources ↓
Before you go
- Status: Open — last verified below — confirm via Cowboy State Daily — 'Warm Spring Geyser is worth the drive, but beware the descent' (BLM parcel near Dubois, ~80F, rope descent, private-land shortcut warning).
- Cost: Reported free access — fees and permits can change, confirm before visiting.
- Getting there: No verified hike distance on record — confirm the route and road conditions.
- Water: Reported soak temperature 83°F — always test the water before entering.
- Rules: Clothing policy unknown — verify locally; pets reported not allowed — confirm current rules.
- Conditions: check weather, fire closures, and land-manager alerts the week you go — mountain access changes seasonally.
- Reservations/permits: None on BLM land; do not use the shortcut across private property.
- Best time to go: Summer/fall for approach roads and a safer descent; cavern is shaded so midday light shows the blue color best.
- Clothing reality: No policy — remote undeveloped site; swimsuits customary for the few who descend.
- Cell service: none — download maps and tell someone your plan.
- Accessibility: Not accessible — requires a technical-feeling crevice descent/ascent.
- Despite the name it does not erupt — it's a placid ~80-84F mineral pool (calcium/magnesium-rich, neutral pH) inside a cavern; a warm soak, not a hot one
- The only way to the water is a steep, narrow crevice descent — described as 'difficult and dangerous without assistance'; a fixed climbing rope is installed but treat it as a climbing move, not a ladder
- SEMI-SECRET: locals are famously tight-lipped; ask at Dubois businesses (Jackalope Café) for directions. The most direct route crosses PRIVATE property — a public-land route exists but is longer/harder
- Elevation ~7,260 ft; no trail, signage, facilities, or cell service
- Nearby but unrelated: two Warm Springs Creek natural bridges and an old tie-flume in the same canyon area
- Hazard: Dangerous crevice descent into a water-filled cavern — fall risk, and self-rescue is hard
- Hazard: Fixed rope condition unverified — do not trust it without inspection
- Hazard: Private-property trespass risk on the shortcut route
- Hazard: Remote — no help nearby
About this spring
A brilliantly blue thermal pool (~80-84°F) at the bottom of an open cavern on BLM land near Dubois — a semi-secret spot locals compare to the Caribbean, reached by climbing down a steep crevice with a fixed rope. Historic accounts describe it as a true geyser. Descent into the cavern is genuinely dangerous — steep rock, fixed rope; not for children. Water ~84°F — warm, not hot.
Warm Spring Geyser is a brilliantly blue thermal pool at the bottom of an open cavern on BLM land west of Dubois, at about 7,260 feet elevation in the Warm Springs Creek drainage. Despite the name it behaves like a placid warm spring: the USGS/NOAA thermal springs inventory recorded a maximum vent temperature of 84°F, and the calcium- and magnesium-rich water (pH ~6.8) is buoyant enough that visitors float with unusual ease. The only way in is through a steep, narrow crevice in the cavern roof, where a fixed climbing rope has been installed; one local estimate puts the pool at more than 10 feet deep near the vent, and inside, reflected blue light plays across the cavern walls.
The site is deliberately semi-secret — Dubois locals point visitors to the right route (the Jackalope Café is a known source), since map listings are duplicated and some approaches cross private property. Residents emphasize that it is a fragile, agency-monitored ecosystem and discourage swimming even though nothing physically prevents it.
Directions & trailhead access
West of Dubois in the Warm Springs Creek drainage off Union Pass Rd — the exact route is poorly mapped; ask locally in Dubois.
Wyoming geothermal context
Wyoming holds the planet's densest geothermal field in Yellowstone — nearly all of it legally protected and off-limits to soaking. The visitable thermal water is outside the park: Thermopolis' free state bathhouse, river-edge springs along the North Platte, and scattered backcountry seeps in grizzly country where bear-aware travel is mandatory.
What a primitive site means here
Primitive springs have no facilities: no changing rooms, no trash service, often no maintained road to the pool. Expect natural rock or gravel bottoms, water temperature that varies by spot and season, and other visitors who may treat the site informally. Pack out everything you bring, test the water before entering, and leave the pool cleaner than you found it.
Best time to visit
Year-Round (Best: May – October)Pool temperatures and access can change with weather and season. Outdoor ambient temperatures fluctuate significantly across Wyoming. Late spring through autumn offers the most comfortable road access.
Fact sheet
| Reported soak temp | 83°F |
|---|---|
| Source temp (historical) | 83°F |
| Trail access | Recorded coordinates — access unverified |
| Access fee | Reported free — verify locally |
| Clothing policy | Unknown — verify locally |
| Pet policy | Reported no pets |
| Geothermal data reference | NOAA Thermal Springs List (1980 archive) |
| Check land status | Cowboy State Daily — 'Warm Spring Geyser is worth the drive, but beware the descent' (BLM parcel near Dubois, ~80F, rope descent, private-land shortcut warning) |
Warm Spring Geyser (Dubois) FAQ
Is Warm Spring Geyser (Dubois) open right now?
A brilliantly blue ~80-84F thermal pool at the bottom of an open cavern on BLM land near Dubois — reachable only by descending a steep, narrow crevice (a climbing rope is installed but the descent is genuinely dangerous); the location is semi-secret and locals guard it, with some approach routes crossing private property. (Status based on recent visitor reports, last checked September 2026.)
Is Warm Spring Geyser (Dubois) free?
Warm Spring Geyser (Dubois) is listed as free to access in Fremont County, Wyoming. Fees and rules change — verify current status with the land manager before visiting.
What temperature is Warm Spring Geyser (Dubois)?
Warm Spring Geyser (Dubois) has a reported soak temperature of 83°F and a historical source temperature of 83°F in survey records. Historical data may not reflect current conditions — always test water before entering.
Is Warm Spring Geyser (Dubois) clothing optional?
Directory records do not confirm the clothing policy at Warm Spring Geyser (Dubois) — verify current rules before visiting.
How do you access Warm Spring Geyser (Dubois)?
Warm Spring Geyser (Dubois) is on public land — verify current road access, fees and rules with the land manager before visiting.
Sources & references
- Cowboy State Daily — 'Warm Spring Geyser is worth the drive, but beware the descent' (BLM parcel near Dubois, ~80F, rope descent, private-land shortcut warning) — news · 2026-09
- Camille's Arches blog — Warm Springs Natural Bridges / geyser cave (locals' secrecy, canyon context) — community · 2025-07
- SoakingSprings — Warm Spring Geyser data (~84F average, neutral pH 6.8) — community · 2025
Additional references for this record; a source link does not guarantee current conditions.
Details above were verified against the named sources on their listed dates — conditions change, so recheck before traveling. · How we verify our data · Report a correction
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