Searching for the best camping near Lysite, WY? There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. Find the best campgrounds near Lysite, WY. Read reviews from campers like you and find your perfect campsite.
Located just north of Thermopolis, the Fountain of Youth RV Park boasts one of the largest mineral pools in Wyoming. At an elevation of 3,947 feet, our bone warming 95-105 degree F pool will make you forget your worries.
We have many different options to accommodate your traveling style and budget.
$45 - $65 / night
$30 / night
The first white men through the Wind River Canyon were the Ashley Fur Party in 1825. The original dam was built by Asmus Boysen in 1908, for whom the park and reservoir are named. Part of the original dam can still be seen adjacent to the tunnels on the Lower Wind River Campground. Mr. Boysen also built a 710kW power plant at the site. Operations ceased when in 1923 a major flood filled the plant with silt.
The CB&O Railroad went through the canyon in 1911 and the state highway went through in 1925. The existing dam was completed in 1951. Boysen became a state park in 1956.
$18 - $32 / night
Ocean Lake is a feature of the PSMBP Riverton Unit. Fishing year-round with Wyoming State license. The reservoir is famous for its crappie and ling fishing. Fish species include trout, walleye, perch, bluegill, green sunfish, and crappie. Limited access via shoreline roads. Several boat ramps located at developed recreation sites around lake. Approximately 6,000 surface acres. Available services include campsites with tables, windscreens and shelters, group picnic shelters, restrooms, boat ramps, and primitive camping. No drinking water. Other activities include big game and waterfowl hunting in season with Wyoming State hunting license, hiking, watchable wildlife, and horseback riding.
Camping is permitted in designated camping area with a 14-day camping limit.
Ocean Lake is open all year except for a one-half (1/2) mile area around the aeration system, which shall be closed to human presence beginning December 15 through March 10.
Recreation is managed for Reclamation by Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Lander Regional Office, 260 Buena Vista, Lander, WY 82520; (307) 332-2688. Located off U.S. 26, 20 miles west of Riverton. Fishing year-round with Wyoming State license. Fish species include trout, walleye, perch, bluegill, green sunfish, and crappie. Limited access via shoreline roads. Several boat ramps located at developed recreation sites around lake. Approximately 6,000 surface acres. Available services include campsites with tables, windscreens and shelters, group picnic shelters, accessible restrooms and shelters, boat ramps, and primitive camping. No drinking water. Other activities include big game and waterfowl hunting in season with Wyoming State hunting license, hiking, watchable wildlife, and horseback riding.
Booked what looked like a decent site by the river and found it to be unusable when we arrived. I was considering just occupying a different site since the place was nearly empty. Thankfully a sheriff's vehicle was driving thru (which I mistook for a park ranger). He told me he'd try to help us get a different spot by calling the park office but on realizing that he had no cell service, he volunteered to drive to the office to see what he could get done for us. He returned after a short while with instructions for us to camp in an empty pull-through spot. We were very thankful for his help.
The good-
Beautiful canyon!!
Shade from big cottonwoods (it was 97 degrees!)
Some sites well spaced
Vault toilet was clean and supplied
There's good fishing there for big trout but unfortunately I was fishing this time around
The bad-
No cell or WIFI
A lot of strangely laid out sites, some ridiculously close to one another and unlevel
Sprinklers in some areas that sprinkle your site, tent or whatever's exposed
Highway noise is bad - in a canyon sound bounces off the walls, many trucks on the road with much use of jake brakes and to top it all off, the occasional 2AM freight train rolling by on the other side of the river
Nice free spot but mostly for RVs as there are lots of rocks/gravel. Spot to put in a boat too. They have picnic tables (most covered) and fire pits.
We didn't end up staying because it was too rocky for tent stakes and it was incredibly windy. The wind was everywhere though so not necessarily the location. We had heavy wind all day throughout our drive across NE and WY.
We found the spot on the west side by reading a previous review but there is another spot on the north side maybe.
Great soaking pool with extended hours. Camp host Willy was great. It is next to the highway and train tracks but that didn’t bother us because the pool was so enjoyable. Meet some great fellow campers there that come back every year. The town of Thermopolis is fun also.
If you want Cleanliness, organization of the camp, functionality of facilities, availability of staff, provisions for toilet facilities, upkeep of grounds THEN THIS IS NOT THE PLACE THAT YOU WANT TO SPEND YOUR MONEY. THE TOILETS WERE FILTHY , THERE WAS NO TOILET PAPER, THE TOILET LEAKED AT ITS BASE AFTER FLUSHING, THE GROUNDS WERE UNKEPT, OF THE FOUR LAUNDROMAT NONE FUNCTIONED . TWO OF THE FOUR SHOWERS AVAILABLE WERE IN OPERABLE, AND THE OTHERS WERE FILTHY. I had booked for two nights, but I went to the office at 10 AM and no one was there. I came back later in the afternoon and requested a cancellation of the second night, and I explained why I was leaving. I do give them credit for giving me a refund.
It is unfortunate that this park is in such a state of disarray as its location and pool facilities made for a an attractive setting. Due to the overall filthiness of the facilities, I did not bother to swim in the two pools that were there. I could not recommend this facility for Camping.
I was not expecting much. I was in a rush, on the road, and just trying to get settled. I was expecting a flattened patch of grass. At first, that's exactly what I saw: a bathroom that looked like maybe it had a vault toilet, and a couple of campers in makeshift spots. I didn't want to be too close, so I figured I would see where the road led. I'm so glad I kept going! I couldn't believe my eyes when we ended up with what looked like an ocean view. Each spot had a building with a picnic table and a grill. It was very peaceful. We had the place to ourselves until some others rolled in around midnight. There were signs up saying that the algae in the water could be toxic (the sign was posted on the bathrooms, not near the boat launch, so I'm lucky I saw it when I did). My boys were disappointed to not be able to swim, but I didn't want to risk them getting sick on our trip. I'm assuming the algae is what makes this water the beautiful color it is, and I'm guessing the heat of summer makes it bloom to toxic levels. There are no garbage, so pack out. Watch for cows when entering and leaving, they are wandering across the road.
I had reserved site 54 through recreation.gov but at the time I thought it odd the site would not let me put in my rig size. So I just went with it. Mistake. My 30 footer wouldn't begin to fit since the pull off the road is shared between 54 and 55. I've never seen a CG where a pull through is split into 2-3 'sites'. So I drove around the park (which was mostly empty) and in spite of the giant signs screaming RESERVATIONS REQUIRED MAY 1-SEPT 30, I parked in very large site 71 which had midday sun for my solar and some shade in the late afternoon. Did the kiosk sign in thing and no one has bothered to check me out. The signage here is ridiculous, even in the bathrooms - lists of fines for everything! I guess they've had to put up with stupid, rude and inconsiderate people. Sad. No dump station (there's one at park HQ down the road south) but there are several water hydrants through the park. Mosquitoes were quite annoying along with a plethora of nonbiting flying critters my dogs enjoyed hunting. The Wind River runs along the park with a railroad on the other side. The 2x trains a day were NOT that loud and were gone in about 3 minutes. Road noise from the highway is moderate but most city folk won't notice it. Fishing isn't much fun because the river bank is steep with only 3-4 sets of stairs to the water. The birds, however, are numerous and very happy to be here. Had a momma turkey and 8 fledglings walk up to and under my trailer! I would stay here again but at a cooler time of year. The frequent breezes ameliorated the heat to a survivable level. No T Mobile here at all.
The owners go out of their way to make your stay as nice as possible. I was requested by my Dr. to get a chest xray and needed add an additional day to my stay, the staff did everything possible to make this happen. I can't thank them enough to make my stay here great.
We went in the winter so traffic was super low. Mostly just us at the park so we got the 2 giant hot spring pools to ourselves. Soak in mineral rich waters up to 110 degrees in some areas. Full hookups, but no water in the winter due to frozen lines.
We stayed in site 51, we tried to get site 53 but it said it was already reserved, turned out it wasn't. Some things are out od the parks control, rhe trains foe instance that sound like they are coming through your tent. Traffic is horrid and goes on moat od the night. But these two sites have a much bigger problem that the park can do something about. There is a giant light that makes it like noon at the dead of night, all night long! The only thing the light is good for is the bugs, which there are so many bugs, go to the light when it comes on. The bugs weren't of the biting type, most anyway, they just liked to fly into your face. Then there were the wasps. My son got stung and the neighboring site also got stung, all in a 20 minute span. They were everywhere. Even worse, shortly after 9 am on Monday, sprinklers came on! In the sites, 51 was OK, possibly due to a plugged sprinkler but site 53 was soaked. Their tent, their chairs, their concrete picnic table where they were cooking breakfast! Quite hours are not really enforced, leashed dogs aren't always enforced. They do have a giant list of fines for breaking rules but I don't see enforcement. We did visit the lake and didn't see a lot there that would have been better. We won't return to this campground though.
Fountain of youth RV park definitely has its charm, but also could use some amenity upgrades.
Pros:
Huge hot spring pools open daily from 7am- 9:30 pm. Lots of space and can use floaties even kayaks on the pools. Free use of staying here. Cleaned pools one of the days we were here. Awesome to use at night under the stars.
The views from the pools are gorgeous.
Sites have enough space from one another and full hookups. The owner is really amenable and lets you choose your site.. this is great if you’re looking for more shade or space from neighbors.
There is laundry, showers, and toilets available for use.
Location is awesome—right near the state park, close to the dinosaur center, grocery store is less than a 10 min drive, lots of water activities close by (we went kayaking)
WiFi worked very well the entire time!
Cons:
The owner is definitely nice but runs the establishment by himself and therefore is hard to get a hold of initially and is very busy.
The showers are coin operated. So you have to pay one quarter for 2 1/2 minutes of showering. You can also hop over to the hot springs state park for a free soak in the bathhouse and free shower afterward!
The amenities themselves aren’t anything to write home about—laundry is fine, toilets are not amazing, nor are the showers—but everything works and there’s hot water!
Close to the road and a railroad so you can hear sounds of traffic, but it’s not crazy disruptive. Nothing earplugs can’t solve.
No Verizon or ATT service at the site.
Ultimately, I think the hot spring pools and location are well worth the $$ and loved my stay.
Open camp-sites (very little shade). Water, sewer, and electric hook-ups available. Flush toilets and coin operated showers. Garbage bins. The hot spring fountain and pools were amazing!!! Thermopolis was a friendly community with lots of fun things to do! We took in the dinosaur museum, and it was great! We were there in the middle of the week, and there were quite a few sites available.
We suggest you take in the Scenic Byway through Wind River Canyon just South of Thermopolis - it's amazing!
Small campsite you can park right on the water. Locals camp here in the weekend and it can be a little rowdy but nice crowd. Nice bathrooms. Good At&T service. 4/5 would camp again
Stopped here on my way to Grand-Teton National Forest. The GPS location takes you to a mostly flat lot with a view of the lake. Other reviews say the water is poisoned, but I saw no signs indicating this and people were in the water. There is a vaulted toilet that didn't seem to be serviced often. No garbage or water. I stopped on a Monday in June and the was one other person who appeared to be a local setup. I moved on the next day into Shoshone National Forest near Lander, WY and found a great site there which I'll do a review for.
$55 night, full hook ups: electric, water, and sewage. Pull thru sites. All sites come with picnic table and fire ring. Sites are level. Not very private. Not a lot of shady trees so camper can warm up even with AC. Dog friendly.
Lovely big hot spring pool. it has different sections with different temps. They clean the pools bi-weekly so make sure to ask when reserving if its a cleaning week because you will lose pool time.
Didnt have much luck with wifi. at&t was very week, verizon was good in the area.
State park near by with more hot spring views and bison views. We did the spirit trail just over a mile.
Beware the whole area smells like rotten eggs due to the sulfer in the springs. It can be nauseating.
Showers and bathrooms were very clean. Reasonably priced.
We found this place in the dark on our way to Grand Teton and decided to stop for the night. We had then entire place to ourselves and when we woke up we fell in love with the place. The sunrise was incredible over the water and the camp area had vault toilets and even grills to cook at. We enjoyed the morning, got. Leaned up, made breakfast and then hit the road again. It was a perfect spot and if we could have we would have stayed longer.
Friendly campground. Easy pull through sites.
We had a terrible time trying to reach someone here to make a reservation but we finally did. -Huge hot pool. -Rest rooms have 2 stalls in women’s. -Showers-there are 4 but 2 are being repaired coin operated. .25 cents for 3 mins. -has full hook-up,pull through. Just electric and water sites as well. -shade available -pet friendly but not a lot of availability to walk other than in campground -next to train tracks.2 a day except Sunday -WiFi is inconsistent, no real cell coverage. -$45 a night
There are lots of campsites at Boysen State Park. I called the phone number and talked to a nice ranger. She suggested Upper Wind River campsite since we did not have boat and wanted to have a nice tent spot. We camped 1 week before site changed from reservation to FF. We planned on staying 2 nights but it was so relaxing we ended up staying 4. 1 day we went to Marina and swim beach. Another day we went to Thermopolis and checked out Dino museum and hot springs. Last day we just hung around camp and relaxed. Campsite had a park for kids. No showers but plenty of water so we set up privacy tent and we’re able to shower when we wanted. If we were there during peak season I bet it would feel a little crowded but was perfect the time of year we went because there were maybe 10 sites filled out of the 80ish there.
Very nice, clean family run. Free coffee in the morning and helpful answer all my question. $10/night without hookups. No fires allowed in Sept 2021
This place was fantastic! I stayed for three nights and only had campers one other night and had the entire place to myself. I drove out to the Long point campground on the little peninsula out in the water so you had views 360. There were multiple picnic tables with shelters and two clean vault toilets that were well stocked. Saw a few boaters come by in the evenings but other than that it was just peace and quiet. If you sit and look at the lake, you’ll see a lot of jumping fish. I also had fantastic AT&T service and could work remotely with no issues. Will definitely stay again and felt safe. Other than vault toilets, there are no other amenities so please pack out what are you bring in. 
Not bad, yes a little close to other RVs but, it works. The bathroom were very clean. It a great spot if you are passing through.
Host was accommodating in finding a spot for our camper van when we arrived late in the day. The hot springs are nice and free to use. They also have showers and laundry for a small fee.
We stopped over for one night and found that the water is poisoned. There are large fish jumping; Possibly, walleye. It was a fine place to stay for the night as we were all alone. We did get have a huge thunderstorm go right over us! The wind that the seagulls were soaring on, just like at the ocean, was the forefront of the storm northwest to southeast.
It's our second time
The unpaved road do have some wash boarding. We spent one night surviving a massive thunderstorm. Sadly the water is hazardous and has to be avoided. It’s was a quiet for good sleep with panoramic views and some wildlife viewing. Large fish jumping at times. Seagulls fly over like at the ocean.
We decided to take a chance on this place, Even though there were no reviews. And we are So glad we did. This place is so nice. It’s in between a bunch of farm land. The actual camp sites are along the coast of the lake. We even had our own mini private beach. There are two vault toilets available. We also had our own covered picnic table. I thought it was cool that they had a handicap ramp for people in wheel chairs or even for people who have a hard time walking on uneven ground. Both bathrooms are also handicap accessible.
This spot is beautiful. Please take care of it. It’s pack in pack out. I’m not sure if locals use this spot to hang out occasionally but I spent 30 minutes of my morning picking up trash that was left behind. I found, beer cans, socks, wires, plastic containers and bags. I was honestly hesitant to leave this review because of the trash I found. I fear a positive review will make it more popular, bringing in the wrong crowd.
So to sum this review up, this is a great, free spot, but please respect nature and other campers and clean up after yourself.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Lysite, WY is Fountain of Youth RV Park with a 3.6-star rating from 18 reviews.
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