State Parks announces temporary closure of the Star Plunge

Wyoming State Parks announced Tuesday, Jan. 14, the temporary closure of the Star Plunge aquatic facility at Hot Springs State Park following a recent two-week management agreement extension and ongoing negotiations for a potential sale to a new operator. 

The Star Plunge closed at 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 13.

“We appreciate the community’s patience during this transitional time. Our main priority is to ensure that the Star Plunge reopens as quickly as possible, providing the quality experience our visitors expect and deserve,” said Nick Neylon, deputy director of Wyoming State Parks. 

The facility was scheduled to close at the end of 2024 due to the expiration of its management agreement with C&W Enterprises, operators of the Star Plunge. Wyoming State Parks extended this agreement to maintain public access and was optimistic about continuing aquatic services for the community.

However, a court ruling in December 2024 mandated that any legal disputes between C&W Enterprises and Wyoming State Parks must be settled before a new operator could take over. Without a resolution to that ongoing litigation, or a finalized sale, the closure will proceed as initially planned.

“We understand that this news may be disappointing for our visitors and local community members who cherish the Star Plunge experience,” said Brooks Jordan, manager of Wyoming State Parks’ Big Horn District. “Please be assured that we are actively working to provide updates and strive to bring new and exciting aquatic opportunities to the park in the near future.” 

Jordan said the next step is to wait for litigation to be completed and that timing is up to the judge in the case. He said the judge issued two preliminary orders last month; one was that the State Parks could not enter into another agreement to operate the Star Plunge and the other was that the State Parks could not exercise the section of the agreement to have the C&W Enterprises remove improvements within 60 days of the expiration of the agreement.

Jordan said depending on the litigation, there may or may not be a timeline for removing improvements. Improvements would include the slides, building, pools, pumps and more.

He said the current Star Plunge owners can continue to work on sale of the facility but it will not involve the State Parks at this time.

Jordan added that State Parks and Star Plunge employees will check on the facility regularly to ensure there is no damage to the facility.

Jordan added that the management agreement that the State Parks had with Star Plunge expired on its own and the request for proposals process was fully transparent. That process was called for based on the 2016 master plan that included extensive community involvement.

While the status of the Star Plunge is in a holding pattern it will remain closed to the public. The State Bath House and other aquatic facilities at Hot Springs State Park will remain operational and accessible to the public.

In 2024, the Wyoming State Parks announced the selection of Wyoming Hot Springs LLC as their partner for the future growth and development of concessions at Hot Springs State Park. 

Wyoming Hot Springs LLC’s primary representative, Mark Begich, is a long-time business owner specializing in business development, travel, and tourism across several Western states and Alaska. 

Wyoming Hot Springs LLC purchased the TePee Pools facility in 2023 and entered into a long-term lease that goes to Dec. 31, 2047. Jordan said the company does have plans for substantial renovation and improvements but noted it was his understanding that they were waiting until Star Plunge situation was resolved.

“However, since that process is taking more time than anticipated, they may revisit that timeline,” Jordan said.

Regarding the other facilities in the park, he said the Plaza Hotel was not part of the concessionaire contract with Wyoming Hot Springs LLC as they are in the middle of a long-term contract that ends Dec. 31, 2043.

The Star Plunge agreement ended Dec. 31, 2024 and the Hot Springs Hotel, which is included in the concessionaire contract, has an agreement that ends Oct. 31, 2026.