evans plunge

If you are used to the hot spring pools of Colorado and Wyoming...this is not one of those. The semi-warm water is incredibly clear, and the fast rate of flow means chemicals aren't necessary. The locker rooms are nasty, freezing cold, and rusted, but once you get past that, you can have a very enjoyable afternoon in this historic South Dakota favorite. Also, the pebbles on the pool bottom give your feet a nice massage. I also wish use of the hot tub was included in the regular admission price.

Hello dps_Sedona!Thank you for your very kind words about Evans Plunge! We're glad you had great experiences at the Plunge both as a young person and as an adult! We hope to continue the legacy of generations who've swam in our naturally warm mineral spring waters!

Hi putitonmytab,We've gone through additional renovations in February 2015 to fix many facility issues and we're glad you were still able to have a fun time at Evans Plunge. Of course, our naturally warm mineral spring water is always 87 degrees and we never promote it as anything warmer, and guests are always welcome to "test the waters" so to speak and feel the water temperature before deciding to take the Plunge. Thanks for sharing your comments!

Coby,We're glad you enjoyed your visit to Evans Plunge in spite of your feelings about our admission prices. We feel our admission prices are very competitive considering the uniqueness of the warm water spring and the fact that admission is good all day - you can leave at any time to go exploring the rest of Hot Springs and the Black Hills and come back later on in the day to relax in our warm waters - but I will definitely pass along your thoughts to our management and city leadership. Your reviews help us improve! Thank you!

I'm local and was shocked when it cost 3 of us over $47 to play in the "cool" water. Should it really cost over $15 for a 3 year old? And yes, we purchased the extra $3.50 for the hot tub cost because after being in the cool water you have to warm up! Sad to say we won't be back which is a bummer because we would love to support this place but not at these prices.

Hi Sharon!We're happy that you had a great experience with us at the Evans Plunge! Thank you for sharing with the TripAdvisor community!

We stopped on our return motorhome trip from the Black Hills to give the kids some fun. Pool very clean and many activities with tubes and slides. the kids 9 and 10 had a ball and was a fun change from the touristy viewing of all in the Black Hills.

This is one of my favorite places to have a healthy good time. You need to really like swimming. This is a real pool.

We decided to revisit some of the places in the Black Hills that we took our children to see, when they were young. Evans Plunge is reputed to be the largest naturally heated, that is, Hot spring fed, pool in the world. Back in the day, we quite enjoyed it. Unfortunately, time has taken its toll, and we feel that some TLC and maintenance is long overdue. Much of the metal fixtures had exposed rust, and overall, paint is needed. Water drips everywhere.We didn't find the water that warm, and there is algae growing in some places. The hot tub was ok, but the sauna was so hot we couldn't breathe. The floors in the change rooms had water puddles in many places, seeming to come from the showers.We won't hurry back.

My family use to hit up Evan's Plunge on our yearly SD vacation, and I have very fond memories of all the fun my siblings and I had there. I got the chance to revisit this year with my 7 year old nephew and young cousins, and it was just as fun as I remembered. The pools were wonderful. Loads and loads of fun. We rode the slides for hours and I honestly had more fun on these 3 rickety little slides than I did at Adventureland waterpark. The water was crystal clear and super refreshing on a hot July day. No chlorine to funk up your hair and skin, either! There are hanging rings you can attempt to cross the pool with and a rope swing that seemed a bit dated and unused for what large section of the pool they took up.The building has definitely seen its better days. The locker rooms were pretty gross, but not that much worse than my YMCA back home. Evan's Plunge has definitely aged and is need of some sprucing up, but who cares once you're in the water!! A great treat for any SD vacation!!!

Big, warm swimming pool with two big slides. The water is heated from a warm spring; the floor of the pool is covered with smooth stones. Hot-tubs and a steam room, too. It's neat to say you've been, but, it's essentially a big, warm swimming pool. So, sure: try it! Why not?

Hey, I was too lazy to swim there, but you can just go in to see this enormous swimming pool, continuously fed by springs and cycling every 90 minutes. Water slides are in place, and I think any family could spend a day there without difficulty.

Evan's Plunge is a natural hot spring with an indoor pool and water park featuring rings across the pool and 2 slides. They have an outside area with a slide as well but it is always closed by the first week of September when we go there. Our Scout Troop stop here almost every year. The boys love it. By the time we get to Hot Springs we have been in a car for about 7 to 8 hours and they are ready for a break. This gives them something physical to do and helps wear them out so they are willing to go to bed early in the evening. We stop here on our way to the Black Hills Council Pilgrimage that includes hikes from area campgrounds to Mount Rushmore.it does tend to be a little pricey but the boys almost always want make this stop.

Hi Gaylynn.Thanks for your review. We appreciate your comments. Regarding our website, our newest website, launched earlier this summer, has an admissions page that has not been altered since going live, http://www.evansplunge.com/admission, which shows that adult admission (13 & up) is $12, children (12 & under) are $10. And our FAQ page on our website http://www.evansplunge.com/faq, does state:"What do I need to bring?You will need a swimsuit and a towel. If you need one we rent swimming suits for $3.50. If you need a towel we rent them for $2.00 each. We also sell swimsuits and towels in our gift shop. You can swim in shorts and t-shirts as long as the shorts are hemmed and don't have strings, like cut offs do. Do you have life jackets if I need one? We offer life jackets free of charge if you need to use them."I apologize if you did not see this information; the same information was available online on both our older website earlier this year and our new one which launched early this summer, and our standard admission rates have not changed since the City of Hot Springs took ownership, something we are proud of having been able to maintain.I will pass along your message about the temperature of the hot tub to management. Our first year has been spent mostly on structural improvements and customer service, our second year focus will be on cosmetic improvements, as well as continuing efforts on the structure and customer service ends. I assure you developments are planned, but like many good things, are not accomplished overnight! Your comments help us stay attuned to the desires of our visitors, and it is much appreciated! Thank you for visiting us!

Hi 2sweet4umarie!We are glad you enjoyed the outdoor pool. Our admission is good for all day so you can come and go as you please throughout the day; in fact, we encourage people to come swim, then go eat meals, visit other attractions, travel the Black Hills, and come back and relax in the pools at the end of a weary day!I will pass along your concerns about the changing rooms and lifeguards. We are continuing to work on improving our customer service day to day and plans are in place to improve the facility itself long-term, so your comments are extremely beneficial to us in helping us meet our visitor's expectations! We also love our Hot Springs sunsets! They are quite beautiful with our red rock cliffs!