I went to Wilbur to celebrate my birthday, after all there isn't anything better than celebrating your birthday swimming and sunbathing in your birthday suit. Getting there wasn't too bad, it is somewhat remote but GPS got me there with no problems but I had printed out directions just in case. I stayed in the Cabin, which wasn't anything that special. It was nice to have my own bathroom, the cabin has lights, but no power outlets and the room was smaller than a typical hotel room. I would definitely recommend bringing a warm blanket, especially if you are coming in the winter time. The kitchen is great, everything I needed was there, everything is very well labeled, and although it gets busy during meal times, it never felt crowded. There are plenty of spots to eat both outside and inside. There are games and a library near the kitchen, which I probably would have taken more advantage if I was staying there for more than two nights.
Wilbur has lots of bikes, but I didn't use them since they looked difficult to ride on the gravel road and I generally prefer to walk. Walking along the road and creek was nice. I also hiked some of the trails, but did not enjoy the large number of bugs that seemed to constantly pester me.
The real reason to come to Wilbur is the hot springs. The swimming area is set up nice, although ideally the main gravel road wouldn't be located so close to the hot springs. Some guest seem to leave towels on some of the better spots which can be annoying, but there were plenty of seats and benches. There are three showers, and a changing room and plenty of hooks to hang up your towel. The showers have soap, shampoo, hot and cold water. There is a cold plunge near the showers, which consists of a bathtub, and definitely qualifies as cold. There are three flumes in the covered area, and outside of that below the main deck, there is a large pool and a smaller conversation pool. There is also "pool #6" in their nature preserve next the geyser, which is about a 15 minute walk from the main pools.
I tried all the pools, and overall, I was disappointed in the temperature of the pools, because of how hot they were, and unfortunately you don't get to change their temperatures. The coldest flume (100 degrees) was good and I can see how some people can handle the middle flume (105 degrees), although I saw one woman's back bright red after getting out of it, but nobody was ever sitting in the hottest flume. Pool #6 was also too hot for me and I couldn't last more than 5 minutes in it. The conversation pool is also on the hotter side, but some guests seemed to enjoy it. The big pool is where I spent a lot of time, even though it had a considerable amount of bugs. During the hotter times of the day, I wish the big pool was colder, but in the early morning and at night it is terrific. At one end of the big pool, the hot water is pumped and it gets colder near the other end so you can relax in the spot you feel most comfortable in or just swim around.
At night, the lighting is nice (not too bright, but not too dim) both around the pool and along the pathway from the cabin, although some people may want to bring a light with them, but it isn't really necessary. The pools are open 24 hours for overnight guests and I took advantage of a middle of the night swim with the place all to myself and the stars as my company.
The swim area is clothing optional but almost everyone is nude (I only saw one couple keep their bathing suits on and some women just went topless). You will see naked people, so if that bothers you, you should not visit. I can understand if you are nervous about being naked around strangers, but it really isn't a real big deal and going at night or taking your bathing suit off after you get in the pool might be an easy way for a first timer to try it out. I enjoy sunbathing and swimming naked, and I felt comfortable being naked, but nobody really cares if you are naked or not. Everyone was respectful of each other and I never felt like anyone was staring at my naked body. The pools seemed busiest just before lunchtime but it never felt crowded.
The biggest negatives for me were that the pools were on the hotter side, the price is pretty high, and there were a fair amount of bugs. I wouldn't want to visit here during the summer or do a day pass, but I may try this place again in a few more years during the winter months. read more