Thermopolis is built around Hot Springs State Park and its mineral springs, and many of its residential streets climb the hillsides around town. That slope shaped the houses. A lot of homes here have a set of front-entry steps, and plenty were built as split-level or multi-story layouts.
Hot Springs County has two towns, Thermopolis and Lucerne, set in the southern Big Horn Basin between the Owl Creek Mountains and the Bridger Mountains. If you or a parent are finding the stairs harder each season, this page walks through which kind of stair lift fits the homes found here and which programs can help with the cost.
The county had 2,569 housing units as of mid-2025. You will find single-family homes, ranch-style homes, split-level homes, manufactured homes and some walk-up apartments. Each one points toward a different kind of lift.
A split-level home often has short flights between levels rather than one long run. A straight stair lift handles a single flight with no turns. If the stairs wrap around a landing or change direction, a curved rail is built to follow that exact shape.
Ranch-style homes usually keep living space on one floor, so the problem is often the front-entry steps or a basement stair. Those front steps are where an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift comes into the conversation.
On the hillside streets of Thermopolis, the hardest stairs are sometimes outside the house. Getting from the sidewalk or driveway to the front door can mean climbing exposed steps before you ever reach an indoor staircase.
An outdoor stair lift is built for weather and runs along those exterior steps. When someone uses a wheelchair, a platform lift carries the chair itself, so nobody has to transfer to a seat. We look at the slope, the number of steps and the landing at the door before recommending either one.
Out of a population of 3,182, about 27.8% of residents are 65 or older. That is a large share for a small county, and it means many families are working through the same questions about stairs at the same time.
About 78.5% of residents own their homes. That matters because owners can install a permanent rail without asking a landlord, and several of the programs below are written for homeowners.
Not every program that helps with home repairs pays for a stair lift. The Wyoming Medicaid Community Choices Waiver, the VA Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation grants, Wyoming Services for Independent Living and Older Americans Act community services all list home modifications that can include a lift. Others focus on repairs, so ask before you count on them.
The median value of an owner-occupied home here is $227,500, and the median household income is $74,052. For veterans, the Wyoming Veterans Commission has a Veteran Service Officer in Cody who covers Hot Springs County at (307) 250-3890. For aging services, the state Aging Division in Cheyenne is at (307) 777-7986, and the Hot Springs County Senior Citizens Center in Thermopolis is the closest local contact.
A Medicaid waiver for Wyoming residents 65 and older, or 19 to 64 with a qualifying disability, who meet nursing facility level of care. Environmental Modifications are covered when they are in the participant's care plan, and a stair lift falls within that category; call (307) 777-7531.
A VA benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 over a lifetime for entrance access, ramps and bathroom or kitchen changes. The VA states it does not cover removable equipment such as porch lifts and stair glides, so plan on it for other work; call (800) 698-2411.
Grants for veterans with a qualifying severe service-connected disability who own or plan to own the home: up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026. The VA does not name stair lifts, but a lift can fall within the approved scope of work; call (800) 827-1000.
Loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 (combined up to $50,000) for very-low-income rural homeowners, with grants limited to owners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan. The program page lists critical repairs and energy efficiency but does not mention stair lifts; call (307) 233-6700.
A nonprofit Center for Independent Living serving people with disabilities of any age in Big Horn, Park, Washakie and Hot Springs counties. Modifications to your home are among its listed services; call (307) 586-4141.
The senior center at 206 Senior Avenue in Thermopolis offers meals, transportation, health services, light housekeeping, companion services and Lifeline for people 60 and older. Home modifications are not listed, but it is the local starting point for aging services; call (307) 864-2151.
Federal and state funding for adults 60 and older and family caregivers, delivered through the county senior center, that may include home assessments and modifications. Call (307) 777-7995 or the senior center to check what is available locally.
A state loan of up to $40,000 for low-to-moderate-income homeowners who need critical repairs or energy-efficiency upgrades. Stair lifts and accessibility work are not mentioned, so confirm scope first at (307) 265-0603.
Older adults
6101 Yellowstone Road, Suite 259B, Cheyenne, 82002
Veterans
1026 Blackburn Ave, Suite 1, Cody, 82414
The Wyoming Medicaid Community Choices Waiver covers Environmental Modifications when they are part of the participant's care plan, and a stair lift fits that category. You need to be 65 or older, or 19 to 64 with a qualifying disability, and meet nursing facility level of care. Call (307) 777-7531 to confirm current income and asset limits.
No. The VA says HISA does not cover removable equipment such as porch lifts and stair glides. It can help with entrance access, ramps and bathroom changes. A veteran with a qualifying severe service-connected disability may look at the SAH or SHA grants instead.
The Wyoming Veterans Commission has a Veteran Service Officer at 1026 Blackburn Ave, Suite 1, in Cody, covering Hot Springs, Park, Big Horn and Washakie counties. The number is (307) 250-3890.
Yes. The Hot Springs County Senior Citizens Center in Thermopolis serves people 60 and older and their spouses at (307) 864-2151. Older Americans Act community services run through the center may include home assessments and modifications.
Exterior steps usually call for an outdoor stair lift, which is built to sit outside. If the person uses a wheelchair, a platform lift carries the chair without a transfer. We measure the steps and the door landing before recommending one.
Wyoming Services for Independent Living serves people with disabilities of any age in Hot Springs County and lists home modifications among its services. The Cody office is at (307) 586-4141.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
