With a fascinating history, Boysen State Park is named after Asmus Boysen, who constructed the original dam and power plant on the site back in 1908. You can still see remnants of the original dam near the Lower Wind River Campground. Visitors can not only check out part of the original dam but also marvel at the impressive 216-foot-tall rolled-earth and rock-fill dam currently on the Wind River in central Wyoming.

Today, Boysen State Park is a massive 35,000-acre recreational area in Wyoming, situated in Fremont County, just south of Thermopolis and the Wind River Canyon. This state park spans over 35,000 acres at the southern end of the Owl Creek Mountains, right at the entrance of the Wind River Canyon. It's centered around the 19,560-acre Boysen Reservoir, which boasts 76 miles of shoreline, making it a fantastic spot for boating, fishing, swimming, and camping. There are 13 campgrounds scattered around the Wind River and the Boysen Reservoir, with several boat ramps (Brannon, Tough Creek, Fremont, Cottonwood Bay) along with a designated swimming beach. The park also features unique rustic lodging options and a privately operated marina.

Anglers can find game fish like walleye, sauger, perch, crappie, ling, rainbow, cutthroat, and brown trout in the reservoir. It's well-known for year-round fishing, including ice fishing, and has produced state-record catches of walleye, trout, and perch.