Hot Springs National Park

Hot Springs National Park is one of the most unusual and historic parks in the National Park System, protecting the 47 ancient thermal springs that gush from the base of Hot Springs Mountain in central Arkansas, around which the city of Hot Springs grew as America’s original spa town. Uniquely, the park is woven right into the city, its grand Bathhouse Row of elegant early-20th-century bathhouses standing alongside the forested hills and trails that the park also preserves.

Set aside by the federal government in 1832 — making it the oldest federally protected reserve in the nation, decades before Yellowstone — Hot Springs protects the hot springs themselves, whose pure, mineral-rich water (heated deep in the earth and emerging at around 143°F) drew people for thousands of years and made the city the ‘American Spa.’ Visitors tour the historic bathhouses (some still offering baths), sip and gather the thermal water, and hike the wooded mountains and trails surrounding the city. Blending natural wonder, rich history and Southern charm, Hot Springs National Park is a treasured and singular American landmark.

Hot Springs National Park offers a unique blend of recreation — touring historic Bathhouse Row and its grand early-20th-century bathhouses (some still offering traditional baths and spa services), sipping or gathering the thermal water from public fountains, learning the springs’ story at the visitor center in the Fordyce Bathhouse, and hiking or driving the wooded Hot Springs and North mountains with their trails, overlooks and observation tower. The combination of the historic spa town, the thermal springs and the forested mountain trails makes the park a singular and beloved destination in central Arkansas.

Spring and fall are ideal — spring for wildflowers and mild weather, and fall for color in the surrounding Ouachita Mountains and comfortable hiking — while the thermal springs and historic bathhouses can be enjoyed year-round. Summer is warm and humid but the springs and shaded trails offer respite, and winter brings cool, quiet days perfect for a warm bath. The bathhouses, springs and city are rewarding any time; spring and fall offer the best weather for the trails and the mountain scenery around the historic spa town.

Hot Springs holds a remarkable place in American history — the thermal springs drew Native peoples for thousands of years, and in 1832 the federal government set the area aside as Hot Springs Reservation, the oldest federally protected reserve in the nation, decades before the national park idea. The city grew into the ‘American Spa,’ with grand bathhouses drawing presidents, gangsters (including Al Capone) and visitors seeking the healing waters in its heyday. Redesignated a national park in 1921, Hot Springs preserves the springs, the historic Bathhouse Row and the city’s storied spa heritage.

Hot Springs National Park’s thermal springs emerge from the base of Hot Springs Mountain, part of the ancient Ouachita Mountains, where rainwater, seeping deep into the earth over roughly 4,000 years, is heated by the planet’s interior and forced back to the surface along fractures, emerging pure, mineral-rich and hot at around 143°F. The folded, ancient rock of the Ouachitas channels the water’s long underground journey. The 47 springs, the heated water’s deep circulation, and the surrounding forested mountains reflect the unusual geology that makes Hot Springs a natural wonder.

The forested Hot Springs and North mountains of the park host white-tailed deer, foxes, squirrels, and a rich community of birds, including woodland species, while the wooded hills surrounding the city provide habitat amid the urban setting. Though woven into the city, the park’s mountains and trails offer pockets of Ouachita forest and wildlife. The springs themselves harbor unique microorganisms adapted to the hot water. The park is a pleasant place for wildlife watching and birding on its mountain trails, a green refuge of Ouachita nature around the historic spa town.

Hot Springs National Park protects both the unusual ecosystem of the thermal springs — where heat-loving microorganisms thrive in the hot, mineral-rich water — and the surrounding Ouachita Mountain forest, with its oak-hickory and pine woodlands, on the mountains around the city. The springs’ pure, ancient water and the forested hills form a distinctive blend of natural systems. Protecting the springs (and their purity), the unique spring life and the surrounding forest sustains both the geological wonder and the Ouachita ecology of this singular national park woven into the city of Hot Springs.

Hot Springs National Park holds a singular and storied place in American culture as the ‘American Spa,’ the oldest federal reserve, and a city built around healing waters that drew presidents, baseball teams, gangsters and seekers of health for generations. The grand Bathhouse Row, the thermal springs, and the blend of natural wonder and Southern resort glamour have made Hot Springs a beloved and unique destination, where the deep history of America’s spa heritage and the natural marvel of the hot springs meet in the heart of an Arkansas city.

Hot Springs National Park is in central Arkansas in and around the city of Hot Springs, off US-70 and State Route 7, about an hour southwest of Little Rock. The park is free to enter (bathhouse spa services charge fees). It offers historic Bathhouse Row, the Fordyce Bathhouse visitor center, public thermal-water fountains, the Grand Promenade, and trails and drives on Hot Springs and North mountains with an observation tower. The park is woven into the city. Check the National Park Service for bathhouse operations, the visitor center and conditions before visiting.

The National Park Service protects the thermal springs, the historic Bathhouse Row and the surrounding Ouachita Mountain forest of Hot Springs National Park. Visitors help by protecting the purity of the springs (not contaminating the fountains or springs), treating the historic bathhouses with care, staying on trails on the mountains, packing out everything, respecting wildlife, and following park rules. Protecting the ancient thermal springs, their purity and the historic and natural setting sustains both the geological wonder and the cultural heritage of this oldest federal reserve and singular national park.

Hot Springs’ thermal water emerges at about 143°F — hot enough to scald — so use only the designated cooled public fountains for drinking or filling jugs, and never touch the open springs or hot water directly. On the mountain trails, wear sturdy footwear, carry water, and watch footing on the wooded paths. In the city, be mindful of traffic where the park meets the streets. Supervise children near the hot water and on the trails. Enjoy the bathhouses’ supervised spa services safely, and respect the heat of the springs.

The park is free to enter (bathhouse spa services charge fees). Use only the designated public fountains for thermal water; do not contaminate or disturb the springs. Treat the historic bathhouses with care. Stay on trails on the mountains. Pets must be leashed (and are restricted in buildings). Drones are prohibited. Collecting is prohibited. Pack out all trash. Follow city and park rules where the park meets the streets. Check the National Park Service for bathhouse operations and current rules before visiting.

The city of Hot Springs, with its historic downtown, lakes (Hamilton, Catherine and Ouachita) and resort attractions, surrounds the park, with the Ouachita Mountains, the Ouachita National Forest, and Garvan Woodland Gardens nearby, and Little Rock about an hour northeast. The Ouachita Mountains and the spa city define the region. Hot Springs National Park anchors a unique region where a historic spa city, thermal springs and forested mountains meet in central Arkansas, a centerpiece of a relaxing and historic getaway in the Ouachitas.

Stroll historic Bathhouse Row and tour the Fordyce Bathhouse visitor center to absorb the spa-town history, then experience the springs — take a traditional bath at one of the operating bathhouses, and fill a jug with thermal water from the public fountains (using the cooled ones, as the springs are scalding). Hike or drive the wooded Hot Springs and North mountains for trails and views from the observation tower. The park is free and woven into the city; combine it with the lakes and the Ouachita Mountains nearby.