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Hot Springs National Park |
Description:
Congress established Hot Springs Reservation on April 20, 1832 to protect hot springs flowing from the southwestern slope of Hot Springs Mountain. This makes it the oldest park currently in the National Park System--40 years older than Yellowstone National Park. People have used the hot spring water in therapeutic baths for more than two hundred years to treat rheumatism and other ailments. The reservation eventually developed into a well-known resort nicknamed "The American Spa" because it attracted not only the wealthy but also indigent health seekers from around the world. Today the park protects eight historic bathhouses with the former luxurious Fordyce Bathhouse housing the park visitor center. The entire "Bathhouse Row" area is a National Historic Landmark District that contains the grandest collection of bathhouses of its kind in North America. By protecting the 47 hot springs and their watershed, the National Park Service continues to provide visitors with historic leisure activities such as hiking, picnicking, and scenic drives. Hot Springs Reservation became Hot Springs National Park by a Congressional name change on March 4, 1921.
Designations:
Hot Springs Reservation (April 20, 1832)
National Park (March 4, 1921)
Accessibility:
The Visitor Center is fully accessible with wheelchairs available for loan. There is a loading zone in front of the Visitor Center; parking is across the street in public lots or in a city lot at the south end of Bathhouse Row.
A model of Bathhouse Row and other architectural features is available for blind and visually impaired visitors. The park brochure is available on cassette and large print park information can be obtained at the information desk.
An American Sign Language interpreter can be provided for regularly scheduled tours with five days notice.
Gulpha Gorge Campground has one accessible campsite.
Getting Around:
For getting around in the park, you may use personal vehicle or bicycles on the roads. Some tour companies offer tours and the city of Hot Springs runs a trolley to the tower on Hot Springs Mountain May-October. Tour buses or other vehicles more than 30 feet long are prohibited on Hot Springs Mountain because the road has hairpin curves.
Activites:
Auto_Touring | Camping | Educational Programs | Hiking | Horseback Riding | Bird Watching | And more.
Facilities:
Visitor_Centers | Picnic Areas | Comfort Stations | Museum Exhibits | Tours & Guided Activities | And more.
Nature: Geysers HotSprings | And more.
Directions to Hot Springs National Park
Plane:
Hot Springs is serviced by a local airport, Hot Springs Memorial Field, or Little Rock National Airport (with shuttle service and rental cars.)
Car:
Hot Springs National Park is in downtown Hot Springs; Bathhouse Row is on Central Avenue with the mountains of the park flanking the street. Visitors traveling north-south on I-30 take the Hot Springs US 70 West exit south of Benton, the Hot Springs US 270 West exit at Malvern, or the Hot Springs Ark. 7 North exit near Arkadelphia; visitors traveling south on Ark. 7 will come through downtown Hot Springs where the visitor center is located; visitors traveling south
on US 71 from Fort Smith, or north on US 71 from Texarkana, take the US 270 East exit; visitors coming from Oklahoma on US 70 would take this route all the way into Hot Springs. When you get into the city you will see signs for the National Park. The Visitor Center is located downtown on Highway 7 North or Central Avenue.
Public Transportation
Amtrak's Texas Eagle route serves Little Rock and Malvern, Arkansas, with shuttle services to Hot Springs.
Greyhound Bus Lines also services Hot Springs with a station located at 229 West Grand Avenue. For fare and scheduling information, call 1-800-231-2222.
Attractions:
City of Hot Springs
Phone:1-800-SPA CITY
Ouachita National Forest
Lake Ouachita, Corps of Engineers (follow links from information bar)
Phone:501-767-2101
Lake Ouachita State Park
Phone:501-767-9366
Lake Catherine State Park
Phone:501-844-4176
Nearby Parks:
Central High School National Historic Site in Arkansas (60 miles)
Arkansas Post National Memorial in Arkansas (60 miles)
Buffalo National River in Arkansas (60 miles)
Fort Smith National Historic Site in Arkansas (60 miles)
Pea Ridge National Military Park in Arkansas (60 miles)
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Contact Information for Hot Springs National Park
Hot Springs National Park
P.O. Box 1860
Hot Springs, AR
71902
Phone: 501-624-3383, x640
Fax: 501-624-3458
Located in Hot Springs, AR
For more information on Hot Springs National Park
Information on this page provided by the NPS.
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Arkansas Road Maps (AR Maps)
Arkansas Photos