American Travel Journal: Hot Springs National Park

Hot Springs was set aside by the federal government in 1832 and "reserved for the future disposal of the United States" according to the legislation. It was designated as the eighteenth national park in 1921. However, many local residents consider it to be the first national park as it was set aside forty years before Yellowstone. We had the opportunity to visit in late May and early June 2012. The city of Hot Springs has grown up around and south of the park, resulting in a much more urban area than most parks in the system. The park is only about eight square miles. We visited the urban Bathhouse Row, Whittington Park in a residential area, and the surrounding mountains; but did not visit the campground area.

Bathhouse Row

There is no park-owned parking in the Bathhouse Row area. Metered parking is available on the street for up to two hours on Central Avenue across from the Bathhouses or up to eight hours in the municipal parking garage one block west at 128 Exchange Street. The top level of the garage is free. There are a variety of shops and restaurants lining the west side of Central Avenue. While there are nine buildings on Bathhouse Row, only eight of them were used as bathhouses. The southernmost building was built as the Administration Building in 1935, making it the newest structure as well. Of the eight remaining bathhouse buildings, only two are still used as bathhouses. Heading north, the Lamar Bathhouse is now used for park service office space as well as the park store on the first floor. Next, the Buckstaff Bathhouse has been in continuous operation as a bathhouse since 1912. Continuing north, the Ozark Bathhouse, built in 1922, now houses the Museum of Contemporary Art; while the Quapaw Bathhouse has been renovated into a modern spa that opened in 2008. The Fordyce Bathhouse opened in 1915 and is now the visitor center and historically furnished museum. Next door, the Maurice Bathhouse is being renovated by a contractor so that it may be leased. The Hale and Superior Bathhouses are closed to the public, but the park service requested proposals for leasing them last year. The sidewalk in front of the bathhouses is lined with magnolia trees, while the Grand Promenade running above and behind separates the bathhouses from the nature trails. Just north of Bathhouse Row, but outside the park is the landmark Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa.

Administration Building

Lamar Bathhouse
Gift Shop

Buckstaff Bathhouse
Traditional Bathhouse

Ozark Bathhouse
Modern Art Gallery

Fordyce Bathhouse
Visitor Center and Museum

Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa

Tree-lined sidewalk in front of Bathhouse Row

Grand Promenade

Skylight in Fordyce Men's Bath Hall

Fountain in Fordyce Men's Bath Hall

Whittington Park

Although owned and managed by the park service, this is in reality a linear city park centered on Whittington Creek. Whittington Avenue splits into two one-way boulevards one either side of the creek. There is a gravel path circling the park for joggers or walkers and several benches have been placed under the trees. The area was acquired in 1896 with the idea of damming the creek to make a couple of narrow lakes. However, the creek diminishes to just a trickle in the summer which left the lake area as a smelly swamp so the shallow lakes were filled in in 1905 leaving the creek in a rock-walled drainage channel. One superintendent from nearly a century ago recommended that the area be returned to the city and I tend to agree with him. In fact, the city's Linden Park is only a block or two north of Whittington Avenue.

Whittington Creek

Whittington Park

Scenic Drives

West Mountain Drive ascends the mountain from Whittington Park in a clockwise manner until its junction with West Mountain Summit Drive. From the junction, the ascent continues in a counter-clockwise manner toward the summit. There are two viewpoints along the way. The first is at the hairpin curve at the east end of the mountain. The second is larger and has picnic tables and a shelter. From here you can look south across the city toward Lake Hamilton and west toward the Hot Springs Mountain Tower. At the summit there is another parking area with views of the city, the airport and Music Mountain.

Hot Springs Mountain Drive begins on Fountain Street a few blocks east of the Arlington Hotel. This is a one-way road with seven switchbacks on the way up the mountain. Near the summit is a roadside picnic area and shelter. Taking the left fork leads to the parking lot for the Hot Springs Mountain Tower operated by a park concessionaire. A discount coupon is available at the Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center. The tower is 216 feet tall and offers excellent views of the city to the south, West Mountain, North Mountain, the Arlington Hotel and the surrounding Ouachita Mountains. After leaving the tower, we continued to North Mountain Drive. There is one overlook with nice views of the surrounding mountains. From here, the road loops around to Fountain Street and the descent down the mountain.

Airport from West Mountain Summit Drive

Hot Springs Mountain Tower from West Mountain shelter area

Hiking Trails

There are a variety of trails throughout the park from the one-half mile brick Grand Promenade to the ten mile Sunset Trail. We chose to hike to Hot Springs Mountain Tower from Bathhouse Row mainly via the 0.6 mile Peak Trail. First, we climbed the stairs to the Grand Promenade, then climbed more stairs to the old carriage road which is now part of the Tufa Terrace Trail. The Peak Trail is rather steep in sections, but the forest is deep enough to muffle most of the city sounds. At the top, we decided to ride the elevator up to the open-air level of the tower. After admiring the view, I chose to walk down the external stairs instead of riding the elevator. From here, we retraced our steps back to the Grand Promenade. Once on the brick walkway, we headed south to Reserve Street and the administration building. We then strolled the entire length of the Promenade to Fountain Street, noting that the walkway narrowed and became less formal as we went. According to park literature, this transition was a design feature symbolizing the transition from the city below to the mountain above.

Redbird posing near the trail

Peak Trail

Pagoda Shelter

View from shelter

Hot Springs Mountain Tower

Arlington Hotel

North Mountain

Ouachita Mountains

I also decided to take a longer hike around the mountain. Starting from Bathhouse Row, I followed the same path to the Peak Trail. At the intersection with the 0.5 mile Honeysuckle Trail, I headed left along the Honeysuckle Trail. Just before its junction with the Hot Springs Mountain Trail is a trail shelter. I headed left on the Mountain Trail, crossing Fountain Road before a reaching a series of switchbacks ascending the flank of North Mountain. The trail crosses North Mountain Drive at its intersection with Hot Springs Mountain Drive and Fountain Road. There is another trail shelter here at the top of the Gulpha Gorge Trail. From here, the Mountain Trail continues parallel to Hot Springs Mountain Drive to the pagoda shelter and the picnic area. At this point, I chose to follow the Short Cut Trail to the Dead Chief Trail back to the carriage road. The Short Cut Trail continues through the woods with some views of the road, but the Dead Chief Trail is very steep and not very scenic as it follows the park boundary fence. While I usually don't like to retrace my steps on loop routes, I would use the Peak Trail from the tower to the carriage road next time.