The city of Hot Springs nearly surround its famous
old park. Visitors will find 47 springs gushing millions of gallons
of 143% -water right in the heart of the historic downtown district.
At one time 1,000’s flocked here to drink this water, or
bathe in the purportedly medicinal baths. Some still do, but a
little sightseeing and a quick foot-soak is all most visitors
have time for these days. The opulent 1915 Fordyce Bathhouse on
Bathhouse Row (where else?) houses an NPS Visitors Center with
a short history film.
Nearby Hot Springs Mountain is a good spot for a bird’s
eye view of the area, either by the scenic drive around the mountain
or on one of its 26 miles of hiking trials. The easiest to these
treks is the Grand Promenade. The hike to the summit of Hot Springs
Mountain to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower, with its commanding
vantage point 216 feet above the park.
Outdoor adventurers will find plenty to do in and around Littlerock
Arkansas. Petite Jean Park has a kind of quiet beauty and some
good walking trails and campgrounds. The Ouachita National Forest
is a wild area near Hot Springs covered in artificial lakes and
undeveloped woodland, so the hunting fishing, and boating there
is excellent. The NPS’s Gulpha Gorge Campground is located
2 miles northeast of Hot Springs along Gulpha Creek. The scenery
is great, but there are no showers, RV hook-ups and no reservations.
Hot Springs National Park claims to be the oldest of
America’s National Parks, a claim also made by Yellowstone National
Park. Hot Springs was set aside as a “Reservation” by congress
in 1832, 40 years before Yellowstone was created a National Park. Hot
Springs was in the system longer, but it wasn’t designated as
a “park” until 1921. So who gets to claim the title of “oldest
National Park”? One thing is for certain; Hot Springs National
Park in Arkansas is the nation’s smallest National Parks.
