Hot Springs National Park - Arkansas
Photo of Hot Springs National Park courtesy NPS
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 area 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.
Have you visited Hot Springs National Park?
- Do you have a favorite campsite or one to avoid?
- What is your favorite trail?
Facilities available at Hot Springs National Park:
Hot Springs National Park website
Recreation Area Map
Park Email: HOSP_Interpretation@nps.gov
Phone numbers
Visitor Information 501-624-2701
Visitor Information (TDD) 501-624-2308
Superintendent's Office 501-623-2824
Address
Hot Springs National Park
P.O. Box 1860
Hot Springs, AR 71902
