Soaking Up The Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas

Moving right along into the next couple of states I finally visited for the first time. I did stop in Mississippi on my way to Arkansas, but there’s not much to write about there. I didn’t stop in any cities, so take my review of the state with a grain of salt. I researched to find parks to hike at, but it seemed like most of the “state parks” were water parks?? Or more like a Tyler State Park setup for you Philly natives who know what that is. I found one that seemed worthwhile, called Tishomingo State Park. It reminded me of Locust Lake State Park actually (again only the Philly natives may get this reference). There was one “hike” called Saddleback Ridge that looped around a lake and followed a frisbee golf course. It was a very casual walking trail. The historical significance of this particular trail was quite interesting though.

I almost skipped Arkansas in favor of staying further south and coming back to it on my way home, but decided why not? It’s not exactly like I had a timeline to stick to or anything. A 5-hour drive later and I made it to Hot Springs National Park. The visitor’s center is in town, and the biggest draw of the park is actually Bathhouse Row. I know that makes sense but when I hear “national park” I usually think of nature and mountains, not a town. Anyone else?

The “baths” were basically full-fledged spa houses. Almost every house along Bathhouse row included some kind of soaking pools. Interspersed were restaurants and pubs for dining. I went to the Quapaw Baths were you had unlimited time in the poolhouse for $20. You had to rinse off in the shower before entering to ensure that you didn’t carry over any perfumes, dirt or chemicals into the pools. At this location, there were 5 different pools, each at a different temperature ranging from 98 degrees to 110 degrees. The idea is to start at the lowest temperature and work your way up in 15 minute intervals.

There were hiking trails in the park, but the only places you could actually see the natural hot springs where the flow is aboveground is in town. At the visitors center you can get a map that shows where those spots are and how to get to them. If I remember correctly there was an audio tour you could listen to as you explored the town and the hot springs.

The hike I chose to do was called Goat Rock Trail. It is a 2.5 miles long out and back hike. After hiking, I drove up to the Mountain Observation Tower to check out the panoramic views. The tower was originally built in 1877 at 80ft tall, but it was later struck by lightning and burned to the ground. The tower that is currently there was built in 1983 and stands at 183ft tall. The bottom of the tower is a small gift shop with an elevator or stairs that will take you up. Of course, I climbed the stairs, because I like to torture myself. At the top, you can stay in the enclosure with floor to ceiling windows or you can go up one more level and step outside. There is no risk of falling because the entire rail is gated way over your head. I got the best of both worlds in my exploration here. So my day here consisted of hiking in the morning and a nice soak and dinner afterwards. Perfect reward for being active if I do say so myself.