Hot Springs National Park Reviews

Our family loves national parks. Usually we go to participate in epic hikes with breathtaking hikes. This one was different. Beautiful hikes? Yes. It is a much smaller park. I appreciated the nostalgia here with the efforts made to preserve an era of bathing grandeur.

My wife and I, traveling from New Jersey, enjoyed our stop in the Springs. Before walking the one block Bathhouse row, we recommend taking both the town trolley and the Gangster museum tours to get a sense of the area's rich and unique history. The park encompasses bathhouse row promenade, the springs, and the surrounding mountain. Fordyce bathhouse is the park's visitor center. A short video details the bathhouse principle and history. This building is an actual preserved non-operational unit, which you can either tour on your own or sign up for a Ranger tour. Either way, the tour is necessary and fascinating. A few of the bathhouses are operational, and require reservations. Most park springs are cold water, but the best is the steaming hot spring located at the end of the Promenade in the beautiful secluded section of the park - an ode to the "Fountain of Youth!" We completed our walking tour on the Promenade at the Superior bathhouse - now converted to an eatery and brewery. We enjoyed our home brewed root beer floats on the outside patio.

This is an unusual park as the bath houses are the main attraction. Be sure and go behind them to see the spring and feel how hot the water is! We took the scenic drive up to the top of the mountain behind the bathhouse and went in the observation tower.

This is a really awsome place! I just came back from Hot Springs National Park and feel amazing after soaking in the Quapaw bathhouse. The area houses the bathhouse row filled with 19th and 20th century style bathhouses that have been rebuilt from the ground up. The Fordyce visitor center shows so much of the bathhouse history and treatments that would be given to people. There are now only 2 active bathhouses the Quapaw and the Buckstaff. The Quapaw houses awsome pools filtered by active hot spring s and is good if your looking to share the experience with the family. The Buckstaff is more you as you are given a bath and massage and can even go into a sauna. Both areas are very good in service (as with the tour guide in the Fordyce visitor center). The Maurice bathhouse is currently for lease to convert the area to something more better for the national park. As for the Superior bathhouse brewery the service was also great as the server gave us our food perfectly on time. The trails are also moderate as I reccomend the grand promenade and hot springs mtn trail. For those looking for extreme trails you can go on the longest trail in the park Sunset mountain trail. This was an awsome trail and I recommend for families of all kind!

Interesting but wouldn't come back.

The town itself just outside of bathhouse row is run down and kind of sad.

Bathhouse row is the center of town and because it is a small town with no other bigger town around it for miles. Locals and biker groups (and others) cruise the strip and either rev their engines loudly, or honk their very loud horns for no reason other than attention, or play very loud music.

We did a hike in the park behind the bathhouses and it was fine. It was nice to hike at least but nothing special about the hike. We hiked to the Goat Rock.

The exterior of the bathhouses on the row were pretty. The Spas inside were ok. Only 2 of the Spas are still functioning as Spas. The Buckstaff Spa does a traditional service we you do a circuit of treatments and is separated by genders. The Quapaw Spa is an open room with multiple pools of different temps and you are there with a bunch of people. Both had their good and bad.

My wife had a better experience in the Buckstaff Spa than I did. My treatment felt half-assed compared to hers. But we both loved that the changing rooms were individual booths. They also had a "cooling" room which was nice.

The Quapaw one was always at capacity but you put yourself on a waiting list and they will call you. Once we got in, the locker rooms were really busy and needed some updating. The pool area was nice and they did a good job of not over crowding it. However because it was always at capacity, it was really loud in there and you never really felt relaxed.

We've been to much nicer spas (Grove Park Inn in Asheville for example) so our level of expectation is higher. We've also been to worse spas (like Spa Castle in Queens NYC, which is technically a nice spa but they overcrowd it which makes it terrible. In fact a child died there because there was too many people in their pools to notice it happening, that's how badly they overcrowd it. They also let people eat in the pools there which is gross because you see food crumbs in the pools).

We've been to many National Parks all over the country (22 of them) and this one ranks pretty low on the list. Glad we went to check it off our list.

This was an unexpected one day trip and it was definitely worth it! Hot Springs is full of history and natural beauty. The natural spring here is worth seeing and feeling. Make sure to bring a water bottle or something to get some of the spring water, for free, and the public watering stations.

It was too hot for hiking so we decided to do the two mountain drives.

The drives were ok. Mountain roads are always fun but the views from the viewpoints were just eh. Instead of views of the mountains, it was nothing but city views. We were hoping there would be more actual views of just nature.

Even the bathhouses are right on the main drag with no room to breathe or really impart the feeling of being in nature or in a historical place.

Go if you’re in the area. Otherwise, skip this park.

We enjoyed walking through Hot Springs National Park. The Grand Promenade and trails that come off the Promenade sometimes make you wonder, "are we really in the middle of town? Amazing to see the hot springs in the park. And don't forget to bring (or buy) some jugs to take some of the pure hot springs water back to your hotel and/or home.

My wife and I stopped here before hiking up the mountain. Park ranger was very helpful and really enjoyed our walk (but beware chiggers and ticks...) Nice view at the top.

My husband, another couple and myself visited Hot Springs on a day trip from Petit Jean National Park. The visitor center and old bath house was a neat thing to see. Not sure young ones would enjoy it very much, but anyone that likes history would enjoy a visit here.

Is it really a National Park? Hmmmmm, don’t know. Not like the ones we’ve visited and loved that each provide a unique geography and geology. Hot Springs is more of a man-made event than a natural one. What can be said of it is that its unique geologic feature are the hot springs themselves. Probably enough. But it sure has turned into more of a tourist town than a National Park. Enough of the diatribe. We enjoyed our time there.

First, we toured the Fordyce Bathhouse. This was the largest of the bathhouses on Bathhouse Row. There were eight. Each opulent. We envisioned a place with a large swimming pool and Jacuzzi-type tubs around the pool. Nope! Going to a bathhouse was far more of an experience than that – individual hot-baths in large tubs, fancy showers, exercise equipment, hot towels, massages and the like. Prices began at $45/person. And the men and women are kept separated.

There’s a self-guided tour of the Fordyce Bathhouse. It provide to be quite interesting and enlightening. Don’t know that we’d like to avail ourselves of a bathhouse. But it was interesting nonetheless.

Very nice town to shop, sight see and have fun The sky tower is a good place to see the whole town Be careful driving up the curvy switchback road to get there. It’s not bad just be mindful of oncoming cars in curves. Diamond mine and quartz mine were fun. Wear old clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. We went to the Quapaw bath house. Had three different temperature spring water pools you could get in. Went in all three. Very relaxing. If you wear a shirt with bathing suit make sure it’s a swim type shirt that doesn’t shed I had a regular shirt and had to remove it. Good places to eat there and shop. Can’t wait to go back.

Hot springs is a small National Park, located in the city of Hot Springs. Admission is free.

You can see a hot spring or two, but nothing like Yellowstone NP. If you want to soak in the hot water, you’ll need to go to one of the Bath houses. There are some trails, up on the mountains, which are accessible by car.

The Mountain Tower gives you a 360 view of the surroundings.

While it feels more like a state or a very nice municipal park, don’t let that deter you. It has its own appeal. It’s smallish so it’s easily manageable, it has the tower which is highly recommended, it’s close to town so easily accessible, and even on Sunday, it’s peaceful. There are plentiful trails that are easy for any hikers. And they allow dogs on the trails which is a big plus for us.

We visited Hot springs and the park
Is the main attraction. Due to COVID the baths had limited capacity and were by reservation
Only.

We went to the top and visited the tower -great views.

We stayed in a cabin that was a wagon - amazing. Can’t find a way to review it so
Added it to this review.

a review of both town and 'park' .We have traveled to many national parks as my wife is national park freak.we decide to stop in here because we were in area and it had the "national park" title.we had heard it was small and insignificant but we were pleasantly surprised.The town was quaint and lovely.The bathhouses were an interesting part of history.We hiked and enjoyed the entire day.

We only had time to visit the tower, west mountain and the bath houses. We did not get any spa services from the bath house, but everything else was free- from the parking to the bath house museum. They have local stores around the park area which are very cool. I enjoyed the magical scenery, the atmosphere and the drive. It’s a small town, but it has a lot of things to explore.

First time visiting Hot Springs and I think the highlight was honestly visiting the national park. There are many bath houses nearby and they all have a unique style. The entire atmosphere is relaxing and the overall architecture is extremely inviting. The nature, cleanliness, and art are a must-see if you're visiting.

Hot Springs National Park was a nice stop on our way to Utah. Went to the Mountain Tower overlooking the town, took a private mineral water bath at Qawpaw Bathhouse, and spent two days enjoying the park.

Didn't know what to expect but found this place very charming, informative with past history and experienced a very relaxing atmosphere with the people there very friendly and helpful.

We are on a mission to take my 85 year old father to all the National Parks. This one is so usual. We will have to come back post COVID time to really check this place out. As the main office in one of the bath houses was closed. You could go into one that is a shop and another one that is a brewery but we decided to walk down bath house row and then enjoy the trails. We never saw a place to actually pay an entry fee or show your annual pass. We did find an cell phone tour that we enjoyed. It gave us more information since the visitor center was closed. We enjoyed a nice picnic in the area as well. A smaller park compared to many. The town of Hot Springs had some nice murals around the town.

Really enjoyed our afternoon trip to Hot Springs! There is a lot of history connected to the hot springs running from the mountain into the downtown area. You can access the park from walking through the downtown and there are places you can touch the water which is very warm! Very clean and well preserved architecture and interesting piece of history when times were different. Worth a trip to see. Next time I’d like to have more time to experience one of the spas in a old converted bathhouse.

Fascinating town that was once Vegas before today's Vegas. The history behind MLB spring training, the bathhouses, and Hot Springs as a sanctuary city for gangsters are some of our trip highlights.

We spent 2.5 days there and that was adequate.

Drove from Fayetteville to Hot Springs and explored this unusual National Park. Technically, the whole town is considered a National Park but you can get your passport stamped in one of the original bath house buildings. Nice walking path along the back of the town overlooking the main drag. Had to have the bath experience. With all the white tile, felt like a sanitarium but glad I did it. The water from the springs is available, both in souvenir bottles as well as a few fountains in town. I enjoyed my day here immensely. The stores across from the original bath house buildings are unique and delightful. I traveled in 2020 before the shut down.

Fun time on trail to the overlook tower. Very pretty and well marked. The only reason it’s four stars is the park ranger I asked for help on recommendations for a trail with young kids was really not helpful even though she was sitting right there to help people with trail questions.

How nice that these historic bath house buildings have been preserved! Many are open with functioning businesses, 2 are still bath houses, and one is the park headquarters/museum. Take your time and see it all!

Hot springs National Park was on my bucket list. It is a small but nice national park. I enjoyed 4 days trip. There was a spectacular 4th of July fireworks at Lake Hamilton.

We opted for a free tour of the Bath House at the visitors center and it was a historical treat. Our guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining and one has to see the equipment and hear the stories of its uses and the famous athletes and gangsters who frequented the baths to believe it. Truly a unique story of American History. The Grand Promenade and the Mountain Tower are must see area attractions, too. We even experienced the Quapaw baths and the naturally occuring hot water from the earth.

So if you’re expecting Yellowstone you’ll be gravely disappointed. It was very interesting to see this area as an honor to the past. It was very unique to how this area evolved and now we can look at it from a bygone era. The bathhouse available to tours was so different. We hiked to the tower and took the elevator up. So much history around the area. If you know what your getting you’ll be fine if not you might be disappointed

The trails were worth the drive. The view from the top was the city of Hot Springs. The city and the mountain are both in the national park. It is free. I stopped and filled my water bottle with fresh, clean spring water to drink. You will find water faucets in the park.

This isn't one of the wondrous, awesome national parks in the US system, but it is historical, interesting, and fun. The plus side of this very "urban" park is that dogs are able to walk basically anywhere - that should tell you how much of this place is in a natural state and how much has been developed (virtually all of it). Still, it was worth the visit, for sure, and bathhouse row is a very cute little main street. What a shame that we cannot pedestrianize places like this though.

This is a very different National Park. There is no specific entrance and no fee. In fact, the park completely surrounds the city of Hot Springs.
The bath houses and history are really interesting (we did not do a bath)
The Rangers were VERY knowledgeable, informative, and fun
Bring empty jugs to fill with the 145 degree water to take home!!!!
We had a great time.

What we mean from this title is that most National Parks have too numerous trails to ever get through. This one has around ten with many that can be combined into multiple hikes. The longest being the Sunset trail, around 10 miles depending on where you start or stop. All but one of them have some elevation gain to endure so they are not for the faint of heart. We enjoyed our several day hikes in this National Park.

It also has an observation tower and many lookouts if you are so inclined to drive through it rather than hike it. Believe it or not this National Park also takes up a whole side of the street in downtown Hot Springs. Bathhouse Row is part of the National Park. The Fordyce Bathhouse is a free museum run right in the Hot Springs city limits that is part of this National Park. You can go to the bathhouses and soak in the Hot Springs waters or go to Superior Bathhouse and get a meal and some beer brewed with the Hot Springs water.

This is quite a unique National Park and one worthy of going to at least once in your lifetime. We exhausted our hiking trail options here so we will venture to the next National Park to see what it has to offer. A definite must visit place if National Parks are your idea of a good time.

We went as a family last week and enjoyed this place. The mountain tower at the top has stunning 360 degree view of the city and is so cool. The short drive up the top to the tower is very beautiful. There were no fall colors when we went but would have been great with colors all over.

Toured both mountains as well as the promenade. The Fordyce Bathhouse offers and excellent self guided tour that really gives you the gist of how they operated back in the day. The stroll down bathhouse row is lovely to see, but be forwarned it is very noisy. A main route runs right through downtown Hot Springs

We went on a brief hike and also a leisurely drive up the mountain in this park. We paid $8 apiece for access to the observation tower atop the mountain (a bit costly for a two level ride). It was fun to see Hot Springs from several vantage points, and I also saw many runners enjoying the main road for a decent workout.

We renewed our vows on The Promenade and it was beautiful! There’s many places to just drop a blanket and have a picnic or people watch.

Beautiful little town with very friendly people! Most everything was within walking distance. The history of Hot Springs is fascinating!

My wife and I were in Little Rock and decided to take a day to visit Hot Springs and it turned out to be great. The town is old and needs some help, but the history that's here is spectacular. In the museum, they have three floors filled with lots of exhibits and displays. The Rangers are very informative and helpful. This is a part of Americana that needs to be preserved. It's worth the trip to Hot Springs, AR. After the museum, we went to the baths ourselves and had a great day.

We spent a very nice Thursday at the park. We got free parking in the city garage off Exchange Street when we arrived at 9:30 am, but the garage was full by 1:30 pm. Temperatures were near 100 the day we were there, so we limited our hiking to the 3-mile Mountain Trail (well marked with blue blazes) which thankfully was mostly in the woods and shaded. A trail map is available at the Visitor Center (and this is also the place to get your NP Passport stamped). This loop trail goes by the observation tower, which we went up (there is a fee for the tower, we had a coupon from a local tourist magazine which gave us one free entry with the purchase of 3). The tower has restrooms and a gift shop (with AC!) and a fun photo op with a bathtub out front. Access to this trail begins off the promenade at the back of the Visitor Center, where you follow the red trail briefly to get to the start of the blue trail. This access is a fairly steep incline on gravel, but eventually gets to some flatter and more rolling surfaces. There are two shelters along this trail, one with some very nice views, but otherwise is just a nice walk through the woods. After completing the trail, we had a very nice lunch at Superior Bathhouse Brewery, went through the all the nice exhibits at the Visitor Center in the Fordyce Bathhouse, and then spent an enjoyable 2 hours "taking the waters" in the large indoor pools at Quapaw Bathhouse. While in the downtown area we also drove up the West Mountain Road to the viewpoints along that road, enjoyed cupcakes from Fat Bottom Girls, and had great burgers at the Ohio Club. This national park is unique in that it does not protect wildlife or landscape, but it is there to protect the pure spring water and the history of the area. This is the smallest national park in the system and while we only spent two days there, we enjoyed the no entrance fee and lesser crowds than at other, more well known national parks.

Having grown up visiting national parks in Minnesota, I can't say that Hot Springs National Park really stands out scenically. But I will say the trails were easy to follow and they have the only brewery in a US National Park, which is pretty awesome.

There are no public available hot springs pools which I admit was our hope and expectation. there are plaques that commemorate the history of the area, the soothing waters that once helped many people. You can see the exterior of the old hospital, springs buildings shut down but maybe in renovation stage. Now they’re is a spa available (adults) but there aren’t any family healing waters to soak in. The parks in the area are beautiful, the waters in the city amazing. we enjoyed our exercise walking around the area. And had a fabulous lunch at the Superior Bathouse Brewery (separate review) Unfortunately seemed like a big strip mall of shops and cafes when we walked it yesterday. It was disappointing not to be able to soak in healing waters.
The fountains in the area have mineral rich waters coming out, and we chatted with a lady who was filling. Up her glass jugs with the waters. They are tested regularly so that is great.

This was an interesting national park, much different than others we’ve been to. The park is mainly in an urban area, with bathhouse row being the main attraction. You can walk this street to check out the historic buildings, and be sure to go inside Fordyce where the self tour is very nice. We had a delicious brunch at Eden inside Hotel Hale also. We also checked out the hot spring flowing literally onto the sidewalk at Arlington Lawn. There are also two scenic drives, both of which we did. One drive takes you to mountain tower, that was neat. The other drive up West Mountain is relaxing and has great views as well.
The town is built up all around the national park, so there’s a lot of shops and restaurants to check out over there. This area is also noisy with lots of traffic and loud motorcycles, unfortunately.
Check this park out. It’s free since I’m sure they couldn’t think of a way to charge people since the area is all open. Bring some empty water jugs to take home some water at the open springs along the road too.

I walk Bath House row almost everyday with my Mini-Schnauzer ( Cybil) both well known downtown in the stores. We love Hot Springs and recomend this to Everyine who comes to Hot Springs. Visit all the Bath Houses and Restruants downtown. Best food in Hot Springs.

I loved it. Sure its quite touristy...but I'm a tourist. Plenty of interesting history from days of yore. I "took the waters" at the Buckstaff Bath House which offers the traditional soaking process. I loved it.

HSNP is very unique. History and beautiful scenery are housed in this park. Rolling mountain streams are fun to hike around and just enjoy the serene beauty. Bathhouse row downtown houses the visitor center and the springs. A small park with lots to offer!

This national park is not like the others, but isn’t that what makes these parks so special?? They each have special or unique features that make them worth preserving. The hot springs here are a big draw. The Bathhouse Row is not very long and you cannot go into all of them. The buildings have been repurposed and that is a great way to keep them up. One is the park’s visitor center, one is a gift shop, one is a gallery, one is now a brewery that is the only brewery in a national park. Two of the bathhouses serve as spas that use the water from the springs. The other side of the street is filled with local stores. But behind the bathhouses is a lovely walkway that is about a half mile long. The path is wide but one end has steps to climb to get up to it. It takes you from one end of the park to the other end of it, with a NPS sign at each end. There are hot springs you can feel, a couple of bottle filling stations for hot springs, and a couple of bottle filling stations for cold springs. Bring your own bottle to get some water to take with you. They also have glass bottles for sale in the gift shop. We really enjoyed the displays in the Fordyce Bathhouse which now serves as the Visitor Center. You can see what the old bathhouses were like. There is another activity that travelers to this area may like and that is the Hot Springs Mountain Tower. You can hike to the top on trails or you can drive the curvy road to the top. Once there, you can go to the top of the tower by elevator and see for miles. We spent a day here and found that was enough time to do what we wanted to do.

Enjoyed the area walk up the trail to the Tower, views, and History of the geology with History.

Very well kept, clean, and safe. Fascinating look into a past era.

Interesting to see the original boathouse row but only have access to certain buildings. The museum exhibit on the old bathhouses was good but not much else to see. Some of the buildings are privately owned bathhouses and you need to pay and have reservations to get in. Overall disappointing.

In our quest to get stamps from every National Park to fill our park passports, we scheduled an afternoon in Hot Springs. What a fun afternoon! The ranger led walk and talk was excellent and the stroll of the grand promenade was very enjoyable. Soaking hands and feet in the hot springs across Fountain street from the Arlington Hotel was very relaxing.

We had a few hours to tour the park. We took a guided tour which was excellent and provided lots of information. We did the self guided tour of the park headquarters (a prior hot springs bath house) and it was an excellent tour. The park map noting trails was like most park maps and not very helpful. It would be nice if the park system gave more detail on their maps. We hope to visit this park again when we have more time to explore.

Hot Springs National Park is entwined with the city of Hot Springs. The main historical part is Bath House Row. Right across the street is the city of Hot Springs with restaurants, shops, etc. The visitor center is located in a former bath house. If at all possible take the tour of the bathhouse. It is really interesting. Having Hot Springs National Park and the city of Hot Springs so close together is I think a good combination.

Lovely walking the various trails here when we stayed in Hot Springs. Lovely views at the top of the surrounding area. Enjoyed our visit.

I can not say enough things about this Park. Until the Gateway Arch was added, this was the smallest National Park and the only one dedicated to a resource. However, it is the oldest natural preserve, purchased by the federal government in 1832, older than the first natural park, Yosemite, and the first National Park, Yellowstone. The combination of the springs, the bathhouses, the mountains and a history intertwined with gambling, liquor and gangsters makes this a great destination.

We came to enjoy a private couples massage at Quapaw. However, we really enjoyed our hike at the peak of fall leaves and our stay at the historic Arlington. Still the one thing I will remember most is the early morning visit to the touch pool and natural hot spring. It was simply amazing and I could picture how it must have looked when the Quapaw Indians were here. Watching the steam rise from the forest was amazing. Again, we so greatly enjoyed our visit here and it was all to see the most unique and unusual National Park in the entire system.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time here. There’s so much to do and see! We toured one of the bath houses that is now a museum. So interesting! The Winery of Hot Springs has several choices of sweet and dry wines. Wine tasting was free! We bought 2 bottles to take home to Texas. Really wanted to go to the Ohio Club, but due to a recent landslide, it’s only open on the weekends right now. Another time….

For a small national park, Hot Springs is very nice! No, it’s not Yellowstone or Bryce Canyon, but for a short visit, it is very interesting. We hiked the Sunset Trail which was very strenuous and then hiked a few of the short trails up to the Lookout Mountain as well as toured the Fordyce Bathouse. Lissa Allen was a very informative and interesting tour guide and we were pleasantly surprised by the tour! We enjoyed our visit very much!

Great weekend in Hot Springs, Arkansas. We walked, we caught some Pokemon. We window shopped. Had a great massage, nice dinner and fun at the casino. It's a great little community. Yes, there are all the typical tourist attractions and activities, but we learned a few new things, and had an amazing weekend.

My grandson and I did A Narrow Escape. The young man working there was so awesome. He made it even more fun. We had a great time trying to solve the puzzles. We finished with seconds to spare. I recommend it to anyone. (You aren’t actually locked in). Great fun!

A lovely National Park that is very well maintained! The Park rangers are very Knowledgeable and can tell you about all the history, the hiking trails and lookouts. It’s a combination of a little downtown within the park reach! You can walk, hike and drive in many areas!
It’s definitely worth it- specially to discover how the typography helps in such area to have beautiful springs.

It is such a misnomer. By definition, we would think, no urban area inside National Park. But here, this weird misnomer is true.

My husband and I love visiting national parks but this one left us feeling o hum. Not sure why this is a national park. It is a series of bathhouses in the middle of town. The bath houses were interesting but once you did that and walked along the Grand Promemade all that is left is shopping the stores across the street. This should be designated a National Historic Site.

Great experience at the park! Loved the trails, mountain views and history associated with the area. Enjoyed some good food and nice people until, that is, we visited the National Park headquarters itself. I have waited several days to post this, as I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt… Maybe he had a bad day or something was happening in his life outside of work, but there is an older man working inside the headquarters who is one of the grumpiest, most gruff men I have met in a long time. He made what was a totally enjoyable experience, a completely miserable one. The ladies working with him were sweet, but he either needs to change his attitude around the public, or find something else to do. I get that they see many tourists daily, and probably encounter all sorts of attitudes themselves, but he does not need to be interacting with excited, happy visitors unless he adjusts his attitude. Put him in another part of the park.

My husband, our dog and I stayed in Hot Springs during a cross country road trip. The historic downtown and old bathhouses provide plenty of entertainment for history buffs and spa lovers alike. Originating from Chicago we especially loved the stories of the mobsters and spring training teams that used to visit this area. Lastly, while this national park doesn’t offer as long of trails as other, the hiking is delightful and peaceful compared to the bustling downtown.

We didn't hike as I had planned, but we did get to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower which was within the park and well worth it. Had it not been so hot and the kids not so complain-y, we would have hiked. They have several options and they aren't very long.

Great to experience it once. Probably would not do it again. I think everyone should experience it at least once.

We enjoyed this! Goat rock trail had a beautiful virw! Gulpha gorge picnic area and stream was really nice! And if you have a dog and kids, I highly recommend the bark ranger program. It was fun! Spring water from the spouts (cooled down of course) was nice and fresh. Saw the hot springs within the city. Cool place to visit.

The building is completely closed to the public due to COVID. You can hike around the area but that's about it. It was a big disappointment. If you want to do the Jr Ranger program, you need to ring the bell on the Visitor Center to get help.

Awesome day trip to take the dogs. Hands down a must if you're in the area. You can have an easy to difficult hike depending on where you go. Try the hot spring water while you are there.

This was our first National Park visit, so I cannot compare to other parks.

This park, overall, is very well kept. There is a lot of history to learn. With COVID, I recommend doing research before arriving. There are signs placed, but the information centers are closed. If you have the ability to sit and read signs, that is great. It just wasn't possible with our 10mo daughter in-tow.

We explored the Springs, and walked around the lawns. It was nice to see the dogs also enjoying the area! My daughter was able to sit in the grass and play. There is plenty of shade and sitting areas. A picnic in the park would have been wonderful.

The shopping experience is across the street from the park entrance. Each shop is unique in it's own way.

My only dislike of the park is that there are not a lot of ramps. I had a stroller with me, and my husband and I had to carry it up the stairs. I would not say this is a handicap friendly area.

I used to live in Hot Springs for a number of years and hope to live there again sometime in the future. The people, sights, sounds, experiences... all great. Great place to visit and live.

This was nice to check off our national parks list, and was interesting historically, but I would not categorize this as a must see. Bath row along the main street was fun, as the buildings there are old and architectural wonders. There is a switchback drive up to some really nice vistas of the area. There is a fee to up the tower not covered by the national parks pass, which was disappointing.

Walking tour by Ranger Dan was excellent: he was knowledgeable, courteous, and pleasant as he took our group around the sights detailing the history of Hot Springs. Took about an hour.

I consider myself a national park buff, by no means an expert (26 of 63 visited). I absolutely hated this place. I really couldn't leave soon enough. The movie they showed in the welcome center basically showed the "snake oil" aspect of these springs. I definitely didn't think the gateway arch deserves NP status, but I loved it compared to this place. I assure you, I will never come back to this place, and I've never said that about an NP. I really feel bad for the park rangers that have to pretend to be enthusiastic about this "park". I haven't done a tripadvisor review in a long time but this place warranted one. Please don't waste your precious vacation time visiting this place.

Folks, let me just start off by saying: if you’re anticipating a traditional National park experience, this place will surprise you. I’m used to going to some of the most popular national parks in America and this one is super laid back and chill compared to those. I realize we went in the off season, but, even on the weekend we were still able to accomplish basically everything we set out to do with minimal crowds and no issues.

There’s usually no traffic, parking was abundant, and the scenic drives were not backed up for miles. Plus the hiking trails seemed pretty empty and Bathhouse Row was SO COOL!! So unique!! Hot Springs is just a sleepy mountain town for the most part.

This park has earned a reputation as one of the worst national parks. While it is technically near the bottom of my list, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the park. I started at Gulpha Gorge Campground. I enjoyed the creek near the sites. At Bathhouse Row, I admired the springs, architecture, and quiet Grand Promenade Trail. One issue I have is that right across the street, there is a rundown tourist town called Hot Springs that I hated more than Gatlinburg. The Hot Springs Mountain Scenic Drive is short and not great, but the Hot Springs Mountain Trail is nice. Later, I hiked the Balance Rock spur of Sunset Trail. I thought I saw a gray fox, but it was hiding so I don’t know. The rocks were large and cool. While at that trail, I also saw a deer that unfortunately had a metal can on its nose. I returned to Gulpha Gorge later and hiked the trail with the same name. I walked across the creek and saw the overlook at Goat Rock with bright green mountains. The best parts of the park are the quiet trails, glimpses of nice landscapes, and surprisingly diverse wildlife. I saw insects like bees, butterflies, and dragonflies. There were birds such as cardinals, robins, and some wild turkeys outside the park. There were lizards and salamanders all around. Even better, there were mammals like squirrels, deer, and the potential fox. Overall, the scenery was unimpressive compared to nearly every other national park and the city is run down and somewhat sketchy. However, I enjoyed the quiet trails, small-scale scenery, wildlife, and architecture. The history the park is most known for was not particularly interesting, but some may get a kick out of it. Of the 35 parks I’ve been to, this unfortunately ranks at 32, but it is still nice and worth a visit if you are in Arkansas or even Memphis. I liked the park and it’s not terrible. It is actually nice.

This site is absolutely amazing. We enjoyed our every minute there since the place is clean, staffs were nice and food was good.

Hot Springs National Park is an awesome area but NOT Hot Springs Village nor it's controlled community which is 26,000 acres gated. If you are going to visit Hot Springs Natl Park do it but do NOT stay in Hot Springs Village or go near it - only great place is Home Plate a restaurant where the people are friendly & the food is great. Hot Springs would be the better place to find a spot to stay & to play golf too - way cheaper & more friendly. If you rent in the Hot Springs Village Community that is gated beware it is not associated with the Community & you do not get the amenities of the members. We could not use the Dog Park because we were not a member, eventhough we were renting a members home & we had our pet papers to show vaccinations. One reason we chose this spot was the dog park feature.
I wrote a previous review for the HSV Chamber to see & I did get a call from the rental people saying they had talked to the owner & manager of the property & offered a 10% refund would we accept it. That was the best they could do. I tried to get out of another week at this bad spot but they would not do so eventhough there are a ton of issues with this expensive rental & misinformation. Like today the gqrbage truck woke me up! It is Tuesday the information I have said Wednesday - missed garbage day due to bad information. The list is long but it continues to grow with problems. Such a bad idea to come to Hot Springs Village - lessons learned we got taken.

I love Hot Springs. There is so much to see and do. I drink the hot springs water while I am here and of course go to Superior Brewery which is made from the hot springs water.

This is a beautiful area with greenery and wildlife. I am here as much as I can.

This is a very cool park! Highly recommend hiking it and seeing the natural beauty of Hot Springs. My wife and I hiked 3.75 miles of it seeing Deer and the geothermal water rolling down hill towards downtown.
If you like hot drinks make your favorite (I made hot chocolate) from the public taps on bathhouse row.

This is a very unique national park consisting of a small mountain with steaming springs. Some of the springs are covered with plates but there are some exposed and very interesting to see and to put your hands in the water. There are old bathhouses of which at least a couple are museums for the NP service.

love the promanade its got great views of the area great eats and great shopping alot of history buetiful place to visiit

Hot Springs isn't really a 'National Park' but more of a 'National Historic Site' so if you understand that, you should enjoy it. The vistor center has a comprehensive museum explaining the history and details of an Edwardian era bathhouse. You can still experience that yourself at the Buckstaff a couple of doors down. The architecture, sculptures and fountains in the area are very cool too. There are several trails and other nooks and crannies to explore also, but if you are expecting a Yellowstone type experience of wild and natural beauty you will be disappointed. I think the town is very interesting and wouldn't mind going back. I appreciate HSNP for what it is.

We visited the Fordyce. Baths and took a step back in time. It is a wonderful place to see how these facilities operated. The exhibits are original and very well maintained. It was a real treat to this historic building.

We had not been to Hot Springs before,, we were not aware it was in a National Park. It was well kept. All the workers at the park run facilities were very helpful and informative.

The hike was up hill! Not an easy hike. Beautiful view. The video in the visitor center was great. Interesting place to visit.

This National Park has something for the history and nature lovers, but it doesn't overwhelm in either area.

The hot springs have been under US Government control since the 1800s, long before it was a national park. This and the fact that it is smack in the middle of an urban area make it unique.

Bathhouse Row: We enjoyed walking bathhouse row. Only the Fordyce is completely open as it serves as the visitor center and museum (4 floors of exhibits). The movie was literally from the 1980s (a tad dated). The bookstore was in the portico of another bathhouse, but you couldn't explore the rest of it. Another bathhouse (Superior) serves as a private restaurant and another (Hale) serves as a private hotel. Others are being restored.

Grand Promenade is a nice stroll along the back of bathhouse row with plenty of markers to read and springs to see.

Hiking: There are mountains surrounding Bathhouse row. North Mountain trails are accessible via the Grand Promenade. You can go up the tower at the top (they do charge admission). The view was worth it plus there are more exhibits. Some of the trails are steep, but the views aren't spectacular.

The rangers are friendly. A couple were pressure washing an overlook and had it blocked off. They saw us coming and waved us up to come up as they moved to another spot to continue pressure washing.

The town of Hot Springs has definitely seen better days and it detracts from the experience. There are some homeless that are on the main strip (the NPS seems to push them onto the city side of the street). When I went hiking in the morning on North Mountain, there was abandon clothing bundles on the trail (they were picked up by the NPS maintenance crew shortly afterwards) and by the tower parking lot, we saw human feces and a soiled pair of blue jeans in the corner. Some of the major buildings are abandoned and/or showing their age. However, a few are undergoing revitalization currently.

I definitely felt safe at the park and city as there was ample police and ranger presence. We spent a day and a half at the park. I would have like to spent another day to do additional hiking on West Mountain and further trails.

If I'm in the area, I would probably come back to visit.

This unique national park is the second smallest of US National Parks and offers a glimpse into the world of 1840's mineral baths. Many of the original buildings are still standing and are being used as national park offices, a visitor center, and a museum. Others are being used as spas or gift shops, and all are being beautifully maintained.

Take either the trolly tour or the Duck Tour for a closer look at the history of the city and the surrounding mansions that were once owned by town residents and are still maintained and owned by generations of the original families.

Numerous restaurants and shops will entertain, and hiking paths meander through town, and through the mountains which are within easy reach.

Our fall visit was a great time to see this Park! Trees were beautiful and the scenic drive through the Park was enjoyable! Definitely take the time to go to the top of the Hot Springs Mountain Tower. Beautiful 360 degree view of the area! Also take the time to visit the National Park Museum located in the Park Visitor Center.

Oldest national park. Not so much nature park, but still interesting. Many trails in and around bathhouse row and around the mountain tower. Grab your empty water jugs and fill them at one of the many spring stations. Warning the water is warm for hot tea.

The park was wonderful and the park rangers were very kind and helpful. I had loads of questions and all were answered. Due to COVID-19 the bathhouse museum was closed but the trails were all open. Many of the restaurants around the park were open and the staff were all friendly

Beautiful thermal pools in natural setting. We soaked in the pools at the bath house. Only $20 per person for the entire day. Filled bottles of the precious water from the spouts found on central Ave. Don't miss the view from the tower. If you have a National Park Sr. Pass the cost to take the elevator to the top of the tower is $5/person. One of the bath houses gives one the sense of the early bathhouses and services given. Another is a lovely gift shop.

If like me you are just wanting to go to every National Park, then by all means, go. But I have no idea why this place is a national park at all. It consists of a row of bathhouses of dubious historical interest and a few bland walks around the local hills. As for the hot springs, they are mostly under the street. You can see and touch the water coming from a small fountain and a little stream, but do not expect much.

It certainly is pretty and quaint, and the walks in nature are enjoyable, but it does not pale in comparison to most of our other National Parks. It ought to be redesignated in my opinion.

My family and I definitely checked out as much as we could of this national park. It is in a very good location, right downtown and easily accessible. There are numerous hot springs, walking paths, visitor centers, and trails. It is very beautiful, free of litter, and I would recommend anyone who visits this area to check out this lovely national park. The bath houses are beautiful and very historic. Moreover, be sure to check out the local area as well; many of the local businesses features history of the area. Overall, I had a great experience!

The history of these bathhouses is fascinating. This park is well worth a visit. Plus the town is charming.

It's just fascinating. That's all there is to it! The park is an amazing place, and a snapshot of history that I was unaware of. We explored bathhouse row, the visitor center, the promenade, and drove up the mountain side.

This small national park is about two things, really: the bathhouses from the early 20th century and woodland hiking. Bathhouse Row preserves seven or eight of the elaborate and unique structures that accommodated "bathers" seeking hydro-therapy from the turn of the 20th century to the 1950s--although one of them still operates. Unfortunately, the NPS visitor center and museum in a restored bathhouse was closed for Covid. Still, walking along the front and the rear on the Grand Promenade provides a flavor of what it must have been like 100 years ago. As for the hiking there are a number of short trails on Hot Springs and North Mountains that interconnect. I did a hike from the bottom to the top of the mountains using half a dozen connecting trails--about 5 miles round trip. Some fairly steep sections but nothing you can't do in a pair of New Balance running shoes. There are a couple of short scenic drives as well. For the ambitious visitor, you can basically see the entire park in one full day. It's a delightful place.

We really enjoyed this national park as it was so unique. The park is basically in two sections: bathhouse row and the two mountains on either side.

Bathhouse row is lovely and lines the main street on one side. On the other are shops and restaurants. The visitor center is in one of the old bathhouses and you can walk through and see the bathtubs and needle showers. Make sure to watch the video on the history.

Two of the bathhouses are still running spas. Two more are restaurants. We ate in the one that offers beer and root beer made from the hot spring water. Very good.

As you walk you can get hot (143 degree) water from a fountain or cold water from a spring (make sure to get the map at the gift shop for free)

There are also hiking trails that lead up the mountain which are lovely. The view is pretty but you can't see a tremendous amount. There is a tall tower at the top that you can pay to go up. There is a nice gift shop inside too. If you don't want top hike up, you can easily drive too.

We really enjoyed our time here.

The grounds and trails are very well maintained and offer a wonderful historical and informational overview of Hot Springs and the people associated with the area.

Interesting park in the middle of town, bisected by the Main Street. Several trails or drive the roads in the park.

Ranger Lissa walked us around for the 2 o'clock tour of how the water gets hot. It was fun and informative. We then hiked the Peak and Mountain Springs Trails. We also toured inside Fordyce bath house. Very interesting. We learned a lot while enjoying ourselves!

I prefer the wide open spaces and natural beauty of parks like Glacier, Zion, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Yellowstone. So for me Hot Springs is really not my cup of tea. It was a nice place to visit for an afternoon but I couldn't imagine spending days exploring the park.

Not a NP but a touristy place. Except for one spring we couldn’t find others. Bathhouse row are the only places to experience hot springs, but they require advance booking some two weeks in advance. NPS can learn from Taiwan to make springs publicly accessible. Create pools for soaking feet with heat resistant fishes can allow all to experience this sulfur free springs.

Hot Springs National Park is hard to review.

I live close to Rocky Mountain National Park, so to me, Hot Springs National Park is a little strange. I do like the fact that it is free. I didn't like that we were across the street from rows of shopping. I did like touring Fordyce Bathhouse to see the history of the area, but it didn't feel like a national park. It felt like a monument or museum.

We are a hiking family, so we hiked about 4 miles. It was very humid that day, so we were tired (being from a dry climate!) by the end. We did not pay the fee to go up the observation tower. It felt expensive but understandable given that the park is free.

My kids were so psyched to fill up their water bottles at the cold spring. That was neat. We also ate lunch at the only brewery in a National Park (separate review).

All in all, you should go to this park and experience it. I promise that it is unique!

This is a national park that is free, does not require timed reservations and in in the heart of the city of Hot Springs. The bath houses have been restored to their 1920-1930s look and are worth visiting. The bath house that has been restored to the 1930ish look is very interesting with beds, rooms, therapy baths and equipment located with placards detailing the treatments, etc. There is also twice a day tours run by a park ranger.
Behind the bath houses is a fountain where you can fill up your water bottle from a hot spring, and there is a replicate spring. Take the 3 mile loop drive to the top and the vista of the surrounding area is nice.
Parking is easy if you use the deck and it is worth the money.

If you are truly into the National parks, you'll hate this one. It is the only national park that is in a city. It is tourist hell. I wouldn't get in one of the bath houses for any money in the world. It's disgusting. I went many years ago and it wasn't this bad. There is some beautiful natural scenery but it's ruined by the experience of being in a city.

Be sure to stop at the visitor center to be able to walk around the bath house as it was on 3 levels. The was no charge to explore this awesome old bath house and the park service people were very informative.

Unique National Park as it is more focused on historical buildings than nature. Of course, Hot Springs wouldn’t exist without the natural hot springs but the highlight here is the bathhouse row. Around Eight beautiful bathhouses and all exteriors have been restored to their early 20th century glory.

Across the street from Bathhouse row are shops and restaurants on private property. Parts of the City of Hot Springs are far removed from the city’s glory days but these blocks give you an idea of how opulent this city once was. Lots of people just strolling around and enjoying the scene.

Don’t miss going inside The Fordyce bathhouse. This building serves as the visitors center and the entire interior has been restored to show how a typical bathhouse looked during the 1930’s. Right outside the Fordyce are two hot springs, which are fun to touch. Won’t take more than a day to see everything but definitely worth a stop.

Wandered on the paths and by a hot springs. Later drove up to the tower. It was kept up nicely. Very interesting area.

Surprise! This National Park is right in the historic district of Hot Springs. So beautiful and well cared for. It is located just across the street from our hotel and includes the Bathhouse House Row where the springs feed the bathhouses for luxurious spa treatments! History claims it’s the 1st National Park. How cool is that!

Historic walk along hot springs in Arkansas to learn about old bath houses, enjoy natural hot spring from the ground. Experience how early days spas, cafe, bath houses and podiatry clinics are setup.

My wife and I are National Park enthusiasts, so a stop here was inevitable for us. We found this park to be significantly different than we were expecting and had to adjust our plans, and our expectations, accordingly. Two things I wish I had known going in;

1) Preservation of the bathhouses, and the springs they draw from, are the main purpose of this park. The park's trails and surrounding Ouachita mountains are essentially ancillary to the bathhouses.

2) Hot Springs, AR is a resort town. The town was overrun with vacationers who were completely oblivious to the fact that they were in a national park. The town offers shopping, dining, and a plethora of similar "touristy" services not seen around other national parks.

We found the park and its history to be enjoyable and we had a good time. However, if you come here expecting to be surrounded by nature or looking to get away from people you'll be disappointed. No matter where you go or what you do here it will be evident that you are in a city, even on the trails.

Our itinerary gave us three days here but we felt two full days was enough to experience everything the National Park had to offer, including a bathing & spa experience at the Quapaw Bathhouse. We ended up leaving early in order to spend more time at other destinations. We enjoyed our time, even though it wasn't what we expected.

Lots of trails of all types for all levels. beautiful spots along the way to pull off and enjoy a picnic or take in some breathtaking views.

The kids really enjoyed the history of the path we walked. They filled up their water bottles from the fountain that had water from the hot springs. Very relaxing stroll even though it was hot out.

Very exciting National Park that sits near Little Rock AR. Easy ride from the airport and boom, you are at the park. Lots of bathhouses, lots of, museums to peruse, observation tower, and many walking trails. This is a wonderful park that you need to put on your bucket list.

Actual hot spring interaction is almost none. There’s one place they direct the springs for tourists to touch and see, it’s very small and crowded (in December). It wasn’t as I imagined, not very nature based, however there are many hiking trails on the mountain if you want to hike and view trees and plants. There’s a lot of history, the Junior Ranger program is neat (ask at visitor center about it).

The National Park Visitor Center - Museum is a must to experience the history as well as walk thru an actual bathhouse. The NPS will provide much information.

We drove from Dallas to Hot Springs Visitor Center (city) in August. The visitor center officer explained what we could do at Hot Springs. We visited Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center And Museum, Quapaw Baths & Spa, The Grand Promenade, Hot Spring above Ground in Park, Hot Springs Mountain Pagoda. We had spa at Quapaw Baths & Spa on the next day.

We recently stopped at Hot Springs National park on our road trip out East and it was more than expected. There are lovely hiking travels with beautiful sites and rows of local shops and spas! It’s a must do for families that like multiple activities, there is something for someone. The springs are extremely warm and give off an amazing steam that makes you feel as your walking through Jurassic park. Would be a lovely venue for Jurassic infant: toddler photos. The park service offers multiple tours and have a few museums and activities on site, you can even pay to see over the landscape from a site tower (elevators available). #nationalparkservice #venturesw3

A great time - so neat to see the HOT springs. The park also has a Brewery (I personally) enjoyed the flight of 18 different Beers. As they say "what happens in Hot Springs - Stays in Hot Springs". The park does have hiking and an observation tower. We hiked out (or should I say up to) 'balanced rocks'. Hot Springs might not be the biggest Nat'l Park but it is fun and has it's unique qualities which makes it well worth the visit

Great and accessible national park. So many miles of beautiful trail. Not too crowded either. We always stop here when driving from the southeast to texas.

I only gave this 4 stars out of 5 only because it isn't as great as other National Parks. But there is a lot of history here, seeing how the old bathhouse worked, and a nice scenis drive to the top of the mountain where the lookout tower is, They charged us $10 each to go up (senior rate saves $2ea). Glad we went when the kids were back in school. We went to the Quapaw Bathhouse, and will post a review at that attraction.

I've been to many national parks and this one is not like any other. Its a city! There is a nice walk (grand Promenade) and some pretty mountain scenery to see but its mostly an urban setting. Walking up central Avenue you can see the beautiful bathhouses where people from all over the world came to bathe in the thermal healing waters. They still do baths today but I have yet to try it out (still on the bucket list). The other side of the street is full of museums, shops, and eateries making this the perfect tourist town/national park. There is no entrance fee and there is free parking in most places so just find a spot to park the car and enjoy a nice walk....

My husband and I headed up the trails, to the tower, and back down through the grand promenade. It was a fun experience! The trails weren’t bad for two out-of-shape 20 something year olds! Lol. We had a close encounter with a doe and buck near the tower which was a very cool experience! We couldn’t believe they weren’t scared of us.

Pretty park. Great views of Hot Springs bath houses and trees if you hike up the mountain area. The tower up above is a great experience to go up into. The price to do that is a bit steep, but worth it.

The park is beautiful. It is very unique in that is part in town and part in the woods. It also participates in US Bark Rangers. This is a program I discovered thanks to the city visitors center. Your dog can earn cute tags for attending National Parks with you. It promotes responsible & respectful enjoyment of public parks with your dog. With the exception of the buildings, it is dog-friendly. The walking trails are very nice and the scenery is beautiful.

Hot Springs has a great history for their bath houses.....many of which were patronized for therapeutic purposes.....in many cases people had prescriptions from their doctors for various 'treatments'. People traveled to Hot Springs from all over the country !

Today, one of those bath houses has been beautifully restored and serves as the National Park Visitor's Center.

As in most National Parks, the personnel were quite pleasant, helpful and informative.

When visiting there one MUST take the guided tour of the premises.....very well done.

Great park, easy drive, lots of hiking opportunities. We didn't see this park at the right time, the colors had barely started changing. Hiking experiences were all over, lots of trails to walk. It was fascinating to find out that all the bath houses were part of the park and not the city of Hot Springs.

I loved seeing all of the historic bathhouses and reading about the famous characters who used to frequent Hot Springs. The Trolley Tour was also fun and there are a bunch of hiking trails in the mountains.

They have hot water and cold water taps around the area to fill up water. We met local folks who come every weekend to fill up gallons of water they use to drink and cook! Its amazing. We filled up our water bottles and the water was good. The hiking was fun too but wish the paths had better signs. We thought there would be a place where there was a big spring but unfortunately nothing like that. You can also take your car up to the scenic point. We hiked some with kids (under 5 yrs old). and then took the car all the way up. The visitor center was very helpful as well. We had packed sandwiches from home that we ate at the benches located in the area.

The main street is a nice feeling of the good old days when luxury was appreciated and enjoyed. The movie and tour of the Visitor Center is worth the time. The only problem was the walking. There are no scooters to rent but their is wheelchair access. There are plenty of restaurants from which to choose. The mountain drive to the observation tower and lookoff are also peaceful and if it is not too crowded a pleasant experience. Bring an empty jug so that you can get some water from the fountain provided in town. I was very surprised at how hot the water was coming out of the spigot and also how clear. I expected some mineral deposits in the water but it was clear and tasted wonderful.

Most National Parks are quite large and have lots of unique scenery. Hot Springs is much smaller, and is focused a little more on history. The Visitor Center/main tour is through Fordyce Bathhouse, and there are multiple other bathhouses nearby. We enjoyed seeing the couple Hot Springs that are right there coming out of the ground near the bathhouses. We also took the opportunity to hike several of the trails in the area, including up to the Mountain Tower. We were able to see most of the park in about half a day.

Hot Springs National Park in Hot Springs Arkansas is America’s only urban park. The original draw to the hot springs was as a health and wellness resort. The national park was created to protect the springs and provide public access to the bathhouses.

We hiked the first section of the Sunset Trail on West Mountain, visited Mountain Tower, and enjoyed a soak in the four pools at Quapaw Baths and Spa. The Fordyce/National Park Visitor Center has a very interesting museum that explains and displays the history of the area bathhouses.

We also enjoyed several restaurants in downtown, The Pancake Shop and The Porterhouse!

My wife and I just spent three days at the national park and surrounding area and had a wonderful time. The area has so much history and the park's history is fascinating. We stayed at the Arlington Hotel, directly across the street from the park which made it so easy to access the trails. The park has 28 miles of trails, all well marked. There is a tower where one can access and see for miles around. Truly outstanding views in any direction, There is no admission charge to this national park, the smallest of all of our national parks. But there is a nominal charge to travel up to the top of the observation tower.We liked the trails and hiked several of them, the best being the Hot Springs Mountain trail which has nice overlooks.
The visitor center is located in the former Fordyce Bath House on Central Ave. The National Park Service has done a great job here and the building is loaded with interesting exhibits from the heyday of the bath era - the 1910's through 1950's. All of the baths, lockers, parlors, etc. of the Fordyce Baths are lovingly restored and it is a fascinating tour of a bygone era. The rangers there are also quite knowledgeable and helpful. Two of the bath houses are still in use and we went to both of them and LOVED them. Great services, massages, baths, steam cabinets, all spotlessly clean despite what some snarky reviewers claim (who probably did not go in them). We enjoyed ourselves so much here. we plan to return time and time again.

This is a great stop. It’s a little run down in some places, but makes up for it with nostalgia. Bathhouse row is really cool to see. The mountain behind are neat to explore. If they would turn the old hospital into a casino this place would be off the charts.

Walking bathhouse row (at least the side without all the tourist trap stuff) is a great way to put yourself in the footsteps of so many people over the past century who have visited for the healing spring waters as well as rest / relaxation. Their visitor's center, being a former bathhouse itself, is a wonderful way for people to see the setup of things if they do not have the chance to experience it themselves. Don't miss the free parking garage about a block away, though it looked like it filled up by 10 am on a busy Saturday morning.

The old baths along the main street are OK. The tile work was actually quite nice and the rangers were very friendly and helpful. It just wasn't a very interesting place. Didn't help that the opposite side of the street was mostly touristy souvenir stores. Mostly paid parking around.

The National Park is made up of the famous Bathhouse Row, along with scenic drives, hiking trails, and hot springs bubbling up from the ground. There are fountains in various spots fed with the hot spring waters, too!

As others have noted this is most definitely not your average national park--oh there is some nature, but the real draw is historic; hence my title. And unlike many parks there is nothing to strike awe in the visitor. There is however some truly unique American history. Visiting Bathhouse Row is the best part of the park. We found the Fordyce self-paced tour quite enlightening. Unlike many parks I do not think we will return as it seems we have seen all there is to see, but at the same time we feel it is worth a visit IF you are interested in the historic aspects.

Nice place with really great trails for hiking right in town. The architecture of some of the buildings provides a very special touch and makes touring around a very pleasant experience.

I haven't been to a lot of National Parks, but the condition of Hot Springs NP caught me by surprise. It seems to be falling apart in many areas. The observation tower offered some great views of the area, but that was about it. The observation deck as dirty and looked like the cooling units were in need of serious attention. Many parts of the tower and the grounds needed some TLC. Even the exhibits around the deck were in need of help. The Grand Promenade walk behind the bath houses offered a nice walk. Am used to having park rangers available at the entrance of the tower, but it was staffed by teenagers that really didn't care what was going on.

Lovely area and things to see in the park and around town. Rangers are working the best they can to help you. Is it the best national park I have been to? No, but it's uniqueness and the parks foresight to save the area makes it worth a visit.

We had an awesome visit to Hot Springs! The Bathhouse Row was so cool. Excellent free historical tour at the visitor center given by park rangers is a must, otherwise you’re not going to understand the unique history of the town and park. We stayed in Hot Springs and came to the park on two separate days. The drive through the park was beautiful. Natural hot spring water is flowing from everywhere. There are a lot of cute shops across the street from bathhouse row to check out, too. The grand promenade walk behind the bathhouses was very nice. If you’re in to history and a laid back beautiful park, you will enjoy Hot Springs! I’ve seen a lot of reviews rating this the worst national park, but I’d have to disagree.

I struggled with this review, whether to rate it a 4 or a 5.

Hot springs is the second smallest national park after the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The springs are fascinating—they run at 143 degrees Fahrenheit, are beautiful, and unique. A lot of history to learn along the way. I’m glad I came here, because where else would you find this?!

Bathhouse row is very interesting, especially Fordyce Bath House. There are several display springs and informational billboards.

That being said, it’s very touristy. Almost like the Gatlinburg of Arkansas. Wax museums, gimmicky shops. I think it’s the only National park built around a town (or the other way around). The main street is very busy, and there is so much traffic—somehow it’s louder than New York City.

Lots of little shops, if you’re into that kind of thing. Free parking garage if you can find a place, otherwise a lot of paid lots.

A lot do restaurants within a half mile walk. I stayed at the Hilton Waters Hot Springs (reviewed separately), in the middle of it all.

Worth a day or two.

Really nice and accessible national park. Hiked almost every trail on the North side in a few hours, enjoyed the mountain tower, and of course bathhouse row!

I’ve been here for baths before this is the first time we explored the park. The whole family enjoyed learning about thermal waters, hiking the paths as well as seeing the volcanic rocks.

I almost never rate a national park less than five stars, and Hot Springs is well worth a visit. We spent the better part of an afternoon there. I’m not sure you could eek out much more than a day unless you are the type that wants to lounge around in the bathhouses still in operation or book a spa treatment. I’m not that type, so we spent about 1-1/2 hours going through the bathhouses. Fordyce bathhouse is restored the most completely and has a self-guided tour. We spent about 30-45 minutes there and then went into the lobby of the other bathhouses (mostly businesses now). As always, the National Park staff was knowledgeable and friendly. If the weather hadn’t been so warm, we would have definitely done one of the hikes. The Hot Springs Mountain drive didn’t really rock my world, but there are some views and it only takes about 20 minutes. Buy an empty growler (or bring your own water bottles) to fill with water at the fountain next to the gift shop.

It’s almost as if people who do not understand camping all come to this one park. It’s horrible. People have no respect for others. Kids screaming in the water and rvs that refuse to turn their lights off.

Had a good time and information provided by the park interpreter was really interesting. Stop by and check it out.

Being national park lovers, we had to cross Hot Springs off our list while we were in Arkansas for a wedding. The falls on google looked beautiful and we were excited to experience the Hot Springs. Unfortunately, someone zoomed in on the google photo because the spring fall was small. More of a walk than a jog and more touristy then expected.

We enjoyed our visit to Hot Springs. It is a Unique Park with no entrance fee. We had one full day to explore the park and it was enough. We started with the visitors center tour, hiked to the tower, did the old fashioned bath at Buckstaff, bought some toys at the store across from bath house row and had a good meal at the Ohio Bar.

Small but beautiful National Park in Arkansas! Hot Springs in Arkansas is a quintessential small town rich in history and natural attractions, of course, the hot springs, greenery, and the mountains. Highly recommended!

We met a great park ranger at the front desk who was very helpful. We were pleased to find the exhibits open and a passport stamp was available for us avid stampers! Parking was relatively easy because we went during a down time.

Most different. One way traffic up and down the mountain. Basically goes to the tower. Very curvy and you cannot take a long RV up it! Believe me! We saw someone try and they were stuck for a very long time. We had to leave before they got unstuck. Picnic areas. Nice drive even if you don’t go in the tower. Fee to go up tower, but it’s worth it. Muesum and indoor viewing area on one level and then the top viewing area. Be warned elevators are small and the tower sways. You don’t notice it until you start reading the plaques. Not bad though unless you have those issues. Nice gift shop. Parking up at the tower. Lots of walking trails to the top.

I read the reviews on Tripadvisor to prepare me for my visit.

There are two sides of the park. We went on the side where you drive around. The other side is right in the middle of the town of Hot Springs and this is the area where we visited.

We parked our car on the street where there is free parking. The Visitor's Center is smack dab in the middle of the old bath houses. They have lovely rocking chairs on the porch which we enjoyed while waiting for the ranger to come and do his talk. In the basement is an entire floor filled with pictures and the old bathtubs,etc. The park is free.

Our ranger, Cane West, was a superb speaker full of dry wit and incredibly knowledgeable on the history of the bath houses.

There are pathways to walk to go up to the Observation Tower. We didn't find the walk terribly difficult but you should have water with you and a good pair of hiking shoes.

We liked learning about the thermal water and to even see it steaming and actually feeling it.

We had a lovely visit. It's worth your time, however, don't expect this park to be like the other national parks you may have visited.

We loved our soak in the hot springs at the bath house and our hike to lake Catherine water Falls and Pool. The hike to the observation tower was nice as well. We loved the old town of Hot Springs and the bathtub races and the Thursday night music in June.

We didn't walk as far through the park as we girls would have liked to. Our men were too tired so we just took a short stroll. It's a beautiful place with lots of history.

Like many people, we're trying to visit all of the National Parks... with 20 or so under our belts I have to say this was one of our least favorite. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful place with lots of history but it just doesn't come close to most of the other parks in the National Park system. We hiked a few trails, stayed on Bathhouse row, bathed in the waters... basically tried to experience all that the park had to offer but in the end its just pretty mediocre.

This was an interesting place. Parking was at a premium and paid from what I could find. The bathhouse row was neat. There were a few display hot springs for someone to feel the temp of the water. Co-located with tons of restaurants and shops.

The Bathhouse was great. Bathing in the mineral water is very relaxing. Seeing the water emerge from the rocks, hot. We stayed at The Lake Chateau, Hot Springs, AR beautiful lake house.

I am at a loss as to why this place was designated a National Park. There’s a row of bath houses, which are still in business. There’s a walk behind them that ends at a small hot spring. The visitor center was closed for alterations. The scenic drive up the mountain to one of the most ugly towers I’ve ever seen, is underwhelming
Been there, done it, got the magnet. Don’t need to go back!

Beautiful views, historic, charming. We like the drive from Dallas. Plenty of stuff to do in the area, from hiking to gem hunting to soaking in the bath houses. Fun for all ages.

We did the driving loop and Visitor Center. A few nice vistas and interesting Visitor Center. We were not able to hike any trails. Will not do again, even if we are in the area.

Great hiking trails, saw the various hot springs storage vaults, went up the tower ($8/person), saw lots of Mountain View’s.

This a different National Park experience which includes downtown buildings, a short forested driving loop, hiking trails and a tower overlooking the area. The tower does give a great view and a small museum. Not sure it was worth $8. Drove the loop with outlooks - blocked by trees. However, Bath Row buildings were amazing. Unfortunately, most were closed due to Covid. Enjoyed walking the Grand Promenade with hot springs.

In the heart of Hot Springs, you’ll start at the Fordyce Visitor Center. This national park is considered an urban park. With spas lining one side and shops on the other, it feels like you’ve been dropped in a high-end city street. I wasn’t prepared for that so it overwhelmed me at first, but my daughter looked at me and said, “I love this.” The Fordyce center is in the middlish of Bathhouse Row. Its free admission to the Fordyce Visitor Center.

At the left of the visitor center, there is a walkway with a fountain you can fill a cup to drink. Let it cool first, it is hot! Or make yourself a cup of hot tea! Wander to your left, where you can dip your hand in the open spring. I believe I was told the water was 130 degrees. From there, you can wind your way up the steps to walk the promenade. Most of the bathhouses are open for spa visits. One is not open to the public and one is a children’s museum now.

The Fordyce Visitor center has 4 floors with a movie and restrooms. The building is one of the bathhouses used from 1915-1962 , so you are walking through an actual bathhouse. There were many practices in use here that were ahead of their time. Our favorite room was the third floor party room and the lobby are simply glamourous. Just as a heads up, the upstairs rooms do give asylum hospital vibes.

If your kids do Junior Ranger badges, we have some tips. This park is spread out and a few of the pages include activities around the Fordyce building. You all will need to walk bathhouse row to match features to names of the bathhouses. You’ll need to visit two springs one for drinking and one for putting your hand in (fountain is found at the back of the Fordyce building and the spring for feeling the water is to the left of the fountain). And the kids will need to talk to a ranger or do a ranger tour. Other pages can be done anywhere without information in the building or surrounding area. You can send your booklet back in once it is complete.

We parked at the parking garage on Exchange Street, a short walk from Bathhouse row. It is very inexpensive, for two hours it was just $2. You pay at a kiosk on the first floor by putting in your license plate and paying with a credit card. The kiosk wouldn’t accept one of our cards though, so we had to use our debit card. Not sure what the issue was as the card worked other places. Two hours was suitable for walking a small part of the promenade, visiting the National Park, and working on junior ranger booklets. If you want to walk more of the promenade, spend time at one of the spas, or have a picnic lunch, you’d need at least another hour plus the length of your spa visit appointment.

Touring the entire NP Visitor Center museum transported us back one hundred years to see historic tubs, showers, changing rooms, strange spa contraptions, and primitive gym equipment. We learned so much about the bathhouse clientele and employees very quickly reading the signage and watching the videos. Seeing the collections and rooms really captured our imaginations. History buffs will love this place!

Behind the Vistor Center were natural springs we could see up close. Up the set of stairs was a scenic brick path we walked to peer down on the town. It lead to another hot spring waterfall. If you want to challenge yourself, there is a steep trail you can climb to go to an observation tower with views of the entire valley. We hiked it and it was tough, but a great challenge. (You can also drive up.)

At the tower, you'll find a preserved bathhouse tub you can sit in for funny pictures and a gift shop with all sorts of memorbilia. There is fee to go up into the tower, but touring the Visitor Center museum is free.

All proceeds from the gift shop go to the national park. The various items for sale were of good quality and wide variety. The toys and board games were hiking themed and very fun looking. All the bath supplies were of a good quality and great smell.

A gem of a National Park. Visit this park. The history is amazing. The thermal baths a huge bonus. Lots of great restaurants.

The National Forest does include the town & bathhouses. There are two mountain drives. One to the tower & the other up the north mountain. The roads are fun, fun, fun to drive or ride. Beautiful scenery. There are quartz mines not far out of town where you can dig for quartz. Lots of flea markets out of town with great prices. We always enjoy every day we are there.

As we knew, during our May 2021 visit, the visitor's center was not yet open; only brochures, etal set outside, with a Ranger occasionally coming out to answer questions. We are National parkers, with a primary focus on outdoor activities, so for this park, it was hiking, Here two full days. The first day we hiked the various paths behind the visitor's center; we logged in about 7 miles of easy-to-moderate rated trails. We also did the tower, which was OK, but once up is enough. Second day, we drove up other side of park to north mountain overlook trailhead to hike sunset trail out to Balanced Rock; about 4.5 miles each way. Nice trail with sweeping declines/inclines. The actual Balanced Rock is somewhat overgrown, so viewing is compromised, unless you want to risk a big rock scramble to get out from beyond the overgrowth (we did not). Overall, a nice National Park to check off our list. A three-night, two full day visit was plenty of time. Incidentally, we stayed at The Waters Hotel - right on main strip/close to everything.

My husband and I were on a road trip and this was a planned stop on our trip. Earlier in the trip, I started have a knee problem, so my walking was limited. We managed to go through one of bathhouses, Fordyce Bathhouse. I really liked the exhibits in the bathhouse. They bring you back to the early 1900s and take in a spa treatment. We plan on going back. Really worth the stop.

HSNP is an amazing gem hidden in the heart of Hot Springs - when one thinks of a National Park - one thinks of out-of-the way places, not downtown in a bustling city! But somehow, it is a seamless meshing of the two. The Victorian bathhouses are amazing and a must see as well!!

Very Unique and different National Park. The trail to the tower only takes about a half hour, you can drive right up to the tower if you want. On bathhouse row I visited the Quapaw Bathhouse. Quapaw is a vintage 1920s era bathhouse within the National Park. For about $20.00 you can go in their hot tub pools. It’s called a bathhouse, but you do not take a bath there. Bathhouse is an old fashioned word for spa. The Arlington is a Art Deco Masterpiece hotel right out of the 1920’s close to everything (1-2 minute walk).

Beautiful place for a family get away. Have fun hiking and spending time in the bath houses. We came the last week of November and the trees were spectacular!

I love that we can fill our water containters and water is free and unlimited...(It does not say that is any brocure that I read and I would have saved my water jugs before recycleing them in Murfreesboro, since I didn't find a diamond at "Crater of Diamonds state park.) WARNING: the water can be HOT depending where you fill it but delicious anyway! There is a brewery that makes their beer with the hot springs water and it is just AMAZING!!! Food has been delicious as well. The entire experience has been great! THIS was the Vegas before Vegas was.

Ride up just on a whim. Made my way up to the tower as always. Glad to see people there. Groups were being let in small groups and people were very comfortable waiting for their turn.
Lots of people along the park sidewalks and shops. Nice before the rains hit!!!!

Take your time or whiz through, this showcases how the wealthy socialized in beautiful surroundings. The architecture and stained glass are beautiful. And it's free!

Trying to identify when you are in the National Park verses the city of Hot Springs is nearly impossible. There are no clear signs indicating where the NP is. I believe bathhouse row is part of the NP, however it seems at least one of them is still a private business. Of the National Parks we have visited, this was my least favorite.

Lots of trails and roads to drive on. This place is beautiful. Bath House row is nice. A lot of History here. You need at least 3 days to see everything.

Beautiful and Relaxing, reasonable prices depending on what you're looking to eat. Can easily see everything in about a week. Not much nightlife so one is forced to take in your surroundings and just relax.

What a unique experience to be in a national park, walking up and down the street shopping / stopping at restaurants, and bring steps away from hiking.

We hiked the Grand Promenade - which is a paved, accessible trail directly behind bathhouse row. It was nice to be in nature without "being" in nature.

We then hiked the Peak Trail all the way up to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower. It's an unpaved trail with a 12.6% grade, which absolutely humbled my very used to walking on flat terrain below sea level self. But it's a good hike and worth it to go up the mountain Tower at the end.

I recommend downloading the NPS app. While we had a paper map and the trails / trail heads were very well marked, it was nice to use GPS to double check we were going the right way. Cell service is good for the majority of the park.

My adult daughter, five-year-old granddaughter, and I enjoyed our visit to Bath House Row in Hot Springs National Park. We started by going to the Visitor Center and learning about the past there. We had a not very good lunch in one of the bath houses that still offers "taking the waters" and spa treatments and visited another that still offers spa treatments. We had hoped to enjoy a spa treatment and "take the waters" ourselves but, while we were there, one bath house closed completely because of dangerous bacteria in the water, and the other closed down several of the spa facilities. On two occasions, we visited the brewery at a restored bath house and had good appetizers and a good salad. The chili was too spicy for my daughter, but the homemade pretzels are delicious. We only needed to spend one-half day at the park since we couldn't experience the bath house spas in safety the day we were there, and with a five-year-old, hilly hiking was unfeasible. It's a very interesting place though smaller than we had anticipated.

Overall this is a nice location, and the park is nicely done. However it seems now that all the bathhouse (during COVID-19) are closed or now turned into retail souvenir shops. Disappointing actually that the main draw of Hot Springs is now nothing more than a facade.

The other sides of Hot Springs Main Street though does have plenty of interesting shops, maybe 5-10 blocks long. The park has trails and the greater Hot Springs area has lakes, etc for other activities. For those inclined (I’m not), there is horse racing and gambling.

Overall a nice place to come for a couple of days but nothing outstanding

We made a last-minute decision to go down to Hot Springs National park after our original vacation was canceled. This will be the 26th national park we have visited and even after research, we were not sure what to expect. The park as a whole is very small and is completely within the town of Hot Springs. Normally we do a lot of hiking on our NP visits but after learning that the park's trails were built with exercise in mind and not with seeing a sight or scenery in mind we were a little disappointed. We walk all the trails in the park in 3 days and I would not label any of them really strenuous. we had some nice walks in the mornings and spent time Downton on bathhouse row which was interesting. Not sure I would really call this a National Park but more of a National Landmark. But with that said other than no real animals or nature sites to see it worked for our last minute trip and we crossed another one off the list.

Tourist trap! What would you expect to do at a place called Hot Springs National Park, located in a city called Hot Springs? Soak in hot springs perhaps? No… but you can go through a museum about people who used to. It wouldn’t be such a comical let down if we didn’t hype it up to our kids and then drive three extra hours for it. The park rangers said every day families come expecting what we did. Why doesn’t the park website make it clearer that there are no hot springs and nothing for kids? My theory - too many people in the area benefit from the bate and switch that lures families every day.

This was my first National Park that I’ve visited (my boyfriend’s third). It was kind of a disappointment slightly because I was expecting more neat scenery and nature. The National Park is in the city of Hot Springs. While we were driving into the town, it was kind of run down and not so great areas. I think the coolest part about the NP were the thermal springs and the mineral content of the water. It’s nice to see and check off the list.

In the winter you can not go by the posted hours. The employees make up their own hours and close when they want. Really disappointing . The sign on the mountain tower said open til six. We thought we would catch the sunset but we told at the for at 4:45 they were closed “Winter hour”.

As far as national parks are concerned, Hot Springs NP is not too exciting. You do not need your Park Pass here, although you can purchase one at the Lamar building. There is also a free parking garage.

If you are just going to walk Bathhouse Row with 8 bathhouses and Grand Promenade which is a .5 mile paved pathway behind Bathhouse Row, it won't take you more than 2 hours.

Right in downtown. There is even a hot spring at the entrance with a pool you can sip your hand into. Such an interesting place! The walk through the park is up a mountain and back — a good workout!

I visited Hot Springs National Park over Memorial Day weekend. The park is enmeshed with the City of Hot Springs in a unique way. One moment you’re driving along a busy historic downtown street. The next you’re on a wooded mountain with the sounds of traffic fading away. I spent time on Hot Springs Mountain, West Mountain, and Bathhouse Row. The scenic drives and major stops are fantastic. I highly recommend walking along the wooded trails n addition to the heavily traffic urban paths in town. The visitor center with the Fordyce Bathhouse tour was excellent as well. Of course don’t forget to try the water! All over town are fountains with free hot spring water. I bought a growler in the gift shop and loaded up with it for the journey home. It was excellent for drinking! I look forward to visiting again in the near future!

We stayed in Arkadelphia but loved the drive thru the National Forest and also doing the tower overlook over Hot Springs. My husband had a Natl Park pass so even better. Beautiful country

Walked Bathouse Row. Hiked Goat Rick trail and Upper Dogwood trail - both easy to do with kids. Must visit Kilwin’s for yummy ice cream and delicious chocolates; we went twice!

You could spend all day exploring this park. There’s lots of connected trails and the nice part is you can hike through the woods and then walk to downtown Hot Springs. We hiked with our dog and then got lunch at a brewery and hiked back up to the car. The views are great!

Hot Springs NP is a very nice place...but you need to work hard to get the most out of it. The park consists of two parts: (1) the town and bathhouse row, and (2) the hills surrounding them.

(1) We began our visit by checking out bathhouse row. The bathhouses are interesting to look at. Unfortunately, most of them are restaurants or gift shops (one is still a bathhouse), and the one they use as a visitor center was closed for renovations when we were there. Too bad as I've been inside that one before and it is a wonderful museum.

(2) Having seen the bathhouses that make this place famous, we decided to do everything else. So from the north end of bathhouse row, we turned west and hiked up Canyon Trail which led to the top of West Mountain. Few people hike these trails, so we saw a lot of deer on this hike. After hiking a few of these trails (they are not very long) , we ended up coming down at the south end of bathhouse row. From there we hopped into our car, drove up to the top of Hot Springs Mountain, and went up in the tower there. It costs $10 per person, but it was definitely worth it. At the top of the tower there is an outdoor platform where you can see all the surrounding countryside (but you can't see the bathhouses from there). We then went to the indoor platform and museum one floor below that. Don't miss this! This museum really brought everything together historically for me as the exhibits present the history of Hot Springs from many different angles. It's context that makes this place interesting! After we'd seen enough from up high, we took the elevator down and decided to wrap up our visit with a wonderful hike around the Hot Springs Mountain Trail--a nice two-mile jaunt around the top of the mountain with some ups and downs and some nice views.

One thing to keep in mind if you go here. Each national park has it's own unique personality, and this one has it's own sort of charm.

We visited the hot springs area for a day trip from sightseeing Little Rock. We had a blast going from bathhouse to bathhouse, eating, and shopping. The weather was perfect. The park rangers were kind and my kids did the junior ranger badge. I wish our kids were a little older to try out the bathhouse. Next time!

We spent the morning walking the grand Promenade and taking the trail with the white markers up to the mountain tower, then we followed different trails back down to the grand promenade. Even though you are right behind the bath houses and the city street you feel like you are away in the forest.

Great experience so much to see and do, dog friendly. Make sure to do the BARK ranger program with your dog.

This was much more interesting than we thought it would be. The buildings are well preserved and beautiful. We took a guided tour that lasted about 30 minutes, very interesting. The displays are well done and really tell a story that I think few know. Make sure you walk up behind some of the buildings where the springs are still coming through, that water is HOT! Well worth the visit. Plus it's FREE. I highly recommend it.

Not your typical national park but well worth the stop. Nice walks along the Grand Promenade where you can picture a different era. Nice little town, similar to Glenwood Springs in CO.

Along with Congaree, our least favorite NP. Crowded, little to do, little to see, but covid impacted that a bit. Did some hiking on the hill above the park but views were unspectacular. History and geology were interesting but overall, just a bucket list item and no desire to return. The town of Hot Springs overall seemed rundown and tired, yet chaotically busy. Signage to the NP coming from the south/west was poor.

The forest part of the park was beautiful and very enjoyable. The street park of the national park was a bit uncomfortable. We were up early Saturday morning and was approached by 3 different homeless people. If I had been with a group of my girl friends I would have been concerned. Thankfully I was with my husband. The city could us a little clean up there were a lot of panhandlers outside the shops.

You don’t need your national park pass for this one. Nice walkable paths. Spigots to fill up your jugs with spring water.

Great park with lots to see besides the bathhouse rows. Loved the hiking trails especially Balanced Rock and Goat Rock Trail.

Our party of two adults recently visited Hot Springs for the umpteenth time and still enjoy the park and the area. Technically, the park includes some mountains, hiking trails, bathhouse row, observation tower, etc. Its a lovely park that's part of the city and its easy for visitors to get a taste of both in a compact area. You can still get a bath and/or spa treatments on bathhouse row or fill a cup or jug of the mineral water at various filling stations.

'Been there, done that' kind of place. Historic bath houses on one side of the street, tourist traps on the other. Some interesting things to see, but very crowded even on a weekday in October. When we saw the wax museum, we knew it was time to move on.

This city and spa complex has an interesting history but we look to a National Park for an outdoorsy experience and this park definitely underdelivers on that front. This is really more a city or county park surrounding Hot Springs - nice trails through mundane forest going to underwhelming view points. If I were a Hot Springs resident I'd be thrilled to have this amenity available, but this park is not a destination in my opinion.
The city and tourist districts are also underwhelming. There are an astonishing number of derelict hotels and empty storefronts. I'm glad they're all not full because then this place would be overrun with people, but they do give off a shabby vibe.
The town and tourist sections have enough back-roads that getting around on a bike is nice, with the exception of Bathhouse Row along Central Avenue - that is a biking bottleneck on both the street and sidewalks

Very scenic and beautiful! Arkansas has many hidden treasures throughout the state and this is one to visit when in the area!

Pre-October2021

You can do it yourself or do a free tour. My husband and so were by ourselves but definitely family friendly.

It’s a cool piece of history worth seeing.

It was beautiful and very interesting. Our family is very much into state and national parks. This one has a lot of history. Our son was a little too young and we couldn't enjoy it as much as we wanted to. If we were driving through we would stop again.

Bathrow is neat and they have a couple of unique stores, everything else is your normal touristy place. We like to hike, would suggest Lake Catherine but please pick up your trash unlike many others. The hiking on the mountain beside the park, kind of boring. The drive up to the overlook is neat however. We stayed at an AirBnb near the lake which was beautiful.

This was the highlight of our trip to Hot Springs. The very helpful park ranger directed us with her pointer and map on the best trails for the experience we were looking for - moderate and scenic route to meet a goal of experiencing the trails and getting some exercise. We took Peak Trail to the Mountain Spring up to Goat Rock. Then took upper Magnolia back down to Mountain Spring. It was beautiful and about 5 miles round trip. Get up to Goat Rock to see the view. We are both past 55 and we were able to do it so you can too.

Park Ranger tour of the Fordyce Bathhouse is a must if you want to understand how Hot Springs was in the early 1900s. The 11am tour of the bathhouse was very informative, fun and educational. I highly recommend taking 30 minutes to do this free event.

We accidentally got on the one-way road up the mountain and could only keep going!

We had just driven in and were attempting to check in the Hale House on Bathhouse Row. But we drove past the little wide spot in the road where you pull in to unload and we’re trying to get back but ended up in the park.

It was a steep wind-y road but there were some beautiful overlooks!!! Eventually we came back down. I have to say it was the nicest wrong turn I’ve taken in a while!!

Unlike many National Parks, the town is considered part of the park. Bathhouse row is interesting to tour, and there are convenient shops and restaurants along the street. Hiking trails are well-marked and well-maintained. Easy access to main trials right behind Bathhouse row. Short drive to get to some of the other portions of the park. Not terribly scenic compared to some National Parks, but we enjoyed it.

We spent New Year’s in Hot Springs hoping to hike. The weather was not super cooperative, but what we did get to do want beautiful. The trails we manageable, well marked, and once we got outside of the main area, not too crowded.

It’s a great place to spend a day or two. You can do most of the trails in a day. We did three. (We did not do Sunset, which is the longest and hardest.) Bring a container to get water from one of the three pumps in town. The visitors center at Fordyce Bathhouse offers free tours and has a fantastic, free historical exhibit.

It’s the smallest National Park. What most reasons do you need to visit?
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You can even go for a walk because TripAdvisor has a minimum length for reviews.

The bath house row was fun to see, and we enjoyed walking along the promenade. We parked for free in a mid city lot, and walked up to the observation tower. Fun to see the springs running down the mountain. We stopped in town and got free water for our hiking bottles. It was a very different National Oark than we are used to, but we liked it. Nice way to spend a day in Arkansas

The bath houses were informative and well worth the visit Went on a ranger walk and the ranger was excellent. Wish there were more hikes for the senior citizen aged visitors

Interesting history of Hot Springs. You can tour one of the baths and see how it use to operate way back when. Lots of rooms to view set up how it would have looked in the early 1900's.

We both love history. One hundred years ago would have found a bustling little town all surrounding the 47 bubbling springs. Much is closed due to CoVid, but still much to see and the weather proved pleasant for the strolling. Be sure to bring your gallon jugs to take home your own fresh spring water. You won’t believe how warm it is out of the springs, unless you visit a cool one. We explored it 5 days in a row, and each day saw locals constantly at a spring filling containers. One lady told me even her dog wouldn’t drink anything but spring waters. It was one of our best vacations. If you can take the scenic 7 drive. Lots of fun baseball facts on green boards and Spring facts on the side walks. We had one of our best vacations ever.

The park is beautiful, however the campground - while clean - is located along a very busy road (loud traffic all hours of the day) and there are *streetlights* in the campground that are lit all night. We are tent campers and always look forward to the deep darkness when we camp; at this campground we had a very bright, loud night, despite the fact that the other campers were very quiet. A few more notes: no reservations for sites- they are first come, first served, but you cannot pay for a site until 12 noon. Also, not all sites have fire rings. We wnated a site witha fire ring, but the only available one had been paid for... that site sat empty until early evening, and those folks didn't even use the fire ring! To be courteous, please consider taking a site without a fire ring if you don't intend to use it!

We really enjoyed the hiking trails, which feel quite remote and secluded despite their proximity to town. We went into town for a late lunch at the Superior Brewery (which uses spring water to brew its libations); delicious honey basil beer was the winner there. We didn't use our car at all - just walked into town on the trails! Beautiful foliage and well-marked trails. Excellent for families.

We swung by Hot Springs National Park basically to be able to "check off" another national park. The place is very interesting from a historical perspective, but hardly meets the standards one would expect of a national park. We toured the historic bath houses and walked around the town, then headed on our way.

This is not your “typical “ National Park, and not a place we’d bring our grandchildren. We did enjoy seeing the bath houses, learning about the history, walking a bit of the forest (which is very vertical) and the town itself is quite nice.

Barbara who does the facials at the Arlington Resort hotel is excellent. Very professional pleasant and makes you feel relaxed . Highly recommend her! She may be the best facial person in Hot Springs Park !
Fred& Natasha B from New Jersey

I had no idea what to expect from this park before we visited. We had such a great time seeing the old hotels and spas. It was so neat to learn the history of the springs and the resorts. I would love to g back and stay in town to see a little more.

Very informative and well presented exhibit. This was a bath house and is managed by the US National Parks department. They have put together a very informative exhibit in a former bath house. The staff is very friendly and eager to answer any of your questions. We learned a great deal on how the bath houses got started and why they were popular. You can tour the 3 floors of exhibits at your leisure. The exhibits are well done and informative. Nicely done by the National Parks service.

We were pleasantly surprised by how cool this National Park is. All of the bathhouse are interesting architectural designs. The road to the tower is easy to maneuver and we'll worth the trip.

We enjoy history so we liked the history of the bath house/visitor center, but we were disappointed the film was not showing. That is a highlight for the national parks. Must be a Hot springs decision. We went to battlefields that were showing films.
Not much can be seen from the drives, too much underbrush.
It is different from other national parks. We're glad we went

This is an urban park. Be prepared for a lack of parking, congested streets, loud music blaring and slow travel. However there is still an old time charm to the Bathhouse row. And there is plenty of more rural roads and paths on the surrounding mountains. The visitor's center is in an old bathhouse which you can tour seeing tubs and machines from the heyday of Hot Springs. Two bathhouses and a hotel still offer hot spring baths. There are a number of springs and fountains around where you can obtain the spring water. A couple of days are required for a good visit here.

Hot Springs NP is a very accessible NP, located in the darling town of Hot Springs. Lots of history, beautiful scenery and lots to do, Perfect for all ages!

The park is absolutely gorgeous. Arkansas lives up to its motto. The park (which is sprawled in bits across the town) offers gorgeous views and hikes. On the bathhouse row of the park.. there are tons of opportunities to learn some very cool history, both local and national history.

My husband and I enjoyed our day at the Hot Springs National Park. We did some hiking, explored some of the history, and wandered around Bathhouse Row. The old promenades and walkways are well maintained, and it was easy to imagine what the are must have been like in its heyday. The one disappointment was the town itself - it seemed really rundown. Other than Bathhouse Row, it wasn't the quaint, picturesque place I had always imagined.

A lot of the recent reviews disparaged this Park but I enjoyed it 100%. There were lots of good signs, interpreters, and everything was free! ARRIVE EARLY if you come on a holiday or a weekend! We arrived at 9am and got perhaps the last free parking. By the time we left town, around 11:30am, the town was getting packed, and we do not like crowds. We mainly walked around the town and visited the Fordyce Bathhouse. The hot springs down at the fork of Central and Fountain are VERY cool, or should I say hot! And there's lots and lots of walking trails behind it that we did not have time to explore. I would recommend a whole day here! The Mountain Tower BTW does cost $$. If you have a National Park pass, you get a discount, as do kids.

It's a great place to go to hang out with friends or practically anyone who will join you or you could go alone if you want. It's a great place to go ,so you should go here i highly recommend it.

Hot Springs National Park has a lot of potential, but right now it could use some major improvement.

Hot Springs National Park is not all bad and so I will first share what I like. Free parking in a nearby ramp. One gorgeous geothermal spring which transforms into a steaming tufa waterfall and enters a hot pool at the bottom of the mountain. Fascinating museum which displays the historical aspects of the spa hotels. Museum was interesting but also has a sad history in that African Americans did all the difficult/back breaking labor at the spa hotels but weren't themselves allowed to enjoy the spas because of the color of their skin and culture. I liked the promenade walks in front and behind the historic hotels. I liked the hiking and drive up the mountain to the lookouts over the city of hot springs. I also liked the fountains where you could fill up bottles with spring water.

Now for the improvements. The majority of the hot springs on the mountain are tapped and made into wells. The wells are not a beautiful site on the side of the mountain. They all need to be untapped so that the springs can regain their former natural beauty of steaming tufa waterfalls flowing down the side of the mountain. The next major improvement is that an outdoor pool needs to be created for the visitors to Hot Springs National Park so that they can enjoy a wonderful outdoor soak in nature. Only two of the spa hotels are still operational and only one was operational the day we visited. The historic spa hotels mostly sit empty today because people are less interested in having a spa experience in this day and age. What many people want is to have a relaxing outdoor hot tub soak in nature. The springs could easily accommodate the daily water needs for many large outdoor pools as they produce 700,000 gallons of 140 degree Fahrenheit water a day. This water can easily be cooled down to temperatures which accommodate safe soaking as well. Likely local politics is playing a major role in preventing the needed changes at Hot Springs National Park. That is too bad because the park has so much more potential to be better than what it is currently allowed to be.

A beautiful park located right next to Hot Springs AR. The bathhouse row and scenic drive are a must see.

Sites are supposed to be first come first served multiple camp sites with no rigs or tents but chairs : saving sites . Campers should be made to have their camping equipment with them at time of check in !

First time visit to Hot Springs. Had a business associate who traveled there almost every summer with his family for summer vacation. On our way to help move our daughter from Chicago. My wife and I thought we would spend a couple of nights and and check it out. The park is beautiful with several easy hikes. The city is in the center of the park and so the park is readily accessible. We stayed at the Arlington Hotel, which has seen better days. The room as well as the hotel, were in need of renovation. In spite of this, we were very comfortable and enjoyed our stay. Small town atmosphere, many businesses closed due to Covid-19. Still had a great meal at the Porterhouse Restaurant the first night there. Hot Springs may exist beyond its hay day. Probably not a destination for a vacation but certainly worth a visit as part of a destination vacation.

If you are expecting amazing panoramic views and wildlife like most other natural parks, change your expectations! Hot Springs National Park, while it has a few hiking trails and scenic drives (which you can find many other places), the highlight is the historic bathhouses that’s line bath row. We spent a few hours there and went into the museum at the visitor center, checked out the couple springs you can see, and got some lunch. It’s an interesting town but the history is fascinating. You don’t be disappointed but don’t expect what other national parks typically offer!

I felt I stepped in a time machine! man, what a great job presenting a bathhouse the way it looked back then and the gym area was amazing. I just loved everything about it.

The National Park Ranger was excellent in telling us about the park and in giving the Junior Ranger badge to our daughter. We took a mineral bath while we were there which was refreshing. We didn't walk around the park too much because it was so hot but from what we saw, it is beautiful.

Hot springs NP is unique among national parks. The town nestled in between a the mountains (hills) of south west Arkansas and has a grand promenade of former and current bathhouses. The piping hot water flows down channels into the center of town and can be bottled at fountains all around. Locals bring 5 gallon bottles to collect hot water because of its famed healing powers. We collected a little for later, should’ve brought a bigger bottle.
The trails (all 26 miles) are dog friendly and mostly shaded. Nice mix of ups and downs for a good workout.

We really liked this area and the two mountain drives. Unfortunately we arrived at 5 when the ranger station was closed it still were able to see and learn a lot. A must stop for the area for sure! Definitely look at the signs by the bathhouses and do the mountain drives. You won’t be disappointed!

Nice rangers, lots of great information and a few things to purchase if you are looking for that. Definitely worth the stop in.

This really is very different from the iconic image of a national park: located downtown, and more about history and culture than nature. We really enjoyed seeing all the historical displays in the Fordyce Visitor Center. Really took you back to a different time as re: health and recreation! The staff there were very helpful and personable. We also enjoyed drives on the two adjacent mountains. We did not avail ourselves of the two operating bathhouses or go up in the Mountain Tower.

A couple thoughts. It's my understanding that the two operational bathhouses pretty much function as modern-style spas. Might it be possible to open one of the others as a living-history facility? Using re-enactors and period gear, give visitors a chance to sample a vintage Hot Springs experience? THAT I would pay for!

Hot Springs National Park

Hot Springs. When you want some of the beauty of Colorado and all of the racism of Mississippi.

All the parking is paid parking. It’s also correct like other people have mentioned that you have to download an app and this other third party crap tries to screw you out of more money. Cities that have this type of a system are ones that can’t afford (or don’t care) to have a real system. It’s low budget.

I will give them this. The park is kept clean. But I won’t ever visit this area again. The hate and racism is to appalling for me.

What a wonderful surprise for us! We were happy to finally make it to Hot Springs National Park and find a great spot on the river. We stayed at site #42. The park was clean and well maintained. The camp hosts were lovely, accommodating, and friendly.

This is the smallest National Park in the United States and the only one that houses a brewery. Superior Bathhouse Brewery is a great experience with knowledgeable staff and excellent beer. Pizza and wings at Grateful Head is a must. The town of Hot Springs is super sweet with bars, restaurants, and shops downtown on Bathhouse Row. We took a scenic scooter ride around town, and marveled at all the different homes, businesses, and architecture. The area is rich with history. This was a place of therapeutic healing where physicians would prescribe hot baths, massages, and walks.

If you are staying at Gulpha Gorge campground, it’s only about 2 miles to downtown. Make sure to fill up your water jugs with mineral water at several locations, it’s what the locals do. And it’s free. The water is very hot! You could even have yourself a coffee, tea, or hot chocolate right there, it’s that hot.

There are several hiking trails to keep you busy. You can also mountain bike or ride horses. Wear protective clothing and bug spray to protect against ticks, chiggers, and mosquitoes. Do a thorough tick check when you return, especially if you have a dog, they can be thick. Goat Rock and Balanced Rock were our favorite outlooks. It’s the only spot I know of so far where you can hike with elevation through the woods, stop at a bbq joint, walk through town and have a beer, and then make your way back to the campground. All the while seeing wild flowers, lizards, native plants, deer, a pond with frogs and beavers, and a random horseman blazing a trail to his property. We even saw a snake eating a fish in the river by our campsite. We had a such a blast and would highly recommend a stop at this beautiful park.

This is super interesting in a weird sort of way. You must go to the park visitor center in order to understand the whole place. It was not what I expected at all, yet was way more fascinating. Park in the free lot. Go to the observation tower up the hill. Nice easy hikes/walks in the area. A one - day kind of place.

I came to Hot Springs with my mother and father about 45 years ago. My mother was suffering with breast cancer and we came to Bathhouse Row and indulged in a wonderful spa treatment in one of the bathhouses. This trip was for crystal digging with family and hiking the Hot Springs Mountain Trail with my husband. It was a beautiful hike and excellent information was given by a ranger at the Fordyce Visitor Center. We had pizza at The Grateful Head restaurant, which was excellent, and enjoyed our walk about Central Avenue.

One of the more unique National Parks in the NPS. What it lacks in size, it makes up in history and uniqueness. Having the historical Bathhouse row right across from the towns main shopping is pretty cool allowing you to go back and forth. Even though the springs are the main draw, there are quite a few really beautiful trails in the park that you could take an entire day or two exploring.

The bath houses were cool to see! Very informative! Nice to walk along the streets and shop at all the little quaint shops

The park literally is a city block, not a typical national park. The springs are all part of expensive bathhouse hotels and hardly any are public accessible. There's one location that has a mountain spring flowing down into a pool for the public to see but that's about it. Otherwise it's just walking through the tiny shops in the town. We also went on the scenic drive up the mountain by the tower, which was nice but not impressive. There's nothing to see but one overlook at the top and the tower is $20 a person to ride up, so not worth it at all, rip off. It should be free in a Nat'l Park, but the tower is independent. The gift shop in the tower is nice though.

I hiked through the area for the first time and really took a look at all the buildings that are part of The National Park which is in Hot Springs proper. It was a very busy area with lots of sightseers and shops to visit as well as the old Bath Houses.

Building was in good shape and provided a glimpse of the hot spring experience in the early 20th century. Was a nice weekend trip.

We had a tent sight, the park is very nice, clean, well secured, easy access to the bath house row , would definitely recommend

Is it a city or a national park? The answer is “yes.” Bathhouse Row lines the main drag, with gorgeous old bathhouses, most converted to stores, restaurants and a visitor center.

Step one: park your car downtown. There is a free parking garage; get there early enough and you’ll be fine…otherwise there are paid lots and metered parking.

Step two: get a map at the visitor’s center for the park. No entrance fees; this is a free National Park.

Step three: hike. Here’s a tip. If you are in decent shape, take the path by the visitors center and climb the stairs to the old theater. From there, hit the Terrace Trail (white markers). Bear left at Honeysuckle (yellow) and you’ll eventually hit a shelter. Take a rest and take a sharp right to the Peak trail (blue). You’ll end up at a picnic area with restrooms. If you brought food, enjoy!

Step four: go to the tower/gift shop. Pay $10 per head and take the elevator to the observation deck. Take in the 360 view. Buy a water while you’re there.

Step five: head back to the picnic area and take the Short Cut Trail back to the base.

Good for families and people who like a good hike, but aren’t hard core. You’ll sweat, pass some legit hot flowing water and get a great view. All in…under two hours.

If you aren’t too sweaty, take in the sights of the city.
Enjoy!

The park has easy access to get to on Central Av. Hotels across the street. The Promenade is paved for easy walk. The hot springs were unique. The tower hike is 1/2 mile straight up the mountain on rocky terrain. Take the elevator for more views.

A very well taken care of National Park with plenty to see, information stations, visitor's centers all in a beautiful - historic surrounding . Parking can be tricky and fee based.

Was such a fun small walk, and got the enjoy the waterfalls. Pretty safe, and a easy to figure out. Staff inside the welcome center were helpful and nice.

This is one of the smallest of the U.S. National Parks. It is also one of the more interesting settings for a national park.

A large part of the park is in a city setting with historical bathhouses that used the natural hot spring water to attract visitors from all over the world. The other part is a wooded park on the mountain behind the bathhouses. The park trails are an easy hike for most and provide a great view of the surrounding area. There is a tower at the top that is a fun spot as well. It was quite foggy on the day I visited, so I don't have a lot of photographic evidence to provide here.

Only two of the bathhouses are still in use as bathhouses, and neither were open on my visit due to COVID-19. A couple of them are now bar/restaurants, one is a boutique hotel, one is used for the visitor center, and one is a gift shop.

The hot springs and the water it provides is the star here. I have to admit...I just sat for a while and watched people pull up in vans with dozens of gallon jugs to fill from the dispensers located around the park.

Hot Springs National Park is like no other national park I have visited.

This was an unplanned national park stop.
We were passing through, I seen the sign, so we stopped.
This “”park”” has hiking etc, but it does not have a “”specific entrance” per se.
We parallel parked (they also have pay parking areas) and walked to the “bath houses” for a tour.
Purchased a glass jug to fill with “the mineral water”.
Part of the park is on a street front with stores, restaurants, etc.
Very interesting place.
Don’t take my word for it try fit or yourself.

History lovers will be entertained from one end of bath house row to the other. Lovingly restored to reflect the historical significance for the town but modernized to remain relevant.

This National Park is like a 2 sided Coin.

The first side the Nature ~ it's there! The nature part of this park is located right behind Bathhouse row ~ and the best way to see it is to walk the Grand Promenade ~ you can take many different Trails off of this walkway and go up into the hills. You can touch and see the water flowing down from the hills here.

The second side of the park is the Bathhouses. Yes these are man made but these are what drew people to the area to immerse themselves in the mineral water. Each Bathhouse is different and has taken on there own purpose to complete this historic journey

I will stress if you don't get there early then don't try to get into the free parking garage that is located behind the other side of Bathhouse row ~ it is hard to try to turn around in and will get stuck! just go to the pay and park which is $5 an hour and you have to use the Mobile App in order to pay which is a little hard to get through! ugh BUT easier!

We enjoyed our walk around bathhouse row. There is so much history here, and the NPS did a good job showing this history. Don't miss the film.

We decided to go to Hot Springs National park and check out the scenic drive. This park is more like a whole neighborhood. It consists of two mountains and the downtown area where all the bathhouses are. First we drove around the downtown area and looked at the bathhouses. There is paid parking so bring your quarters. Then we drove up the first mountain. There’s tons of trails. We ran into a family that had their car broken into while hiking. So don’t bring any valuables as her purse was stolen and 3k was charged on her cC in only 30 minutes. The exit from this mountain leaves you downtown in a run down area. Then we drove to the western part and drove that mountain. That area seemed a lot nicer and had better views from the top. If you go to the tower on the first mountain. It cost $13 to go up the elevator.

There were lots of trails. The park was nicely maintained and very pretty. The hot springs running through the park was a unique experience.

Hot Springs is a unique park as it’s actually within the city so there isn’t an admission fee. It’s also the second smallest national park (the first is the St. Louis Arch, which really shouldn’t be considered a national park anyway, especially if the Statue of Liberty isn’t but I digress). It’s the most famous for the hot springs and there are various fountains you can take samples from for free and there’s no limit. In fact, we saw multiple people with a case of empty jugs that they would fill up. I’m not sure how it works, but there are two cold springs you can drink from as well.

I’ve been to 20 national parks, and I can easily say this was the best visitor center I’ve been to. It not only has the same services you would expect, but it’s an actual converted bathhouse and it’s three floors with a ton of the original equipment that was used. It’s very interesting and you easily spend two to three hours there alone learning more about it. If you want to do any hiking, make sure you grab a separate map before you leave.

As for the hiking, there are two main sections of trails and one of them starts right behind the visitor center. We took a trail that’s about 0.6 miles and its pretty much straight up hill so while it was safe, it was still challenging with the hot sun on us. The payoff is they have an observation tower (not free), and you can take an elevator over 200 feet up to some nice views. If you don’t want to hike, there are two different scenic drives and once of them does go to the tower.

The bathhouses are the main attraction and while one is the visitor center, and some other interesting ones is one they converted one to a hotel that we stayed at (Hale), one a restaurant and brewery (Superior and in fact the only brewery inside a national park) and a gift shop (Lamar). There is only one operating that’s an actual spa, the Buckstaff.

While we enjoyed our stay, the area is definitely underutilized. There is one closed bathhouse next to the Hale, and I talked to the Hale manager/owner, and he said the park is looking for an outside investor, but it will cost them seven figures, so I doubt anything is going to happen anytime soon. There is another bathhouse that is supposed to be a cultural center, but on two separate days we tried to visit during the afternoon, but it was closed so no idea what is going on there. Finally, there were some other historic buildings right off the bathhouse row and I believe at least one of them was a former hospital that were completely closed and doesn’t look like they have been open for a long time. No idea if they are closed due to a lack of funding, but hopefully they can do something with them, otherwise I’m assuming it will become an eyesore and will have to eventually demolish them.

We stayed for three days and there are some other attractions in the area, but if you are not looking for an actual spa treatment or a hiker, you can easily just make it a day trip and hit the visitor center, walk around downtown, and then do the scenic drives and the observation tower.

As far as National Parks go, this would not be what I pictured. It is historic. It is interesting. There are a couple places to take a nice stroll. In the end it is mostly the historic bathhouses that are the draw. It is neat to see all of the hot spring water rolling down the hill and coming out of the fountains, but not a place I would go out of my way more than a few hours to see.

This is a most unusual "National Park." Located in downtown Hot Springs on a busy street surrounded by touristy shops, gangster museums, and parking garages, it is a big stretch from Yosemite and Yellowstone!
One day is all you need to walk Bathhouse Row and visit the Fordyce Bathhouse (which houses the National Park). The Fordyce Bathhouse has a museum, displays, exhibitions, a film, and free Ranger-led tours. I highly suggest taking one of these walking tours to learn about the history of this area from a Park Ranger. This was the highlight of our trip.
Hot Springs National Park was a little disappointing for me but I am glad I visited. I just don't think I will be back! One and done!!

We enjoyed waling along the bathhouse and learning about the history. The trails were good too, though not as well marked as we would have liked. Warning: straight up the mountain on some, like Peak Trail.

National Parks are treasures. This is one of the smaller ones I’ve visited, but it was definitely the most unique. Learning the history of the springs, and enjoying all the water and town had to offer was wonderful. We are already planning our return.

This is a very interesting and unique national park. It is actually in town and encompasses bath house row. These bath houses were first built in the 1800's. They had many people come to use them from many miles away. They believed these were healing waters. These are closed now but there is still a bath house you can go for about $20.00. The Fordyce bathhouse is the visitor center and museum. As I said it is quite interesting. I recommend a visit.

This is a great National park celebrating the history of the hot springs that are natural to the area and once commercialized in Bath House Row. This park also has miles of hiking trails. There are many things to do in this area for the whole family.

Of the 9 places we visited (8 were the state parks), this was our least favorite. We are from the Chicago suburbs and like to totally get away in nature. Someone who lived by Hot Springs told us that is is 'strange' because it is a National Park with a city in it. Put the Visitor Center in the GPS. Would have paid for parking downtown and upload an app to go there so decided to 'wing it' and figure out our hiking without a NP map. Had purchased the lifetime senior NP pass and it said it needed to be 'validated'. I was stressing about where to do that so asked someone as we got to our hiking destination. The people said this is one park you don't have to pay for. First, we did the Hot Springs Mountain Trail. It took 80 minutes to walk around. The strange thing was the view of the city. I took pictures away from the town. After that, we did the lower dogwood canyon. that took 90 minutes but we also added an extra part on across the street from the trail (part of upper dogwood canyon). Once we got away from the street side, you would barely know you were so close to a city. My husband said that, on the first trail, it was strange to hear the street noise. We did not pay to go up in the tower. After that, we went to the Gulpha Gorge picnic spot near the camping grounds and sat beside water. Drove around the park again. It seems like there is an entrance to the north of the city, west of the city, and south of the city but I didn't have the park map. Some are one way streets. It was very humid and I was hot with a tank top on with temperatures in the 70's at 9-10 a.m.

An interesting place to visit. Interesting. Quaint. Not crowded (at least in May). The visitor center is very well done, and very informative. A good place to start. Other bath houses in town are kept up very well.

Hikes not great, but pleasant walks through the woods. Several opportunities around town to touch, and taste, the water

This park was celebrating its 100th anniversary this year so that was cool. This is one of the most visited national park, due in fact that it is close to 2/3 of Americans and is one of the few national parks that is free. This is the smallest national park and the only one to have a city in the park. Once you leave the city there are a few mountains that can be reached by car or hiking. There is also a hiking trail in the city. You will find two fountains for gathering water, one is cool mountain spring water, the other is the hot spring water coming from the earth. This is probably the most unique national park I have ever visited.

Unlike any other National Park, Hot Springs National Park harkens back to days of yore. The magnolia lined walk in front of the baths is cooling on a hot day in Arkansas. The architecture is pleasing, the stroll as fast or slow as you want and being in the city, easy to take a break for something to eat or drink. A couple of the spas are fully functional one has a brewery and one houses a boutique hotel. The Fordyce Spa is the National Park Visitor Center and Museum. A wealth of information and a step back in time, allow at least 45 minutes to read about and enjoy the once operational spa. There are hiking trails to enjoy. The Grand Promenade is a fully bricked walkway above and behind the bathhouses, with plaques along the way to explain about the baths and area.

This oldest and smallest National park has been on my bucket list for years. Finally got a chance to take a look there on a grey January weekend.

We did some trails on Western Mountain and enjoyed them.

The National Park Service museum was temporarily closed, so we hope to return for that and additional hiking.

Visited here whilst traveling through Arkansas, not the best National Park but had some nice buildings and woodland areas. Most annoying was the silly bikers revving their engines whilst driving through the street. Traffic should be banned on this street.

Seems like this should be more of an historic site than a National Park. We walked to the park and downtown area from the 1890 Williams House. The walk along the promenade was relaxing away from the street. Next time, we will come enjoy some of activities offered at the nearby lakes and national park hiking trails.

We really enjoyed our visit to the National Park.

It’s free and very nice! We are so thankful it has been so well preserved by the National Park Service.

I am a native, yet I also know where the highlights are and the best time of year to visit. Summers are super busy and HOT! If you're planning on being in or near the water, you'll have more fun outdoors. Lake Hamilton is super busy in the summer.
The most enjoyable times of year for cycling, hiking, sightseeing in my opinion are September through April. If you're looking to play the ponies and gamble, there's Oaklawn Resort & Casino. They also have great concerts throughout the year and live music in the casino.
Garvan Woodland Gardens is beautiful, especially in the Spring. Whether you want a large group at a vacation rental, a unique hotel experience, or camping, there's everything here. If you're a foodie, we are the pizza capital of Arkansas. Loads of great BBQ, catfish, and Italian restaurant options also.

This is a beautiful park and the concrete roads with the stone drainage area and walls were very reminiscent of the times it was constructed, and they were perfectly maintained a great national resource.

We took a fall chick trip to Hot Springs! It’s the smallest of our National parks but still very cool to see. The wooded “park” area of the park is little better than a park BUT the star attraction is Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs, that’s the very cool part of this national park. It felt a bit like stepping back in time, I loved that. The Bathhouses were fun to explore all but 1 are open. Superior is a brewery (only brewery in a National park, fun stop for sustenance) Quapaw & Buckstaff are still bathhouses (We went to Quapaw, relaxing way to spend an afternoon) Hale is a hotel, Fordyce, Ozark and Lamar are run by the National Park - museum, cultural/Art center and gift shop & Maurice is vacant at this point. We walked the promenade behind the bathhouses nice easy paved walkway. Definitely liked the towns vibe, it is a bit worn in spots. We stayed to the well populated areas on the strip and had no problems at all.

I am not sure why this is a national park. It is basically a street with a half dozen old spas, some active and some as museum pieces. It is a curiosity, but hardly worth the detour unless you are trying to hit every last national park! We spent about an hour here, and that was sufficient.

When I looked for this National Park I didn't know if the city was inside or if there were the same thing. On my visit I discovered that they are two different things but one is next to the other.

This is one of the most unusual National Parks my husband and I have visited. The historic town of Hot Springs is very charming and the self guided tour of the Visitor's Center introduced us to a part of American history that we really didn't know much about. After touring the Visitor's Center, we enjoyed a little time in one of the rocking chairs on the front porch while we people watched.

About a block or so from the Visitor's Center is a marked spigot that if you bring your own container, bottle, etc you can fill with some of the hot water from the springs.

There are lots of great hiking trails - and many that are reasonable distances. We did the Peak Trail to the Mountain trail. Highly recommend.

Local and avid national park tourist. Hot Sorings is constantly ranked as one of the most hated NPs. It's beautiful and small, not much activity unless you have the expectation of low key and an agenda. I always recommend the promenade and downtown hiking for beautiful views and downtown offers some good dining choices. Hot Springs is known as Spa City, so come with that mindset and enjoy some untouched nature.

Hot Springs is more like a tourist attraction than a National Park. It's unfortunate that so few of the original bath houses are still open. My experience in the baths was very utilitarian-esque. The fixtures and tubs seem to have the original hardware. I probably was expecting something more glamorous. This experience was more therapeutic than spa-like. However, that being said, the hiking trails to the west and east of bathhouse row are well maintained and the two 3-mile hikes that we took during our visit were very lovely - sort of like walking trails along the Cumberland Plateau. Some of our party enjoyed the baths and some enjoyed the brewery. We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at the Arlington Hotel and found some other great places to eat while there.

My sister and I went on a trip to Little Rick and spent one day in Hot Springs. It was our favorite part of the trip. Drive up to the observation tower and did a nearby hike of about 2 miles. The trail was well marked and shaded.
After hiking we toured the bath houses. I loved the visitor center and looking at how different their idea of wellness and class was at that time in history. We also did the pools at Quapaw. Each bath house was unique and offered its own character and service.
We ended the day at Superior Brewery. We each ordered a flight and shared a pretzel. The beers were all enjoyable.
I would definitely recommend this trip. The park is very different from other parks I’ve visited.

We walked the promenade in less than an hour. Most of the bath houses are closed – one is a spa, one is the NPS Visitor’s Center, one is a gift shop, one is a brewery, and there is still one original bath house. The Buckstaff Bath House.

Parking: Metered street, or paid lot
Ambiance: Subdued
Stores: Mixed

Would recommend: Yes – gotta try it once.
Would re-patronize: Probably not

Educational experience. Multiple buildings around here, but the main one is the Fordyce House which is the National Park visitor center (now a bathhouse museum)

This park is unlike any national park we ever encountered before. It does have some beauty and charm but it's main attraction is showing us a piece of american history not often known. Actually I went to Hot Springs to visit Lake Hamilton and the national park was a perk. But I had expectations of finding numerous Onsens (ala Japan) in the park and city! Much to my surprise , when I got to the park it was quite something different. Also quite more informational. Hot Springs, especially the area now the national park, was 150 years ago and until near mid 1900s a combination Las Vegas and Mayo Clinic. Yes there were numerous bath houses and some of the last and most grand still stand but they were pure therapeutic/medicinal places. People went there with a doctors prescription. They were under a doctor and therapist care through a rigorous 2-6 month regime of treatments including baths in the hot springs water in a private tub. There were certain upscale niceties within the "bath houses" like gyms, music rooms, etc. but there were no hotel rooms. That's where the big hotels come in, also still there. All kinds of people came to Hot Springs from gangsters to celebrities and just regular people with lots of money. Accordingly all sorts of amusements for the not bath house time sprung up too..There are some enjoyable walking trails and a nice drive to take also.

The Promenade is a beautiful paved walking path that connects with the sidewalks around Bathhouse Row and with miles of dirt trails going up the mountain. The area was busy with shoppers, sight seers, and people walking their dogs. We had to hunt for a parking space, but everyone we encountered was friendly and loved our doberman. Not all the shops and museums are dog friendly, so plan ahead if bringing your pet. There are several places where you can touch the spring water a faucet where you can fill up jugs and bottles with the spring water near the Congressional Building at the end of Bathhouse Row.

The headquarters of the National Park is located inside the historic Fordyce Bathhouse, which is located on Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs. It is a very beautiful building, which was opened to wealthy guests in 1915 and restored in 1989 to serve as a museum, commemorating its glorious past.

The restoration seems very successful and a number of interesting and curious details are presented in the museum.

Tours are available and we decided to take one. The guide did a great job, explaining many interesting aspects and at the end we also had the opportunity to taste the water, which contains several healthy minerals.

Admission and tours are managed and conducted by the highly knowledgeably and friendly National Park Service team and both admittance and tours are absolutely free. Highly recommended.

Multiple bathhouses to wall past. Most require reservations to bathe. Shops and restaurants across the street. Free fountains to feel the water.

Not my cup of tea. It is a major tourist attraction and it has been developed for that purpose. Complete with roller-coasters, ziplines and anything else they can think of to take your money. Enjoy, I will steer clear.

This was an excellent historically significant park, one of America's oldest. The parts that were open were very well kept and the signage in the museum was informative. The ranger talk about where the water comes from and where it goes was great. Thanks Ashley! Highly recommend a day here if you are in the area. There are also hiking trails and scenic mountain drives and views. It is also the only National Park that includes the streets of the downtown historical district.