Hot Springs National Park frequently gets a great deal of rain; of all the months in a year March is the one with the most rain, and January is when it's the driest. You'll need more than a day to look at everything Hot Springs National Park has to offer, you can camp at Hot Springs
Koa Kampground, and if you need a site to stay All Seasons Lodge is a pleasant choice. Hot Springs National Park is a great place for a journey when you have to get out of the house.
So much amusing stuff to do in the Ouachita Mountains, not sufficient time. Magic Hills Public
Golf Course is a brilliant golf course close by, and if you get bored of Hot Springs National Park you could also pop by nearby Sleepy Valley Middle Lake. If you love the outdoors, you'll love Hot Springs National Park. If you want to play some golf, you're in luck because Lakeview
Golf Club is in close proximity, and splendid water scenery is available at Lower Dam Number Two right next door to Hot Springs National Park. A trip to The Gorge is always fun, and if you need a spot to stay Travelier Inn is a delightful choice.
A round of golf at nearby Lakeside
Golf Club is a perfect way to kill some time. There's so much to do here at Hot Springs National Park that you need to camp here for a while, Western Village Mobile Home Park is a magnificent place for that.
Congress established Hot Springs Reservation on April 20, 1832
to protect hot springs flowing from the southwestern slope of Hot Springs Mountain. This makes it the oldest park currently in the National Park System--40 years older than Yellowstone National Park. People have used the hot spring water in therapeutic baths for more than two hundred
years to treat rheumatism and other ailments. The reservation eventually developed into a well-known resort nicknamed 'The American Spa' because it attracted not only the wealthy but also indigent health seekers from around the world. Today the park protects eight historic
bathhouses with the former luxurious Fordyce Bathhouse housing the park visitor center. The entire 'Bathhouse Row' area is a National Historic Landmark District that contains the grandest collection of bathhouses of its kind in North America. By protecting the 47 hot springs and
their watershed, the National Park Service continues to provide visitors with historic leisure activities such as hiking, picnicking, and scenic drives. Hot Springs Reservation became Hot Springs National Park by a Congressional name change on March 4, 1921.
CONTACTS Email - HOSP_Interpretation@nps.gov Fax- 501-624-3458 Write to
Hot Springs National Park
P.O. Box 1860
Hot Springs, AR 71902 - or -
Hot Springs National Park
369 Central
Hot
Springs, AR 71901 Phone
Visitor Information - 501-624-2701
Visitor Information (TDD) - 501-624-2308
Superintendent's Office - 501-623-2824
TRAVEL BASICS
Operating Hours, Seasons
The park and Gulpha Gorge Campground
are open year round. The visitor center is open daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Summer hours are effective May 28-August 12--9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. The visitor center is closed on Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1. Getting There
PLANE - Hot Springs
is serviced by a local airport, Hot Springs Memorial Field, or Little Rock National Airport (with shuttle service and rental cars.) CAR - Hot Springs National Park is in downtown Hot Springs; Bathhouse Row is on Central Avenue with the mountains of the park flanking the street.
Visitors traveling north-south on I-30 take the Hot Springs US 70 West exit south of Benton, the Hot Springs US 270 West exit at Malvern, or the Hot Springs Ark. 7 North exit near Arkadelphia; visitors traveling south on Ark. 7 will come through downtown Hot Springs where the visitor
center is located; visitors traveling south on US 71 from Fort Smith, or north on US 71 from Texarkana, take the US 270 East exit; visitors coming from Oklahoma on US 70 would take this route all the way into Hot Springs. When you get into the city you will see signs for the National
Park. The Visitor Center is located downtown on Highway 7 North or Central Avenue. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - Amtrak's Texas Eagle route serves Little Rock and Malvern, Arkansas, with shuttle services to Hot Springs. Greyhound Bus Lines also services Hot Springs with a station
located at 229 West Grand Avenue. For fare and scheduling information, call 1-800-231-2222. Weather & Climate
Central Arkansas has four seasons: mild in spring and fall with some humidity, a light jacket is recommended; hot and very humid in summer, wear comfortable
clothing; winter: variable--temperatures may range from below freezing to the 60s, with some humidity. Be prepared for cold weather. Accessibility
The Visitor Center is fully accessible with wheelchairs available for loan. There is a loading zone in front of the Visitor
Center; parking is across the street in public lots or in a city lot at the south end of Bathhouse Row. A model of Bathhouse Row and other architectural features is available for blind and visually impaired visitors. The park brochure is available on cassette and large print
park information can be obtained at the information desk. An American Sign Language interpreter can be provided for regularly scheduled tours with five days notice. Gulpha Gorge Campground has one accessible campsite. Getting Around
For getting around in the
park, you may use personal vehicle or bicycles on the roads. Some tour companies offer tours and the city of Hot Springs runs a trolley to the tower on Hot Springs Mountain May-October. Tour buses or other vehicles more than 30 feet long are prohibited on Hot Springs Mountain because
the road has hairpin curves. FEES/PERMITS
Activity Fee
CAMPSITE
$10.00 for Day
Special Use Permits
COMMERCIAL TOUR BUS OPERATORS
$100.00 for Annual
Bus companies bringing visitors to the park to tour
are required to purchase an Incidental Business Permit. Contact the superintendent's office at 501-624-3383, ext. 620.
WEDDINGS IN PARK
$variable for One Time
Fee varies ($50.00+) according to number in wedding party and if electricity is used. Two hours
are allowed for a small wedding, four for a large wedding. Contact the superintendent's office Monday-Friday at 501-624-3383, ext. 620
CAMPING
Gulpha Gorge
Open All Year
Camping is available at Gulpha Gorge Campground for $10.00 per night($5.00
with a Golden Age or Golden Access card.) Sites are available on a first come, first served basis. No reservations can be taken. Campsites have a picnic table, pedistal grill, and water nearby. There are no electric or water hookups and no showers. Modern rest rooms and a dump
station are available. Campgrounds with more amenities are available in the surrounding area. For more information on camping and backpacking in the Ouachita National Forest, camping at Lake Ouachita, Corps of Engineers, and Arkansas State Parks go to the links section.
LODGING
City
of Hot Springs
Hot Springs National Park surrounds the north end of the city of Hot Springs. Lodging abounds in the city just outside the park. For information on lodging in the surrounding area, go to the links section and link to the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion
site or the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism site.
FACILITIES
Visitor Centers
HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK VISITOR CENTER
Open All Year 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Phone - 501-624-3383, ext. 640
Location - The visitor center
is located in the former Fordyce Bathhouse on Bathhouse Row in downtown Hot Springs. Bathhouse Row is located on Arkansas Highway 7 or Central Avenue between Reserve and Fountain Streets. Parking is available in private lots and meters on all adjacent streets.
Closures -
January 1, Thanksgiving Day, December 25
Special Programs - During the summer, special family programs are being offered several afternoons and evenings each week. Call the visitor center for the daily program schedule.
Exhibits - The Fordyce Bathhouse exhibits
24 rooms that are refurnished like they were when the building opened for baths in 1915. Modern exhibits on the second floor detail the use and development of the spa. The Fordyce Spring is also on display in the basement.
Available Facilities - The visitor center in
the former Fordyce Bathhouse is also a museum offering self-guided tours. Considered the most elegant bathhouse when completed in 1915, it contains lovely mosaic tile floors, marble, stained glass windows and ceilings, gymnasium, and routine bathing equipment. The park 15-minute
orientation movie, 'Valley of Vapors,' offers a brief history of the area. 'Taking the Baths' is a 9-minute video showing the traditional bathing routine in the Hot Springs bathhouses. Eastern National has a bookstore with books and other items pertaining to the baths and the park. Rest rooms and water fountains are located in the basement.
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