that's not all you can do here at Hot Springs National Park. If you get bored of Hot Springs National Park, you could also explore close by Sleepy Valley Lake, and if you need a site to stay Austin Hotel and Convention Center is a good choice.
There's so much to do here at
Hot Springs National Park that you need to camp here for a while, Cloud Nine Recreational Vehicle Park is a good place for that; lots of people from Hot Springs come here. Hot Springs National Park is splendid enough to spend more than a day at, J and J RV Park is a splendid local
campground, and a round of golf at nearby Lakeside Golf Club is a good way to kill some time. There's some flowing water close by, Middle Branch Gulpha Creek is a stream you can pop by while here, and a good place to camp here at Hot Springs National Park is Gulpha Gorge Campground.
Hot Springs National Park is a pretty segment of wilderness that everybody likes. If you like the outdoors you'll like it here in the Ouachita Mountains. During the warm days of summer at Hot Springs National Park temperatures are frequently in the 90's with nighttime lows in the
60's. During the wintertime this place gets highs in the 40's, and through the dark hours in the winter at Hot Springs National Park temperatures fall to the 20's.
That right there is heaps of fun things already but it goes on, the Ouachita Mountains has it all. You could also
go to Country Club Lake while you're here at Hot Springs National Park; it's nearby, and Lakeview Golf Club is a great golf course nearby.
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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