Where Is It: 55 miles southwest of Little Rock, AR, or 286 miles northeast of Dallas, TX.
The Birth: From Arkansas.com:
The rare natural features of Hot Springs National Park were first protected when Congress declared the area a “reservation” in 1832, some 40 years before Yellowstone became the world’s first national park. From prehistoric natives forward, people have been using the hot springs for therapeutic baths for millennia. To replace earlier wooden structures susceptible to fire, a row of luxurious stone and masonry bathhouses was constructed in the early 1900s along Central Avenue of Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Now, the Bathhouse Row structures are part of a National Historic Landmark District and represent the grandest collection of such bathhouses in North America. While preserving an array of 47 hot springs and their watershed, the park provides hiking trails, scenic drives, camping and picnic areas.
It Happened Here: From NationalGeographic.com:
The park calls itself the “oldest area in the national park system” because in 1832, 40 years before Yellowstone became the first national park, President Andrew Jackson set aside the hot springs as a special reservation. The federal land became a national park in 1921. By then Hot Springs had long been famous as a spa where people “took the waters,” seeking relief from bunions, rheumatism, and other afflictions.
Size: 5,550 acres
# Visitors: 1,325,719 in 2013. Peak attendance was in July; January was the least attended.
Plants: From the Park’s website:
Hot Springs National Park is primarily forested hills and valleys. The oak-hickory-pine forest type includes many other tree and shrub species. Wildflowers and blooming trees are especially beautiful in spring, while autumn brings many bright colors of leaves.
Fees: There is no entrance fee for the Park.
Staying There: Primitive sites are $10/night; full hookups are $24/night.
Contact Info:
101 Reserve St.Hot Springs AR 71901 Visitor Center: 501-620-6715
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