Hot Springs National Park
Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas is an urban national park - instead of thinking Yellowstone and wilderness, think large city park. The national park surrounds the city of Hot Springs on three sides, as the national park covers the mountainsides and historic Bathhouse Row.
Come to this national park for one of three things - hiking, hot springs treatment, or a fascinating look at a historic hot springs bath house. You can also visit the new Hot Springs Museum of Contemporary Art on Bath House Row, or visit the observation tower on Hot Springs Mountain if you are in town.
Hiking in the park is fantastic, with 20 miles of well-maintained trails, which go over Hot Springs Mountain and the Zig Zag Mountains. Start at the visitor center, or start in the Gulpha Gorge campground area. You can bring your dog on the hiking trails in this national park as long as they are on a leash.
Be sure to save some time for the self-guided (or ranger-guided at certain times of the day) tours of Fordyce Bath House - the main NPS visitor center on Bathhouse Row. The bath house is restored to its 1915 splendor - the gym is incredible!
The town of Hot Springs is in a transitional state right now - it's hard to tell which way it will go. The national park guarantees that tourists will visit, and the NPS areas are well kept up. Right next to the park, though, are some areas that have seen better days and a very touristy strip in downtown hot springs.
The park provides water fountains for drinking the spring water. There are several that offer hot spring water around Bathhouse row, and two cold water fountains. Bring your own containers to fill with the water. I recommend the cold water fountain close to the end of the Grand Promenade, I liked its taste better.
For a short walk, the Grand Promenade goes above Bathhouse row for a nice view of the town. One thing to know about the trails in the park is that they are all pretty similar - they all go through the woods up, down, and on the sides of several similar mountains. One suggestion would be to use the Happy Hollow Spring cold water fountain as a mid-way stop on the Floral Trail to refill water bottles.
