Hot Springs National Park

 

5,549 acres (2,247 hectares), W central Ark.; est. 1921; nearly surrounded by the city of Hot Springs. Visited by Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto in 1541, the springs, long used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes, became a Federal Reservation in 1832. More than a million gallons of water a day, with an average temperature of 143°F (62°C), flow from 47 springs. The National Park Service collects, cools, and supplies water to bathhouses in and out of the park. See National Parks and Monuments (table).

Hot Springs National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Location	Arkansas, USA
Nearest city	Hot Springs
Coordinates	34°30′0″N 93°4′0″W / 34.5, -93.06667
Area	5,550 acres (22.46 km²)
Established	March 4, 1921
Total visitation	1,273,456 (in 2006)
Governing body	National Park Service

Established from Hot Springs Reservation, Hot Springs National Park is a United States National Park in central Arkansas adjacent to the city of Hot Springs. Hot Springs Reservation was initially created by an act of the United States Congress on April 20, 1832, and the area was made a national park on March 4, 1921. It is by far the smallest national park by area in the United States.

The hot springs flow from the western slope of Hot Springs Mountain, part of the Ouachita Mountain range. In the park, the hot springs have not been preserved in their unaltered state as natural surface phenomena. They have instead been managed to conserve the production of uncontaminated hot water for public use. The mountains within the park are also managed within this conservation philosophy in order to preserve the hydrological system that feeds the springs.

People have used the hot spring water in therapeutic baths for more than two hundred years to treat rheumatism and other ailments. While it was a reservation, the area developed into a well-known resort nicknamed "The American Spa" which attracted not only the wealthy but indigent health seekers from around the world as well.

The park includes portions of downtown Hot Springs, making it one of the most easily visited national parks. There are numerous hiking trails and camping areas. Bathing in the hot springs is permitted but costs extra. The entire "Bathhouse Row" area is a National Historic Landmark District that contains the grandest collection of bathhouses of its kind in North America, including many outstanding examples of Gilded Age architecture. The row's Fordyce Bathhouse serves as the park's visitor center; the Buckstaff is currently the sole bathhouse operating in its original capacity. Other buildings of the row are currently in various states of interior restoration.

The park has become increasingly popular in recent years, and recorded over 1.5 million visitors in 2003, as well as nearly 2.5 non-recreational visitors.

External links

• Official site: Hot Springs National Park
• In Hot Water NPS publication
• A Native American Perspective
• Hot Springs National Park Pictures
• The Hot Springs of Arkansas Through the Years: A Chronology of EventsPDF (407 KiB)

• Maps and aerial photos for 34°′″N 93°′″W / 34.51444, -93.05229Coordinates: 34°′″N 93°′″W / 34.51444, -93.05229
  • Maps from WikiMapia, Google Maps, Live Search Maps, Yahoo! Maps, or MapQuest
  • Topographic maps from TopoZone or TerraServer-USA

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