![]() Here is the best summary I could find from the City of Hot Springs website: Is the city actually within the National Park? Surely the park just borders the city and the Visitor Center is just within the city. From what I had read, I was confused about the relationship between the city of Hot Springs and the National Park. They took us right into downtown Hot Springs. We then followed signs to the Hot Springs National Park Visitor Center. We knew Arkansas Highway 7 through the village turned into Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs. We headed out and decided to drive a longer route through Hot Springs Village which is a separate town north of Hot Springs. So we decided to just go see what this National Park was all about. All I knew was that there is a Hot Springs National Park, and we intend to visit as many National Parks as we can.Īnd on this bright, clear day - about 20 degrees cooler than the last two days - a hot bath in the springs' mineral waters sounded good. We would stay at Treasure Isle RV Park again.I have to admit that we really didn't know anything about Hot Springs. This RV park also had a pool which always makes Penguin happy. This park was on the Ouachita River and there were some very nice RV spots right on the river but we didn’t splurge for one of those. ![]() So where did we stay as we explored Hot Springs National Park? We found another good deal through Passport America so we stayed at Treasure Isle RV Park. The stairs were outside which was unexpected but really nice because you got to see Hot Springs in the background as you hiked down and a cool breeze.Īfter Hot Springs Mountain Tower we decided we wanted to do some more hiking so we hiked Hot Springs Mountain Trail to Honeysuckle Trail. We decided we would get some extra steps and take the stairs down. It was breezy and cool on the outside observation deck and that was a nice surprise as we were pretty hot and sweaty from our hike. We took the elevator up and the view of downtown Hot Springs was picturesque. Our NPS pass got us a discount so don’t forget your NPS pass! It was only $5/ea to go up to the observation deck with the discount. It was a tough hike but we made it to Hot Springs Mountain Tower. ![]() The trails through Hot Springs National Park begin right behind the visitor center. I didn’t expect a bathhouse to have a Gymnasium. ![]() My favorites included the Fordyce Spring in the basement where you can actually see the hot water spring and the fact that quartz crystals were added to this feature to give it more sparkle, the intimidating machines used for therapeutic exercise and the Gymnasium. I recommend walking through the Fordyce Bathhouse as it is very interesting to see how things were and imagine spending the day at the bathhouse. Per the NPS website, the Fordyce Bathhouse “was considered to be the best.” It is now the Hot Springs National Park visitor center and gives visitors a glimpse into what this bathhouse was like during its operation from 1915 to 1962. Our first stop was the Fordyce Bathhouse. Maybe they didn’t see the free parking signs? Fordyce Bathhouse I was surprised to see how many people were paying to park in the lot right in front of the free parking garage. Just follow the signs once you are in downtown Hot Springs. There is a free parking garage on Exchange Street, one block west of the Hot Springs National Park visitor center.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |