America’s oldest protected land is in Arkansas, and the water there is still running hot

America’s oldest protected land still runs hot

Hot Springs National Park sits in the Ouachita Mountains of central Arkansas, and it has a claim no other park in the country can make.

The federal government set this land aside in 1832, four decades before Yellowstone existed.

Thermal water has been flowing here for millennia, and today you can soak in it, drink it for free, and hike straight from the historic bathhouses into the mountains.

The story of how this place came to be is as layered as the rock beneath it.

Forty years before Yellowstone, Jackson drew the line

Most people think Yellowstone was the country’s first protected land. It wasn’t.

In 1832, President Andrew Jackson signed a law setting aside the hot springs in central Arkansas, making it the first federally protected land in American history. Yellowstone didn’t follow until 1872.

Hot Springs officially became a national park in 1921 as the 18th in the system.

At 5,550 acres, it’s one of the smallest parks in the country, and one of the only ones built right inside a living city.

Tribes soaked here long before the bathhouses went up

Native American tribes had been coming to these thermal springs for thousands of years before European settlers ever saw the Ouachita Mountains.

By the early 1800s, settlers followed, drawn by the warm water.

The late 1800s brought grand bathhouses lining the main street and a reputation as a glamorous resort town. Baseball players came to train.

Well-known gangsters came to disappear for a while.

The federal government took control of the springs in the 1870s and built the spa infrastructure that still stands on Central Avenue today.

Rain soaks underground for 4,400 years to reach you

The water coming out of the 47 thermal springs started as rain on the surrounding mountains.

It seeped about 6,000 feet underground, where the earth’s natural heat warmed it, then slowly worked its way back to the surface. That round trip takes roughly 4,400 years.

By the time it reaches you, the water flows at an average of 143 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike most thermal springs around the world, this water carries no sulfur smell, and it’s safe to drink.

The springs push hundreds of thousands of gallons to the surface every day.

Bring a jug — the park gives the spring water away

The National Park Service is required by law to give the thermal water away free to anyone who wants it. Several jug fountains around the park let you fill your own containers.

The water carries dissolved minerals including silica, calcium, and bicarbonate, but at levels low enough to drink safely. Locals have been showing up with empty jugs for well over a century, and the tradition holds.

Two spots let you touch the thermal water directly, including the Hot Water Cascade on the Arlington Lawn, the largest visible spring in the park.

Eight grand bathhouses still line Central Avenue

Bathhouse Row runs along Central Avenue and holds eight historic bathhouses built between 1892 and 1923.

The buildings went up in a mix of neoclassical, Renaissance revival, Spanish, and Italianate styles, and no two look alike.

Step close and you’ll notice ornate tile floors, stained glass windows, and stonework that took serious craftsmanship to pull off. In 1987, the row earned designation as a National Historic Landmark.

It remains the largest collection of 20th-century bathhouses still standing anywhere in the United States.

Two of the bathhouses still fill the tubs

If you want to soak the way people did a century ago, two bathhouses on the row still do it. The Buckstaff has run without interruption since 1912.

A traditional session there gets you a private tub, hot packs, and a massage. The Quapaw Baths and Spa reopened in 2008 with larger thermal pools and a small steam cave.

Both places recommend reservations, particularly in busy seasons. Neither one feels like a modern spa chain.

They feel like what they are — survivors of the golden age of the American spa.

The Fordyce tells the whole story, free of charge

The Fordyce Bathhouse now serves as the park’s visitor center and museum, and it costs nothing to get in.

The building has been restored to its early 1900s condition, with original tile floors, period furnishings, and stained glass throughout.

Exhibits walk you through the thermal water’s history, the bathing culture that grew around it, and the town’s more colorful chapters.

The building also holds the oldest gymnasium in Arkansas, where baseball players once trained before spring season. Park rangers are on hand and tend to know stories that aren’t on any sign.

A national park with its own working brewery

The Superior Bathhouse went up in 1916, sat empty for nearly 30 years, then reopened in 2013 as a working brewery.

It holds two distinctions no other brewery in the country can claim: it sits inside a U.S. national park, and it brews every batch using natural thermal spring water.

The original tile floors, windows, and bar from the bathhouse days are still there.

It runs as a family-friendly restaurant and taproom, and you can sit on Bathhouse Row with a pint made from 4,400-year-old water.

26 miles of trails start right from the bathhouses

The park has 26 miles of trails, and most of them are closer than you’d expect.

The Grand Promenade is a half-mile brick walkway directly behind Bathhouse Row, wheelchair accessible from the Fountain Street entrance, and it connects to several mountain trails from there.

The Peak Trail climbs 0.6 miles from the Promenade to the top of Hot Springs Mountain.

For something longer, the Sunset Trail covers about 10 miles through more remote sections of the park, and a segment of it leads to Balanced Rock with wide views of the Ouachita Mountains.

A 216-foot tower with views 140 miles out

The Hot Springs Mountain Tower stands 216 feet tall at an elevation of 1,256 feet above sea level.

An elevator takes you up to the observation decks, and from the open-air upper deck, you can see up to 140 miles in every direction. The Ouachita Mountains roll out below you, and downtown Hot Springs sits in the valley.

The enclosed lower deck has historical exhibits if you want context for what you’re looking at. Observation towers have stood on this exact spot since 1877.

The current structure opened in 1983.

Lakes and forests stretch for miles past the park boundary

The park is a starting point, not the whole picture.

Lake Ouachita, a short drive from town, is Arkansas’s largest lake at 48,300 acres, with clear water for boating, fishing, and swimming.

Lakes Hamilton and Catherine sit just minutes from downtown and draw kayakers and anglers year-round. The surrounding Ouachita National Forest covers 1.7 million acres with trails for hiking and mountain biking.

The Hot Springs Creek Greenway runs 5.5 miles from the downtown depot through parks, playgrounds, and a butterfly garden. There’s more room to move here than most people expect.

Visit Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas

You can walk into Hot Springs National Park from downtown, and admission is free. The Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center sits at 369 Central Avenue and opens daily.

The park is about 55 miles southwest of Little Rock. If you want to stay inside park boundaries, Gulpha Gorge Campground has 40 full-hookup campsites.

Planning to drive Hot Springs Mountain Drive? Keep in mind the road can’t handle vehicles longer than 30 feet because of sharp switchbacks.

Check the official website for current bathhouse hours and reservation details before you go.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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