Hot Springs National Park
Description
Hot Springs NP was established to protect & preserve geothermal water for public use as a health resort & the only federally owned thermal springs spa.
Hot Springs National Park is the only national park that protects a unique combination of lithology, geologic structure and water sources that produce the only non-volcanic geothermal springs of such a high quality (e.g., temperature, taste, color, and odor) in the United States. This national park, first designated as a reservation by Congress in 1832, is the only unit of the National Park Service mandated to give away its primary natural resource, the geothermal water, to the general public in both an unending and unaltered state. Bathhouse Row within the park contains the largest collection of early 20th century bathhouses in the country.
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RECENT FACEBOOK POSTS
facebook.comThe mission of the National Park Service is to "preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources" of the park. Impairing comes in different forms such as vandalism, graffiti, littering, damaging the landscape, and misusing the resources. Two recent forms of vandalism in the park are painted rocks and cairns like this one. These are forms of vandalism because they are removing something natural and in turn creating something unnatural. If you see damage to the park, please inform a park ranger or call the Visitor Center at 501-624-6715. Please work with us to leave no trace, educate others about proper stewardship of public lands, and enjoy these wonderful landscapes as they are. Thank you!
THROWBACK THURSDAY It's been quite a while since I posted anything from our park archives, so I thought I'd show you a really cool, very old image. This is most likely Big Iron Spring in about 1870. That's Hot Springs Creek flowing by. Notice the wooden troughs on the hillside bringing the thermal water down from other springs on the mountain?
Whoooo goes there? Join Ranger Lissa Allen at 7:00 p.m. to find out more about these nocturnal birds of prey at the Gulpha Gorge Campground’s amphitheater on Saturday 23, 2017.
The Fordyce Bathhouse phone system is up and running again. Thank you for your patience the last few days.
https://www.nps.gov/hispanicheritage/
Due to unknown circumstances, the Fordyce Bathhouse phone system is not working. If you need to reach us, please call 501-624-3458, or email us at hosp_park_information@nps.gov. Thank you for your patience as we work through this issue.
Join SCA Intern Mary Hill for her presentation on "Ghosts of the Past" at the Amphitheater in Gulpha Gorge Campground this Friday evening at 7:00 pm. She will show images from the park archives of many of the structures that have come and gone over the 185 year history of the park.
TRAFFIC NOTICE: Due to roadwork on Hot Springs Mountain Drive, the one-way uphill roadway is temporarily closed. All traffic is detoured onto the downhill roadway, which is now two-way. North Mountain Loop is also closed due to roadwork. The repairs should be completed in about 60 days.
The jug fountain on Reserve Street in front of the park Administration Building is back in operation! Thanks for your patience and understanding while we were repairing it.
Hot Springs National Park is pleased to welcome our newest Artist-in-Residence, John Chavers. Mr. Chavers is an artist and photographer currently living in Austin, Texas. During his residency he will work on his ongoing project entitled “Sustain” - an interactive display that allows the opportunity to meet and participate with the art and artist. This is John’s second artist residency within the National Park Service system. In 2015, he was the Artist-in-Residence at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Our hard-working maintenance team is making progress! Please bear with us as the jug fountain on Reserve Street (by the Administration Building) continues to undergo necessary repairs.
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