Hot Springs National Park Hiking Page

Hot Springs National Park Hiking Page
Welcome to the Hot Springs National Park Hiking Guide
Here you will find information on hiking trails for day hikes and backcountry exploration, biking paths, and wilderness areas of interest for hikers.

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Hiking Guide

Hiking Trails Hiking Tips Picnicking

Hiking in Hot Springs National Park can be a fun and rewarding experience as in other national parks. It is a great way to both see and experience the park.
Exercise! Exercise! Exercise! was part of the "cure" along with taking the baths. There are approximately 26 miles of day use hiking trails in the park (mountain bikes are prohibited). There are two scenic mountain drives on West Mountain and on Hot Springs and North Mountains. An observation tower on top of Hot Springs Mountain is operated by a concessioner. There are picnic tables on the Grand Promenade, Hot Springs Mountain, West Mountain and Gulpha Gorge.

Trails of Hot Springs National Park

Trail Length Difficulty Description

Grand Promenade 0.5 mile Easy The Grand Promenade is a National Recreation Trail. It was designed to provide a transition between the developed bathhouse area and the mountains. The red and yellow brick walkway, finished in 1957, meanders behind Bathhouse Row and between several covered springs. The trail can be reached from Reserve Street (South Entrance), Fountain Street beyond the Arlington Hotel (North Entrance), or behind the Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center. It is wheelchair accessible from behind the Fordyce and also from Fountain Street at grades of 8.7 % to 11.6%.

Peak 0.5 mile Moderately Strenuous The Peak Trail leads to the summit of Hot Springs Mountain and Mountain Tower where a picnic area, water, and comfort station are located. This scenic trail begins midway down the Grand Promenade.

Dead Chief 1.4 miles Strenuous at Beginning Start from behind the Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center at the Grand Promenade. The trail intersects with the Short Cut Trail which leads to the summit of Hot Springs Mountain, and with the Gulpha Gorge Trail which leads to Gulpha Gorge Campground. Comfort stations, water, and picnic areas are located at the campgrounds and mountain summit.

Short Cut

Leads to the summit of Hot Springs Mountain.

Gulpha Gorge

Leads to the Gulpha Gorge Campground.

Other trails are:

Sunset Trail
Mountain Top Trail
West Mountain Trail
Canyon Trail
Oak Trail
Dogwood Trail
Fountain Trail
Honeysuckle Trail
Reserve Trail
Goat Rock Trail

Hiking Tips and Regulations

Wear comfortable hiking shoes.

Take water on longer hikes.

Be alert to avoid contact with poison ivy, ticks and stinging insects.
Be alert for snakes as the park is home to copperheads, cottonmouths and rattlesnakes.
If you see a snake on the trail, give it plenty of room to escape.
Tell someone where you are going and when you plan on returning.
) All hiking activity will be restricted to designated trails and walkway systems; "shortcutting" is prohibited.
Collecting the following fruits and nuts for personal consumption only is permitted: plums, blackberries, hickory nuts, persimmons, grapes, muscadines, blueberries, and juneberries.
The use or riding of skateboards or similar devices on walkways within the Bathhouse Row Historic District is prohibited.
The use of a bicycle is prohibited except on park roads or in parking areas. The riding of a bicycle within the Bathhouse Row Historic District is prohibited.

Picnicking Guide
Picnic tables on the Grand Promenade, Hot Springs Mountain, West Mountain, and at Gulpha Gorge offer a place to enjoy a meal outdoors.
The Gulpha Gorge picnic area is located at the entrance to the campground near Gulpha Creek. In addition to thirty-four tables, there are grills, trash cans and restrooms. Hiking trails are nearby.
At the top of Hot Springs Mountain is another picnic area, next to the overlook with the "pagoda" shelter. There are fourteen tables, also grills, water, trash cans and restrooms. It is a short walk to the observation tower and nearby trails.
At the south end of the Grand Promenade are two picnic tables. Bring your checkers and enjoy a game on the checkerboards which are painted on the tables. Trash cans and comfort stations are nearby.
Two picnic tables are located at the second overlook on west Mountain Drive. Trash cans are nearby.
The picnic area at Gulpha Gorge will be closed to all activity between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am daily to coincide with quiet hours in the adjacent campground. Picnicking activity within Gulpha Gorge campsites is prohibited unless registered for that specific campsite and the camping fee is paid. Picnicking throughout the park is permitted unless posted to prevent that activity.
Fires
Fires are permitted within the Gulpha Gorge Campground and at designated picnic sites only within fire grills provided, or at the group fire ring at the campground amphitheater. Self-contained portable stoves or grills may be used when off the ground and away from overhanging vegetation. Ground fires are prohibited throughout the park.
Dead wood laying on the ground and unattached to live trees may be used for fuel at Gulpha Gorge campground and at designated picnic sites, only in fire grills provided.

Hot Springs National Park Links

Accessibility Info
Activity & Calendar Page
Address, Email & Phone Guide
Bathhouses
Brochures, Maps, Written Info
Camping Guide
Chat
Civil War Weekend
Establishment
Fees
Fordyce Bath House Geology
Hiking Guide
Horse & Stock Info
Jobs, SCA, Volunteer Positions
Junior Ranger Programs
Location
Lodging Guide
Map Guide
National Trails Day
Oktoberfest Volksmarsch
Park Information Pet Information
Picnicking Guide
Search
Sights Guide
Size & Visitation Info
"Taking the Baths"
The Water
Travel Guide
Visitors Guide
Weather
Wildlife and Wildflowers

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by John William Uhler

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Trail	Length	Difficulty	Description
Grand Promenade	0.5 mile	Easy	The Grand Promenade is a National Recreation Trail. It was designed to provide a transition between the developed bathhouse area and the mountains. The red and yellow brick walkway, finished in 1957, meanders behind Bathhouse Row and between several covered springs. The trail can be reached from Reserve Street (South Entrance), Fountain Street beyond the Arlington Hotel (North Entrance), or behind the Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center. It is wheelchair accessible from behind the Fordyce and also from Fountain Street at grades of 8.7 % to 11.6%.
Peak	0.5 mile	Moderately Strenuous	The Peak Trail leads to the summit of Hot Springs Mountain and Mountain Tower where a picnic area, water, and comfort station are located. This scenic trail begins midway down the Grand Promenade.
Dead Chief	1.4 miles	Strenuous at Beginning	Start from behind the Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center at the Grand Promenade. The trail intersects with the Short Cut Trail which leads to the summit of Hot Springs Mountain, and with the Gulpha Gorge Trail which leads to Gulpha Gorge Campground. Comfort stations, water, and picnic areas are located at the campgrounds and mountain summit.
Short Cut			Leads to the summit of Hot Springs Mountain.
Gulpha Gorge			Leads to the Gulpha Gorge Campground.