Dates we visited: Apr 11th - Apr 15th 2021
Where we stayed: Hot Springs KOA

After experiencing a whole lot of desert across the southwest, we were excited to return to a part of the country that was a bit more green. Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas definitely fit the bill. It was surprisingly reminiscent of our home state of Minnesota. This was the first park we visited that was set in a city. Or, more accurately, the city grew up around the hot springs. Our campground was just a few minutes from the downtown area of the city of Hot Springs, as well as the main entrance to the park.

Bathhouse Row

There is a ton of history in this park, and “Bathhouse Row” contains a lot of it. The springs have existed here for thousands of years, but over time, they were “capped” and the water routed to various buildings and “bathhouses”. For a time, people from around the world flocked to these bathhouses to undergo a spa experience with the reportedly “healing waters” of the hot springs.

Geologically, the water emanating from the springs mostly fell as rain water roughly 4,000 years ago, then found its way deep underground, where it was heated, and then eventually rose back to the surface. While the National Park service does not certify any healing properties of the water, it does certify it as safe to drink, and encourages visitors to do so.

There are a number of free “jug filling stations” in and around the park, and while we didn’t partake in a spa experience this time, we did fill up a few jugs. I haven’t experienced any unusual curative properties from drinking it as of yet, but it was pretty good tasting water, and it made a fine cup of coffee!

Lake Catherine State Park

After experiencing Hot Springs National Park, we decided to make a day-trip a few miles southeast for a hiking excursion to Lake Catherine State Park. We completed the 1.6 mile Falls Branch Trail, of which the highlight is the waterfall about 3/4 of the way around the loop trail. Owen had fun hopping from rock to rock across the shallow river…until he missed one and ended up with soaking wet shoes and pants. And then I had fun carrying him on my shoulders the remaining quarter mile or so. He is getting big quickly though, so that may not be an option for much longer!

This was a fun hike, with many bridges criss-crossing the river, including one recently repaired suspension bridge. If you are visiting Hot Springs, and looking for a hike that is a bit more remote than those found in the national park, this is a great option.

Hot Springs was unique amongst the national parks that we have visited in many ways. Perhaps most notably, the use and taking of its resources (the spring water), is not only permitted, but encourage. It’s city setting offered conveniences that were a far cry from our experience at Big Bend, but we also had to remind Owen to watch out for traffic on the busy street in front of the visitor center. Life is full of trade-offs. In the future we would like to return here to get the full Hot Springs Spa experience.