Hot Springs National Park - Arkansas

The natural hot springs in and around what is now Hot Springs, Arkansas, were used by Native Americans for 8,000 years before the springs were “discovered” and appropriated by European Americans.  Because the sulpher-laden springs were thought to have curative powers for rheumatism and other ailments, the area was set aside as a federal reservation in 1832, a precursor to the concept of national parks.  The area developed into a resort known as “The American Spa”.  “Bathhouse Row” features outstanding examples of Gilded Age bathhouses, the largest collection in the United States.  There is a network of short trails in and around the town as well as a few longer hiking trails in the park’s surrounding lands.