Hot Springs National Park guide · 2 min read
Experiencing the Thermal Water Firsthand
The park has no outdoor soaking areas, so soaking happens indoors. Two bathhouses on Bathhouse Row are fed directly by the springs, so guests can fully submerge in the water.
The Buckstaff Bathhouse has given baths since 1912 and is the one facility on the Row that has never shut down completely. Its traditional baths are open to visitors ten and older. The Quapaw Bathhouse runs as a modern spa for visitors fourteen and older, with Roman-style open thermal pools, private baths, facials and massages.
Springs clustered around the base of Hot Springs Mountain produce well over half a million gallons of thermal water a day, and that supply feeds the bathhouses. Bathhouse Row holds nine historic bathhouses, many of them open for tours. The former Fordyce Bathhouse now houses the visitor center, where you can talk with a ranger.
At Arlington Lawn, the Hot Water Cascade is the biggest spring you can see anywhere in the park. The water rises from the hillside close to the Grand Promenade, passes under the walkway and tumbles over a steep cliff into a pair of pools. It is 143 degrees when it surfaces, but it cools on the way down, so you can reach in and touch it.
Fountains on Bathhouse Row and at Happy Hollow Spring let you fill jugs with thermal water. Because the water is so hot, most harmful bacteria die off, and it is checked against United States safe drinking water standards. Heat can also cause some containers to release harmful chemicals, so bring food-grade containers that handle hot liquids. If your immune system is weakened, check with a physician first.
For a short walk, try the Tufa Terrace Trail. This paved path runs 0.3 miles one way and takes roughly 15 to 30 minutes. Its lower section passes the Hot Water Cascade.
