Hot Springs National Park: Peak, Hot Springs Mountain, and Honeysuckle Trails (Blog Hike #623)

Trails: Peak, Hot Springs Mountain, and Huckleberry Trails

Hike Location: Hot Springs National Park

Geographic Location: north side of Hot Springs, AR (34.51371, -93.05346)

Length: 2.7 miles

Difficulty: 7/10 (Moderate)

Date Hiked: March 2017

Overview: A lollipop loop featuring views from Hot Springs Mountain.

Park Information: https://www.nps.gov/hosp/index.htm

Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=594962
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: This hike starts in downtown Hot Springs at the Hot Springs National Park Visitor Center on Central Avenue 750 feet north of Reserve Street, but the National Park Service provides no parking.  Thus, you need to use the City of Hot Springs’ parking facilities, which include street parking and a free garage on Exchange Street 1 block west of the Visitor Center.

The hike: The 143° F water that pours from the base of Hot Springs Mountain has drawn visitors to the eastern Ouachita (pronounced WASH-ee-tah) Mountains for centuries.  Before European settlement, earlier people viewed the springs as neutral territory accessible by all tribes.  After the United States acquired the springs from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase, an expedition sent by President Jefferson reported on the area and ignited general public interest in the hot springs.  In 1832, an act of Congress established the Hot Springs Reservation that protected 4 square miles of land and all of the thermal springs contained therein.  Although the national park was not established until 1921, this act made what would become Hot Springs National Park the first federal reservation to protect a natural resource.

The designation did not prevent private bathhouses from opening in the area.  As you would expect for an early to mid 1800’s frontier city, the earliest bathhouses were nothing more than crude canvas and lumber structures.  By the late 1800’s, luxurious European-style bathhouses had replaced the earlier primitive buildings.  With the advent of modern medicine in the 1900’s, hot springs bathing declined, and the oldest remaining bathhouses today date to the early 1900’s.

            As old as the area’s bathing tradition is, the hot water that powered the area’s bathing history is even older.  For thousands of years rain water filters down through increasingly warmer rock that gets its heat from pressure rather than volcanic forces (i.e. geysers such as those at Yellowstone).  The water gathers minerals from the surrounding rocks as it descends.  Eventually the water meets cracks that lead up to the west slope of Hot Springs Mountain, where it surfaces via the hot springs.

            While the historic bathhouses and hot spring mineral water remain the park’s main attractions, Hot Springs National Park has more traditional park-like amenities as well.  The National Park Service operates the 44-site Gulpha Gorge Campground on the northeast side of Hot Springs Mountain.  Also, a well-constructed and maintained system of hiking trails traverses the mountains east and west of the historic bathhouses.  This hike explores the trail system on Hot Springs Mountain directly east of bathhouse row.

Bathhouse row, downtown Hot Springs

Thermal water fountain

            The hike starts on the Peak Trail, so your first task is to find the Peak Trail.  After walking out the front door of the Visitor Center, walk down the ramp to the right to reach a fountain from which the area’s famous 143° water flows.  Then turn right, walk along a brick path, climb some concrete steps, and angle left to begin a paved trail called the Tufa Terrace Trail.  In less than 0.1 miles, the Tufa Terrace Trail crosses the Peak Trail that you are seeking.  Turn right to begin climbing on the Peak Trail, which is marked with white paint blazes.

            True to its name, the Peak Trail goes directly up the south side of Hot Springs Mountain.  The steepest part of the climb comes at the very beginning, but the climb is persistent throughout with only an occasional switchback to ease the grade.  In total, the Peak Trail gains just over 400 feet in its 0.6 miles.  The concrete path becomes a wide dirt path after you cross Hot Springs Mountain Drive, a steep switchbacking vehicle road that leads to the same destination as this trail.

Climbing on the Peak Trail

            At 0.25 miles, you reach an intersection with the Honeysuckle Trail that forms this hike’s loop around Hot Springs Mountain.  This hike will continue straight to keep climbing on the Peak Trail and use the Honeysuckle Trail that goes left as its return route, thus hiking the loop counterclockwise.  As you continue climbing, some minor erosion appears in the dirt/gravel trail, a result of this trail’s lack of waterbars or switchbacks.

            Just shy of 0.5 miles, you cross Hot Springs Mountain Drive just after it splits to form its loop around the mountain.  You will need to walk about 100 feet to the right on the road in order to find where the white blazes continue on the uphill side of the road.  The blue-blazed Hot Springs Mountain Trail also crosses the road here.  We will eventually come back here and hike the Hot Springs Mountain Trail, but for now continue climbing on the Peak Trail to keep heading for the summit.

Hot Springs Mountain Tower

            At 0.6 miles, the Peak Trail ends in back of Hot Springs Mountain Tower.  Hot Springs Mountain has two summits, and the 1060-foot south summit on which this tower stands is 60 feet lower than the north summit, which stands almost 1 mile away.  For a fee you can ride elevators to the observation deck on top of the tower, which offers 360-degree views of the surrounding area including the town of Hot Springs.  Be a little careful if you choose to go to the observation deck: one group of people got stuck in an elevator just before I went up, but my trip up and down went without incident.

Downtown Hot Springs, as seen from observation deck

            After visiting the tower, backtrack down the Peak Trail to the blue-blazed Hot Springs Mountain Trail and turn left to begin a counterclockwise journey around the Hot Springs Mountain Trail, which forms a loose loop around the southern summit of its namesake mountain.  For the next 0.7 miles the trail undulates gently as it heads northeast just downhill from Hot Springs Mountain Drive.  A couple of roadside overlooks provide nice un-tower-aided views to the east.

Road side view to the east

            1.4 miles into the hike, the trail climbs slightly to reach a trail intersection and another crossing of Hot Springs Mountain Drive.  A stone trail shelter stands here.  The Gulpha Gorge Trail exits right and goes downhill for 0.6 steep miles to the Gulpha Gorge Campground, passing intersections with the Goat Rock and Dead Chief Trails on its way.  If you wanted to add another 1.9 miles to this hike, you could use the Gulpha Gorge, Goat Rock, and Upper Dogwood Trails to form an additional loop around the mountain’s north summit.  This description crosses the road to stay on the Hot Springs Mountain Trail.

Hiking the Hot Springs Mountain Trail

            Now on the west side of the mountain, the trail descends on a gradual to moderate grade into the head of the ravine that leads to the luxurious Arlington Hotel.  The Upper Dogwood Trail (the end of the hike extension suggested above) soon exits right.  At 1.8 miles, the trail crosses Fountain Street and reenters the forest on the other side.

            2 miles into the hike, you reach an intersection with the orange-blazed Honeysuckle Trail, where you will need to make a decision on how you want to get back to the Peak Trail.  You could continue another 0.2 miles on the Hot Springs Mountain Trail to return to its intersection with the Peak Trail, or you could take the Honeysuckle Trail to its lower elevation intersection with the Peak Trail.  For more variety, this description will angle right to begin the Honeysuckle Trail.

Stone trail shelter

            The Honeysuckle Trail descends rather steeply over some large loose gravel to reach another stone trail shelter where the Floral Trail exits right.  Continue straight to keep descending on the Honeysuckle Trail.  The trail reaches its lowest elevation where a set of concrete steps lead down and right to Fountain Street.  A moderate climb brings you to the Peak Trail to close the loop.  A right turn and 0.25 miles of retracing your steps back to downtown Hot Springs remains to complete the hike.  While you are in Hot Springs, be sure to tour some of the former bathhouses and visit some of the interesting shops that line Central Avenue.