Hot Springs National Park has a rich cultural past. The grand architecture of
the historic bathhouses is equally matched by the natural curiosities that have
been drawing people here for hundreds of years. Ancient thermal springs,
mountain views, incredible geology, forested hikes, and abundant creeks – all in
the middle of town – make Hot Springs National Park a unique and beautiful
destination. Hot Springs Reservation was initially created by an act of
the United States Congress on April 20, 1832, to be preserved for future
recreation (before the concept of a national park existed).
The area was established as a national park on March 4, 1921.
Getting there ...
We originally planned the trip to Dallas
for the solar eclipse event on 4/8/2024. However, the weather forecast in
Dallas areas was not very promising on the day of the solar eclipse, so I
started to think about a backup plan. It seems the storm was moving from the
west (in fact, all the way from California) so it should have a better chance if
we went toward the east of Texas, and Hot Springs in Arkansas became a good
alternative candidate (~ 5 hours from Dallas). I was able to book a room
in the Hotel Hale in the heart of the Hot Springs National Park just the day
before our trip.
We had a red-eye flight on 4/5 late evening from SFO
to Houston, and then a short flight to Dallas. When we landed in Houston
and waited for our transfer flight, I got a message from our accommodation in
Dallas saying that our reservation was cancelled. In fact, I have been worry
about this place for a while: a few months ago I was notified that there
was an ownership change for this place. When I checked the Google review a
few weeks ago, there were full of 1 or 2-star reviews recently. Then I
sent them messages asking some questions a few days ago, but I had not got any
reply back yet. It turned out my backup plan became my rescue and we had a
chance to visit a national park this time.
- Bathhouse Row
By the 1900s, Hot Springs was among the most visited
health and wellness resorts in the United States. Since 1921 the
springs and historic bathhouses have formed the heart of a national park.
The Bathhouse Row you see today consists of eight bathhouse buildings that
were constructed between the years of 1892 and 1923. From south to
north, the bathhouses are: Lamar
(bookstore now), Buckstaff
(longest active bathhouse), Ozark
(culture center), Quapaw (active
bathhouse), Fordyce (visitor center
and museum), Maurice (not in use),
Hale (our hotel), and
Superior (brewery).
After dinner in the hotel, we walked along the Bathhouse
Row again for a cooler air (but still a crowded street).
Day 2 (4/7)...
- Buckstaff Bathhouse
The
Buckstaff is the only bathhouse that offers a traditional bathing experience
and has been in continuous operation since opening its doors in 1912.
The bathing experience faithfully recreates the opulence of the 1900s, using
original bathtubs and equipment to transport you back in time.
When we walked to the Buckstaff at 7:50AM (it opened at 8AM), there was
already a long line in front of the building. We finally got in at ~
9:15AM, but Woanyu had to wait in the women's area for another hour to start
her bathing (there were probably 3 times more women than men).
There are 4 steps in the traditional bathing experience: 15-20 minutes
of whirlpool tub bath at a maximum temperature of 102°F; 10 minutes of
sitz tub to treat lower back
problems, hemorrhoids, and prostate conditions; 5 minutes of vapor cabinet
with temperature of 145°F inside the cabinet and 100% humidity; and then
final 10-15 minutes of lying down wrapped with hot packs around the body and
cool towel on the head.
- Hot Springs Mountain
After a late brunch at the hotel, we hiked to
the Hot Springs Mountain and climbed the tower which has a nice 360-degree
view. We continued to hike to the Goat Rock (although I still do not
know why it is named as Goat Rock). The trail after the tower had very
few visitors/hikers. It seems 90% of visitors to the Hot Springs only
stayed around the Bathhouse Row, and probably less than 1% of people did any
real hike in the mountains.
- We went back to the Bathhouse Row and our hotel to take a break, and
decided to try the burgers/beer at the
Superior Bathhouse.
Built in 1916, the Superior operated as a bathhouse in Hot Springs National
Park until its closure in 1983. After lying vacant for 30 years, the
Superior Bathhouse was re-imagined into a craft brewery with a full service,
family-friendly restaurant. The Superior Bathhouse is now home to the
only brewery in a United States National Park, and the only brewery in the
world to utilize thermal spring water to make their beer.
Day 3 (4/8) ...
- Hot Water Cascade
Rain and melted snow trickle into cracks in the
brittle rock along the ridges of the Ouachita Mountains. The
rock temperature increases with depth. When the water reaches a major
fault of Hot Springs Mountain, pressure propels it upward and the water
emerges from the springs at an average temperature of 143°F (62°C).
The hot spring water does not result from a volcanic process. Its
round-trip journey (from rainfall back to hot springs on surface) takes over
four thousand years!
- Fordyce
The Fordyce opened on March 1, 1915. Designed by Little Rock architects Mann
and Stern and constructed under the supervision of owner Sam Fordyce's son
John, the building eventually cost over $212,000 to build, equip, and
furnish. Totaling approximately 28,000 square feet, the Fordyce is the
largest bathhouse on the Row. It has three main floors, two courtyards, and
a basement under most of the building. The Fordyce became the first
bathhouse on the Row to go out of business when it suspended operations on
June 30, 1962, but it was extensively restored by 1989 and is now enjoying a
renaissance as a historically furnished museum.
- Solar Eclipse
The solar eclipse of April
8, 2024, also known as the Great North American Eclipse, was a total solar
eclipse visible across a band covering parts of North America, from Mexico
to Canada and crossing the contiguous United States. In the United States,
totality was visible through the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas,
Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan,
Pennsylvania, Upstate New York, northern Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Dallas (our original destination) was the largest city that was entirely in
the totality path, and Hot Springs and Cuyahoga Valley were the only two
national parks where you can see the total solar eclipse.
We set up our
chairs at the Arlington Lawn at the northern end of the Bathhouse Row (it's
only 1-minute walk from our hotel). The partial eclipse began at
12:32PM; the totality began at 1:49PM and ended at 1:53PM; the partial
eclipse ended at 3:10PM. I stayed for the entire duration of the solar
eclipse event (and Woanyu stayed in our hotel room for most of the time...).
Although we have seen the
total solar eclipse in 2017 in Oregon, it was still an exciting and
thrilling experience to see it again (and again and again...).
Day 4 (4/9) ...
It's time to drive back to Texas to continue (or resume) our planned
Texas trip (Austin, San Antonio, and Fort
Worth). It was a hard raining day from the early morning in Hot
Springs in Arkansas, all the way to Dallas/Waco in Texas at about noon. It
finally cleared up when we got to Austin at about 4PM. I think we were
really lucky that we got our perfect day (4/8/2024) at a perfect place (Hot
Springs National Park).
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