Hot Springs National Park
Getting there
If you’re flying to visit Hot Springs National Park, Little Rock National Airport (LIT) is the closest option. From the airport to Hot Springs is approximately 55 miles and 1 hour drive time.
We stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hot Springs Hotel, which is about 10 minutes from downtown.
Visiting Hot Springs
Years ago, I told my youngest nephew that I would take him on a trip with me when he was older. When he turned 10, I realized that he wasn’t going to think I was very cool for much longer. So I finally asked my sister if I could take him on a trip.
We chose Hot Springs, AR in October because of the National Park, nearby state parks, and the weather. This visit to Hot Springs was part of a long-weekend itinerary. You can see the full details under Destinations > United States.
On our day at Hot Springs, we started with breakfast at Pancake House. This is a popular spot on Saturday so arrive early if you can! Then we went to Lake Catherine State Park for a quick hike and made our way back to explore Hot Springs National Park.
First stop, filling our water bottles at the Happy Hollow cold spring fountain. Then we made our way to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower. There are two options for going up – climbing the 306 stairs or taking the elevator. We opted for the stairs to have the full experience (I recently visited again in August and had to take the elevator due to raccoons in the stairs). The top offers beautiful views of the park and all of Hot Springs. We lucked out by having a clear, sunny day! After admiring the views and shopping at the mountain tower, we went to the Goat Rock trailhead. It was a nice hike with great viewpoints.
Alltrails stats for Goat Rock: Length – 2.6 mi; Elevation Gain – 433 ft; Route Type – Out & Back; Difficulty – Moderate
After our hike, we went back to the hotel to change and nap. That evening, we checked out downtown Hot Springs and the local shops (+ dinner and ice cream). My nephew was excited to touch the hot water at the Arlington Lawn Spring and climb on the big rock nearby. This park is unique in that it is right behind downtown. You could go on a hike and walk right down to the main strip.
If you have additional time to spend here, check out the bathhouses! One was 14 & older, so we weren’t able to go. I’ll check it out at some point!
