Hot healing springs in a green idyll
According to Acronymmonster, Hot Springs National Park is located in the US state of Arkansas, near the city of Hot Springs. The central theme in Hot Springs National Park is the hot springs. Designated as a “Hot Springs Preserve”, US citizens were able to use the hot springs as early as 1832.
The city of Hot Springs, the national park, lie in the Ouachita Mountains.
The aim was not to protect the springs from the population, but to use the hot springs for healing purposes. The area of Hot Springs National Park is very small by American standards at 22.5 km². About 1.5 million people visit Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas each year.
Hot Springs Mountain
The hot spring water comes from the “Hot Springs Mountain” in Arkansas. The outflowing spring water is collected in basins. The Hot Springs watershed is protected and a conservation area. The “Hot Springs” area has had the status of a national park in the USA since 1921.
Natural hot spring in the national park
The water from Hot Springs hot springs is said to have healing properties. People come from afar to take a dip in the hot baths. The ancient bathhouses in the national park are now listed as “National Historic Landmarks”. One of the historic bathhouses is called the “Fordyce Bathhouse”.
Climate humid in summer, otherwise quite mild
Arkansas has a predominantly mild climate in spring and fall. Arkansas often gets very hot in the summer. The high humidity is uncomfortable. In winter, the temperature can drop to a few degrees below zero.
The healing effects of the “Hot Springs” have been known for a long time
Even the “Native Americans” used the hot springs for healing purposes before the arrival of the first white settlers. The “Native Americans” also use the nearby novaculite quarries for their own purposes. There you will find the so-called Arkansas stone, which with its fine-grained, marly structure was used as a “honing stone” for sharpening blades.
Commercial use of the hot water
A clinic was opened near hot springs in the 19th century. Numerous companies have settled in the area around Hot Springs National Park, to the north of Hot Springs Town. Hot Springs National Park is great for hiking. Rest areas in mountainous terrain offer a wonderful view of the surroundings and invite you to have a picnic.
View of the town of Hot Springs on the edge of the national park
Tesla and an observation tower
Inventor Nikola Tesla once conducted experiments with the famous Tesla coil near the town of Hot Springs. The Tesla coil can still be seen today. Near the town of Hot Springs is the 65 meter high Hot Springs Mountain Tower. Once you have climbed the tower, you have a wonderful view of the wooded, hilly region.