Hot Springs National Park

From Freepedia

Hot Springs
Image:LocMap Hot Springs National Park.png
Designation	National Park
Location	Arkansas, USA
Nearest City	Hot Springs, Arkansas
Coordinates	34°30′ N 93°04′ W
Area	5,550 acres (22.46 km²) 2,246 ha
Date of Establishment	March 4, 1921
Visitation	1,570,072 (2003)
Governing Body	National Park Service
IUCN category	II National Park

Established from Hot Springs Reservation, Hot Springs National Park is a United States National Park in central Arkansas adjacent to the town of Hot Springs. Hot Springs Reservation was initially created by an act of Congress on April 20, 1832, and the area was made a national park in 1921, making it the oldest property currently in the National Park System. The hot springs flow from the western slope of Hot Springs Mountain, part of the Ouachita Mountain range.

In the park, the hot springs have not been preserved in their unaltered state as natural surface phenomena. They have instead been managed to conserve the production of uncontaminated hot water for public use. The mountains within the park are also managed within this conservation philosophy in order to preserve the hydrological system that feeds the springs.

People have used the hot spring water in therapeutic baths for more than two hundred years to treat rheumatism and other ailments. While it was a reservation, the area developed into a well-known resort nicknamed "The American Spa" which attracted not only the wealthy but indigent health seekers from around the world as well.

The park includes portions of downtown Hot Springs and is one of the most easily visited national parks. There are numerous hiking trails and camping areas. Bathing in the hot springs is permitted but costs extra. The entire "Bathhouse Row" area is a National Historic Landmark District that contains the grandest collection of bathhouses of its kind in North America, including many outstanding examples of Gilded Age architecture.

Image:Hots Springs National Park aerial.jpg

The park has become increasingly popular in recent years, and recorded over 1.5 million visitors in 2003.