Situated in the town of Hot Springs, Arkansas, Hot Springs National Park is the oldest federally protected park in the USA. Set aside for protection as the Hot Springs Reservation in 1832, the park is also one of only a couple of national parks within a town.
It preserves a collection of numerous natural hot springs and a series of historic bathhouses known as Bathhouse Row.
Activities range from camping and hiking to taking a tour of a bathhouse and, of course, enjoying a luxurious spa treatment.
More often than not in America’s national parks, your dog is only allowed in campgrounds, on and near paved roads, and/or in some accommodations. Only in developed areas, in other words. Some parks, however, also welcome dogs on hiking trails. Here are the most dog-friendly national parks of them all.
More than 80% of Americans currently live in an urban area. Whether it’s a small town or huge metropolis, people gravitate more and more toward population clusters. This, combined with the increasing popularity of nature getaways and outdoor activities, makes the creation and upkeep of urban national parks even more important.
As its name suggests, the park’s main feature and the reason for its historic popularity are its numerous hot springs. Known as the “Valley of Vapors” by Native Americans, who had been visiting the area for thousands of years to bathe in its healing waters, modern development began when the thermal waters were federally protected in the 19th century.