Hot Springs National Park, National Park in Arkansas, United States
This protected area includes several spring sites at the base of a forested mountain and a historic early 20th-century row of eight ornately decorated bathhouses. Narrow trails wind up the slopes above the bathing facilities and pass through dense forest to overlooks above the town.
The government placed this area under federal protection in 1832 to prevent anyone from claiming or building on the springs privately. The modern system for distributing thermal water was completed in 1902 to feed the springs evenly to the various bathhouses.
Indigenous peoples called this place Valley of the Vapors because of the rising steam clouds above the springs. Visitors today can still see thermal water bubbling up through open fountains along the promenade, sending small wisps of steam into the air.
Several hiking trails access the slopes above the bathhouse row and offer easy to moderate climbs through shaded forest. Those who want to see the historic bathhouses from inside should note that only a few of the buildings are open for viewing.
The spring water takes about one year to rise from great depth after entering the ground as rainwater. A drop that surfaces today fell as precipitation in the surrounding mountains roughly twelve months ago.
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