“Often I forget that autumn is arriving until colored leaves hamper my driving.” – Old Sean
Impromptu Road Trip
In a fit of non-existent planning, car sleeping and abject poverty, my brother and I rushed off to Hot Springs, Arkansas for a mini vacation. We had a fortunate three days scheduled off for the week. During our drive, we had a small adventure of swerving into oncoming traffic (as a joke, I’m told) while trading the music back and forth. After a few hours of munching on honey nut cheerios, we arrived in Hot Springs, our launching point before visiting Ouachita National Forest.
Naturally, we began our arrival by accidently breaking a few laws. For example, we wandered into a burn zone outside the town and repeatedly let our parking meter run out. In our defense, we were distracted by various geology-based shops in Uptown, accompanied by a life-sized Deadpool statue.
I’m confident that with time and therapy, Hot Springs will forgive us.
Bathhouse Row
Eventually, we managed to stop in the city’s historic districts to look at the spas which gave the town its name. The actual mineral springs, which were a gathering point for Native Americans long before European settlers arrived, are located in an area called Bathhouse Row. The waters, like many mineral hot springs around the world, are rumored to have healing powers.
Bathhouse Row is backed up to a pair of short hiking hills, including one leading to Hot Springs Mammoth Tower, a wooded overlook of the city’s historic district. The Grand Pommade walks past many historical markers as well, most notably a small fountain of steaming hot water which taps into the natural spring. This is probably the most beautiful portion of town. This entire area is actually part of Hot Springs National Park, which is a unique shape since the surrounding hills encase the old town portion of the city.
Hot Springs Downtown
For those unaware, Hot Springs is actually a gorgeous town. They have a strong dedication to green spaces and during the autumn, the trees burst into a riot of yellows. There are lots of old brick and mortar buildings in good shape and the river to the south provides some pleasant scenery. The rest of town is a more typical American design, with Walmart and other chain shops claiming a big section of parking lots. There’s also a confusingly-named private residential area called Hot Springs Village to the north, which includes a manicured woodland park.
For visitors wanting to spot some of the more accessible beauty near the city, Garvan Woodland Gardens is by far the most beautiful area. It has numerous sculptures incorporated into a rather stunning patch of forest.
However, my brother and I didn’t linger long in town once we had passed a few food stops. We were more interested in the famous hiking trails and countryside located out East.
Visiting Ouachita National Forest
Eventually, we managed to wander out to Lake Ouachita. In our usual fashion of lacking knowledge, we were fortunate enough to stumble into visiting Ouachita National Forest by accident. Here, we could see all the crisp fall scenery had to offer. We entered the woods armed with apples, flatbread and peanut butter. The canopy blazed to life, with a colorful, provoking canvas of trees against a mirror-blue lake. My brother and I cantered down the dirt trails along the water’s edge, ducking low branches and soaking up the rays of a dipping sun.
Were we lost? Yes. Did we eat all our food and complain about hunger the entire time afterwards? No, that was just me. Is visiting Ouachita and hiking in the fall a free outdoor activity? Yes, but it’s so intoxicatingly gorgeous I’ll likely be plagued by guilt for the remainder of the trip if I don’t donate a few bucks to the illustrious park service.
In any event, we’ll likely continue onward in the morning. Noon. Afternoon. Ahem. Right now we’re hijacking all the power outlets at a grand little motel while growling at our depleted electronics to stay alive. Not that we’re complaining. We’re much too noble for that.
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written November 21, 2016
Read about Hot Springs Arkansas and other points of interest by clicking here.
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Dispersed (Primitive) Camping is permitted throughout Ouachita National Forest. Read specific guidelines on the Forest Service Website.
The overall history of Hot Springs, Arkansas is engaging, strange and filled with gangster memorabilia. Consider reading about it online at Hot Springs Historical Website.
One of the necessities of travel is a day bay, which can be used for light travel, long trips and daily city explorations. The day bag I use is the Skog Å Kust DrySåk. This shoulder-sling bag is a watertight float bag, which has proven useful for me and my electronics during rainstorms, river crossings, cave exploration and boat trips. The materials are fairly tough and I like having the option of swimming with my valuables instead of leaving them onshore. The bag itself is light, flattens well and is easy to pack within my larger backpack when necessary.
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