Hot Springs, Arkansas Part 2

Bathhouse Row is at the base of Hot Springs Mountain.  Several walking trails of various lengths go around and up the mountain.  We walked up some stairs from Bathhouse Row to the Promenade which is a wide 1/2 mile walkway which circles behind Bathhouse Row.  In its heyday the Promenade was a place bathhouse patrons could stroll for exercise.

The Promenade

We walked on the Tower Trail which goes to the top of the mountain where there is a 216 ft observation tower and museum. On the way up we saw smoldering fires which were part of a National Park Service controlled burn.  We saw a few trees with turning leaves, but we were a few weeks too early for the brilliant color.



Smoky!

On the trail














Crossing the road near the top

The Tower

 

 

 


Hot Springs Greenway Trail is a paved bike/walking path that is 4.2 miles long and runs along Hot Springs Creek and a former railroad line.  In many places the railroad embankment was incorporated into the path.  We biked it several times.

Also in Hot Springs is Lake Ouachita State Park.  The drive to the park and the park were scenic.  The lake's beach is covered in slate, which is a type of rock formed from clay by high heat and pressure.  It resembled sheets of tile.

We spent a whole afternoon walking around Garvin Woodland Gardens, a 210 acre botanical garden managed by the University of Arkansas.  There was so much to see there that we could easily have spent 2 afternoons there!

 

We left Hot Springs for Texas on October 23.  It was a beautiful sunny morning when we hit the road.

On to Texas for the holidays!