#7 of 24 sights in Hot Springs
Sight · Hot Springs National Park
A 1911 pagoda frames Hot Springs and the Ouachitas.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Hot Springs Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Hot Springs National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Hot Springs Mountain: Pagoda and Tower“Up ahead is the Hot Springs Mountain summit area, with the Pagoda and Mountain Tower. For a quick roadside view, stop at the Pagoda.”
Plays as you drive up to Hot Springs Mountain Pagoda and Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Hot Springs Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Hot Springs Mountain Pagoda is a small, open-sided 1911 lookout shelter on Hot Springs Mountain. It sits above town on the mountain drive, with the Ouachitas in the distance. Stop for a quick view and a little architectural history; this is a roadside pause, not a hike. The separate Mountain Tower nearby is the choice if you want a high observation deck.
The Pagoda frames Hot Springs below and the wooded ridges beyond. For a photo, include the tiled roof as well as the town and hills through the open bay; a view straight over the parapet loses the part that makes this stop distinctive.
Architect J. G. Horn designed the shelter in 1911, and local builder Gibson Mills built it for $1,030. The plan was to house a drinking fountain fed by an old well near the tower, but the well had dried up and later searches for water failed. The Pagoda was dedicated to superintendent Harry H. Myers. By the following year, repeated vandalism had the park posting a warning about federal law.
Hot Springs Mountain Drive begins at the end of Fountain Street off Central Avenue. The 1880s carriage road climbs to the summit in switchbacks, where parking serves the Pagoda/Pavilion and picnic area. Bring food if you want to linger: the picnic area makes an easy add-on, while the 216-foot Mountain Tower is a separate nearby stop.
Wildlife
71 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
11 sightingsGroundhogMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
12 sightingsMexican Long-nosed ArmadilloMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
16 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting map
40 sightingsCardinalMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
27 sightingsSummer TanagerMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Hot Springs. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyHot Springs Mountain Trail1.7 mi · 1 hr · 0.1 mi awayAn easy loop above Hot Springs, with a view between the trees.
ModerateFloral Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 0.3 mi awayA quick valley dip linking two North Mountain trails.
EasyGrand Promenade0.5 mi · 45 min · 0.3 mi awayBenches, spring views, and bathhouses on an easy half-mile walk.
ModerateLower Dogwood Trail0.7 mi · 30 min · 0.4 mi awayBoulders mark a brief mountain climb before the loop drops downhill.
EasyTufa Terrace Trail0.3 mi · 24 min · 0.4 mi awayA short paved climb to pale tufa beside the thermal cascade
ModeratePeak Trail1.2 mi · 40 min · 0.4 mi awayA 400-foot climb rewards you with summit overlooks and a tower.
ModerateOertel Trail1.4 mi · 45 min · 0.4 mi awayA steep, bumpy gravel climb links downtown with mountain trails.
ModerateCanyon Trail0.7 mi · 36 min · 0.5 mi awayA short downtown climb that gets steep on the mountain side.
Sight · 0.1 mi awayHot Springs Mountain TowerA 216-foot elevator ride to wide views and park history.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayHappy Hollow Jug Fountain (Cold)A free cold-spring refill stop, praised for its water.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayLibbey Thermal Water Jug FountainFree hot spring water for your bottle or jug.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayHot Water CascadeThermal water tumbles through two pools along Bathhouse Row.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayArlington LawnA lawn where two earlier Arlington Hotels stood.
Lodging · 0.4 mi awayThe Arlington Resort Hotel & SpaA 1924 landmark with twin towers and its own thermal bathhouse.
Restaurant · 0.4 mi awaySuperior Bathhouse BreweryThermal-water beer in a 1916 Bathhouse Row landmark.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayStevens Balustrade and Thermal FountainsA shell fountain tucked into Bathhouse Row’s grand stone entrance.Parkwolf’s Hot Springs ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
