Whittington Park and Creek

Whittington Park and Creek is a tree-shaded greenway following Whittington Creek between West Mountain and Sugarloaf Mountain. It’s a quiet neighborhood walk, best as a breather under the canopy; the appeal is the creek and its old bridges rather than a big landmark.

Walking paths pass beside the creek. Parking, picnic tables and a bottle-filling station are available. There isn’t a verified route distance or a single clearly marked entrance, so treat this as an informal stroll and use Whittington Avenue as the general approach, not a specific trailhead.

Originally called Whittington Lake Reserve, the park was laid out in 1896–97 and named for Hiram Abiff Whittington, an early Hot Springs merchant and civic figure. At the turn of the century, it was described as about half a mile long, with Whittington Avenue running through the center.

The old pleasure ground had tennis courts, pavilions and two shallow rowing lakes. Excavation reached solid rock only about five feet down; when creek flow fell in summer, the shallow lakes became stagnant and were filled in 1905. Concrete bridges replaced wooden ones in 1910. Those crossings are the clearest reminders of the park’s earlier, more formal design.