Parking
Start at the Mountain Top Trail access in Whittington Park, where the official map marks a parking area. The trail ends near Prospect Avenue; retrace the route for a 3-mile round trip or arrange a pickup.
Overview
About Mountain Top Trail
Why go
- A full ridge crossing in a short walk
- Connects with other trails for a longer loop
Heads up
- Steep, rocky packed-gravel tread
- The point-to-point route needs return planning
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Hot Springs map
Full mapElevation702–1,083 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Hot Springs alert
- InfoBurn ban in parkA burn ban is in effect because of high fire danger. - In the campground and picnic areas, only gas and charcoal grills are currently allowed; the ban was enacted August 15, 2026.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Hot Springs Tour Guide
Your drive to Mountain Top Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Whittington Park: Old Bridges and Cold Spring Water0:00 / 0:25
“You're nearing Whittington Park, a shaded creekside stop for an easy walk. Its flat gravel loop takes about twenty to forty-five minutes, with benches where you can pause.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Hot Springs Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The People Behind the Baths
- West Mountain Summit: The Southern View
- West Mountain: Town Views and a Stone Shelter
- Fordyce Bathhouse: Beyond the Baths
- 18 audio storiesacross Hot Springs’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor White-tailed Deer, Groundhog, Mexican Long-nosed Armadillo, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 19 trails, 33 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Mountain Top Trail
A short crossing with a real climbMountain Top Trail crosses West Mountain between Whittington Park and the Prospect Avenue…
Mountain Top Trail crosses West Mountain between Whittington Park and the Prospect Avenue access. The official route is 1.5 miles one way; allow about 45 to 75 minutes. To return to a car at Whittington Park, retrace it for a 3-mile out-and-back and roughly double that time. The longer loop made with Canyon and West Mountain trails is a separate option.
Climb, then descendHeading south from Whittington Park, the trail climbs quickly toward the high point and Sunset…
Heading south from Whittington Park, the trail climbs quickly toward the high point and Sunset Trail, then descends toward Prospect Avenue. Northbound, it rises steadily to Sunset before dropping steeply to Whittington Park. The tread is rocky, packed gravel and steep, and the route is not ADA-compliant.
A view off the trailMountain Top meets Sunset Trail near the roughly 1,100-foot high point.
Mountain Top meets Sunset Trail near the roughly 1,100-foot high point. A short detour on Sunset reaches an overlook with a view toward Hot Springs; that spur is not part of the 1.5-mile distance. The West Mountain trails have long been part of the park's walking network, and their quieter setting can make wildlife easier to spot, though sightings are never guaranteed.
Access and rulesWhittington Park has a mapped parking area.
Whittington Park has a mapped parking area. The trail is open year-round, needs no reservation or activity fee, and allows dogs on leash; park entrance fees may still apply. No food, drinking water or toilets were identified on this route, so arrive supplied and plan how you will get back from the south end.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Hot Springs
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
41 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.
