Oertel Trail

Oertel Trail is a 1.4-mile, one-way point-to-point route from downtown Hot Springs into the connected mountain trail system. Allow 30 to 60 minutes for this leg. Walking back the same way makes it a 2.8-mile out-and-back, before adding the downtown stair approach. The route is a direct link into the park’s trails, not a loop by itself.

From downtown, climb Stephen’s Balustrade behind Fordyce Visitor Center to the Grand Promenade. Keep going up two more sets of stairs to the gravel road, turn right, and follow it to the iron gate. Those stairs add effort before Oertel starts and are outside the 1.4-mile trail distance.

The trail is steep to very steep, with bumpy gravel underfoot. It suits hikers who want a direct route from downtown into the mountain trails and are comfortable with a rough climb. It is not ADA accessible. For a shorter downtown walk, the 0.5-mile Grand Promenade is an easier alternative, with a ramp entry as well as stairs.

Dr. Max Oertel developed a mountain-walking system built around progressively strenuous routes to strengthen the heart. Hot Springs adapted the idea into timed, color-coded courses modeled on Reichenhall; the local system was completed in 1914. That history explains the name, though the evidence does not show that today’s trail follows a whole historic course.