Parking
Parking is available along Whittington Avenue beside Whittington Park.
Overview
About Whittington Trail
Why go
- A genuinely flat, short loop for an easy walk or jog
- Creekside bridges and backed benches along the route
Heads up
- No restrooms in Whittington Park
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Hot Springs map
Full mapElevation646–682 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 Whittington 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: Town Views and a Stone Shelter
- Fordyce Bathhouse: Beyond the Baths
- West Mountain Summit: The Southern View
- 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 Whittington Trail
What this walk isWhittington Trail is a flat, 1.
Whittington Trail is a flat, 1.2-mile gravel loop around Whittington Park beside Whittington Creek. Allow 20 to 45 minutes for the circuit. It’s an easy place to walk or jog, with a creekside path and backed benches along the way. Pick it for an accessible leg-stretcher, not a mountain climb.
Easy underfootThe loop is unpaved gravel with a typical grade of just 0.6%.
The loop is unpaved gravel with a typical grade of just 0.6%. The National Park Service describes it as ADA compliant. Benches with backs are spread through the park, so you can take a break without having to finish the circuit first.
A park built for strollingWhittington Park opened in the 1890s as a pleasure ground with two shallow rowing lakes,…
Whittington Park opened in the 1890s as a pleasure ground with two shallow rowing lakes, pavilions, tennis grounds, and carriage drives. The lakes were filled in during 1905 after they became stagnant in summer. The concrete bridges over the creek date to 1910 and are some of the clearest reminders of the park’s earlier life.
Before you goParking is available along Whittington Avenue beside the park.
Parking is available along Whittington Avenue beside the park. There are no restrooms in Whittington Park; water is available across the street at the Whittington Spring Jug Station below the Maintenance Building. Dogs are allowed on the loop but must stay on a six-foot leash.
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.
