The smallest national park in the country and one of the strangest: most of the protected land is the mountain ridge that feeds the springs, but the headline attraction is Bathhouse Row, a strip of 1900s spa architecture sitting in the middle of downtown. The Fordyce Bathhouse serves as the visitor centre — go inside to see the stained-glass ceilings, marble pools, and gym equipment that looks like medical-torture furniture.
Behind the row, paved promenades follow the hot creek upslope past the still-flowing spring vents. Touch the water if you can stand it (it leaves the rock at 62°C). The park's 26 miles of trails climb into pine and oak forest above town, with Hot Springs Mountain and West Mountain offering quiet walks just minutes from the bustle of Central Avenue.