The Relaxing Waters of Hot Springs National Park

01Sometimes, a visit to a national park means hiking rugged trails and climbing high mountains.

02Other times, it means crawling through caves or rafting down a wild river.

03But this week, we want to take it easier.

04So, we head south to the state of Arkansas.

05It is home to a national park that is perfect for resting and renewing a tired body.

06Visitors treat themselves to one of its natural thermal baths.

07Living the warm waters for thousands of years.

08Welcome to Hot Springs National Park.

09Most national parks are far from cities and industry.

10But Hot Springs is different.

11It covers more than 2,200 hectares in and around the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas.

12Congress approved special protection of the area in 1832.

13Known unofficially as America's Spa, it became a national park in 1921.

14The park's geothermal springs and other resources have long been used for therapeutic bathing.

15The average temperature of the hot springs is 61 degrees Celsius.

16The thermal mineral waters reportedly help ease many health problems, including arthritis and rheumatism.

17The springs emerge along the western edge of Hot Springs Mountain.

18Scientists say the hot springs are made of rainwater that fell in the hot springs area thousands of years ago.

19The rainwater slowly dripped down to the earth's crust.

20When water rises back up to the surface quickly and does not have a chance to cool, Hot Springs form.

21Hot Springs National Park's early bathhouses were simple structures.

22They were made of canvas and lumber.

23They were built right over some of the natural springs.

24Later, businessmen built more complex wooden structures.

25But those structures were frequently damaged by fires and from exposure to water and steam.

26Beginning in the early 1900s, stone, stucco, and brick structures replaced the wooden bathhouse buildings.

27These large and much more elaborate structures still stand today along what is known as Bathhouse Row.

28These bathhouses were built along the eastern bank of Hot Springs Creek.

29The hot water from the hillside springs flows down a system of wooden troughs and into the buildings.

30Each spring was said to help cure different kinds of conditions.

31Some of the early names referred to their chemical properties.

32Others were named after the part of the body that its waters could best help.

33There was once a spring called kidney and another named liver.

34Eight buildings line Bathhouse Row today.

35They are very large.

36Many of them are three levels.

37But most of them no longer offer therapeutic water treatments.

38Instead, they house park shops and the visitor's center.

39But one has remained open for more than 100 years.

40The Buckstaff Bathhouse has operated continuously since 1912.

41It is one of the best preserved bathhouses within Hot Springs National Park.

42Visitors today can enjoy traditional thermal mineral baths.

43The baths are different temperatures and have different properties.

44Another bathhouse offers a more modern spa experience.

45Quapa Baths and Spa also sits along Bathhouse Row.

46It was renovated and reopened in 2007 on Hot Springs' 175th anniversary.

47When you are done with your relaxing bath, there is still more to enjoy at Hot Springs National Park.

48Visitors can hike along the more than 43 kilometers of trails in the park.

49You will find unusual rock formations and views of the surrounding rolling hills.

50The landscape provides evidence of the area's hot spring history.

51On the Tufa Terrace Trail, you will see huge deposits of Tufa, created by the flowing springs over thousands of years.

52Tufa is a kind of rock shaped by water.

53But you do not have to hike to see the sights.

54There are beautiful mountain roads to drive as well.

55However you explore Hot Springs National Park, you can't help but relax.

56I'm Katie Weaver.

57And I'm Ashley Thompson.