Dogwood & Goat Rock Trails -

Hot Springs National Park

Established in 1832 as Hot Springs Reservation, the land now known as Hot Springs National Park is under federal jurisdiction to preserve the thermal waters of the hot springs and the associated lands. After the creation of the National Park Service in 1916, the reservation was re-named Hot Springs National Park in 1921. While the boundaries of the park have changed over time, portions of the park have remained protected for more than 175 years. The upland forest communities in those areas remain today as old-growth forest stands, and they are unique for their proximity to the bustling downtown area of the City of Hot Springs. Several trees within two old-growth forest stands of oak/hickory/pine forest within the national park were core-dated in 1983 by the Tree-Ring Laboratory, a facility of the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arkansas. Analysis of the resulting dendrochronology graphs shows that the trees are now approximately 300 years old. These old-growth forest stands cover approximately 220 acres and are considered significant old-growth trees for this area and our state. The Arkansas Famous and Historic Tree Program has recognized these old-growth forest stands as Tree Community #37.