Located in the picturesque Ouachita Mountains of Western Arkansas,
Hot Springs National Park is closely intertwined with the city of
Hot Springs. The thermal water that flows from the springs begins as rainwater and is absorbed into the mountains northeast of the park. From there is flows to a depth of four to eight thousand feet, where the geothermal heat raises it to 143 degree Fahrenheit. It works its way back to the surface through weaknesses in the rocks, in a process that takes about four thousand years to complete.