Hot Springs National Park · Arkansas

Canyon Trail

0.6 mi of trail, end to end · 350 ft of descent · 642 ft–988 ft

988 ft 642 ft · 0.6 mi high 988 ft

Canyon Trail the Park Service's write-up

25-45 Minutes · dogs allowed

Start Trail head

A ranger in uniform walks up the curved trail through the forest.
A ranger walks up the Canyon Trail. Photo: NPS Photo/Mitch Smith

The West Mountain trails can be reached from downtown via Canyon Trail. The trailhead is behind the Mountain Valley Water building. The section between West Mountain Drive and West Mountain Trail is very steep.

Distance (one way): 0.7mi (1.1km)

Elevation: 626 - 933ft (191 - 303m)

Typical grade: 10%

Accessibility This is a steep, packed gravel trail. It is not ADA compliant.

This hike on nps.gov

Mountain Top Trail the Park Service's write-up

45-75 Minutes · dogs allowed

Start Trail head

A rocky trail curves through the trees on a hillside.
A view of a trail on West Mountain. Photo: NPS Photo/Mitch Smith

Mountaintop trail can be linked with Canyon Trail and West Mountain trail to complete a loop around West Mountain. If hiking southward, the trail is strenuous, as it gains elevation quickly. If hiking northward, there is a steady rise in elevation until you cross Sunset Trail; the trail descends steeply to the trailhead at Whittington Park.

Distance (one way): 1.5mi (2.4km)

Elevation: 675 - 1100ft (206 - 335m)

Typical grade: 5.4%

Accessibility This is a rocky, packed gravel, steep trail. It is not ADA compliant.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 28 trails in Hot Springs National ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.