Hot Springs National Park · Arkansas

Short Cut Trail

0.2 mi of trail, end to end · about 150 ft of climbing · 799 ft–941 ft

Short Cut Trail the Park Service's write-up

10-25 Minutes · dogs allowed

A picnic area with many tables sit beneath the shade of the trees. — View from the Short Cut trailhead Photo: NPS Photo/Mitch Smith

Short Cut Trail connects Oertel Trail with Hot Springs Mountain Trail near the picnic area atop Hot Springs Mountain.

Distance (one way): 0.2 mi (0.3km)

Elevation: 813 - 1036ft. (247 - 316m)

Typical grade: 21.1%

Accessibility This trail is made of loose rocky, gravel. This trail is not ADA compliant.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 28 trails in Hot Springs National Park Find a trail On the parks map Park 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.