Walking paths have long been a part of Hot Springs National Park and the preceding Hot Springs Reservation. Many informal paths criss-crossed the mountains when Hot Springs Reservation was reclaimed by the federal government in 1878; however, formal trails were not laid out for several years. In the early to mid 1890's, Captain Robert Stevens laid out many of the trails on Hot Springs Mountain. Most trails were built during the 1920's with some improvements completed by the CCC in 1933.

The Lower Dogwood Trail begins by taking a left at the east end of Arlington Trail. There, a smooth but steep gravel path climbs North Mountain. Sandstone boulders near the top mark the westernmost tip of the trail. From there, the trail turns right and drops downhill for a hundred yards before turning up the mountain again. A right at the next two junctions returns to the Floral Trail, completing the Lower Dogwood Trail. Each left trail is a section of the Upper Dogwood Trail.

The Upper Dogwood Trail continues left down the mountain. To the right, a stone drain lies below a rusted steel handrail, and in another hundred feet, the trail crosses a second stone drain under a concrete bridge.

Before the next intersection, an old roadbed crosses the trail. A left at both of the intersections with the Lower Dogwood Trail ends the Upper Dogwood Trail at a concrete bench near Hot Springs Mountain Trail.

Credits and Sources:

“Hiking Trails.” National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/hosp/planyourvisit/trails.htm (accessed June 21, 2015).

“Lower Dogwood Trail.” National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/hosp/planyourvisit/lower-dogwood-trail.htm (accessed June 21, 2015).

“Upper Dogwood Trail.” National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/hosp/planyourvisit/upper-dogwood-trail.htm (accessed June 21, 2015).

Quinn Evans Architects, Mundus Bishop Design, and Woolpert, Inc. Hot Springs National Park, Cultural Landscape Report and Environmental Assessment. National Park Service, 2010.