About Hot Springs Mountain Tower
A tall steel framework rises above Hot Springs Mountain, ending in a many-sided observation room that resembles a spacecraft balanced over the forest. The current Hot Springs Mountain Tower stands 216 feet high and offers broad views across Hot Springs National Park and the Ouachita Mountains.
The modern tower is only the latest lookout built on this summit. A wooden observatory erected in the nineteenth century was struck by lightning and burned. A steel replacement opened in 1906 using a tower originally associated with wireless telegraphy. It survived for decades before being demolished in 1975.
Construction of the present tower began in 1982, and it opened to visitors in 1983. An elevator carries guests to enclosed and open-air observation levels. Displays inside describe the history of Hot Springs, the national park, and earlier mountaintop towers.
From the top, visitors can see the historic bathhouse district, surrounding mountains, and miles of Arkansas countryside. Weather changes the experience dramatically, from clear long-distance views to clouds moving through the observation level.
The tower is reached by driving Hot Springs Mountain Drive or hiking from lower areas of the national park. Adult admission is currently $13, with reduced prices for seniors, children, military members, and first responders. Hours vary through the year.
Its unusual form is part fire lookout, part radio tower, and part retro-futuristic observation deck. More importantly, it continues a cycle of mountaintop towers that have been built, burned, removed, and replaced for well over a century.